US 12,000,132 B1Granted

Appearance changing urine splatter suppression device

AssigneeSeung Kook Kawase Burns

InventorSeung Kook Kawase Burns

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Abstract

A urine splatter suppression device with appearance changing properties is provided. The device comprises a base that engages the bowl of a toilet or urinal, a hydrodynamic target with liquid impinging features and a security tether to prevent accidental flushing. The base can be in the form of a suction cup that engages the bowl of a toilet. The target may comprise a spheroidal shape to absorb and diffuse the impact from a urine stream; any subsequent splash back may be captured by anti-splash protrusions and apertures that comprise the surface. The target is made or coated with thermochromic materials and changes appearances when warm liquids such as urine contact it, and can change again, as well as self-cleanse, when cool water is flushed over it. The device's appearance-changing novelty will encourage males, especially young boys who are prone to distraction to urinate on target and keep lavatories sanitary.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A urine splatter suppression device that is removable and designed for use, without modification, in the bowl of a urinal and feces-receiving toilet comprising:

a anti-splash target with a diametric size between 15 mm and 50 mm comprising at least one hydrodynamic shape selected from a group consisting of spheroids, spheres, ellipsoids, frustocones, cones, hemi-spheroids, domes, cupolas, geodesics, polyhedrons and hemi-polyhedrons;
and
the anti-splash target having thermochromic reversible appearance changing properties and having a temperature hysteresis characteristic for changing between a first and second appearance state, wherein said target changes from said first appearance state to said second appearance state at the locations where it comes in contact with warm urine and the target is heated at a upper temperature above a first temperature;
the target maintains a present one of said first and second appearance states within a two-appearance holding temperature range between said first temperature and second temperature, and changes from said second appearance state to said first appearance state when cool flushing water at a lower temperature below said second temperature cools the target, wherein said two-appearance holding temperature range is within a range of ordinary temperature.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.