Urinal Screen Having Indicia Formed by Varying Height of Anti-Splash Bristles

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional App. No. 63/751,527, filed Jan. 30, 2025, and further as a continuation in part to U.S. Design application Ser. No. 29/920,845, filed Dec. 13, 2023, and is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/076,173, filed Dec. 6, 2022, which was a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/573,359, filed Jan. 11, 2022 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,519,164 on Dec. 6, 2022, the entireties of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The present invention relates generally to anti-splash urinal screens, and, more particularly, relates to a urinal screen having anti-splash bristles or protrusions, wherein some indicia is formed among the anti-splash bristles by varying the height and density of the bristles.

Urinal screens are commonly used to reduce, if not prevent “splash back” where droplets from a stream of urine are ejected out of the urinal, onto the floor and potentially on the user's clothing. It is clearly of interest to prevent splash to reduce janitorial efforts as well as to avoid soiled clothing. To prevent splash from a urine stream, a urinal screen can include two important features. First, there is a surface feature across the urinal screen that tends to capture fluid of a stream. This is often implemented as bristles or protrusions that extend from a front or top side of the screen, where the opposite side (back or bottom side) is intended to be against the surface of the urinal. The bristles break up a fluid stream that is incident on the bristles, and provide a block to droplets that might otherwise be ejected away from the screen. The positioning of bristles across the screen is typically a regular pattern, and the bristles can be of a uniform height or length from the main body of the screen. The second feature that can greatly reduce splash is sufficiently drainage through the screen. That is, openings through the screen body that allow fluid to pass through the screen. Thus, a fluid stream incident on a screen is broken up by the bristles, and the fluid is directed through openings through the main body of the screen to the urinal drain.

In the manufacture of urinal screens, it is desirable to provide information in graphic form-indicia of some sort. For example, the manufacturer's name or logo, or a distributor's name and/or logo. The conventional way of providing such indicia on a urinal screen is to provide a small area of the body that lacks both the openings and the bristles, and print or mold the desired indicia on this region. Without the bristles and openings, the indicia can be easily perceived, visually. However, since this region lacks the bristles and openings provided on the rest of the urinal screen, it can present a splash risk. Typically, to minimize the effect of a flat region, this region is positioned at a side, away from the center of the screen, to minimize the chance of a urine stream being incident on the flat indicia region. However, the risk is not completely eliminated as the flat region is still present.

Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.

In accordance with some embodiments of the inventive disclosure, there is provided a urinal screen having a main body. The main body includes a main region and an indicia region. The main region has a plurality of openings through the main body, and a plurality of bristles extending from the main body outward. The bristles of this region have a first height and a first spacing between the bristles. The indicia region of the main body has a plurality of bristles that have a second height that is substantially different than the first height. The bristles of the indicia region are spaced closer together than the bristles of the main region such that the indicia region is visually distinct from the main region.

In accordance with a further feature, the bristles of the main region include bristles of the third height that alternate with bristles of the first height, and wherein the second height is also substantially different than the third height.

In accordance with a further feature, the indicia region, in at least one direction is not wider than a spacing across adjacent openings in the main region.

In accordance with a further feature, the second height is shorter than the first height.

In accordance with a further feature, the indica region further include openings that have a different and visually distinctive shape from the plurality of openings through the main region.

In accordance with a further feature, the indicia region comprises a plurality of concentric circular regions.

In accordance with a further feature, the main body incudes a first portion that is configured to rest against a back wall of a urinal, and a second portion that is configured to rest against a bottom of the urinal, when the urinal screen in positioned in the urinal.

In accordance with a further feature, the main body comprises at one extended linear opening.

In accordance with some embodiments of the inventive disclosure, there is provided a urinal screen that has a body, which includes a main portion and one or more indicia regions. The main portion is comprised of a webbing having of a plurality of main interconnecting links of material around a plurality of main openings, and a plurality of main protrusions that extend from the main interconnecting links. The plurality of main interconnecting links, plurality of main openings, and plurality of main protrusions are arranged in a regular pattern including a regular height of the plurality of main protrusions, a regular spacing between the main protrusions of the plurality of main protrusions, a regular pattern of location of main protrusions of the plurality of main protrusion on the main interconnecting links of the plurality of main interconnecting links, a regular shape and arrangement of the main interconnecting links of the plurality of main interconnecting links, and a regular shape and arrangement of the main openings of the plurality of main openings. The indicia region is located on the main body, within or adjacent to the main portion, and has a plurality of indicia protrusions, a plurality of indicia interconnecting links, or a plurality of indica openings. To make the indica region visually distinct, the pattern of at least one of the plurality of indicia protrusions, the plurality of indica interconnecting links, or the plurality of indicia openings are varied relative to the plurality of main protrusion, plurality of main interconnecting links, or plurality of main openings in a visually distinct manner. By “visually distinct” it is meant that the difference can be readily discerned visually by simple visual observation, and that, for example, instruments would not be needed to determine the differences in height of the protrusions, or spacing or pattern of the protrusions, links or openings. A casual observer would immediately recognize the visual difference between the indicia region and the main portion of the body.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a urinal screen having indica formed by varying height of anti-splash bristles, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention.

Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one of ordinary skill in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting; but rather, to provide an understandable description of the invention. While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward. The figures of the drawings are not drawn to scale.

Before the present invention is disclosed and described, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The terms “a” or “an,” as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. The term “providing” is defined herein in its broadest sense, e.g., bringing/coming into physical existence, making available, and/or supplying to someone or something, in whole or in multiple parts at once or over a period of time.

“In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, azimuth or positional relationships indicated by terms such as “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “inside”, “outside”, “front”, “back”, “head”, “tail” and so on, are azimuth or positional relationships based on the drawings, which are only to facilitate description of the embodiments of the present invention and simplify the description, but not to indicate or imply that the devices or components must have a specific azimuth, or be constructed or operated in the specific azimuth, which thus cannot be understood as a limitation to the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, terms such as “first”, “second”, “third” and so on are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, terms such as “installed”, “coupled”, “connected” should be broadly interpreted, for example, it may be fixedly connected, or may be detachably connected, or integrally connected; it may be mechanically connected, or may be electrically connected; it may be directly connected, or may be indirectly connected via an intermediate medium. As used herein, the terms “about” or “approximately” apply to all numeric values, whether or not explicitly indicated. These terms generally refer to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited values (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances these terms may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above-mentioned terms in the embodiments of the present invention according to the specific circumstances.

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms.

shows a plan view of a urinal screenhaving fold lines, in accordance with some embodiments. The urinal screenof the particular example includes a kite-shaped bodythat has a rear apexand a front apexthat define a first or longitudinal axis. The bodyfurther includes a right-side apexand a left side apexbetween which a second or crosswise axisis defined that is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis. Being kite-shaped, the crosswise axisis closer to the rear apexthan it is to the front apex. Further, the bodyis symmetric about the longitudinal axis, and asymmetric about the crosswise axis. A pair of longitudinal fold lines,are shown on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis, offset by equal distances from the longitudinal axis. A crosswise fold line can be defined along the crosswise axis. The fold lines,,are lines along which the urinal screenis configured to bend in order to allow the urinal screento conform to various urinal basin shapes.

In general, the bodyis sheet-like, having a top side on one major surface, and the bottom side opposite the top side forming another major surface, wherein the bodyhas a perimeter that is bounded along the sides of the kite-shape. The body has a front, rear, and opposite sides. The front can be at the front apex, the rear at the rear apex, and so on. When placed into a urinal basin, the rear apexis placed at the rear of the basin and the front apex is placed at the front of the basin, which will be closest to the user. That is, the front of the bodyis intended to be located at the front of the basin, and the rear of the bodyis intended to be at the rear of the basin of the urinal, or farthest from the user of the urinal. Although shown here with a crosswise fold line along the crosswise axis, the crosswise fold line can be parallel to, but offset from the crosswise axis in some embodiments, on the rear or front side of the crosswise axis (i.e. closer to the rear apexor the front apex). Further, there can be more than one crosswise fold line. In some embodiments it is contemplated that there may be a single longitudinal fold line along the longitudinal axis.

The urinal screenrepresents an abstraction to clearly show the major features of the urinal screen being disclosed in accordance with embodiments of the invention. In particular, the urinal screenof the inventive disclosure includes a kite-shaped body, with at least one crosswise fold line and at least one longitudinal fold line. The kite shape is used for urinal screens that fit in urinals with kite-shaped basins. Other shapes may be more appropriate for urinal that have basins of other shapes. In addition to the fold line features, the urinal screen can include anti-splash protrusions that extend from the top side and are disposed around openings through the bodythat allow fluid from a fluid stream incident on the urinal screen to pass through the body and reduce splashing of the fluid. The bottom side of the urinal screen (opposite that in view here) can include features intended to raise the body of the urinal screen off the surface of the urinal basin to allow fluid to flow under the urinal screen into the urinal drain. These and other features will be shown in the subsequent illustrations.

shows a top view of a urinal screenhaving a kite-shaped body sheet or simply bodyand that has longitudinal and crosswise fold lines, in accordance with some embodiments. The urinal screenincorporates the major features described in relation to urinal screenof, and includes other features and refinements not shown in. The bodyincludes a perimeter that has a boundarythat bounds a web made up of lines of material. The boundaryis a thin region of material around the perimeter that that the web of lines are connected to. Around the borderthere can be breaksthat compensate for shrinkage over time as fragrance oil is emitted from the material. The lines of materialinclude at least one set of lines of materialarranged in a first direction, and other lines arranged in a second direction within the sheet-like body. Both sets of lines are arranged at a regular spacing which results in the line intersecting at nodes and defining openingsthrough the body.

shows a detail viewof the web of the body, including lines of materialformed along or parallel to intersecting lines,at regular spacing across the body. Located on the lines of materialare protrusions,. The protrusionscan be located at the intersections of lines (nodes) and protrusionscan be located on the lines (links) between the intersections of the lines. As shown here, lines,are not at right angles to each other, and as a result, the openingshave a generally rhombus shape.shows a side cutaway viewof detail oftaken along line A-A. In this view it can be seen that there are two sets of protrusions, a first sethaving a first height, and second sethaving a second height. The protrusions in general extend away from the top surface of the body, and can be integrally formed/molded of same material as the body. The taller protrusionscan be located at the nodeswhere linesintersect, and the shorter protrusionscan be located on the links, which are the portions of the linesbetween the nodes. Varying the height of the protrusions as shown has been found to be more effective in reducing splash of a fluid stream incident on the urinal screen than if the protrusions are all the same height. The protrusions,can be conical in shape, having a generally round body that tapers in diameter from the base, where they are joined with the lines, to a tip at the distal end of the protrusions.

Returning now to, the bodyhas a front apexand a rear apexwhich define a longitudinal axisbetween the front apexand rear apex. The front apex is the forward or front-most region and can be curved/radiused as shown, or more pointed as in. Likewise, the rear apexis further to the rear of the bodyand can have a larger radius of curvature than the front apex, or can also be more pointed. The body further has a first side apexand a second side apexthat define a crosswise axisthat is at right angle to the longitudinal axis. The bodyis symmetric about the longitudinal axisand asymmetric about the crosswise axiswith the crosswise axisbeing closer to the rear apexthan it is to the front apex.

A crosswise fold line can be formed along the crosswise axisby breaking the lines of materialat points along the crosswise axis to form extended openings, where the nodesof material are removed at one or more intersection points on the crosswise axis. In the example shown, the extended openings are formed by breaking the intersecting points at two consecutive locations along the crosswise axis. As used here, “breaking” and “broken” means that there is an absence of material along a line of material that results in adjacent ones of the openings being joined to form an extended opening, which can be created by the shape of a mold used to form the urinal screen, and does not necessarily mean that a person, for example, uses to tool to break the connections. In other words, the lines of material are broken at the crosswise axisat certain locations to create the extended openings. However, not all of the node points on the crosswise axisare broken, thus there are a plurality of extended openingsalternating with joined sections of the intersecting lines.

Likewise, there are longitudinal fold lines,that are parallel to the longitudinal axis, and offset from the longitudinal axis. The longitudinal fold lines,are formed by broken section of the intersecting linesthat create extended openings, which can intersect with the crosswise extended openingsalong the crosswise axis. As with the crosswise fold lines, the extended openingshave non-broken portions between them along the longitudinal fold lines,. Thus, both the crosswise fold lines and longitudinal fold lines,facilitate bending or folding of the bodyalong these lines due to the lack of material along the fold lines relative to other portions of the body.shows a detail view of a portion of the crosswise fold line along the crosswise axis, between the right and left side apexes. As can be seen the extended openingsare formed by breaks in regionsthat joins consecutive openingstogether so that three openings are joined (open) together in each of the extended openings. Similarly, inthere is shown a detail view of a portion of a longitudinal fold line, in which extended openingsare formed by breaksin the linesto result in consecutive openingsbeing joined (open) together. Furthermore, to match the curvature of some urinal basins, the perimeter along the border can curve inward along the sections between the side apexes,and the front apex, relative to a straight line between those apexes.

shows a side view of the urinal screen, in which the bodyhas a top sideand a bottom side.shows a rear perspective view of the bottom sideof a urinal screen. The plurality of protrusions (e.g.,) extend from the top side. On the bottom sidethere are one or more forward diverter wallswhich are located between the crosswise axisand the front apexalong the longitudinal axis. The forward diverter wall(s)can have a uniform height relative to the bottom sideof the body. one or more rearward diverter wallscan be located along the longitudinal axisbetween the crosswise axisand the rear apex, and have a varying height that increases along the rear diverter walltowards the rear. Further a suction cup support can be provided that includes a support walland a tabthat extends from the support wall. The support wallextends from the bottom side, and the tab extends from a top of the support wall toward the rear, and comprises a relative flat portion. A holecan be provided through which the anchor of a suction cup can be placed, allowing the use of a suction cup to hold the urinal screenin place in a urinal basin. One or more forward standoffsand rearward standoffs,can be provided on the bottom sidebetween the crosswise axisand the rear apex. The rearward standoffsare shorter than rearward standoffs, and the difference in height of these standoffs,follows the angle (relative to the surface of the bottom side) of the top of the rearward diverter walland the angle of the tab. The angle of the rearward elements (e.g.,,,) is intended to optimize the angle of the rearward portion of the urinal screen body(e.g. from the crosswise axisto the rear apex) relative to the forward portion (e.g. between the front apexand the crosswise axis) when the urinal screen is placed in a urinal basin as these features will be in contact with the surface of the basin.

In some embodiments there can be a flat regionproximate to the rear apexon which printing can be placed (i.e. branding). The flat regionlacks protrusions or openings on or through the body. The support wallcan extend from the flat region at the bottom side. The flat regionallows a logo, advertising, or other graphical elements to be printed or otherwise placed on the urinal screen.

shows a top plan view of a urinal screenhaving a kite-shaped bodyand that has longitudinal and crosswise fold lines, in accordance with some embodiments. The kite-shaped bodyis an alternative to that of, and is optimized for certain urinals over that of the specific shape of the body shown in. The kite shaped body, like that of, includes a border to which diagonal lines of materialjoin. The lines of materialinclude lines in both diagonal directions and define openingsbetween the lines of materialand have protrusions of alternating heights on them. The lines of materialcan be oriented such that the openings each generally have a rhombus shape that can be non-square. The bodyhas a rear apexand a front apexthat define a longitudinal axis. The body further has a first side apexand a second side apexthat define a crosswise axisthe is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The kite shape of the body is created by the body being symmetric about the longitudinal axisand asymmetric about the crosswise axissuch that the rear apexis closer to the crosswise axisthan the front apexis to the crosswise axis.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the bodyincludes two longitudinal fold lines,and,on each side of the longitudinal axis. As in the prior embodiments, the fold lines are created by omitting material between adjacent openingsalong the fold lines to join the openings into extended openings in the longitudinal direction (to create longitudinal fold lines). In some embodiments every other link of materialis omitted between openings forming successive extended openings along the longitudinal fold lines,,,. In some embodiments there can be longitudinal fold lines,that about one quarter of the distance between the longitudinal axisand the respective side apexes,. These can be referred to as the inner longitudinal fold lines,. Outer longitudinal fold lines,can be about two thirds of the distance from the longitudinal axisto the respective apexes,. A crosswise fold line is similarly formed along the crosswise axisby omitting some of the links of material on the crosswise axisto join adjacent openingsinto extended openings. Furthermore, a generally circular arrangement of extended openings is formed centered on the longitudinal axisbetween the front apexand the crosswise axisby crosswise extended openings, longitudinal extended openings, and diagonal extended openings,. The pattern here can also be described as being octagonal, but it is generally regular polygon approximating a circle. These extended openings,,,each join three adjacent openings in succession along a line. The diagonal extended openings,can also be joined to a fourth opening from their central opening on the diagonal line. The generally circular pattern of extended opening,,,allow relief in the center of the bodyfor features, either fixed or added, that may be found in the bottom of a urinal, such as a drain domed drain cover. In general, it has been found that the urinal screenprovides advantages in certain urinal designs over that of urinal screen, and vice versa. Further, the bottom side of the urinal screencan be substantially similar to that shown in, with forward standoffs, rearward standoffs,of increasing height toward the rear apex, diverter walls,and the suction cup support.

shows a side view of a suction cup support tabhaving an integral suction cup, in accordance with some embodiments. In the suction cup support can extend from the body sheetat the bottom of the body sheetby support wall. The tabsupports the suction cup, and the support walloffsets the suction cupand tab from the bodyby a desired amount, based on a shape of the urinal basin in which the urinal screenis intended to be placed. The suction cupis shown as an integral element, meaning is molded along with the rest of the urinal screen. Alternatively, as shown in, a separate suction cupcan have a retaining headthat fits through the openingin the tab. The retaining headis larger than the openingand creates a mechanical interference once it is passed completely through the holeso as to retain the suction cup, as shown in. The suction cup,allows the urinal screento be anchored in place, which will prevent the urinal screenfrom moving around.

shows a top plan view of a urinal screenhaving multiple height protrusions/bristles used to form visually distinct patterns as indicia, in accordance with some embodiments. The screenincludes a bodythat is substantially flat when laid on a flat surface, but is made of a supple material that will generally conform to the shape of the surface on which it is placed. The bodycomprises a regular webof interconnected links around openings. The pattern of links and openingcan be regular and repeating across the body. On the top side of the body, is a plurality of protrusions that extend from the webat the intersections and between the intersections of the web. The protrusions can include protrusions of different heights. For example, there can be tall protrusionspositioned at points between the intersections of the body web, and there can be short protrusionslocated at the intersections of the web. There can also be fold lines,,formed in the bodyby removing portions of the web, or interconnecting the openingwith other contiguous openings. The body can include a rimwhich is a thickened portion, which can have relief breaksto allow for shrinkage of the material of the bodyover time as fragrance material mixed into the material (e.g. EVA) of the bodyused to create the bodyis emitted over time. The bodycan have first portionand a second portion, which are generally divided by one of the fold lines (e.g.). The first portionis configured to rest against, or to be mounted to, the generally vertical back wall of a urinal. The second portionis configured to rest on the bottom of the urinal basin, in a generally horizontal position. That is, the portionof the bodyis generally horizontal when the urinal screenis properly placed in a urinal, although, being made of a supple material, the second portionwill conform to the particular contours of the urinal basin on which it is laid. The front endof the bodywill be positioned at front of the urinal basin, which is closest to the user of the urinal. The urinal screen can also include one or more openingsin the first portionthat can be used to attach a mounting means, such as, for example, suction cups. In some embodiments, the first portioncan simply rest against the back wall of the urinal and not need any additional support (e.g. suction cups).

The urinal screenfurther includes a “target” indiciathat is centered between the sides, and positioned at about one third of the way from where the first and second portions,meet, and the top end of the first portion, where regionis located. This is an optimal “aim” point to minimize splash, and the target indiciais designed to be visually distinguished from the surround region of the urinal screen without compromising the anti-splash performance of the urinal screen. Instead of the regular (repeating) pattern of protrusions,and openingsused on the majority of the body, the indicia regionuses a different pattern. For example, the protrusions in the indicia regionare a different length, and differently spaced than protrusions,, and they are arranged in a different pattern than across the rest of the body (excepting any other indicia regions that may be present). Further, the size and pattern of openings, will be necessarily different in the indicia region.

shows a detail of the “target” indicia regionformed by differently sized and spaced protrusions/bristles in the urinal screenof. The indicia regionincludes, in this example, a central openingthat is surrounded by several concentric circular regions of segmented openingswhere the opening segmentsare separated by bridgesto support web regions supporting protrusionsthat are arranged in concentric circles. The segmented openingsare an example of indicia openings in an indicia region. In this example, the protrusionsof the target indica regionare shorter than the protrusions,of the surrounding body and which are used across the majority of the urinal screen. Further, the protrusionsare closer together than the protrusions,of the surrounding body. The protrusionsare example of indicia protrusions in an indicia region. Between the concentric segmented openingsare concentric circular regions of interconnecting links of webbing of the body, and there are the shorter indicia protrusionspositioned on these concentric circular regions of indica interconnecting links. Where the indicia regionmeets the main body region, there can be hybrid-shaped openingsthat would have the same shape as the regular openings, but they are bounded by the indicia region. In some embodiments the indicia regioncan be about one to two inches in diameter, which is large enough to be visually distinct from the surrounding body region of the urinal screen and to attract attention and provide an aim point for users of the urinal. The indicia regionas shown here is but one example of a wide variety of such indicia that can be formed in a urinal screen. In this case the indica isn't intended to communicate information, but the use of differently sized and spaced protrusions and openings compared to those of the rest of the body can form logos or lettering or other patterns that communicate information. In general, the indica regionincludes at least one of: a plurality of indicia protrusions, a plurality of indicia interconnecting links, or a plurality of indica openings that are varied, in a visually distinct manner, from their counterparts in the main body. They can be varied in height of the indicia protrusions relative to the main protrusions,, and/or in spacing, and/or in arrangement/location. Likewise, and alternatively or in combination with the indicia protrusions, the indica interconnecting links and/or the indicia openings can be varied in pattern/arrangement in a visually distinct manner relative to those of the main body around the indicia region.show a side elevation view and a top perspective view, respectively, of the urinal screen of.

is a front side view of a urinal screenhaving indicia formed by varying bristle height and density, in accordance with some embodiments. The urinal screencan be made of a polymeric material such as polyvinyl acetate (PVA), and includes a main body. The main bodydefines a structure that includes openingsand protrusions or bristlesthat extend outward from the main body. In general, the bristlescan be provided in a regular pattern on the front side of the main body. In some embodiments there can also be bristles on the rear side of the main body. In some embodiments, the bristlescan alternate in height where there are taller bristles interspersed with shorter bristles. This variation of bristle height—the distance each bristle extends outward from the main body—has been found useful in breaking up fluid streams and preventing splash. The openingsallow fluids to pass through the main body into the urinal, if not into contact with the urinal surface, to the urinal drain. In some urinal screens there can be a flat areathat can lack both the openingsand bristles. This flat areais where indicia is typically provided, either by printingon the flat area, or by forming graphic designs or lettering through the flat area(e.g. “cut out”). However, this flat area, lacking openingsand bristlesrelative to the main body, represents an area that could produce splash back of a fluid stream. In some embodiments, however, there can be some openingsthough the flat area, and even bristles, but the bristles should be configured to not interfere, visually, with any indicia provided in the flat area. In some embodiments the openingsin the flat area can be in the form of indicia, e.g. the openings form lettering or other graphics.

To avoid the problems associated with the flat area, and still provide some ability to show indicia, the indicia can be formed using shorter, and more densely-spaced bristlesin the pattern of the indicia. In the section of the indicia formed by bristles, there are no openings through the main body. The width of these areas can be managed to cover, for example, no more than one row of openingsthrough the main bodyin some embodiments. The shorter, more densely-spaced bristlesare visually distinct from the surrounding standard bristles, and they can follow the pattern of lettering, for example, to form a desired indicia, such as a logo or other indicia.

is a side cut section viewof a urinal screen having indicia formed by varying bristle height and density, in accordance with some embodiments. The main bodyincludes a pattern of openingsand bristlespositioned on the main bodyaround the openings. The main bristlescan occupy a main regionin which the pattern of openingsand bristlesrepeats across the main region. Bristles or other features to support the main bodyin a spaced relationship with the surface of the urinal basin and walls can also extend from the bottom or read side of the main body, as well (not shown here). In bristle regionthe bristleshave a regular spacing around the openings, and they can alternate in height.

To create the desired indicia, there is a second “indicia” regionwhere there are no openings through the main body portionof this indicia region, and the bristlesare shorter than the bristlesin the surrounding region, and more densely spaced. In some embodiments, the bristlesin the indicia regioncan be at least half the height, or less, of the bristlesof the main region. Further, the spacing between bristlesof the indicia regioncan be half, or less, than the spacing between bristles in the main region. The bristlesin the indicia region still provide some measure of anti-splash functionality. To further facilitate anti-splash functionality, the width of the indicia region, at least in one direction, can be limited to the spacing of two openings. This will provide openingson either side of an indicia region, which can thereby still provide lines and patterns for lettering and other graphic designs of indicia. For example, in the indicia shown in, there is a letter “E” and a letter “M”, along with additional graphic elements, formed by bristles. The width of these bristle sections, in at least one direction, is not wider than the distance between two openings. This ensure sufficient drainage to the sides of the indicia regionsto prevent fluid buildup that could otherwise be a source for splash out of the screen. In some embodiments, the spacing of the bristlesin the indicia regioncan be such that fluid is retained by capillary action among the bristlesuntil enough is collected/present to cause flow out of the bristlesand through the openingsoutside of the indicia region.

is a top plan view of a detail section of a urinal screen having indicia formed by varying bristle height and density, in accordance with some embodiments. The urinal screen again shows the main bodythat includes a regular pattern of openings, which can be circular, square/rectangular, or shaped like any other polygon. Along the sides of the openings, and at the vertices of the openingsthere can be bristles in a main region. The bristles can include tall bristlesand short bristles. The tall bristlescan be placed at the vertices of the openings, if the openingsare polygons. The short bristlescan be placed along the sides of the openings, again, if the openingsare polygons. The pattern of talland shortbristles can be a regular pattern that repeats across the main body, outside of the indicia region. In the indicia region, there are no openings through the main body, and the bristlesare shorter than the short bristles, and they are more densely positioned relative to each other than the talland short bristles. The differences in height is enough that a casual observer would immediately notice the height difference, and likewise with the spacing among the bristlesin the indicia region relative to the spacing between bristlesin the main region. The indicia regioncan be arranged to form letters and other easily visually identifiable graphical elements. In some embodiments the bristlescan also be thinner, having a smaller diameter, than the bristlesof the main region. The widthof the indicia regioncan be less than the distanceacross two adjacent openingsin one direction, to ensure there is adequate drainage on either side of an indicia region. The term “across” used here means from the end or side of a first opening that is further from an adjacent, second opening, to the end or side of the second opening that is furthest from the first opening.

A urinal screen having both anti-splash features and indicia regions is disclosed that avoid the prior art problems associated with providing indicia on flat portions provided on the screen that presents a region that can cause splash since it lacks both bristles and openings. The disclosed inventions provides indicia regions that includes a region or regions where the protrusion and opening height, spacing, or pattern are different than that the regular pattern of openings, webbing, and protrusions across the main body of the urinal screen, around the indicia region or regions. The protrusions can be shorter or taller than those of the main body, or they can be more densely spaced, or they can be arranged in a different pattern that the pattern of the main body. Combinations of these variations can be used as well to create visually distinct indicia regions.