Patent Publication Number: US-11020296-B2

Title: Attachable bedside urinal holder

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/518,879 filed on Jun. 13, 2017. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to portable urinal containers. More specifically, the present invention provides an attachable bedside urinal holder that removably secures a bedside urinal container to a surface, such as a metal frame of a bedside table. 
     Portable urinal containers are typically used in a medical setting, such as at a hospital or a nursing home, wherein a patient may be bedridden. In many instances, the portable urinal container is propped upright within a small dish or bowl to prevent spillage. However, many times the portable urinal container may become dislodged from the bowl during use, such that urine is spilled on the floor or bed. In other instances, the urinal container may be left on a bedside table, allowing the container to be easily knocked over. Other urinal containers may be hung from a bedside railing. However, these containers may be difficult to remove or use when secured in place. Therefore, an attachable bedside urinal holder that removably secures to a surface, wherein the holder slidably receives a handle of a bedside urinal container is needed. 
     Devices have been disclosed in the known art that relate to container holders. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to urinal container holders and cup holder devices. Some of these devices include holders that secure an entire urinal container to the rails of a hospital bed. Some devices include fabric or plastic loops that secure the handle of the container to a bedrail. Another device secures a cup to a surface by utilizing a magnetic fastener. However, these known art devices fail to include a dial that rotates the housing of a urinal holder, such that a bedside urinal container can be locked into various orientations. 
     In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing urinal holding devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of urinal holders now present in the known art, the present invention provides a new attachable bedside urinal holder wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when securing a bedside urinal container to a surface, such as the metal frame of a bedside table. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved attachable bedside urinal holder that has all of the advantages of the known art and none of the disadvantages. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an attachable bedside urinal holder comprising a housing having a sidewall and a pair of opposing open ends. The sidewall defines an interior volume, such that the interior volume of the housing slidably receives a handle of a bedside urinal container. A dial is affixed to an outer surface of the housing, wherein the dial rotates the orientation of a longitudinal axis of the housing. A button is disposed on the dial that selectively locks and unlocks rotational movement of the dial. A fastener is disposed on a bottom end of the dial, wherein the fastener secures the dial to a surface. In one embodiment, the fastener is a magnet that secures the attachable bedside urinal holder to a metal surface. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an attachable bedside urinal holder that may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the attachable bedside urinal holder. 
         FIG. 2  shows a side view of an embodiment of the attachable bedside urinal holder. 
         FIG. 3  shows a bottom view of an embodiment of the attachable bedside urinal holder. 
         FIG. 4A  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the attachable bedside urinal holder removably secured to a metal frame, wherein a bedside urinal container is in a vertical orientation. 
         FIG. 4B  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the attachable bedside urinal holder removably secured to a metal frame, wherein a bedside urinal container is in a horizontal orientation. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the attachable bedside urinal holder. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for securing a bedside urinal container to the metal frame of a bedside table. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the attachable bedside urinal holder. The attachable bedside urinal holder  11  comprises a housing  12  having a sidewall and a pair of opposing open ends  13 ,  14 , wherein the sidewall defines an interior volume. The interior volume of the housing  12  is configured to receive a handle of a bedside urinal container. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing  12  comprises a tubular shape with a pair of opposing arcuate side portions  20  and a pair of opposing planar side portions  21 . However, any suitable shape that can slidably receive a handle of a bedside urinal container may be used. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the pair of opposing planar side portions  21  are configured to rest flush with sides of the handle of the bedside urinal container when received within the housing  12 , while the opposing arcuate side portions  20  allow space such that the handle can be easily grasped and removed from the housing  12  when needed. In this way, the opposing planar side portions  21  secure the handle, such that there is little movement of the container when secured within the urinal holder  11 , thereby preventing any spillage of urine while in use. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the housing  12  of the urinal holder  11  is configured to receive the entirety of a urinal container. The housing  12  of the device is constructed of a durable material, such as steel or plastic, configured to maintain the structure of the housing  12  while supporting the weight of a full urinal container. However, any suitable durable material may be used. 
     The attachable beside urinal holder  11  includes a dial  15  affixed to an outer surface of the housing  12 , wherein the dial  15  is configured to rotate the orientation of the housing  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, the dial  15  is permanently affixed to the housing  12  and rotates along with the housing  12 , as the housing  12  rotates. In alternate embodiments, the dial  15  is rotatably affixed to the housing  12 , wherein the dial remains in a fixed position as the housing  12  rotates. The dial includes a button  16  disposed on an outer surface of the dial  16 , wherein the button  16  is configured to selectively lock and unlock the rotation of the dial  16 . In this way, when the urinal holder  11  is mounted to a surface, the dial  15  is adapted to change the orientation of the longitudinal axis of the housing  12 , such that a bedside urinal container received within the housing  12  can be positioned vertically, horizontally, or at an angle in relation to the ground. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , there is shown a side view of an embodiment of the attachable bedside urinal holder and a bottom view of an embodiment of the attachable bedside urinal holder, respectively. The attachable bedside urinal holder  11  includes a fastener  17  disposed on a bottom end of the dial  15 , wherein the fastener  17  is configured to removably secure the dial  15  to a surface. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastener  17  is a magnet, such that the attachable beside urinal holder  11  can be removably secured to a metallic surface, such as, a steel frame of a bedside table. In this way, the fastener  17  allows the attachable bedside urinal holder  11  to be placed in various locations within a hospital room, such that a urinal container secured within the housing  12  is easily accessed by a user. In alternate embodiments, the entire dial is a magnet. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the dial  15  comprises a circular shape. However, in alternative embodiments, the dial  15  may be any suitable shape. The fastener  17  further includes a shape that substantially matches the shape of the dial  15 , such as a circular shape as shown. In the illustrated embodiment, the surface area of the magnetic fastener  17  is continuous, such that it is configured to withstand the weight of a fully filled urinal container without dislodging from the surface. However, the magnetic fastener  17  does not exert such force that a user would be unable to manually remove the fastener  17  from the surface. Once the fastener  17  is secured in place, a user can manipulate the orientation of the longitudinal axis of the housing  12  by utilizing the button  16  disposed on the dial  15 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 4A and 4B , there are shown a perspective views of an embodiment of the attachable bedside urinal holder removably secured to a metal frame, wherein a bedside urinal container is disposed in a vertical orientation and a horizontal orientation, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the attachable bedside urinal holder  11  further comprises a urinal container  18  having a handle  21 , wherein the handle includes a proximal end  22  and a distal end  23 . The proximal end  22  of the handle  21  is affixed to a surface of the urinal container  18 . The distal end  23  of the handle is slidably received within the open end of the housing  12  of the urinal holder  11 . In the illustrated embodiment, the handle  21  of the urinal container  18  extends through the housing  12  of the urinal holder  11 , such that a joint wherein the proximal end  22  meets the surface of the container  18  rests flush with the open end of the housing  12 , such that the housing  12  of the urinal holder  11  supports the weight of the container  18 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the magnetic fastener of the attachable bedside urinal holder  11  is affixed to the metal frame  19  of a bedside table. When secured, the dial  15  is rotatable such that the housing  12  of the device  11  can be disposed such that the urinal container  18  can be positioned in a vertical, horizontal, or angled orientation. This allows the urinal container  18  to be disposed in an optimal position, such that it is easily reachable by a user and further prevents spillage of urine from the container  18 . In use, the user can lock and unlock the rotation of the dial  15  by selectively actuating the button disposed on the surface thereof. 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.