User interactive mat for a urinal

• US 6,640,350 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2002
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Richard Deutsch
• Original Assignee: Richard Deutsch
• Inventors: Deutsch, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Fetsuga, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US10/197,924
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 422/21, 430/9, 431/4, 466/1, 490/2, 340/604
• US Class Current: 4/309
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 13/00 Urinals without flushing devices A47K11/00 ; Means for connecting the urinal to the flushing pipe and the wastepipe; Splashing shields for urinals
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 13/005 Accessories specially adapted for urinals
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 2009/024 using a solid substance
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 23/00 Advertising on or in specific articles, e.g. ashtrays, letter-boxes on or in vehicles G09F21/00

Abstract

A mat for a urinal. The mat includes a base, a disk with indicia thereon, baffles, hooks, and an optional container. The container receives either a urinal cake or an annunciator. The annunciator includes an activity switch, a signal conditioner, a counter conditioner, a sensor transducer that is exposed to the stream of urine, and an annunciator display that is visible and activates, either visibly and/or audibly, when the sensor transducer is impinged upon by the stream of urine.

Claims

1. A user interactive mat for a urinal having a drain, comprising:

a) a base;

b) baffles; and

c) hooks;

wherein said base is for overlying the drain of the urinal;

wherein said base has throughbores;

wherein said throughbores are for Permitting a stream of urine to drain therethrough;

wherein said baffles upstand from said base;

wherein said baffles are for decelerating the stream of urine impinging thereon;

wherein said hooks upstand from said base; and

wherein said hooks selectively engage an item;

further comprising a container;

wherein said container is selectively engaged in said hooks; and

wherein said container is for selectively receiving an item, wherein said container has a lowermost periphery;

wherein said lowermost periphery of said container is continuous, ring-shaped, and has tabs;

wherein said tabs of said container extend intermittently, and radially outwardly, from said lowermost periphery of said container; and

wherein said tabs of said container are selectively received by said hooks, and when encaged thereby, said container is maintained in said central portion of said base, wherein said container has an uppermost periphery; and

wherein said uppermost periphery of said container is continuous, ring-shaped, and spaced above said lowermost periphery of said container, wherein said container has posts;

wherein said posts of said container are spaced-apart from each other so as to form spaces in said container;

wherein said posts of said container extend upwardly from said lowermost periphery thereof to said uppermost periphery thereof, where they terminate in hooks; and

wherein said hooks of said posts are inwardly radially facing.

2. The mat as defined in claim 1, wherein said base is contoured and flexible for conforming generally to the urinal.

3. The mat as defined in claim 1,

wherein said base has a central portion;

wherein said central portion of said base 16 is defined by a periphery; and

wherein said periphery of said central portion of said base is circular-shaped.

4. The mat as defined in claim 3, wherein said hooks are inverted L-shaped;

and

wherein said hooks upstand intermittently from said periphery of said central portion of said base.

5. The mat as defined in claim 3, wherein said throughbores through said base are disposed both in, and outboard of, said central portion of said base.

6. The mat as defined in claim 1,

wherein said baffles are slender;

wherein said baffles are elongated;

wherein said baffles are pin-shaped; and

wherein said baffles upstand from outboard of, and around, said hooks.

7. The mat as defined in claim 1, wherein said container is for receiving a urinal cake.

8. The mat as defined in claim 1, wherein said hooks of said posts receive a disk;

and

wherein said disk has perforations therethrough and amusing indicia thereon.

9. The mat as defined in claim 1, further comprising an annunciator;

and

wherein said annunciator is received in said container.

10. The mat as defined in claim 9, wherein said annunciator comprises an activity switch, a signal conditioner, and a counter conditioner.

11. The mat as defined in claim 9, wherein said annunciator comprises a sensor transducer;

and

wherein said sensor transducer of said annunciator is for exposing to the stream of urine.

12. The mat as defined in claim 11, wherein said annunciator comprises an annunciator display;

and

wherein said annunciator display of said annunciator is visible and is for activating when said sensor transducer is impinged upon by the stream of urine.

13. The mat as defined in claim 12, wherein said perforations through said disk are a pair of perforations;

wherein said pair of perforations through said disk coincide with, so as to expose, both said sensor transducer and said annunciator display, respectively.

14. The mat as defined in claim 1, wherein said container houses a battery and at least one light emitting device.

15. The mat as defined in claim 14, further having indicia thereon covered by an optional lens with cooperating said indicia.

16. The mat as defined in claim 14, wherein a flasher is incorporated with said at least one light emitting device, so as to cause said device to flash.

17. The mat as defined in claim 14, wherein said at least one light emitting device, is visible at an upper surface of said container.

18. The mat as defined in claim 14, wherein said at least one light emitting device is an incandescent lamp.

19. The mat as defined in claim 14, wherein said at least one light emitting device is a light emitting diode.

20. The mat as defined in claim 1, further having indicia thereon covered by an optional lens with cooperating said indicia.