Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
TITLE
DISPOSABLE BAG WITH HAND PROTECTION
BACKGROUND AND SUMMAk2Y OF THE II3VENTZON
The present invention relates to containers for
receiving body fluids, such as vomit and urine, and in
particular, to disposable containers which axe collapsible
which provide sanitary protection to the user.
U.S. Patent No. 3,797,734 (the °734 patent) shows a
disposable bag of the type with which the present invention
is intended to be used. The ° 734 patent shows a bag having
a paperboard funnel sealingly engaging a plastic bag. The
upper rim of the bag is attached to the middle of the
outside surface of the funnel. The bottom portion of the
funnel contains a simple valve comprised of a flattenable
plastic tube which allows entry of fluid through the funnel
into the bag, but which prevents fluid from escaping the
bag. Products made in accordance with the ° 734 patent have
been sold in substantial numbers.
Disposable containers are used in a variety of
applications. On airplanes and other transportation
vehicles, they provide means to assist those who may suffer
from motion sickness. There is also a need in hospitals
for simple, portable receptacles for vomit and urine.
However, prior art devices for this purpose have, to
some extent, needed improvement in that the user s hand is
generally exposed to the regurgitated fluid which may miss
entry into the container. This problem is nar~ticularlv
prevalent in situations where a person is vomiting.
'Vomiting is usually accompanied by large convulsive bodily
movement, and the person vomiting generally finds it
difficult to hold still. It may also be difficult for the
person vomiting to control arm and hand movement during
actual regurgitation. Therefore, there is a likelihood
that at least some of the regurgitated substance will miss
any receptacle held by the person vomiting.
Likewise, if another individual assists the person
vomiting, it will be difficult to maintain alignment of the
conta3.ner in the proper. position to completely present any
spillage. This difficulty is again due to the large
convulsive movements which normally accompany vomiting.
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Tt is important to prevent regurgitated or urinated
fluid from contacting 'the user's skin because such fluid
will often contain infectious or contagious agents such as
viruses and bacteria.
It is therefore an object of the present invent3.on
to provide a container for receiving body fluids which will
protect the user from spillage.
Another obj ect of the present invention is to provide
a container which can help prevent the spreading of
infectious or cantagious diseases.
Another object of the present invention is to provide
a disposable, collapsible bag which will protect the user's
hand from coming into contact with fluids to be contained
therein.
A further object of the present invention is to
provide a disposable, collapsible bag for receiving vomit
and urine which has integral hand protection,
Yet another obj ect of the present invention is to
provide a simple and economical container for receiving
2,0 vomit and urine.
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These and other obj ects of the invention are achieved
with a container comprised of a paperboard funnel to which
is sealingly attached a flat plastic bag. The bag is
attached to the outer surface of the funnel. A simple
duck-bill valve is attached to the lower portion of the
funnel which lies inside the bag. The valve is arranged
to allow flow of material into the bag, but prevent escape
therefrom. A hand cover is sealingly attached to the outer
surface of the funnel at a level which allows a user ° s hand
to grasp the funnel.
Further objects and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent upon a reading of the
following specification, read in conjunction with the
attached drawings.
BRIEF D:E~CRIP3'IO1V OF TI3E DRAI~IIdGs
Figure 1 is an elevational view of a container made
in accordance with the present invention; and
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a container made
in accordance with the present invention, with a user°s
hand shown holding the container.
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Ds~Am~o nxscRx~TZOrr of TxE azav~r~T~o~t
Figure 1 shows the main components of a container 10
of the present invention in a flat, but unfolded condition.
A flattened, generally trapezoidal funnel 12 has an arched
top 11 and sloping edges 14 and 16. A plastic bag 18 is
sealingly attached to the funnel 12 along front seal line
20 and .rear seal line (not shown).
Inside the bag 18 and attached to a lower part 22 of
the funnel is a valve 24. The valve 24 has a top sealingly
attached to the periphery of the lower part 22 along the
front seal line 26 and the rear seal line (not shown). The
valve is a very flexible element with an open bottom 28
through which material can enter the bag 18, but through
which material cannot exit the bag 18. The valve 24 has
sloping sides 30 and 32 which have generally the same slope
as the sides 14 and 16 of the funnel 12. The valve
operates as a kind of "duck-bill" valve, since the bottom
edges 29 and 31 of the open end 28 tend to close off the
opening in the end of the valve, due to the flexible nature
of 'the material comprising the valve.
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A shroud 34 covers a major portion of the exterior
of the container l0. 8ea1 lines 36 and 38 are extensions
of seal line 20, and together with the closed edges 40 and
42 make the cover 34 sealed on three of its four sides.
The cover 34 is comprised of front and back sheets 44 and
46 respectively which are unattached at their bottom edges
48 and 50. The cover 34 is substantially wider than the
bag 18 to provide upper corners 52 and 54, which provide
access for a user°s hand to operate the funnel.
ZO The perspective view in Figure 2 shows how a user
operates the container of the present invention. The
user's hand is inserted between the sheets 44 and 46. A
thumb is positioned in one of the upper corners, 54 for
example, and a user°s finger, preferably the index finger,
is placed in the upper corner 52. The user then applies
lateral pressure to the edges 14 and 16 of the funnel which
causes the funnel to open both at its upper edges 15 and
17, and a~t its bottom 19.
The funnel has the shape of a truncated none when it
is in a fully open position. However, the funnel is made
of a resilient paperboard which is creased at the edges 14
and 16. The creased edges allow the container to be folded
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neatly and flatly. The paperboard is heavy enough and the
creases are formed so that the funnel tends to return to
the flat position shown in Figure 1.
The shroud 34 is long enough and wide enough to
completely cover even a large sized human hand. In a
preferred embodiment, the sealing lines 36 and 38 are about
an inch (2.54 cm) in length to allow room for fingers and
thumb. The overall flattened dimension of the shroud or
cover 34 is preferably about 8.5 inches (21.6 cm).
However, the sealing line extensions 36 and 38 could be as
short as about 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) and as long as about 2.0
inches (5.1 cm) or longer, and the length of the cover
could be as short as about 5 inches (12.7 cm) and as long
as 10 inches (25.4 cm) or longer. Its length also provides
protection for a user's wrist and shirt cuff. However, its
length is short enough to allow quick and simple insertion
of a hand to the use position shown in Figure 2.
After vomiting is completed, the foldable covers 21
and 23 can be pushed inwardly and folded along score line
53 and 55 to cover any residual material which may be
adhering to the inside portion of the funnel. Once the
foldable covers 21 and 23 are in the closed pos~.tion, the
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'~..~~~~~3
arcuate shape of the score lines 53 and 55 and the
resilience of the funnel tend to maintain the foldable
covers 21 and 23 in the closed position. Also, with the
covers 21 and 23 in the closed position, the bottom edges
29 and 31 of the valve 24 can easily contact one another
to make the valve fully operable to prevent escape of
material from the bag 18.
It should be noted that the bag can be easily
operated to prevent any contact between the hand of the one
holding the container and the fluid entering the bag. This
is an important aspect of the invention, since infectious
and contagious agents may be present in both vomit and
urine. The likelihood of such agents being passed is
greatly reduced if the vomit or urine is prevented from
making contact with the skin of the person holding the
container. The present invention is specially designed to
prevent such contact from the time the container is
initially used until disposal thereof.
It should be noted that for purposes of ease of
illustration, the bag 18 and cover 34 are shown as being
made of clear plastic. Clear plastic is preferred for
hospital use where viewing of the contents may be reauired
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by a doctor. Such viewing may be required to measure the
amount of vomit or urine, or to determine the color or
other physical property of the substance contained in the
bag 18. However, for uses on airplanes and the like, an
opaque bag may be preferred so that the contents of the bag
cannot be seen. Viewing of the contents could be
unsettling to other passengers. In either application, the
cover 34 is preferably clear plastic to facilitate proper
placement of fingers and thumb on the edges of the funnel
and the subsequent spreading or opening of the funnel from
its flat to its generally conical shape.
While a specific embodiment of the invention has been
shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled
in the art that numerous alternatives, modifications, and
variations of the embodiment shown can be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
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