Female urination device
Encyclopedia
A female urination device (FUD) or female urination aid is a device which aids a female to urinate
while standing upright. Variations include basic funnel shapes to more obscure and comedic designs. Although it is possible for a woman to aim her urine from a standing position without assistance, these devices have remained popular, due to ease of use.
ed back as far as 1922, these devices have a long history. The "Sanitary Protector" filed for in August 1918 by Edyth Lacy, specifies a "cheap device ...[to be] used but once, being especially suitable as a sanitary device in public toilet rooms." She notes that it is "accordingly unnecessary for the user to sit upon the closet seat; and the urine is led off without danger of soiling the clothes of the user or the closet". It was to be "made of a cheap readily destructible material, such as stiff paper, which can be readily disposed of after its use".
A similar device was patented in 1956: "an efficient urine conductor for use by females eliminating all need for contacting a toilet facility...usable while in a comfortable, erect standing position". Another half a dozen devices with the same basic purpose and form were patented by the end of the century.
The Urinelle, which originates from France, appeared in 1996 and was the first to have mainstream (sic) manufacturing. The Huikeshoven Medical BV from the Netherlands bought the rights for this product in 1997.
The P-Mate:
In 1998 Simone Zijp, student of the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, invented the P-Mate (plastuit). This was an instant success because of the shape ("one size fits all"), and extreme hygienic approach of peeing standing up for women. Since 1998, millions of P-Mates were sold. Since 2009 P-Mate has distributors in over 35 countries all over the world. P-Mate is still expanding. Since 2010, the P-Mate is 100% Eco-friendly and the material used for the P-Mate is biodegradable.
P-Mate is partner of the Medical Knowledge Institute. Together with the MKI, P-Mate works on a project in South Africa called Happy Days. With the donations of several companies, MKI distributes hygienic towels to women in South Africa.
Over 35 years ago the Little John with the Lady J adapter was sold widely in the United States selling over 100,000 units.
In 2010 the market for these products is growing due to increasing awareness by women and more marketing around the various products. Hygienic options are a concern for more women and there are a larger variety of products available to choose from. 2010 leading brands include, but are not limited to: Lilium Femme, GoGirl, Shewee, Whiz Freedom, Freshette, P-mate and pStyle.
2000 was the first event to do this, and the practice has now spread to events in the Netherlands, Belgium
, Switzerland
, Canada
, Finland
, Ireland
, and England
.
Urination
Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, peeing, weeing, pissing, and more rarely, emiction, is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. In healthy humans the process of urination is under voluntary control...
while standing upright. Variations include basic funnel shapes to more obscure and comedic designs. Although it is possible for a woman to aim her urine from a standing position without assistance, these devices have remained popular, due to ease of use.
History
PatentPatent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed back as far as 1922, these devices have a long history. The "Sanitary Protector" filed for in August 1918 by Edyth Lacy, specifies a "cheap device ...[to be] used but once, being especially suitable as a sanitary device in public toilet rooms." She notes that it is "accordingly unnecessary for the user to sit upon the closet seat; and the urine is led off without danger of soiling the clothes of the user or the closet". It was to be "made of a cheap readily destructible material, such as stiff paper, which can be readily disposed of after its use".
A similar device was patented in 1956: "an efficient urine conductor for use by females eliminating all need for contacting a toilet facility...usable while in a comfortable, erect standing position". Another half a dozen devices with the same basic purpose and form were patented by the end of the century.
The Urinelle, which originates from France, appeared in 1996 and was the first to have mainstream (sic) manufacturing. The Huikeshoven Medical BV from the Netherlands bought the rights for this product in 1997.
The P-Mate:
In 1998 Simone Zijp, student of the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, invented the P-Mate (plastuit). This was an instant success because of the shape ("one size fits all"), and extreme hygienic approach of peeing standing up for women. Since 1998, millions of P-Mates were sold. Since 2009 P-Mate has distributors in over 35 countries all over the world. P-Mate is still expanding. Since 2010, the P-Mate is 100% Eco-friendly and the material used for the P-Mate is biodegradable.
P-Mate is partner of the Medical Knowledge Institute. Together with the MKI, P-Mate works on a project in South Africa called Happy Days. With the donations of several companies, MKI distributes hygienic towels to women in South Africa.
Over 35 years ago the Little John with the Lady J adapter was sold widely in the United States selling over 100,000 units.
In 2010 the market for these products is growing due to increasing awareness by women and more marketing around the various products. Hygienic options are a concern for more women and there are a larger variety of products available to choose from. 2010 leading brands include, but are not limited to: Lilium Femme, GoGirl, Shewee, Whiz Freedom, Freshette, P-mate and pStyle.
In female urinals
Although already in existence prior to the introduction of, and independent of, female urination devices, female urinals for FUD users have become popular in recent years. At some major public events, such as festivals, where providing adequate toilet facilities is difficult, these are now being provided. PinkpopPinkpop
Pinkpop Festival, or Pinkpop for short, is an annual festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is held annually on the Pentecost weekend...
2000 was the first event to do this, and the practice has now spread to events in the Netherlands, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
External links
- P-Mate: de originele plastuit voor vrouwen www.p-mate.com Snel, gemakkelijk, comfortabel, maar vooral hygiënisch!
- liliumfemme.com
- Female urinals: facts and fables
- The Straight Dope: What's the deal with urinals in women's restrooms?
- the pStyle and the DivaCup sold by Krista's Cups
- Little-John with Lady J adapter
- liliumfemme.com
- Shewee
- GO GIRL