Anti-splash urinals

Abstract

A urinal uses a sloped interior back wall to create a specific angle between an incoming urine stream and the back wall to effect an anti-splash phenomenon which involves the contact angle hysteresis and the coanda effect, thereby at least to minimize urine splashing. The contact angle hysteresis deals with the perpendicular angles at which the urine stream comes into contact with the back wall of the urinal bowl, that is the amount of angle degrees between the angle of surface of the bowl and the angle of the urine stream at the point of contact. This angle takes advantage of the Coanda effect so as to cause the fluid (urine) to run down the surface of the back wall to the bottom of the urinal, rather than splashing back. The Coanda effect is the tendency of a fluid jet to stay attached to an adjacent curved surface that is very well shaped. In one embodiment, the interior back wall is vertically sloped towards the user, at an angle greater than 20° from the vertical (e.g., 30° to accommodate a 60° urine stream), and the back wall may be further curved from side to side. In an other embodiment, the interior back wall has a undulated top-to-bottom or vertical contour.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 129,164, filed 9 Jun. 2008.REFERENCE REGARDING FEDERAL SPONSORSHIP[0002]Not ApplicableREFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX[0003]Not ApplicableBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]1. Field of the Invention[0005]The present invention relates to urinals and, in particular, to improvements in such urinals utilizing the Coanda effect, that is, the tendency of a fluid to stay attached to an adjacent surface so as to minimize urine splashing.[0006]2. Description of Related Art and Other Considerations[0007]One of the problems relevant to urinals is the tendency of urine to splash out of the urinal onto the floor or other exterior surfaces or even onto the person using the urinal. There have been many solutions designed to avoid such problems, such as providing side and back wall appurtenances. Another problem is, when a putative solution has been advanced, such a solution sometime...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]These and other problems are successfully addressed and overcome by the present invention. A urinal uses a sloped interior back wall to create an angle between an incoming urine stream and the back wall. Such an angled back wall takes advantage of the Coanda effect so as to cause the fluid (urine) to run down the surface of the back wall to the bottom of the urinal, rather than splashing back. As defined in the Wikipedia encyclopedia, the Coanda effect is the tendency of a fluid jet to stay attached to an adjacent curved surface that is very well shaped. In one embodiment, the interior back wall is vertically sloped towards the user, at an angle greater than 20° from the vertical (e.g., 30° to accommodate a 60° urine stream), and the back wall may be further curved from side to side. In an other embodiment, the interior back wall has a undulated top-to-bottom or vertical contour.

Problems solved by technology

One of the problems relevant to urinals is the tendency of urine to splash out of the urinal onto the floor or other exterior surfaces or even onto the person using the urinal.

Another problem is, when a putative solution has been advanced, such a solution sometimes required a urinal design that presented costly difficulties or challenges in manufacture of such urinals.

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