Granted Patent B2

US 12,447,042 · App. 17/996,155 · Granted Oct 21, 2025

Inventors: Adam Martin (Holly Springs, NC); Melody Mei Hee Kuroda (Durham, NC); Nicholas Jardine (Holly Springs, NC); Eric Alan Fallows (Apex, NC)

Assignee: PUREWICK CORPORATION

A61F5/455A61F5/4401A61F5/4404

Abstract

Claims (54)

1. A fluid collection assembly, comprising:

a fluid impermeable barrier including:

a base;

a sump defining a chamber and an opening configured to be positioned adjacent to a female urethral opening, the sump protruding outwardly from the base; and

a fluid outlet;

a conduit at least partially disposed in the fluid outlet; and

at least one porous material at least partially covering the opening and disposed in the chamber;

wherein at least one of:

the fluid outlet is rotatable relative to a remainder of the fluid impermeable barrier; or

a tail extending from at least one of the base, the sump, or the fluid outlet, the tail configured to fit between a gluteal cleft of an individual, the tail distinct from the conduit.

2. The fluid collection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the base includes two wings extending outwardly from the sump.

3. The fluid collection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the base includes an upper portion, a bottom portion on an opposing side of the sump than the upper portion, and at least one lateral portion extending between the upper portion and the bottom portion.

4. The fluid collection assembly of claim 3 , wherein a maximum width of the upper portion is greater than a maximum width of the bottom portion.

5. The fluid collection assembly of claim 3 , wherein a maximum width of the upper portion is substantially the same as a maximum width of the bottom portion.

6. The fluid collection assembly of claim 3 , wherein the bottom portion and the at least one lateral portion exhibit a shape that generally corresponds to the shape of the sump.

7. The fluid collection assembly of claim 3 , wherein the fluid outlet extends from a portion of the sump that is adjacent to the bottom portion of the base.

8. The fluid collection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fluid outlet is rotatable relative to the remainder of the fluid impermeable barrier.

9. The fluid collection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one porous material includes a fluid permeable membrane and a fluid permeable support, wherein the fluid permeable membrane is disposed on and supported by the fluid permeable support such that the fluid permeable membrane extends across the opening.

10. The fluid collection assembly of claim 9 , wherein the fluid permeable membrane defines a plurality of perforations therein, wherein the plurality of perforations are larger than a porosity of the fluid permeable membrane.

11. The fluid collection assembly of claim 9 , wherein the fluid permeable membrane is continuous.

12. The fluid collection assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive layer disposed on a first surface of the base that is configured to be positioned adjacent to an individual.

13. The fluid collection assembly of claim 12 , wherein the sump extends protrudes outwardly from a second surface of the base that is opposite the first surface.

14. The fluid collection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fluid collection assembly includes the tail extending from the base, the sump, or the fluid outlet.

15. A fluid collection system, comprising:

a fluid collection assembly including:

a fluid impermeable barrier including:

a base;

a sump defining a chamber and an opening configured to be positioned adjacent to a female urethral opening, the sump protruding outwardly from the base; and

a fluid outlet;

a conduit at least partially disposed in the fluid outlet; and

at least one porous material at least partially covering the opening and disposed in the chamber;

wherein at least one of:

the fluid outlet is rotatable relative to a remainder of the fluid impermeable barrier; or

the fluid collection assembly includes a tail extending from at least one of the base, the sump, or the fluid outlet, the tail configured to fit between the gluteal cleft of an individual, the tail distinct from the conduit

a fluid storage container in fluid communication with the fluid collection assembly; and

a vacuum device in fluid communication with the fluid collection assembly and the fluid storage container;

wherein the fluid collection assembly, the fluid storage container, and the vacuum device are configured to remove one or more bodily fluids from the chamber of the fluid collection assembly and deposit the bodily fluids in the fluid storage container when a suction force provided from the vacuum source is applied to the chamber of the fluid collection assembly.

16. A method of using a fluid collection assembly, the method comprising:

securing a fluid collection assembly to at least a portion of a pubic region of an individual, the fluid collection assembly including:

a fluid impermeable barrier including:

a base;

a sump defining a chamber and an opening configured to be positioned adjacent to a female urethral opening, the sump protruding outwardly from the base; and

a fluid outlet;

a conduit at least partially disposed in the fluid outlet; and

at least one porous material at least partially covering the opening and disposed in the chamber; and

at least one of:

rotating the fluid outlet; or

securing a tail in a gluteal cleft of the individual, the tail extending from at least one of the base, the sump, or the fluid outlet, the tail distinct from the conduit.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein securing the fluid collection assembly to at least a portion of the pubic region includes adhesively securing the fluid collection assembly to at least a portion of the pubic region with an adhesive disposed on a surface of the base.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the sump does not collapse during use.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein at least one of rotating the fluid outlet or securing a tail in a gluteal cleft of the individual includes rotating the fluid outlet.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

coupling a fluid storage container and a vacuum device to the fluid collection assembly; and

applying a suction force from the vacuum device to the chamber of the fluid collection assembly to remove one or more bodily fluids from the chamber and deposit the one or more bodily fluids in the fluid storage container.

Continuity (2)

References Cited (400)

Cited By (1)

US 12,702,579