Foldable Hanging Urinal With Hooks for Splash-Free Child Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing disposable portable urinals for children, such as those proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,553 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,097, either do not fold for travel or require holding and result in splashes due to not hanging over a toilet, failing to provide a practical and mess-free solution for young boys who cannot reach standard plumbing fixtures while traveling.
Innovation Solution
A foldable, hanging urinal made from cardboard stock with hinged hooks and a receptacle that folds out to form a cup, allowing it to be securely attached to a toilet or urinal, ensuring urine is collected at a lower position than the fixture's edge, and can be easily transported, used, and disposed of.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a child's urinal is designed to be portable and foldable, then it can be easily transported and stored, but it cannot be securely attached to a toilet fixture
Solution Approach 1:
The urinal incorporates hooks that can transition between a folded state for portability and an extended state for secure attachment. The hooks are designed to be flexible and movable, allowing the urinal to adapt between transport and use conditions, resolving the contradiction between portability and attachment security.
Solution Approach 2:
The urinal is divided into separable components including removable hooks and a foldable body. This segmentation allows the hooks to be positioned optimally for attachment while keeping the main body compact for transport, enabling both portability and secure attachment functionality.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a child's urinal is designed to hang over a toilet edge, then it prevents splashes and messes, but it requires hooks or attachment mechanisms that increase complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The urinal is designed as a disposable product made from cardboard stock, eliminating the need for complex, durable attachment mechanisms. The simplicity of the disposable design allows for easy integration of basic hooks while maintaining low cost and low complexity, resolving the contradiction between splash prevention and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The material properties of the cardboard stock are optimized to provide sufficient structural integrity for hanging while remaining simple in construction. The physical parameters of the material (strength, flexibility) are selected to enable effective attachment without requiring complex mechanisms, balancing splash prevention with simplicity.
3Ease of manufacture
If a child's urinal is made from disposable materials, then it is easy to dispose of after use, but it may not be durable enough for secure attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The urinal utilizes composite construction combining cardboard stock with plastic components for the hooks and structural elements. This composite approach provides the durability needed for secure attachment while maintaining the disposable nature of the overall product, resolving the contradiction between disposability and attachment strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the urinal have different material properties optimized for their specific functions. The hooks and attachment points use more durable materials while the receptacle body uses disposable cardboard, providing localized strength where needed while maintaining overall disposability and ease of manufacture.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable, hanging urinal includes a back surface, hooks and a receptacle. The foldable hanging urinal is made from cardboards stock and folds flat for transportation, inventory and disposal. Hooks on the back of the foldable hanging urinal fold out for hanging the foldable hanging urinal on a toilet fixture. The receptacle folds out to form a cup to accept urine.