DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a urination device or a stand-to-pee device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an affordable, non-invasive, consumer-centric, eco-friendly, disposable and recyclable urination device or stand-to-pee device for use as a health-care or hygiene product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A female urination device, female urination aid or stand-to-pee device (STP) is a device which aids a female to urinate while standing upright. Known variations of the device include basic disposable funnels to more elaborate reusable designs.

Female urination devices have gained popularity due to the prevailing unhealthy and unsanitary reasons. They can be used for outdoor pursuits or medical reasons. These devices are more probable to be used during sports events or recreation events such as camping, travelling, festivals, concerts, long car journeys, and any kind of outdoor pursuit, where the toilet facilities are either absent or unhygienic.

Although, fixed installation and relocatable urinals are available for women, these public or common toilets are laden with microbes. This is of high concern because of the health risk involved. Use of the unhygienic public toilets and urinals increase the risk of catching infections such as urinary tract infections. Thus, in such situations, the use of portable urination device may be advisable. Further, the female urination devices can also be used by transmen as "stand-to-pee" devices.

Since 2005 numerous female urination devices have appeared on the market. A typical product is made of materials such as plastic, rubber, silicone and paper; and they may be reusable or disposable.

Initially, medical or hospital devices were pressed into service, but lately the designs have been specially modified for comfort and hygiene. However, the traditional designs are simply funnels for urinating while standing, they may not be biodegradable or user-friendly. US Pat. No. 5893176 discloses a female urine device comprising an inner sealing ring, an outer sealing ring and a funnel where the funnel is located below the inner and outer sealing rings and it is adapted to direct the discharge of urine. Another US Pat. No. 7131149 discloses a water-resistant, collapsible female urination aid and absorbent wiping device comprising a funnel-shaped trough with first and second side walls, a center fan fold, and a discharge opening at the apex of pleats formed by the fan fold.

The urination device being a health and hygiene product, it is highly desirous that such product be comfortable to use, disposable after use and biodegradable after disposal. Also, the product should be designed in a manner that it is easy to carry anywhere in a handbag or purse. Further, given the nature of the product it should prevent contamination or contact with bacteria. Another requirement is that the product must be appealing to women. Further, with the ever-increasing consumer demands it has become necessary to design a product which is not only functional, but also provides added benefits.

There is therefore an urgent need to develop an effective, user-friendly, affordable and consumer-centric urinary device which will overcome the drawbacks of the known devices.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for proper defecation of urine with a portable urinal device, which is consumer-centric, non-invasive and easy-to-use, and which allows proper disposal of the urine, is eco-friendly and biodegradable.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention discloses a disposable urinary device comprising a collapsible body having a receiving end, a central body and a discharge end, wherein, the collapsible body is adapted to be opened by pressing along an edge of the central body to define a trough-shaped urine collection and discharge body being tapered towards the discharge end to guide a stream of urine, in which the receiving end is desirably shaped to be positioned intimately against the human anatomy sealing sufficiently so as to direct the stream of urine through the central body leading to the discharge end, and the device is impermeable and supports the urine collection and discharge during use, and after use can be disposed of as degradable waste.

The inner lining and the outer lining of the device may comprise an anti-bacterial coating. The inner lining of the device may also comprise an absorbent coating. The receiving end of the device is preferably curved with soft edges to correspond to the female anatomy. The discharge end may comprise an inflatable bag for collecting the urine. Alternatively, the discharge end may comprise absorbent gel material for absorbing the urine and preventing leakage therefrom.

Further, the outer lining of the central body may comprise one or more pouch for accommodating at least one item selected from biodegradable disposal bag, dry tissue, wet wipes, sanitizer, hand soap and sanitary napkin. Additionally, the outer lining of the device may have a fragrance coating to be activated upon use of the device. The device may be further adapted to diagnose at least one of the following urine-related diagnosis including pregnancy, urine infection, high blood sugar, drug screening, protein in urine, kidney impairment and glomerulonephritis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which,
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of the disposable, eco-friendly urinary device in accordance to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting examples in the following description. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of the ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

The description herein after, of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

The present invention discloses a disposable and eco-friendly urinary device. Particularly, the urinary device of the present invention is designed for use by women while using a public toilet or while travelling, to prevent contact with bacterial, fungal or other serious infections such human papillomavirus infection (HPV) or other virus which may be transmitted through a contaminated toilet. The necessity of using a portable urinary device is due to the improper or unhygienic environment in public and common toilets. The present invention envisages to equip the consumer with the intelligence of a product expert through the use of a disposable urinary device.

The device of the present invention is primarily designed for females due to the high concern of health care issues among this gender. Due to unhygienic and dirty public toilets, the emergence of urinary infection is very common among females. There are a list of other diseases that may be transmitted by unhygienic public toilets and are of immediate concern -

Gut infection – Faecal-borne bacteria like E. coli, streptococcus, staphylococcus and shigella are the most abundant bugs found in a public toilet. Contamination of surfaces by an infected person’s faeces can transmit their infections. Shigella bacterium causes severe diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and dysentery, etc.

Lung and skin infections: Streptococcus can cause contagious throat and skin infections. Staphylococcus bacteria that cause skin infections, pneumonia, food poisoning, etc. linger around on toilet surfaces for longer periods, thereby increasing the chances of disease transmission.

Viral infections: One could catch a cold from the public toilet. While the common cold virus usually survives for a shorter while, some viruses like influenza, norovirus, etc. can live for many days on toilet surfaces.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) – It is also possible, but unlikely, to get an STD by sitting on a toilet seat. Though very unlikely, infectious material on the seat may come in contact with a break in your skin and infect you.

In theory, a virus like hepatitis A could be transmitted through fecal material in a bathroom, if people touched a toilet handle and then their mouth without washing their hands. Experimental studies have suggested that flushing a lidless toilet can create an aerosol plume of bacteria that could be potentially infectious. All these factors make it very important and significant to use a portable urinary device that is also biodegradable and non-hazardous to the ecosystem.

The present invention is used as an extension of the manufacturer’s stringent quality assurance test to check the consistency in the product make and quality. The designs could be considered "unisex", usable by either gender. The fixed designs are typically used by women in a "hovering" posture, standing over them with knees slightly bent.

FIGURE 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a schematic of the disposable urinary device in accordance to the present invention. The disposable urinary device comprises a collapsible body 100. The collapsible body 100 is made of disposable, pliable and biodegradable, paper-based material. The collapsible body 100 comprises a receiving end 102, a central body 106 and a discharge end 104. The collapsible body 100 is adapted to be opened by pressing along an edge 108 of the central body 106 to define a trough-shaped urine collection and discharge body. The central body 106 tapers towards the discharge end 104 so as to define a funnel-like passage to guide a stream of urine. The receiving end 102 is shaped so as to allow the receiving end 102 to be positioned intimately and snugly, without causing any rash or pain, against the human anatomy. The receiving end 102 is curved with soft edges (indicated by numeral 110) to correspond to the female anatomy. The curved edges 110 are specifically designed to comfortably fit the female genitalia. The curved edges 110 have soft edges to prevent any harm to the sensitive parts. The curved edges 110 may further have a soft coating or covering. The receiving end 102 is adapted to sufficiently seal against the human anatomy to direct the stream of urine without any spillage through the central body 106 leading to the discharge end 104. The discharge end 104 is a snout, narrower than the receiving end 102.

The device in its collapsible form is weightless, easy-to-carry and easy-to-store. The device is made of impermeable material that supports the urine collection and discharge during use, without any leakage, spillage or damage to the body of the device. After use, the device can be disposed of as a degradable waste.

In an embodiment, the discharge end 104 may be fitted with biodegradable, sealable collection containers or inflatable bags for holding the urine and not spilling it over clothing or body, and thus allowing the user to properly dispose of the urine. In another embodiment, the collection bag may consist of an absorbent material that turns into a gel when moistened, thereby absorbing the moisture and preventing any leakage from the discharge end 104. The urine, therefore, may be collected by the urinary device, and the device may be conveniently disposed. The inner and outer lining of the device 100 may be coated with an anti-bacterial material, preventing any bacteria build-up on the device after use. The inner lining of the device 100 may comprise an absorbent coating to prevent the urine from sputtering.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the outer lining of the central body may comprise one or more pouch for accommodating at least one item selected from biodegradable disposal bag, dry tissue, wet wipes, sanitizer, hand soap and sanitary napkin. The pouch may be in the form of a side-pocket to hold the item. The biodegradable disposal bag may serve to make the disposal of the device after use easy and sanitary. Also, the outer lining of the device may have a fragrance coating, which fragrance is activated upon use of the device to give a pleasant user experience. Therefore, the present invention does not merely provide a urinary device for urinating safely, but gives a disposable urine collection device which can be disposed at the user’s convenience.

The disposable urinary device 100 is a one-piece device. The discharge end 104 is designed to comfortably allow a person to urinate in one go. The receiving end 102 of the device has a well-designed lip to ensure that there are no drips. The surface may be colourfully designed to be appealing and attractive to use.

In another embodiment, the device may comprise an additional fragrance sheath in the collector or outlet or paper-material to provide a fresh pleasant fragrance to linger on once used. In addition, antibacterial agents may be included for bacteria-free usage. The device is ergonomically designed, and its smooth surface makes it fits for skin and effectively prevents the urine from splashing. The device may be coated with smooth, slimy, environmentally-friendly biodegradable material.

In yet another embodiment, the urinary device of the present invention may be used for diagnosis of pregnancy.

Pregnancy tests work by detecting a hormone in a woman's blood or urine. hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is produced when an egg implanted in the uterus. Most home pregnancy tests detect hCG in a urine stream when, after a few minutes, a line or symbol appears if the test is positive (indicating pregnancy). However, the present invention uses a urine collection cup with a test device. To use this type of test, one may place several drops of urine into a well in the test device or put the test device into urine collected in a cup. An area of the device changes colour if hCG is present, diagnosing pregnancy.

In still another embodiment, the collection cup may be designed to test urinary tract infections and other diagnostic test carried by urine, for example, uncontrolled diabetes (high blood sugars), kidney impairment, protein in urine, drug screening, kidney inflammation (glomerulonephritis), etc. Thus, the present invention is a compact device which aims not only in safe urine disposal but is also a mini diagnostic kit for preliminary urine analysis.

Embodiment of the present invention is applicable over a wide number of uses and other embodiments may be developed beyond the embodiment discussed heretofore. Only the most preferred embodiments and their uses have been described herein for purpose of example, illustrating the advantages over the prior art obtained through the present invention; the invention is not limited to these specific embodiments or their specified uses. Thus, the forms of the invention described herein are to be taken as illustrative only and other embodiments may be selected without departing from the scope of the present invention. It should also be understood that additional changes and modifications, within the scope of the invention, will be apparent to one skilled in the art and that various modifications to the composition described herein may fall within the scope of the invention.
,CLAIMS:1. A disposable urinary device comprising a collapsible body having a receiving end, a central body and a discharge end, wherein, said collapsible body is adapted to be opened by pressing along an edge of said central body to define a trough-shaped urine collection and discharge body being tapered towards said discharge end to guide a stream of urine, in which said receiving end is desirably shaped to be positioned intimately against the human anatomy sealing sufficiently so as to direct the stream of urine through said central body leading to said discharge end, and said device is impermeable and supports the urine collection and discharge during use, and after use can be disposed of as degradable waste.

2. The disposable urine device as claimed in claim 1, wherein inner lining and outer lining of said device comprises an anti-bacterial coating.

3. The disposable urine device as claimed in claim 1, wherein inner lining of said device comprises an absorbent coating.

4. The disposable urine device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said receiving end is curved with soft edges to correspond to the female anatomy.

5. The disposable urine device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said discharge end comprises an inflatable bag for collecting the urine.

6. The disposable urine device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said discharge end comprises absorbent gel material for absorbing the urine and preventing leakage therefrom.

7. The disposable urine device as claimed in claim 1, wherein outer lining of said central body comprises one or more pouch for accommodating at least one item selected from biodegradable disposal bag, dry tissue, wet wipes, sanitizer, hand soap and sanitary napkin.

8. The disposable urine device as claimed in claim 1, wherein outer lining of said device has a fragrance coating to be activated upon use of said device.

9. The disposable urine device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device is adapted to diagnose at least one of the following urine-related diagnosis including pregnancy, urine infection, high blood sugar, drug screening, protein in urine, kidney impairment and glomerulonephritis.