Patent Publication Number: US-2004059308-A1

Title: Male, post-void, urinary drip napkin and method

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] This invention relates to sanitary pads, and, more particularly, to disposable sanitary napkins for treating post-void, urinary drip in men.  
       [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art  
       [0004] As the baby boomer generation gets older, a greater need arises for a disposable sanitary napkin for men to protect their hands and clothing from post-void, urinary drip. Ideally, the disposable sanitary napkin should be placed around the tip of the penis to allow the penis, surrounded with the napkin, to be shaken, and then the napkin may be flushed down the toilet after use. The napkin should also be designed to be dispensed from a small compact dispenser located near the toilet or urinal.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a male, post-void, urinary drip napkin.  
       [0006] It is another object of the present invention to provide such a napkin that can be placed over the tip of the penis and then used to shake the penis to dislodge urine from the urethra.  
       [0007] It is a further object of the invention to provide such a napkin that can be dispensed from a conveniently located dispenser and then flushed down a urinal or toilet after use.  
       [0008] It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for dislodging urine from a penis.  
       [0009] These and other objects are met by a male, post-void, urinary drip napkin designed to be placed over the tip of the penis to capture drops of urine. The napkin is relatively small and made of a lightweight, absorbent material capable of being discarded down a urinal or toilet after use without risk of obstruction. The napkin is either dispensed in a flat, folded, triangular configuration that easily expands into an open-ended, conical-shaped configuration, or dispensed in an open-ended conical configuration. When disposed in an open-ended, conical-shaped configuration, the napkin may be placed longitudinally over the penis. A single, short tab member is formed on the closed end of the napkin which enables the napkin to be easily dispensed from the dispenser, placed over the penis, using one hand. The short tab also allows the penis to be shaken without the fingers directly touching the penis. In the preferred embodiment, the napkin is a continuous structure with no side seams so that the bulk of the napkin is relatively small and easily dissolves in water for easy disposal in a urinal. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0010]FIG. 1 is a front plan view of a plurality of longitudinally aligned and stacked male, post-void, urinary drip napkins disclosed herein.  
     [0011]FIG. 2 is a bottom elevational view of the napkin positioned in a flat orientation.  
     [0012]FIG. 3 is a bottom elevational view of the napkin shown in FIG. 2, shown expanded into a conical configuration placed around a penis.  
     [0013]FIG. 4 is an illustration showing the napkin disposed around a penis and being held by the tab and shaken to remove post-void, urinary drips.  
     [0014]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a plurality of napkins shown in FIG. 1 longitudinally inside a dispenser.  
     [0015]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a plurality of napkins aligned longitudinally and rolled into a second embodiment of the dispenser. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)  
     [0016] A male, post-void, urinary drip napkin  10  is shown in the accompanying FIGS.  1 - 6  that includes a flat, conical-shaped body  12  with a wide open end  14  and an opposite narrow closed end  16 . Formed on the opposite sides of the body  12  are baffles  18  which enable the body  12  to be folded and expanded from a flat configuration shown in FIG. 2 into a conical configuration, shown in FIG. 3, capable of being aligned longitudinally over the end of a penis.  
     [0017] In the preferred embodiment, the body  12  is a continuous structure with no side seams that increase bulk. Formed on the closed end  16  of the body  12  is a longitudinally aligned, central tab member  20  which enables a user to easily pull the napkin  10  longitudinally from a dispenser  50 , longitudinally align the napkin  10  over the penis  90 , and then shake the penis, as shown in FIG. 4, with one hand.  
     [0018] The napkin  10  is relatively small and made of lightweight, absorbent paper material capable of being discarded in the urinal or toilet without obstructing the plumbing. In the preferred embodiment, the body  12  is made of light tissue or toilet paper and measures approximately three inches in length. The open end  14  of the body  12 , which, when expanded into an open configuration, measures approximately 2½ inches in diameter. The tab member  20  is integrally formed on the body  12  and is also made of tissue or toilet paper and measures approximately ¾ inch in width and ¾ inch in length. The top edge  15  of the open end  14  is curved inward, which enables the user or his assistant to view the top surface of the penis  90  when the napkin  10  is placed thereon.  
     [0019] The first embodiment of the dispenser  50 , shown in FIG. 5, includes a rigid, rectangular-shaped outer container  52  designed to store a plurality of longitudinally aligned napkins  10 . The lower napkin  10  is positioned over the adjacent inside napkin  10 ′ and is interconnected so that when a lower napkin  10  is pulled from the container  52 , the next napkin  10 ′ is pulled to automatically extend through the container&#39;s lower opening  54 . The folded baffles  18  on the adjacent napkins  10 ′ are overlapping so that the upper napkin  10 ′ is partially pulled through the dispenser  50  when the lower napkin  10  is pulled.  
     [0020] In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 6, the dispenser  50 ′ is designed to hold a plurality of napkins  10  that are longitudinally aligned and connected in an end-to-end manner and collected on a roll  53 , which then rotates on a central roller  51  housed inside a dispenser  50 ′. The adjacent napkins  10  are separated by pulling along perforated lines (not shown) formed between them.  
     [0021] As disclosed herein is the method for dislodging urine from a penis comprising the following steps: (a) selecting a napkin that includes a conical-shaped body with a wide open end an opposite, closed end, said body including a single tab centrally and longitudinally aligned and extending from said closed end; (b) grasping said tab and longitudinally aligning said body so that a penis may be inserted through said open end of said body; and, (c) inserting a penis into said open end; and (d) shaking said body while holding said tab to dislodge urine from the penis.  
     [0022] In compliance with the statute the invention, described herein has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features. It should be understood, however, the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, since the means and construction shown comprise only the preferred embodiments for putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the amended claims, appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.