Toilet Urine Collector with Proportional Sleeve Separation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current urine collection methods for long-term urine testing are cumbersome, embarrassing, and prone to errors, leading to low adherence and sample rejection due to improper collection and mixing, especially for vulnerable individuals, and require patients to stay at home during collection periods.
Innovation Solution
A urine collection system comprising a collector attached to a toilet seat that allows natural urination without stopping, with a mechanism to separate initial and subsequent flows and a smart receptacle for proportional urine volume collection and analysis, enabling easy, aesthetic, and efficient urine sampling and data tracking without manual handling or mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional urine collection methods are used (small cup or test tube), then the urine sample can be collected, but the process is tedious, unaesthetic, and causes embarrassment to users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a toilet seat attachment as an intermediary device that mediates between the user and the collection container. The attachment includes a funnel-shaped guide that directs urine flow into the collection bottle, eliminating the need for users to manually hold small cups or test tubes. This intermediary structure makes the collection process as aesthetic and convenient as using a normal toilet, while still enabling proper sample collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The collection system is designed to be self-service oriented, where the toilet seat attachment automatically guides and collects urine during natural urination. The bottle can be attached and detached easily by the user without requiring assistance from healthcare workers or family members, thereby reducing embarrassment and improving ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If manual urine mixing and pouring is required, then the urine sample can be transferred to a test tube, but the process is error-prone and may result in spilled urine
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of pouring and mixing urine with an automated aspiration system. A pump draws urine from the collection bottle through a tube into the test tube, eliminating the need for manual pouring. This mechanical substitution ensures accurate transfer without spilling and provides reliable sample collection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts only the required amount of urine from the collection bottle and transfers it directly to the test tube. The aspiration mechanism draws urine until the test tube is filled to the appropriate level, extracting precisely the needed volume without requiring manual measurement or pouring, thereby improving both ease of operation and reliability.
3Quantity of substance
If large collection bottles are used for long-term urine collection, then the total urine volume can be collected, but the bottles are heavy and unpleasant to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the urine collection system into two parts: a large collection bottle that remains stationary at home for accumulating total urine volume, and a smaller portable test tube that can be easily carried to the clinic. The segmentation allows the heavy bottle to stay where it is needed (at home) while the lightweight test tube with the actual sample is transported, resolving the weight issue without compromising the ability to collect total urine volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The test tube acts as an intermediary carrier that holds a representative sample of the total urine collection. Instead of transporting the entire large collection bottle, the system uses the small test tube as a mediator to carry the essential sample information to the clinic, greatly reducing the weight and inconvenience of transport.
4Reliability
If initial urine flow is excluded for culture tests, then the sample quality is improved, but the collection process becomes more complex requiring stopping during urination
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by collecting the initial urine flow separately in a designated portion of the collection bottle before the culture sample is taken. The bottle is designed with a initial flow collection zone that captures the first stream, ensuring that when the main sample is subsequently collected or aspirated, it does not contain contaminated initial flow, thereby maintaining sample quality without requiring the user to stop during urination.
Solution Approach 2:
The collection bottle design includes an intermediary initial flow collection zone that acts as a buffer between the initial contaminated stream and the subsequent clean sample. This intermediary structure allows continuous urination while automatically separating the initial flow from the culture sample, resolving the contradiction between sample quality and process continuity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enhances urine collection efficiency, reduces errors, and allows for continuous monitoring of urine substances without hospitalization, improving sample quality and user adherence by enabling natural urination, automatic urine separation, and remote data tracking.
Implementation Method 1
a fluid passage between the collector and the sleeve at the bottom of the collector
Data Source
AI summary
A collector for collecting urine samples is placed inside a toilet with an extension lip placed on a toilet seat disposed on top of the toilet. Upon collecting urine inside the collector, a sample of urine is extracted from inside the collector. The collector may include a socket. The sealed container may be inserted into the socket to extract the sample of urine. A hollow sleeve may be disposed inside or outside the collector. Urine disposed inside the collector and inside the sleeve may attain the same fluid level responsive to a fluid passage between the collector and the sleeve at the bottom of the collector. The volume of urine extracted from the sleeve may be proportional to the urine collected inside the collector with a known proportionality constant.