Urinal screen formed with fold lines

{
  "publication_number": "US11519164B1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B1",
  "title": "Urinal screen formed with fold lines",
  "abstract": "A urinal screen has a kite-shaped body having a longitudinal axis about which the body is symmetric, and a crosswise axis at a right angle to the longitudinal axis. There is at least one crosswise fold line formed in the body in which extended openings are formed along the crosswise axis, and there is at least one longitudinal fold line formed parallel to the longitudinal axis by extended openings through the body. The lack of material along the fold lines, relative to other portions of the body, facilitate bending or folding along these lines to conform to the shape of various urinal basins.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A urinal screen, comprising: a body sheet having a kite shape including a perimeter defining a front apex, a rear apex, a first side apex, and a second side apex, a longitudinal axis defined from the front apex to the rear apex, a crosswise axis defined from the first side apex to the second side apex, wherein the longitudinal axis and the crosswise axis are at a right angle to each other, wherein the body sheet is symmetric about the longitudinal axis and asymmetric about the crosswise axis and wherein the crosswise axis is closer to the rear apex than to the front apex, the body sheet formed of a material, the material being flexible; an interior of the body sheet being a web of openings through the body sheet bounded by intersecting lines of material forming a plurality of nodes where lines of material intersect and a plurality of links between nodes along sides of openings; a plurality of protrusions formed on the lines of material on a top side of the body sheet; and a crosswise fold line formed along the crosswise axis wherein portions of the lines of material are broken along the crosswise fold line.",
    "2. The urinal screen of claim 1, further comprising at least one longitudinal fold line formed parallel to the longitudinal axis wherein portions of the lines of material are broken along the at least one longitudinal fold line.",
    "3. The urinal screen of claim 2, wherein the at least one longitudinal fold line comprises two longitudinal fold lines include a first longitudinal fold line and second longitudinal fold line, wherein the first and second longitudinal fold lines are located on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis and are equidistant from the longitudinal axis.",
    "4. The urinal screen of claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions include: a first plurality of protrusions wherein each protrusion of the first plurality of protrusions is located at a respective one of the plurality of nodes; and a second plurality of protrusions wherein each protrusion of the second plurality of protrusions is located at a respective one of the plurality of links.",
    "5. The urinal screen of claim 4, wherein the first plurality of protrusions have a first height, the second plurality of protrusions have a second height, and wherein the first height and the second height are different.",
    "6. The urinal screen of claim 1, wherein each of the openings has a regular rhombus shape and each of the openings are commonly oriented.",
    "7. The urinal screen of claim 1, further comprising, on a bottom side of the body sheet, opposite the top side of the body sheet: at least one forward diverter wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet along the longitudinal fold line between the crosswise fold line and the front apex; at least one rearward diverter wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet along the longitudinal fold line between the crosswise fold line and the rear apex; and a suction cup support positioned along the longitudinal axis between the at least one rearward diverter wall and the rear apex that includes a support wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet to a tab that extends away from the support wall in a direction towards the rear apex.",
    "8. The urinal screen of claim 7, further comprising: at least two forward standoffs extending from the bottom side of the body sheet between the crosswise fold line and the front apex and on opposite sides of the longitudinal fold lines; and at least two rearward standoffs extending from the bottom side of the body sheet between the crosswise fold line and the rear apex and on opposite sides of the longitudinal fold lines, wherein the at least two rearward standoffs extend farther from the bottom side of the body sheet than the at least two forward standoffs.",
    "9. A urinal screen, comprising: a body sheet having a kite shape including a perimeter defining a front apex, a rear apex, a first side apex, and a second side apex, a longitudinal axis defined from the front apex to the rear apex, a crosswise axis defined from the first side apex to the second side apex, wherein the longitudinal axis and the crosswise axis are at a right angle to each other, wherein the body sheet is symmetric about the longitudinal axis and asymmetric about the crosswise axis and wherein the crosswise axis is closer to the rear apex than to the front apex, the body sheet formed of a material, the material being flexible, wherein the front apex is rounded, and the perimeter between the first side apex and a first side of the front apex curves inward relative to a straight line between the first side apex and the first side of the front apex, and the perimeter between the second side apex and a second side of the front apex curves inward relative to a straight line between the second side apex and the second side of the front apex; an interior of the body sheet being a web of openings through the body sheet bounded by intersecting lines of material forming a plurality of nodes where lines of material intersect and a plurality of links between nodes along sides of openings; a plurality of protrusions formed on the lines of material on a top side of the body sheet; and a crosswise fold line formed parallel to the crosswise axis wherein portions of the lines of material are broken along the crosswise fold line.",
    "10. The urinal screen of claim 9, further comprising at least one longitudinal fold line formed parallel to the longitudinal axis wherein portions of the lines of material are broken along the at least one longitudinal fold line.",
    "11. The urinal screen of claim 10, wherein the at least one longitudinal fold line comprises two longitudinal fold lines include a first longitudinal fold line and second longitudinal fold line, wherein the first and second longitudinal fold lines are located on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis and are equidistant from the longitudinal axis.",
    "12. The urinal screen of claim 9, wherein the plurality of protrusions include: a first plurality of protrusions wherein each protrusion of the first plurality of protrusions is located at a respective one of the plurality of nodes; and a second plurality of protrusions wherein each protrusion of the second plurality of protrusions is located at a respective one of the plurality of links.",
    "13. The urinal screen of claim 12, wherein the first plurality of protrusions have a first height, the second plurality of protrusions have a second height, and wherein the first height and the second height are different.",
    "14. The urinal screen of claim 9, wherein each of the openings has a regular rhombus shape and each of the openings are commonly oriented.",
    "15. The urinal screen of claim 9, further comprising, on a bottom side of the body sheet, opposite the top side of the body sheet: at least one forward diverter wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet along the longitudinal fold line between the crosswise fold line and the front apex; at least one rearward diverter wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet along the longitudinal fold line between the crosswise fold line and the rear apex; and a suction cup support positioned along the longitudinal axis between the at least one rearward diverter wall and the rear apex that includes a support wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet to a tab that extends away from the support wall in a direction towards the rear apex.",
    "16. The urinal screen of claim 15, further comprising: at least two forward standoffs extending from the bottom side of the body sheet between the crosswise fold line and the front apex and on opposite sides of the longitudinal fold lines; and at least two rearward standoffs extending from the bottom side of the body sheet between the crosswise fold line and the rear apex and on opposite sides of the longitudinal fold lines, wherein the at least two rearward standoffs extend farther from the bottom side of the body sheet than the at least two forward standoffs.",
    "17. The urinal screen of claim 9, wherein the body sheet comprises a flat region of material proximate to the rear apex wherein the top side of the body sheet lacks protrusions or openings.",
    "18. The urinal screen of claim 9, further including a boundary of material along the perimeter.",
    "19. The urinal screen of claim 18, wherein the boundary has one or two break along the perimeter between the first side apex and the front apex and the second side apex and the front apex.",
    "20. A urinal screen, comprising: a body sheet having a longitudinal axis defined from a front apex to a rear apex, a crosswise axis defined from a first side apex to a second side apex, wherein the longitudinal axis and the crosswise axis are at a right angle to each other, wherein the body sheet is symmetric about the longitudinal axis and asymmetric about the crosswise axis and wherein the crosswise axis is closer to the rear apex than to the front apex, the body sheet formed of a flexible material; an interior of the body sheet comprised of a web of openings through the body sheet, the openings each being bounded by lines of material forming a plurality of nodes where lines of material intersect, and wherein the lines of material form a plurality of links between the nodes; a plurality of protrusions formed on the lines of material on a top side of the body sheet; a crosswise fold line formed along the crosswise axis wherein portions of the lines of material are omitted along the crosswise fold line to join two or more adjacent ones of the openings to create extended openings in a plurality of locations along the crosswise fold line; at least one forward diverter wall that extends from a bottom side of the body sheet along the longitudinal fold line between the crosswise fold line and the front apex; at least one rearward diverter wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet along the longitudinal fold line between the crosswise fold line and the rear apex; and a suction cup support positioned along the longitudinal axis between the at least one rearward diverter wall and the rear apex that includes a support wall that extends from the bottom side of the body sheet to a tab that extends away from the support wall in a direction towards the rear apex."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates generally to urinal screens that reduce splash, and, more particularly, relates to a urinal screen configured to allow the urinal screen to adapt to various urinal basin shapes.\n\nA urinal, often installed for efficiency when compared to a general purpose toilet, is a sanitary plumbing fixture commonly located in male restrooms. The use of a urinal, in comparison to a general purpose toilet, is often more convenient for a user due to the absence of additional doors and locks. As an added convenience, urinals do not require a user to turn up a seat prior to use, which is both convenient and generally more sanitary than the toilet. Moreover, urinals occupy less space and consume less water per flush, or possibly no water at all, than a toilet which requires flushing.\n\nDevices designed to be placed within urinals are well-known. For example, urinals found in public restrooms often have a plastic mesh guard to prevent large debris from entering the drain. Unfortunately, such plastic mesh guards fail to reduce or prevent the splashing of urine onto the user. In fact, such plastic mesh guards may actually increase the risk of the user being splashed by the urine as the urine ricochets from the plastic mesh guard. Moreover, these plastic mesh guards do not prevent the splashing of urine that is directed towards the back wall of the urinal.\n\nOther known devices designed to be placed within urinals, often referred to as urinal screens or occasionally as urinal screens, are sized and shaped to cover either the urinal's back wall or the drain.",
  "cpc": [
    "E03D 13/005"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "E03D 13/00"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Jeffrey Scott Crevier"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2022-01-11",
  "publication_date": "2022-12-06",
  "grant_date": "2022-12-06",
  "priority_date": "2022-01-11",
  "application_number": "US-202217573359-A",
  "family_id": "84324996",
  "cited_by_count": 5,
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}