External female urine collection system and related method

A method of managing urine excreted by a female user through the female user's external urethral orifice, the method comprising:

• attaching a sleeve around the female user's external urethral orifice using an adhesive, the sleeve defining a first open end disposed adjacent but external to the female user's external urethral opening, and a second open end, opposite the first open end;
• releasably connecting a cup to the sleeve, adjacent the second open end, the cup having an inlet configured to removably couple with the sleeve adjacent the second open end and a collection chamber, wherein one of the sleeve and the cup includes an outlet in fluid communication with the collection chamber, wherein the cup is releasable from the sleeve while the sleeve remains attached around the female user's external urethral orifice via the adhesive;
• forming a liquid tight seal between the sleeve and the cup, the liquid tight seal formed when a male connector disposed on one of the sleeve and the cup inlet releasably couples with a female connector disposed on the other of the sleeve and the cup inlet;
• coupling a collection container with the outlet through a tube;
• collecting urine excreted by the female user in the collection chamber of the cup;
• and
• draining urine collected in the collection chamber into the collection container through the tube connecting the outlet and the collection container,
• wherein the female connector comprises a pair of flanges defining a channel adapted to receive the male connector therein, a first rib extending into the channel and a second rib extending into the channel,
• wherein the male connector comprises a leg having a first seal recess and a second seal recess, wherein the first seal recess is disposed farther from a terminal end of the leg than the second seal recess,
• wherein the leg is inserted into the channel during the forming a liquid tight seal step, with each of the first and second ribs engaging a respective one of the first and second seal recesses.

An external female urine collection system for urine excreted by a female user through the female user's external urethral orifice, the system comprising:

• a sleeve comprising an interface surface defining a first open end, the interface surface configured to be secured via an adhesive to an external surface of the female user to surround an external urethral orifice of the female user, distal from the external urethral orifice, the sleeve defining a second open end, opposite the first open end;
• a cup comprising a cup inlet removably joined with the sleeve about the second open end of the sleeve and a collection chamber;
• an outlet formed in at least one of the sleeve and the cup;
• a collection container fluidly coupled with the outlet via a tube;
• a liquid tight seal comprising a releasable coupling between the sleeve and the cup, the releasable coupling configured so that the cup can be released from the sleeve while the sleeve remains secured via the adhesive to the external surface of the female user, the releasable coupling comprising:
• a male connector disposed on one of the sleeve, adjacent the second open end, and the cup inlet and comprising a leg;
• a female connector disposed on the other of the sleeve, adjacent the second open end and the cup inlet, and comprising flanges defining a channel adapted to receive the leg;
• first and second seal recesses on one of the leg and the flanges;
• and
• first and second ribs on the other of the leg and the flanges, each of the first and second ribs adapted to engage one of the first and second seal recesses;
• wherein the first seal recess is disposed relatively farther from a terminal end of the one of the leg and the flanges than the second seal recess;
• and
• wherein the sleeve, cup, liquid tight seal, and collection chamber are configured so that urine excreted by the female user flows in a sealed, non-leaking manner through the first and second open ends of the sleeve to the collection chamber through the cup inlet, and from the collection chamber to the collection container through the outlet.