URINAL SCREEN FORMED WITH FOLD LINES

Abstract

A urinal screen has a kite-shaped body having a longitudinal axis about which the body is symmetric, and a crosswise axis at a right angle to the longitudinal axis. There is at least one crosswise fold line formed in the body in which extended openings are formed along the crosswise axis, and there is at least one longitudinal fold line formed parallel to the longitudinal axis by extended openings through the body. The lack of material along the fold lines, relative to other portions of the body, facilitate bending or folding along these lines to conform to the shape of various urinal basins.

Claims

1. A urinal screen, comprising: a body sheet including a perimeter defining a front, a rear, a first side, and a second side, a first axis defined from the front to the rear, a second axis defined from the first side to the second side, wherein the first axis and the second axis are at a right angle to each other; an interior of the body sheet having a web of openings through the body sheet bounded by intersecting lines of material forming a plurality of nodes where lines of material intersect and a plurality of links between nodes along sides of openings; a plurality of protrusions formed on the lines of material on a top side of the body sheet; and a suction cup support, on a bottom side of the body sheet opposite the top side of the body sheet, that is configured to support a suction cup.

2. The urinal screen of claim 1, wherein the suction cup support includes a support wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet to a tab that extends away from the support wall in a direction towards the rear of the body sheet.

3. The urinal screen of claim 2, wherein the suction cup support includes an integrally formed suction cup at the tab.

4. The urinal screen of claim 2, wherein the tab includes an opening that is configured to receive a retaining head of a suction cup to retain the suction cup.

5. The urinal screen of claim 1, further comprising at least one longitudinal fold line formed parallel to the first axis wherein portions of the lines of material are broken along the at least one longitudinal fold line.

6. The urinal screen of claim 5, wherein the at least one longitudinal fold line comprises two longitudinal fold lines include a first longitudinal fold line and second longitudinal fold line, wherein the first and second longitudinal fold lines are located on opposite sides of the first axis and are equidistant from the longitudinal axis.

7. The urinal screen of claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions include: a first plurality of protrusions wherein each protrusion of the first plurality of protrusions is located at a respective one of the plurality of nodes; and a second plurality of protrusions wherein each protrusion of the second plurality of protrusions is located at a respective one of the plurality of links.

8. The urinal screen of claim 7, wherein the first plurality of protrusions have a first height, the second plurality of protrusions have a second height, and wherein the first height and the second height are different.

9. The urinal screen of claim 1, wherein each of the openings has a regular rhombus shape and each of the openings are commonly oriented.

10. The urinal screen of claim 1, further comprising, on a bottom side of the body sheet, opposite the top side of the body sheet: at least one forward diverter wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet along the longitudinal fold line between the crosswise fold line and the front apex; and at least one rearward diverter wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet along the longitudinal fold line between the crosswise fold line and the rear apex

11. The urinal screen of claim 10, further comprising: at least two forward standoffs extending from the bottom side of the body sheet between the crosswise fold line and the front apex and on opposite sides of the first axis; and at least two rearward standoffs extending from the bottom side of the body sheet between the crosswise fold line and the rear of the body sheet and on opposite sides of the first axis, wherein the at least two rearward standoffs extend farther from the bottom side of the body sheet than the at least two forward standoffs.

12. A method, comprising: providing a urinal screen having: a body sheet including a perimeter defining a front, a rear, a first side, and a second side, a first axis defined from the front to the rear, a second axis defined from the first side to the second side, wherein the first axis and the second axis are at a right angle to each other; an interior of the body sheet having a web of openings through the body sheet bounded by intersecting lines of material forming a plurality of nodes where lines of material intersect and a plurality of links between nodes along sides of openings; a plurality of protrusions formed on the lines of material on a top side of the body sheet; and a suction cup support, on a bottom side of the body sheet opposite the top side of the body sheet, that includes a suction cup; placing the urinal screen in a basin of a urinal; and affixing the suction cup to a surface of the basin.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the urinal screen further comprises providing the body sheet having a kite shape having at least one fold line along either the first axis of the second axis, wherein the fold line comprises break in the intersecting lines of material.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the suction cup support includes a support wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet to a tab that extends away from the support wall in a direction towards the rear of the body sheet.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the tab includes an opening through which a retaining head of the suction cup is mounted to retain the suction cup to the tab.

16. A urinal screen, comprising: a body sheet including a perimeter defining a front, a rear, a first side, and a second side, a first axis defined from the front to the rear, a second axis defined from the first side to the second side, wherein the first axis and the second axis are at a right angle to each other; an interior of the body sheet having a web of openings through the body sheet bounded by intersecting lines of material forming a plurality of nodes where lines of material intersect and a plurality of links between nodes along sides of openings; a plurality of protrusions formed on the lines of material on a top side of the body sheet; at least one forward diverter wall that extends from a bottom side of the body sheet between the second axis and the front of the body sheet; and at least one rearward diverter wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet between the second axis and the rear of the body sheet.

17. The urinal screen of claim 16, further including a flat region that lacks protrusion and openings formed in the sheet body.

18. The urinal screen of claim 16, further comprising a suction cup support, on a bottom side of the body sheet opposite the top side of the body sheet, that includes a suction cup.

19. The urinal screen of claim 18, wherein the suction cup is integrally formed with the suction cup support.

20. The urinal screen of claim 18, wherein the suction cup is retained in the suction cup support.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which together with the detailed description below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to further illustrate various embodiments and explain various principles and advantages all in accordance with the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a kite-shaped urinal screen have fold lines, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0038] FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of a urinal screen having a kite-shaped body and that has longitudinal and crosswise fold lines, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0039] FIG. 3 shows a detail of the web of the body of a urinal screen having intersecting lines of material that define openings through the body of the urinal screen, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0040] FIG. 4 shows a side cutaway view of FIG. 3 taken along line A-A;

[0041] FIG. 5 shows a detail view of a portion of the crosswise fold line between the right and left side apexes, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0042] FIG. 6 shows a detail view of a portion of a longitudinal fold line, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0043] FIG. 7 shows a side view of a urinal screen, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0044] FIG. 8 shows a rear perspective view of the bottom side of a urinal screen having fold lines, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0045] FIG. 9 shows a top plan view of a urinal screen having a kite-shaped body and that has longitudinal and crosswise fold lines, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0046] FIG. 10 shows a side view of a suction cup support having an integral suction cup, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0047] FIG. 11 shows a tab that is part of a suction cup support, as shown in FIGS. 7-8, that is configured to receive a removable suction cup, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0048] FIG. 12 shows a side view of a removable suction cup; and

[0049] FIG. 13 shows the removable suction cup mounted in the tab of the suction cup support, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms.

[0051] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a urinal screen 100 having fold lines, in accordance with some embodiments. The urinal screen 100 of the particular example includes a kite-shaped body 102 that has a rear apex 104 and a front apex 106 that define a first or longitudinal axis 108. The body 102 further includes a right side apex 110 and a left side apex 112 between which a second or crosswise axis 114 is defined that is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis 108. Being kite-shaped, the crosswise axis 114 is closer to the rear apex 104 than it is to the front apex 106. Further, the body 102 is symmetric about the longitudinal axis 108, and asymmetric about the crosswise axis 114. A pair of longitudinal fold lines 116, 118 are shown on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis 108, offset by equal distances from the longitudinal axis 108. A crosswise fold line can be defined along the crosswise axis 114. The fold lines 114, 116, 118 are lines along which the urinal screen 100 is configured to bend in order to allow the urinal screen 100 to conform to various urinal basin shapes.

[0052] In general, the body 102 is sheet-like, having a top side on one major surface, and the bottom side opposite the top side forming another major surface, wherein the body 102 has a perimeter that is bounded along the sides of the kite-shape. The body has a front, rear, and opposite sides. The front can be at the front apex, the rear at the rear apex, and so on. When placed into a urinal basin, the rear apex 104 is placed at the rear of the basin and the front apex is placed at the front of the basin, which will be closest to the user. That is, the front of the body 102 is intended to be located at the front of the basin, and the rear of the body 102 is intended to be at the rear of the basin of the urinal, or farthest from the user of the urinal. Although shown here with a crosswise fold line along the crosswise axis 114, the crosswise fold line can be parallel to, but offset from the crosswise axis in some embodiments, on the rear or front side of the crosswise axis (i.e. closer to the rear apex 104 or the front apex 106). Further, there can be more than one crosswise fold line. In some embodiments it is contemplated that there may be a single longitudinal fold line along the longitudinal axis 108.

[0053] The urinal screen 100 represents an abstraction to clearly show the major features of the urinal screen being disclosed in accordance with embodiments of the invention. In particular, the urinal screen 100 of the inventive disclosure includes a kite-shaped body 102, with at least one crosswise fold line and at least one longitudinal fold line. The kite shape is used for urinal screens that fit in urinals with kite- shaped basins. Other shapes may be more appropriate for urinal that have basins of other shapes. In addition to the fold line features, the urinal screen can include anti-splash protrusions that extend from the top side and are disposed around openings through the body 102 that allow fluid from a fluid stream incident on the urinal screen to pass through the body and reduce splashing of the fluid. The bottom side of the urinal screen (opposite that in view here) can include features intended to raise the body of the urinal screen off the surface of the urinal basin to allow fluid to flow under the urinal screen into the urinal drain. These and other features will be shown in the subsequent illustrations.

[0054] FIG. 2 shows a top view of a urinal screen 200 having a kite-shaped body sheet or simply body 202 and that has longitudinal and crosswise fold lines, in accordance with some embodiments. The urinal screen 200 incorporates the major features described in relation to urinal screen 100 of FIG. 1, and includes other features and refinements not shown in FIG. 1. The body 202 includes a perimeter that has a boundary 204 that bounds a web made up of lines of material 206. The boundary 204 is a thin region of material around the perimeter that that the web of lines are connected to. Around the border 204 there can be breaks 232 that compensate for shrinkage over time as fragrance oil is emitted from the material. The lines of material 206 include at least one set of lines of material 206 arranged in a first direction, and other lines arranged in a second direction within the sheet-like body 202. Both sets of lines are arranged at a regular spacing which results in the line intersecting at nodes and defining openings 208 through the body 202.

[0055] FIG. 3 shows a detail view 300 of the web of the body, including lines of material 206 formed along or parallel to intersecting lines 306, 308 at regular spacing across the body 202. Located on the lines of material 206 are protrusions 302, 304. The protrusions 302 can be located at the intersections of lines (nodes) and protrusions 304 can be located on the lines (links) between the intersections of the lines. As shown here, lines 306, 308 are not at right angles to each other, and as a result, the openings 208 have a generally rhombus shape. FIG. 4 shows a side cutaway view 400 of detail of FIG. 3 taken along line A-A. In this view it can be seen that there are two sets of protrusions, a first set 302 having a first height, and second set 304 having a second height. The protrusions in general extend away from the top surface of the body, and can be integrally formed/molded of same material as the body. The taller protrusions 302 can be located at the nodes 402 where lines 206 intersect, and the shorter protrusions 304 can be located on the links, which are the portions of the lines 206 between the nodes 402. Varying the height of the protrusions as shown has been found to be more effective in reducing splash of a fluid stream incident on the urinal screen than if the protrusions are all the same height. The protrusions 302, 304 can be conical in shape, having a generally round body that tapers in diameter from the base, where they are joined with the lines 206, to a tip at the distal end of the protrusions.

[0056] Returning now to FIG. 2, the body 202 has a front apex 210 and a rear apex 212 which define a longitudinal axis 218 between the front apex 210 and rear apex 212. The front apex is the forward or front-most region and can be curved/radiused as shown, or more pointed as in FIG. 1. Likewise, the rear apex 212 is further to the rear of the body 202 and can have a larger radius of curvature than the front apex 210, or can also be more pointed. The body further has a first side apex 214 and a second side apex 216 that define a crosswise axis 220 that is at right angle to the longitudinal axis 218. The body 202 is symmetric about the longitudinal axis 218 and asymmetric about the crosswise axis 220 with the crosswise axis 220 being closer to the rear apex 212 than it is to the front apex 210.

[0057] A crosswise fold line can be formed along the crosswise axis 220 by breaking the lines of material 202 at points along the crosswise axis to form extended openings 222, where the nodes 402 of material are removed at one or more intersection points on the crosswise axis 220. In the example shown, the extended openings are formed by breaking the intersecting points at two consecutive locations along the crosswise axis. As used here, “breaking” and “broken” means that there is an absence of material along a line of material that results in adjacent ones of the openings being joined to form an extended opening, which can be created by the shape of a mold used to form the urinal screen, and does not necessarily mean that a person, for example, uses to tool to break the connections. In other words, the lines of material are broken at the crosswise axis 220 at certain locations to create the extended openings 222. However, not all of the node points on the crosswise axis 220 are broken, thus there are a plurality of extended openings 222 alternating with joined sections of the intersecting lines 206.

[0058] Likewise, there are longitudinal fold lines 228, 230 that are parallel to the longitudinal axis 218, and offset from the longitudinal axis 218. The longitudinal fold lines 228, 230 are formed by broken section of the intersecting lines 206 that create extended openings 226, which can intersect with the crosswise extended openings 222 along the crosswise axis 220. As with the crosswise fold lines, the extended openings 226 have non-broken portions between them along the longitudinal fold lines 228, 230. Thus, both the crosswise fold lines and longitudinal fold lines 228, 230 facilitate bending or folding of the body 202 along these lines due to the lack of material along the fold lines relative to other portions of the body 202. FIG. 5 shows a detail view of a portion of the crosswise fold line along the crosswise axis 222, between the right and left side apexes. As can be seen the extended openings 222 are formed by breaks in regions 502 that joins consecutive openings 208 together so that three openings are joined (open) together in each of the extended openings 222. Similarly, in FIG. 6 there is shown a detail view of a portion of a longitudinal fold line 230, in which extended openings 226 are formed by breaks 602 in the lines 206 to result in consecutive openings 208 being joined (open) together. Furthermore, to match the curvature of some urinal basins, the perimeter along the border can curve inward along the sections between the side apexes 214, 216 and the front apex, relative to a straight line between those apexes.

[0059] FIG. 7 shows a side view of the urinal screen 200, in which the body 202 has a top side 700 and a bottom side 702. FIG. 8 shows a rear perspective view of the bottom side 702 of a urinal screen 200. The plurality of protrusions (e.g. 302, 304) extend from the top side 700. On the bottom side 702 there are one or more forward diverter walls 704 which are located between the crosswise axis 220 and the front apex 210 along the longitudinal axis. The forward diverter wall(s) 704 can have a uniform height relative to the bottom side 702 of the body 202. one or more rearward diverter walls 706 can be located along the longitudinal axis 218 between the crosswise axis 220 and the rear apex 212, and have a varying height that increases along the rear diverter wall 706 towards the rear. Further a suction cup support can be provided that includes a support wall 708 and a tab 710 that extends from the support wall 708. The support wall 708 extends from the bottom side, and the tab extends from a top of the support wall toward the rear, and comprises a relative flat portion. A hole 802 can be provided through which the anchor of a suction cup can be placed, allowing the use of a suction cup to hold the urinal screen 200 in place in a urinal basin. One or more forward standoffs 712 and rearward standoffs 714, 716 can be provided on the bottom side 702 between the crosswise axis 220 and the rear apex 212. The rearward standoffs 714 are shorter than rearward standoffs 716, and the difference in height of these standoffs 714, 716 follows the angle (relative to the surface of the bottom side 702) of the top of the rearward diverter wall 706 and the angle of the tab 710. The angle of the rearward elements (e.g. 706, 710, 714, 716) is intended to optimize the angle of the rearward portion of the urinal screen body 202 (e.g. from the crosswise axis 220 to the rear apex 212) relative to the forward portion (e.g. between the front apex 210 and the crosswise axis 220) when the urinal screen is placed in a urinal basin as these features will be in contact with the surface of the basin.

[0060] In some embodiments there can be a flat region 234 proximate to the rear apex 212 on which printing can be placed (i.e. branding). The flat region 234 lacks protrusions or openings on or through the body. The support wall 708 can extend from the flat region at the bottom side 702. The flat region 234 allows a logo, advertising, or other graphical elements to be printed or otherwise placed on the urinal screen.

[0061] FIG. 9 shows a top plan view of a urinal screen 900 having a kite-shaped body 902 and that has longitudinal and crosswise fold lines, in accordance with some embodiments. The kite-shaped body 902 is an alternative to that of FIG. 2, and is optimized for certain urinals over that of the specific shape of the body shown in FIG. 2. The kite shaped body 902, like that of FIG. 2, includes a border to which diagonal lines of material 916 join. The lines of material 916 include lines in both diagonal directions and define openings 918 between the lines of material 916 and have protrusions of alternating heights on them. The lines of material 916 can be oriented such that the openings each generally have a rhombus shape that can be non-square. The body 902 has a rear apex 904 and a front apex 906 that define a longitudinal axis 908. The body further has a first side apex 910 and a second side apex 912 that define a crosswise axis 914 the is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 908. The kite shape of the body is created by the body being symmetric about the longitudinal axis 908 and asymmetric about the crosswise axis 914 such that the rear apex 904 is closer to the crosswise axis 914 than the front apex 906 is to the crosswise axis 914.

[0062] In the present exemplary embodiment the body 902 includes two longitudinal fold lines 920, 922 and 924, 926 on each side of the longitudinal axis 908. As in the prior embodiments, the fold lines are created by omitting material between adjacent openings 918 along the fold lines to join the openings into extended openings in the longitudinal direction (to create longitudinal fold lines). In some embodiments every other link of material 916 is omitted between openings forming successive extended openings along the longitudinal fold lines 920, 922, 924, 926. In some embodiments there can be longitudinal fold lines 922, 924 that about one quarter of the distance between the longitudinal axis 908 and the respective side apexes 910, 912. These can be referred to as the inner longitudinal fold lines 922, 924. Outer longitudinal fold lines 920, 926 can be about two thirds of the distance from the longitudinal axis 908 to the respective apexes 910, 912. A crosswise fold line is similarly formed along the crosswise axis 914 by omitting some of the links of material on the crosswise axis 914 to join adjacent openings 916 into extended openings. Furthermore, a generally circular arrangement of extended openings is formed centered on the longitudinal axis 908 between the front apex 906 and the crosswise axis 914 by crosswise extended openings 930, longitudinal extended openings 932, and diagonal extended openings 928, 934. The pattern here can also be described as being octagonal, but it is generally regular polygon approximating a circle. These extended openings 928, 930, 932, 934 each join three adjacent openings in succession along a line. The diagonal extended openings 928, 934 can also be joined to a fourth opening from their central opening on the diagonal line. The generally circular pattern of extended opening 928, 930, 932, 934 allow relief in the center of the body 902 for features, either fixed or added, that may be found in the bottom of a urinal, such as a drain domed drain cover. In general, it has been found that the urinal screen 900 provides advantages in certain urinal designs over that of urinal screen 200, and vice versa. Further, the bottom side of the urinal screen 900 can be substantially similar to that shown in FIGS. 7-9, with forward standoffs 712, rearward standoffs 714, 716 of increasing height toward the rear apex 904, diverter walls 704, 706 and the suction cup support 710.

[0063] FIG. 10 shows a side view of a suction cup support tab 710 having an integral suction cup 1002, in accordance with some embodiments. In the suction cup support can extend from the body sheet 102 at the bottom of the body sheet 102 by support wall 708. The tab 710 supports the suction cup 1002, and the support wall 708 offsets the suction cup 1002 and tab from the body 102 by a desired amount, based on a shape of the urinal basin in which the urinal screen 100 is intended to be placed. The suction cup 1002 is shown as an integral element, meaning is molded along with the rest of the urinal screen 100. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 11-12, a separate suction cup 1202 can have a retaining head 1204 that fits through the opening 802 in the tab 710. The retaining head 1204 is larger than the opening 802 and creates a mechanical interference once it is passed completely through the hole 802 so as to retain the suction cup 1202, as shown in FIG. 13. The suction cup 1002, 1202 allows the urinal screen 100 to be anchored in place, which will prevent the urinal screen 100 from moving around.

[0064] A urinal screen has been disclosed that includes a body sheet that can have fold lines that pass parallel to a symmetric axis and which pass at a right angle to those. The symmetric axis is a longitudinal axis about which the urinal screen is symmetric. The fold lines are formed by extending a joining openings through the body in a line which allows the portions of the body to bend/fold relative to each other much easier than other portions of the body. The fold lines are placed in consideration of the designs of various urinal basins known to be used to allow the urinal screen to fit into urinal basins without unwanted movement that can occur with flushing.

[0065] The claims appended hereto are meant to cover all modifications and changes within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Docket No.