GB2136289A - Bed-pans - Google Patents

Abstract

The bed-pan is of inflatable, collapsible and disposable type and comprises a toroidal inflatable element 2 having attached thereto a bowl 4 and a membrane 6 partly closing off the bowl 4. An inflating valve 3 is provided in said toroidal element. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bed-Pans This invention relates to bed-pans.

Bed-pans are used in hospitals and nursing homes for collecting the excrement of invalid or handicapped persons incapable of leaving their beds. Conventional bed-pans are made of plastics material and require frequent cleaning with consequent substantial waste of the time of hospital attendants. Moreover, frequent washing and the heating inherent in such washing often causes unsightly phenomena, such as yellowing and changes in colour, scale separation, formation of surface discontinuities and the like, making complete aseptication of the bed-pan more difficult. Such conventional bed-pans are also cumbersome when stored.

The object of the present invention is to provide a bed-pan which embodies the advantage but avoids the drawbacks of such conventional bed-pans.

According to the invention, there is provided a disposable bed-pan comprising a toroidal inflatable element having a bowl connected thereto along a line and a membrane partly closing off the bowl and connected to the toroidal element along a line.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bed-pan inflated and ready for use; and Figure 2 is a sectional view of the bed-pan of Figure 1.

The bed-pan of Figures 1 and 2 is generally denoted by 1 and comprises a toroidal element 2 of plastics material having a valve 3 for inflation thereof. Internally of the toroidal element 2 there is provided a bowl 4 of flexible impervious material which is connected to the toroidal element along a line 5. A membrane 6 is provided for partly closing off the open top of the bowl 4, the membrane 6 being connected to the toroidal element 2 along a line 7.

1. A disposable bed-pan comprising a toroidal inflatable element having a bowl connected thereto along a line and a membrane partly closing off the bowl and connected to the toroidal element along a line.

2. A bed-pan according to claim 1, wherein the bowl is made of flexible impervious material.

3. A bed-pan substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (3)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Bed-Pans This invention relates to bed-pans. Bed-pans are used in hospitals and nursing homes for collecting the excrement of invalid or handicapped persons incapable of leaving their beds. Conventional bed-pans are made of plastics material and require frequent cleaning with consequent substantial waste of the time of hospital attendants. Moreover, frequent washing and the heating inherent in such washing often causes unsightly phenomena, such as yellowing and changes in colour, scale separation, formation of surface discontinuities and the like, making complete aseptication of the bed-pan more difficult. Such conventional bed-pans are also cumbersome when stored. The object of the present invention is to provide a bed-pan which embodies the advantage but avoids the drawbacks of such conventional bed-pans. According to the invention, there is provided a disposable bed-pan comprising a toroidal inflatable element having a bowl connected thereto along a line and a membrane partly closing off the bowl and connected to the toroidal element along a line. In order that the invention may be more fully understood, a preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bed-pan inflated and ready for use; and Figure 2 is a sectional view of the bed-pan of Figure 1. The bed-pan of Figures 1 and 2 is generally denoted by 1 and comprises a toroidal element 2 of plastics material having a valve 3 for inflation thereof. Internally of the toroidal element 2 there is provided a bowl 4 of flexible impervious material which is connected to the toroidal element along a line 5. A membrane 6 is provided for partly closing off the open top of the bowl 4, the membrane 6 being connected to the toroidal element 2 along a line 7. CLAIMS

1. A disposable bed-pan comprising a toroidal inflatable element having a bowl connected thereto along a line and a membrane partly closing off the bowl and connected to the toroidal element along a line.

2. A bed-pan according to claim 1, wherein the bowl is made of flexible impervious material.

3. A bed-pan substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.