the suspended urinary external drainage system type diaper 10 as shown in fig1 has a flexible outer liquid barrier 12 made from a plastic material , a treated nylon material or other suitable material . the barrier 12 is connected to the collector 14 . the collector 14 has a tubular cross section and preferably forms a ring that encircles the entire diaper 10 . a flexible material is used to construct the collector . however , the collector 14 must maintain a central passage that permits the flow of liquid when such flow is required . the flow of liquid can be ensured by using a semi - rigid material for collector construction or by providing internal projections 68 , shown in fig3 that prevent the collector walls from collapsing . the diaper 10 has a back half 16 and a front half 18 connected by crotch portion 20 . the barrier 12 is narrow in the crotch portion 20 so that the barrier and two portion of the collector 14 can pass between the legs of a person wearing the diaper 10 . the collector 14 as shown in fig1 extends across the top portion 22 of the back half 16 as well as the top portion 24 of the front half 18 . the portions of the collector 14 that extend across the top portion 22 of the back half 16 could be eliminated but in some situations fluid might be retained in the collector that should be discharged . a large number - of capillary tubes 26 pass through the walls of the collector 14 and extend into the center section of the front half 18 of the diaper 10 . each capillary tube 26 has an inlet end 28 and a discharge end 30 . the inlet ends 28 are positioned in a center portion of the front half 18 and in the crotch portion 20 where a plurality of the inlets can receive any fluids that are discharged and carry these fluids to the collector 14 under the force of gravity regardless of the position the person wearing the diaper 10 is in . the discharge ends 30 of the capillary tubes 26 are positioned away from the walls of the collector 14 so that any discharge fluids in the collector are generally out of contact with the discharge ends of other tubes . the capillary tubes 26 make sealing contact with the walls of collector 14 where they pass through the walls . the capillary tubes 26 can be glass or plastic . if they are plastic , they must be a plastic that will not hold fluid droplets on their surfaces . medical plastics used in heart pumps and blood filters can be used . discharge openings are provided at position 32 through 42 in the walls of the collector 14 . positions 32 and 42 are toward the top of the back half 16 of the diaper . positions 34 and 40 are in the crotch area or portion 20 . positions 36 and 38 are near the top of the front half 18 of the diaper . at each position 32 through 42 there is preferably an upper opening 44 and a lower opening 46 as shown at positions 36 and 38 in fig2 . two openings 44 and 46 are provided so that fluid can be drained from the collector 24 regardless of the position of the person wearing the diaper . each of the openings 44 is connected to a short discharge tube 48 . each opening , 46 is also connected to is a short discharge tube 50 . each pair of short discharge tubes 48 and 50 are connected to a common t coupler 51 with an outlet 52 . the short discharge tubes 48 and 50 have sufficient length for the outlet 52 to fall below the opening 44 and 46 depending on the orientation of the diaper 10 . long discharge tubes 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 , and 64 connect the out lets , 52 of each t coupler 51 to a holding bag 66 . a one - way valve ( not shown ) is built into each t coupler 51 if desired to prevent the return flow of discharged fluids to the collector 14 . if desired the long discharge tubes 54 - 64 can be connected to a common connector and a single final discharge tube can extend to the holding bag 66 . long discharge tubes could also be connected directly to each of the openings 44 and the holding bag 66 . long discharge tubes would also have to be connected to the openings 46 and to the holding bag 66 . the capillary tubes 26 are covered with a fabric lining 70 . the outer edge of the lining 70 is secured to the collector 14 . this fabric lining 70 is a soft cotton material which permits urine to pass through to the inlet ends 28 of the capillary tubes 26 . the cotton material is treated to prevent the absorption of liquid and keep the lining substantially dry . tape strips 72 and 74 on each side of the back half 16 of the diaper 10 can adhere to the front half 18 to hold the diaper on an individual . the diaper 10 is made primarily from inexpensive synthetic materials . this makes it inexpensive to change the diaper 10 two or three times a day and keep the wearer dry substantially all the time . skin problems are substantially reduced and infections are substantially eliminated . labor costs are substantially reduced . overall there will be significant savings . the drain tubes 48 and 50 are removed from the collector 14 when the diaper 10 is changed . a disinfectant can be quickly forced through the drain tubes if desired . the holding bag 66 is discarded together with the urine collected and the disinfectant periodically . the disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the invention , but is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof . the invention is defined in the claims .
the suspended urinary external drainage system includes a liquid barrier with a periphery attached to a collector , with a tubular cross section , that encircles the barrier . a plurality of capillary tubes pass through a wall of the collector . each of the plurality of capillary tubes has a capillary inlet adjacent to the liquid barrier and a capillary discharge inside the collector . a soft lining covers the capillary tubes . discharge tubes connected to the collector carry urine to a holding bag .