Target in a Bowl or Urinal to Attract the Attention of Urinating Human Males

Attracting the attention of urinating males to help in toilet training or to aid in keeping toilets, urinals and the areas around them clean has long been known to be desirable.

Parents, janitors, and others responsible for this cleanliness have often despaired the human male sloppiness of failing to direct urine into the proper receptacles.

Whether dealing with infants or males of other ages, it is well known that the male will direct his urine at a target if one is presented to him.

A study of the prior art reveals that various types of devices for attracting the attention of human males are known.

One of these is a rotatable propeller suspended by struts over a toilet. The struts are connected by a ball and socket arrangement to a suction cup which is in turn attached to the external side of the toilet. The invention is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 2,703,407 issued to R. E. Henock et al on Mar. 8, 1955.

Other types of devices are known which sense a change in weight or water level in the toilet bowl and cause a music or chime box to become active.

The present invention teaches a novel target structure which may be positioned low in the bowl of a toilet or a urinal and which will not have to be removed or rendered inoperative when the toilet is cleaned or used for purposes other than male urination.

The present invention teaches a target which can be kept submerged in the toilet or bowl and will not be affected by either the flushing fluid or the urine or other substances commonly found to be flushed in toilets or urinals.

The present invention teaches a target which is safe, sanitary and which does not require independent cleaning.

FIG. 1 shows the present invention in an embodiment with a conventional toilet;

FIG. 2 shows the present invention in an embodiment with a conventional urinal;

FIG. 3 shows a cross section of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a cross section of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show targets 15 and 25 disposed respectively in receptacles 10 and 20 shown as a toilet and a urinal. Target 15 is disposed below the water line 12 of the toilet and target 25 is disposed underneath the normal flow of water 22 in the urinal.

The target 40, as shown in FIG. 3, is formed from a picture of a "bull's eye," an animal, or any other graphic representation, formed on paper, cardboard or any other suitable intermediate material 44. A coating 42 encapsulates the material 44 and an adhesive 46 is put on the coated material 44 for causing the package to adhere to the bowl of the receptacle. In another embodiment the coating 42 and the adhesive 46 may each form about half of the encapsulant, i.e. the coating need not totally enclose the intermediate.

The target 50 is formed of a suitable waterproof material 54 which is formed into the desired shape and design. An adhesive 56 is attached to the material 52 for enabling the attachment of the material 54 to the receptacle.

The coating 42 and the material 52 may be made of a variety of waterproof materials. Natural rubber, synthetic rubber, polyolefin, polyester and polyvinyl have been shown to be particulary suitable since they can take designs and colors. The materials chosen must have sufficient flexibility to take the shape of a surface curving in two or three dimensions.

The adhesive 46,56 may be chosen from a wide variety of non-water soluble materials.

Acrylic based, rubber based, or synthetic rubber based or any combination of those three may be used with special effectiveness.

In particular the above adhesives may be used in combination with the previously listed materials for achieving a good combination in order to secure the target to the receptacle.

Thus, a natural rubber, synthetic rubber, polyolefin, polyester or polyvinyl target may have an adhesive which may be one or more of acrylic based, synthetic rubber based or rubber based. When these combinations of materials are used, the target can only be removed by destroying or damaging it and can be said to be "non-removably" connected.

A "release paper" is attached to the adhesive which is removed to expose the adhesive just prior to affixing the target to the bowl of the receptacle.