JP2024154566A - Urine collection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a urine collection tool that allows a woman to collect midstream urine by herself without soiling her hands, etc., and that can be disposed of after use without soiling the surroundings.
[Solution] The device comprises a concave collection section 11 capable of storing urine, and a handle section 13 extending outward from the peripheral side of the collection section. The handle section is configured in such a manner that a plurality of strip-shaped sections 13a, the long sides of which are connected to each other, are folded up and down at the long sides to be overlapped, the collection section and the handle section comprise a paper base material, and a permeability reducing material is applied to at least the bottom side of the collection section, so that the device can be flushed with water in a toilet bowl.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a urine collection device that is useful for collecting urine, for example from a woman, in a home, a medical institution, or in various other locations.

For example, when collecting urine for a urine test or the like at a medical institution, a disposable urine collection cup or the like is used, and the user urinates while holding the urine collection cup in his/her hand so that the urine collects in the urination cup. The urine collection cup is generally a paper cup. In addition, urine tests in various medical examinations, including health checkups and medical checkups, require urine to be collected immediately after waking up in the morning, so collection is performed outside a medical institution, such as at home. As a urine collection tool used when collecting urine at home, for example, a plastic urine collection tool that can be folded flat and stored compactly when not in use, such as the foldable urine collection container disclosed in Patent Document 1, is used.
Registered Utility Model No. 3088494

Conventionally, commonly used urine collection devices include paper urine collection cups and the urine collection container disclosed in Patent Document 1, which are generally unisex. In either case, the user holds the cup of the urine collection device directly in their hand and moves the urine collection device to a specified position when it is time to urinate so that urine collects in the cup, which can result in urine accidentally getting on hands or clothing, creating hygiene problems. This tendency is particularly prevalent among women, who collect urine in unnatural positions.

Furthermore, urine must be collected for the above tests, and positioning the urine collection device in the right position while urinating is cumbersome, especially for women, and increases the risk of urine getting on hands, etc.

Furthermore, urine collection devices such as paper urine collection cups and the plastic urine collection container disclosed in Patent Document 1 are all flammable, so they can be disposed of as flammable material after use. However, they need to be temporarily disposed of and stored in a household trash can or garbage bag. Urine collected with the urine collection device is transferred to a container for submission, and the rest is disposed of in the toilet, but some remains on the urine collection device adhering to the inner or outer walls of the urine collection device. During the movement from use to disposal in a trash can or the like, the urine remaining after collection may drip and soil the room. Even if the used urine collection device can be disposed of in a trash can or the like without dripping, it will be stored indoors until it is disposed of as flammable waste, which is unpleasant.

Furthermore, if the user is suffering from an infectious disease and the urine contains bacteria or viruses, the urine remaining in the urine collection device will be temporarily stored in a trash can or the like, which is unhygienic.

The above-mentioned problems are described as being independent of each other, and the present invention does not necessarily have to solve all of the problems described, but it is sufficient if it can solve at least one of the problems. In addition, we intend to obtain rights to the configuration for solving this problem separately through divisional applications, amendments, etc.

(1) The urine collection device according to the present invention comprises a concave collection section capable of storing urine, and a handle section extending outward from the peripheral side of the collection section, the handle section being configured in such a manner that a number of strip-shaped sections, the long sides of which are connected to each other, are folded up and down at the long sides and overlapped, the collection section and the handle section comprise a paper base material, and at least the bottom side of the collection section is coated with a water-permeability reducing material, so that the collection device can be flushed down a toilet.

(2) A fixing portion is continuously formed on one of the long sides of the multiple band-shaped portions that is not connected to the long side of the adjacent band-shaped portion, and the fixing portion has an adhesive layer, and the fixing portion is adhered and fixed to the opposing band-shaped portion via the adhesive layer in a state where the multiple band-shaped portions in the overlapped state are wrapped around each other.

(3) The fixing portion has a width at least twice the width of the short side of the band-shaped portion, faces both the left and right sides of the handle portion, and the adhesive layer is preferably provided at least near the side edge on the side not connected to the band-shaped portion.

(4) The handle portion may be tilted so that the tip of the side not connected to the collection portion is positioned above the upper edge of the collection portion.

(5) The upper edge of the collection section to which the handle is not connected may be provided with a protruding piece-like portion that protrudes like a canopy.

(6) The collection section is formed in a concave shape of a triangular pyramid, has a spout at the apex opposite to the part where the handle part is attached, and the protruding parts are provided on each of the two sides of the triangular pyramid, and the spout sides of the protruding parts provided on the two sides are formed so as to be separated.

(7) It is preferable that a drug or reagent for testing be applied to the inner surface of the collection section.

(8) The bottom of the collection section may be configured to be flat and may be configured to be self-supporting when urine is stored in the collection section.

The present invention can achieve at least one of the following effects. The user can place the collection part in an appropriate position while sitting on the toilet and collect urine. Furthermore, even women can collect urine by placing the collection part in an appropriate position at an appropriate timing during urination, and can efficiently and easily collect midstream urine. Furthermore, by collecting urine while holding the handle part away from the collection part, the risk of urine getting on the hands, etc. can be minimized. After use, the urine can be disposed of directly in the toilet, preventing the retained urine from dripping onto the surrounding area.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the urine collection device of the present invention in a usable state, where (a) is a plan view of the urine collection device, (b) is a front view of the same, (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line c-c in (a), and (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line d-d in (b). FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the urine collecting device of the present invention in an unused state, (a) being its plan view and (b) being its front view. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the state of use. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the urine collecting device of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a urine collecting device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a urine collecting device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a urine collecting device according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a urine collecting device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not to be interpreted as being limited to this embodiment, and various changes, modifications, and improvements may be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the urine collection device according to the present invention in a usable state, and Figure 2 shows the unused state when distributed to a user. As shown in Figure 1, the urine collection device 10 has a collection section 11 having a concave portion in the shape of a roughly triangular pyramid, protruding pieces 12 that protrude outward like eaves provided on two sides of the upper edge of the collection section 11, and a handle section 13 that extends outward and is provided on one side of the collection section 11 where the protruding piece 12 is not provided. As will be described later, the collection section 11, the protruding piece 12, and the handle section 13 are manufactured and integrated by molding a single sheet-like material in a heated state. The urine collection device 10 is also composed of a laminate of water-soluble paper and film.

The collection section 11 has a bottom 11a of an approximately triangular shape. The approximate triangle of the bottom 11a may be, for example, an approximately equilateral triangle or an approximately isosceles triangle, and the handle section 13 is disposed on the base side of the triangle. This handle section 13 is connected via the first side wall section 11b. The left and right second side wall sections 11c formed so as to connect to the two oblique sides that do not face the handle section 13 are connected at the apex side facing the base. The left and right side edges of the first side wall section 11b are each connected to the second side wall section 11c. The first side wall section 11b is generally slightly inclined toward the rear side, i.e., toward the outside, and the left and right second side wall sections 11c are inclined surfaces that are inclined toward the upper outside. As a result, the space surrounded by the bottom section 11a, the first side wall section 11b, and the two second side wall sections 11c becomes a concave portion of an approximately triangular pyramid shape as described above.

The connection part 15 where the second side walls 11c are connected extends obliquely upward and forward from the apex of the bottom 11a. The upper end of the connection part 15, i.e., the front end of the upper edge where the two second side walls 11c are connected, becomes the spout 16 for the urine stored in the collection part 11, and when the collection part 11 is tilted so that the front side faces downward after urine collection, it can be discharged to the outside from the spout 16. The connection part 15 is connected in a straight line from the apex on the front side of the bottom 11a to the spout 16, and the distance between the inner surfaces of the left and right second side walls 11c also gradually shortens toward the front, i.e., toward the spout 16, so that the urine stored in the collection part 11 is smoothly guided toward the spout 16. Therefore, for example, if the opening of the submission container is positioned directly below the spout 16, the urine stored in the collection part 11 is guided to the spout 16 and discharged, and can be smoothly transferred to the container. In addition, the concave portion of the collection section 11 is tapered toward the spout 16, so that urine is efficiently guided to the spout 16 regardless of the amount of urine stored, and when it is discharged from the spout 16 to the outside, it can be poured into a container in a narrow width without spreading out.

The concave space of the collection section 11 should have a volume capable of storing, for example, 10 cc or more, and more preferably about 50 cc of urine. This volume allows the collection section 11 to store sufficient urine for testing, while preventing the weight of urine held in the collection section 11 from becoming too large due to more urine than necessary being stored. Even if the urine collection device 10 is made of paper or a specified film, it can prevent urine from leaking from the collection section 11 due to deformation of the urine collection device 10 during urine collection.

The protruding portion 12 is disposed continuously with the upper edges of the two second sidewalls 11c. The protruding portion 12 is formed to extend horizontally, i.e., in a direction parallel to the bottom 11a. The protruding portion 12 acts as a kind of rib, reinforcing the second sidewall 11c, preventing it from bending, and maintaining the inclined surface state. The ends 12a of the adjacent sides of the protruding portion 12 are configured to be separated. As a result, the protruding portion 12 does not exist on the extension line of the upper end side of the connection portion 15 where the two second sidewalls 11c are connected, and it is possible to minimize the absorption of urine discharged from the spout 16 by contacting the protruding portion 12.

The handle portion 13 is configured by folding back and forth at the long sides of a plurality of (four in this embodiment) strip-shaped portions 13a, each having a long side connected to each other, up and down and overlapping each other (see FIG. 1(d) and the like). By folding back and overlapping each other in this manner, the handle portion 13 is secured to have a constant thickness in the left-right direction, and the strength in the thickness direction (left-right direction) is increased, which enhances the effect of suppressing the handle portion 13 from bending left and right. In addition, since the strip-shaped portion 13a stands up so as to be positioned in a substantially vertical plane in the up-down direction, the stress in the up-down direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the handle portion 13 is high, suppressing bending in the up-down direction. The handle portion 13 is made of paper or the like, and for example, one strip-shaped portion 13a may be deformed by the force of the user gripping that portion, but as described above, by overlapping multiple sheets, the strength is increased, and even if the handle portion 13 is gripped, it does not deform excessively and can maintain its strip-shaped state.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the handle portion 13 is provided so as to extend rearward relative to the collection portion 11, and is arranged so as to be perpendicular to the bottom side of the bottom portion 11a of the collection portion 11 in a plan view. The handle portion 13 is arranged so as to be inclined upward toward the tip, i.e., rearward, in a vertical plane when the bottom portion 11a is taken as a horizontal plane. As a result, for example, when a user holds the tip side (the side away from the collection portion 11) of the handle portion 13 in his/her hand (pinched with the fingers), if the urine collection device 10 is oriented so that the bottom portion 11a is horizontal, the upper edge of the collection portion 11 is located at a position a predetermined distance lower than the position of the hand. Therefore, for example, when the user is sitting on the seat of a Western-style toilet, the collection portion 11 can be easily inserted into the toilet bowl from the front side and positioned below the user's body, and further, the bottom portion 11a of the collection portion 11 can be easily positioned approximately horizontally.

Therefore, for example, immediately after starting to urinate, the user can simply urinate into the toilet bowl, and then position the collection part 11 at an appropriate position below the body at the appropriate time to collect the midstream urine required for testing. At this time, the user can adjust the position of the collection part 11 while sitting on the toilet bowl and holding the handle part 13 away from the collection part, minimizing the risk of urine getting on the hands, etc.

The handle portion 13 is formed by bending the long sides of a rectangular portion in which multiple band-shaped portions 13a are connected to each other, but one of the long sides of the multiple band-shaped portions 13a located at both the left and right ends is not connected to another band-shaped portion 13a. Therefore, in this embodiment, a rectangular fixing portion 17 is provided continuously to the unconnected long side of one of the band-shaped portions 13a on either the left or right side (for example, the right side). The length of the long side of the fixing portion 17 is shorter than the long side of the band-shaped portion 13a that constitutes the handle portion 13, and the position of the tip side away from the collection portion 11 is aligned with the tip of the handle portion 13.

The fixing portion 17 further has an adhesive layer 18 at a predetermined position on its underside. This adhesive layer 18 is also preferably made of a water-soluble material. The adhesive layer 18 is covered with a release paper before use. The adhesive layer 18 is provided at least near the side edge on the side not connected to the strip portion 13a (see FIG. 2). Furthermore, in this embodiment, the width w in the left-right direction of the fixing portion 17 is approximately twice the length of the short side of the strip portion 13a.

As a result, one long side of the fixing portion 17 is connected to the right edge of the handle portion 13, and when the multiple strip-shaped portions 13a are folded and wrapped around the left side of the handle portion 13 that is not connected, the free long side of the fixing portion 17 on which the adhesive layer 18 is provided goes around the handle portion 13 and covers the right side of the handle portion 13. At this time, the adhesive layer 18 faces the right side of the handle portion 13, so the fixing portion 17 and the handle portion 13 are bonded and fixed via the adhesive layer 18, and as shown in FIG. 1(d), the fixing portion 17 covers almost the entire circumference of the handle portion 13, preventing the four strip-shaped portions 13a that make up the handle portion 13 from spreading, and increasing its strength.

As shown in FIG. 1(c), in this embodiment, the collection section 11 is configured such that a permeability reducing material 28 is disposed on the bottom 11a side of the inner surface of a paper base material 21. The paper base material 21 is formed from a single-ply paper base material or a laminated paper base material. The paper may be water-dissolvable paper that dissolves in water or water-soluble paper that dissolves in water. The permeability reducing material 28 may be formed, for example, by applying a predetermined paint to the inner surface of the base material 21 to form a film. The paint used for the permeability reducing material 28 may be, for example, a paint containing polyethylene terephthalate or polyolefin, or a paint mainly composed of cellulose.

The water-permeability reducing material 28 is a material that does not dissolve immediately in water like paper, but dissolves in water after a certain period of time. The certain period of time can be adjusted, for example, by the amount applied, and it is preferable to configure it so that it does not dissolve for about 3 minutes, for example.

By using the water-permeability reducing material 28, even if urine accumulates in the collection section 11, the water-permeability reducing material 28 does not immediately dissolve or break, and the collection section 11 maintains its cup-shaped form, allowing the urine to be stored for a predetermined time. Urine can be collected during this predetermined time, and the urine accumulated in the collection section 11 can be transferred to a container for submission. Since the water-permeability reducing material 28 is a water-soluble material, the urine collection device 10 can be disposed of as it is in the toilet after collection, and can be washed with water. This can minimize the occurrence of a situation in which urine drips and soils the surroundings while carrying the urine collection device after use. Furthermore, even if the user is suffering from an infectious disease or the like and the urine contains bacteria or viruses, the urine collection device 10 can be disposed of as it is in the toilet and washed with water, so that the urine remaining in the urine collection device is not temporarily stored in a trash can or the like as in the past, and is hygienic.

In the above description, the portion where the permeability reducing material 28 is formed is the inner surface of the collection portion 11, but it may be provided on the outer surface or both. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the permeability reducing material 28 is arranged over the entire collection portion 11, i.e., the entire bottom 11a, the first side wall 11b, and the second side wall 11c, but it may be arranged, for example, over the entire bottom 11a and up to a specified lower region of the first side wall 11b and the second side wall 11c. The specified lower region should be a range in which urine can be stored during use. In actual use, it is unlikely that urine will be stored all the way up to the upper edge of the collection portion 11, and it is often stored in a part of the lower region. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange the permeability reducing material 28 up to the region where the storage is expected or up to an upper portion with a specified margin therefrom. However, if the structure is such that the permeability reducing material 28 is placed over the entire area as in this embodiment, the shape of the collection section 11 can be maintained until the permeability reducing material 28 dissolves even if urine is stored up to the top edge of the collection section 11, or even if urine is splashed near the top edge of the first side wall section 11b or the second side wall section 11c.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the collection section 11 is concave in the shape of a roughly triangular pyramid, and the bottom 11a is roughly triangular and flat. Then, when urine is collected in the collection section 11, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the urine collection device 10 is configured to be able to stand on its own when the bottom 11a is placed on a floor, washstand, shelf, table, or other flat surface 50. That is, when a predetermined amount of urine is stored in the collection section 11, the weight of the urine is added, and even if the handle section 13 is released, the handle section 13 stands at an angle and stands on its own without falling over. This allows, for example, a user to temporarily place the urine collection device 10 in a predetermined location 50 after collecting urine and prepare a container.

The urine collection device 10 in a usable state shown in Figure 1 may be manufactured, for example, by folding an appropriate position of the unused urine collection device 10' shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2(a), the handle portion 13' in an unused state is formed in an unfolded rectangular sheet shape with four band-shaped portions 13a connected side by side, and a fixing portion 17' unfolded into a rectangular shape is disposed on one side of the rectangular sheet. In the unused state, the fixing portion 17' is formed in a sheet shape with the four band-shaped portions 13a.

The collection section 11 has a bottom 11a and a connection section 15 embossed to form a concave section of a roughly triangular pyramid. That is, when manufacturing the urine collection device 10 of this embodiment, a sheet of a specific material such as water-soluble paper and/or water-dissolvable paper or a film material is appropriately layered, and a sheet-like material coated with a specific paint that forms a water-permeability reducing material 28 on the part that will become the inner surface of the collection section 11 is punched into the desired shape and simultaneously molded by hot pressing to form the concave collection section 11 and each section in the expanded state as shown in FIG. 2. And because the handle section 13' is in the expanded state, it has a shape that is wider than the width of the collection section 11 in use.

The long side portions to which the strip-shaped portions 13a are connected form a valley fold line portion 25 at the left-right center, and the long side portions located on both sides of the valley fold line portion 25 form mountain fold line portions 26. By making a valley fold at the valley fold line portion 25 and a mountain fold at the mountain fold line portion 26, the four strip-shaped portions 13a are folded up and down at the long side portions as described above and overlapped, and the fixing portion 17' remains in an open state (see FIG. 3(a)). Also, with this folding process, the handle portion 13 side of the second side wall portions 11c on the left and right are pulled away to shorten the interval (see FIG. 3(a)), and the tip side of the handle portion 13 stands up. After this, the unfolded fixing portion 17' is folded and wrapped around the handle portion 13, and the release paper of the adhesive layer 18 is removed at the appropriate time, and the fixing portion 17 is adhesively fixed to the surface of the handle portion 13 facing it, completing the urine collection device 10 in a usable state.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, although not shown, a border is formed along the outer periphery of the collection section 11, the protruding piece 12, the handle section 13, and the fixing section 17, in the form of dashed lines of linear pieces with high pressure. By alternately forming such linear pieces with high pressure and non-pressurized sections, the urine collection device manufactured by stacking becomes less likely to peel off, and the strength of the collection section 11, the protruding piece 12, the handle section 13, the fixing section 17, etc. during use can be adjusted. Furthermore, such linear pieces with high pressure are not limited to being formed along the outer periphery, and it is preferable to form them in an appropriate position to increase strength.

On the other hand, applying high pressure may cause parts of the base material 21 to break and become perforated, which promotes water penetration. Therefore, by increasing or decreasing the number of perforations and adjusting the thickness and pitch of the dashed lines, the speed at which the urine collection device dissolves in water can be adjusted. It is preferable to form the perforations that run through the thickness direction in the handle portion 13, and not provide such perforations in the collection portion 11.

In addition, the valley fold line portion 25 and the mountain fold line portion 26 may be marked, for example by printing, so that the folding positions are clear, but it is more preferable to add a fold. Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the linear portions of the valley fold line portion 25 and the mountain fold line portion 26 are formed so that the linear elements with the high pressing force described above appear in a dashed line, the linear elements will have a fold, which is advantageous because it makes it easier to fold along the arrangement direction of the linear elements.

In the embodiment described above, the protruding portion 12, the handle portion 13, and the fixing portion 17 are made of the base material 21 without the permeability reducing material 28, but it is preferable to apply the permeability reducing material 28 to part or all of the protruding portion 12, the handle portion 13, and the fixing portion 17.

In the above embodiment, the width of the fixing portion 17 is about twice the length of the short side of the band-shaped portion 13a, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be more than twice as long, or may be about the length of the short side of the band-shaped portion 13a, as shown in FIG. 4(a). When it is about the length of the short side, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the fixing portion 17 is wrapped around the band-shaped portion 13a on the non-connected side and fixed using an adhesive layer 18. In this case, the two central band-shaped portions 13a facing each other after being folded in a valley are free and not in contact with each other. They may be left free as in the illustrated example, or the band-shaped portions 13a may be bonded together with an adhesive layer or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the permeability reducing material 28 is disposed on the paper base material 21, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a water-dissolvable or water-soluble film material 24 may be interposed between the base material 21. In the illustrated example, the film material 24 is disposed between two paper layers 22, 23 to form a sandwich structure. Each paper layer 22, 23 is formed from a single-layer paper base material or a laminated paper base material. The paper layers may be made of water-dissolvable paper or water-soluble paper. The film material 24 is made of a material that dissolves in water or a material that dissolves in water, but it has the function of maintaining its shape for a predetermined time and retaining urine in the collection section 11. In this way, even if urine accumulates in the collection section 11, the film material 24 maintains its cup-shaped shape without immediately dissolving or breaking, and the urine can be stored for a predetermined time. And because the film material 24 is a water-dissolvable or water-soluble material, after urine collection, the urine collection device 10 can be disposed of directly in the toilet and flushed with water.

This film material 24 may be, for example, a resin film material, such as a PVA-based resin film. The PVA-based resin may have excellent solubility in cold water (e.g., 5°C). In this way, when the urine collection device is disposed of in the toilet, it is easily dissolved in the water stored in the toilet or in the water that is drained.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the collection section 11 has a retention rate of 15% or more 3 minutes after the injection of physiological saline. Since the film material 24 is also flushed down the toilet, it is preferable that the retention rate be 85% or less or 95% or less for 180 seconds when the toilet is filled with urine, for example.

As is clear from the enlarged view in Figure 5, the film material 24 is implemented in a three-layer structure in which the film material 24 is sandwiched between the two paper layers 22 and 23 that make up the collection section base material, and this provides the following advantages:

That is, for example, when the amount of urination is small and a small amount of urine accumulates on the bottom 11a side of the collection part 11, the upper areas of the first side wall 11b and the second side wall 11c of the collection part 11 are not urine-free and are not in contact with urine. In such a case, urine that comes into contact with the paper layer 22 provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the collection part 11 moves upward due to the capillary phenomenon of the paper layer 22, and urine also comes into contact with the film material 24 located above the surface of the accumulated urine through the paper layer 22 arranged on its surface, promoting reliable dissolution within a specified time.

As described below, when disposing of the urine collection device 10 after use, the urine collection device 10 is dropped into a sit-down toilet bowl in order to be flushed down the toilet. At this time, depending on the relationship between the amount of water in the toilet bowl and the position where the urine collection device 10 is dropped, the entire urine collection device 10 may not be submerged in water, and for example, only part of the collection section 11 may be submerged in water. Even in such cases, in this embodiment, the paper layer 23 is disposed on the outside of the collection section 11, so that if even a part of the paper layer 23 is submerged in water, the capillary action of the paper layer 23 will cause the water to flow to the entire collection section 11 and come into contact with the entire inner film material 24. This ensures that the water-soluble film material 24 dissolves within a specified time.

A sandwich structure in which paper layers 22, 23 are placed on both sides of the film material 24 is preferable because it can achieve the effects described above, but a paper layer may be provided on only one side in which one of the effects should be achieved.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the film material 24 is arranged over the entire collection portion 11, that is, the entire bottom 11a, the first side wall 11b, and the second side wall 11c, but it may be arranged over the entire bottom 11a and a specified area below the first side wall 11b and the second side wall 11c. The specified area below may be a range in which urine can be stored during use. In actual use, it is unlikely that urine will be stored all the way up to the upper edge of the collection portion 11, and it is often stored in a part of the lower area. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange the film material 24 up to the area where the storage is expected or an upper part with a specified margin thereto. However, if the structure is such that the film material 24 is arranged over the entire collection portion 11 as in this embodiment, it is preferable that the shape of the collection portion 11 can be maintained until the film material 24 dissolves even if urine is stored up to the upper edge of the collection portion 11, or even if urine does not accumulate near the upper edge of the first side wall 11b or the second side wall 11c.

In addition, in this embodiment, the protruding portion 12, the handle portion 13, and the fixing portion 17 are made of two layers (paper layers 22, 23) of laminated paper without the film material 24, but it is preferable to have a three-layer structure in which the film material 24 is interposed in part or all of the protruding portion 12, the handle portion 13, and the fixing portion 17. In addition, when a two-layer structure is used, it is preferable that the two paper layers 22, 23 are continuous with the paper layers 22, 23 that make up the collection portion 11 (i.e., are formed from the same sheet of paper).

Figure 6 shows yet another embodiment. When the ends 12a of the adjacent protruding parts 12 are separated, the positions of the respective ends 12a can be set back a specified distance from the tip of the spout 16. In this way, urine discharged from the spout 16 can be more reliably prevented from coming into contact with the protruding parts 12, and can be effectively transferred to an external container.

Figure 7 shows yet another embodiment. In the above-mentioned embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the line pieces with high pressing force are formed in the valley fold line portion 25 and the mountain fold line portion 26 in the form of dashed lines, but in this embodiment, the line pieces 29 are formed in a range longer than the valley fold line portion 25 and the mountain fold line portion 26, especially the mountain fold line portion 26. This increases the strength of the handle portion 13 and the first side wall portion 11b.

In addition, unlike the above-described embodiments, it is not necessary to provide a fixing portion 17 that is wrapped around the handle portion 13, and the multiple strip portions 13a may be folded back and left overlapping. In this case, it is preferable to adhesively fix the strip portions 13a to each other, which increases the strength of the handle portion 13.

As in the embodiment described above, the adhesive layer 18 may be formed by applying double-sided adhesive tape so that it extends in the long side direction of the band-shaped portion 13a, but as shown in FIG. 8, for example, the adhesive layer 18 may be disposed so that it extends in the short side direction of the band-shaped portion 13a. By forming the adhesive layer 18 so that it extends in the short side direction in this way, multiple band-shaped portions 13a can be adhered with one adhesive layer 18.

In addition, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the adhesive layer may not be provided.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the paper layers constituting each layer are formed by laminating one or more sheets of paper. The number of sheets may be the same overall, but may vary depending on the part, and the number of sheets in the collection section 11 may be greater than the number of sheets of paper used in the handle section 13. By increasing the number of sheets in the collection section 11, the concave state can be maintained for a long time during urine collection, which is advantageous. It is also advantageous to reduce the number of sheets in the handle section 13. In this way, the amount of paper used in the entire urine collection device can be reduced, and when the urine collection device is disposed of in the toilet, it dissolves or decomposes in a short time, so that even a water-saving toilet (e.g., a toilet with a drainage capacity of 6 liters) can be reliably flushed with one drain.

In the above embodiment, the collection section 11 is formed in a concave shape that is approximately a triangular pyramid, but the shape is arbitrary and various shapes are possible. However, if it is formed in a pyramid shape, the bottom 11a becomes a flat surface, which is preferable because it makes it easier to configure the urine collection device 10 so that it can stand on its own, and it is also preferable because it makes it easier to form the spout 16. Note that in order to configure it so that it can stand on its own, it is preferable to use a truncated cone or other flat bottom shape.

In addition, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, it is advisable to apply various test drugs or reagents for pregnancy tests or urine tests to a predetermined portion of the inner surface of the collection section 11, such as the bottom portion 11a or the like, which is in contact with the stored urine. In this way, the user can perform a simple test at home or the like, and can easily manage their health. In addition, the predetermined portion is not limited to the bottom portion 11a, and may be the first side wall portion 11b or the second side wall portion 11c.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the user is a woman, but the user of the present invention may be a man. For example, the effect of preventing infection of housemates and others by disposing of the urine collection device 10 directly in the toilet and rinsing it with water, or the effect of applying various reagents and the like to perform simple tests at home, etc., are also desirable effects for men.

Although various aspects of the present invention have been described above using embodiments and modifications, it should be noted that these embodiments and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are provided to aid in the understanding of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations and manufacturing methods explicitly described in the specification, but includes combinations of the various aspects of the present invention disclosed herein. Although the configurations of the present invention that are sought to be patented are specified in the appended claims, it is hereby reiterated that configurations disclosed in this specification that are not currently specified in the claims may be claimed in the future.

10: Urine collection device 11: Collection section 11a: Bottom section 11b: First side wall section 11c: Second side wall section 12: Projection-like section 13: Handle section 13a: Band-like section 15: Connection section 16: Spout 17: Fixing section 18: Adhesive layer 21: Base material 22: Paper layer 23: Paper layer 24: Film material 25: Valley fold section 26: Mountain fold section 28: Permeability reducing material 29: Linear piece

Claims (8)

A concave collection section capable of storing urine;
A handle portion extending outward from the peripheral edge side of the collection portion,
The handle portion is configured such that a plurality of strip-shaped portions, each having a long side connected to each other, are folded up and down at the long side portions and overlapped with each other,
The collection part and the handle part are provided with a paper base material, and a water-permeability reducing material is applied to at least the bottom side of the collection part, so that the urine collection device can be flushed in a toilet bowl. A fixing portion is formed continuously on one of the long sides of the plurality of strip-shaped portions that is not connected to the long side of the adjacent strip-shaped portion,
The fixing portion has an adhesive layer,
2. The urine collection device according to claim 1, wherein the fixing part is adhesively fixed to the opposing belt-shaped part via the adhesive layer in a wrapped state of the plurality of overlapping belt-shaped parts. The fixing portion has a width at least twice as large as the short side of the belt-shaped portion,
Opposing both left and right sides of the handle portion,
3. The urine collection device according to claim 2, wherein the adhesive layer is provided at least in the vicinity of a side edge on the side not connected to the band-shaped portion. The urine collection device according to claim 1, wherein the handle portion is inclined so that the tip of the side not connected to the collection portion is positioned above the upper edge of the collection portion. 2. The urine collection device according to claim 1, wherein an upper edge of the collection portion to which the handle is not connected is provided with a protruding piece-like portion that protrudes like a canopy. The collection portion is formed in a concave shape of a triangular pyramid and has a spout on the apex side opposite to the portion where the handle portion is attached,
6. The urine collection device according to claim 5, wherein the protrusions are provided on two sides of the triangular pyramid shape, and the spout sides of the protrusions on the two sides are formed so as to be spaced apart. The urine collection device according to claim 1, in which a drug or reagent for testing can be applied to the inner surface of the collection section. The bottom of the collection portion is configured as a flat surface,
The urine collection device according to claim 1 , which is configured to be self-supporting with urine stored in the collection portion.

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