Antimicrobial disinfecting urinal block means and methods of use

Claim 1

A method of minimizing urine protein degradation occurring during the collection of pooled urine employing as urinal block means a hydrophilic water-leachable antimicrobial agent adapted in operation to be leached ratably by exposure to intermittent urine streams that is distributed in a matrix of water-insoluble hydrophobic component adapted in operation to sublime ratably to the air, the antimicrobial agent being partly leachable when exposed to urine streams and partly leachable only when and as the matrix sublimes away from the block, the respective rates of leaching and subliming during the service life being chosen such that the antimicrobial agent progressively exposed by said subliming and leaching of the thus exposed antimicrobial agent from the block means into the pooled urine is sufficient to provide an inhibitor concentration effectively inhibiting microbial growth and consequent degradation of wanted proteins contained in the pool, the method comprising the steps of installing the block means in a urinal at a location such that the block means is exposed to air and intermittent urine streams but is not exposed to flushing water, allowing the matrix to sublime and progressively expose the water-leachable antimicrobial agent while further allowing said agent to be protected from exposure to flushing water and to be exposed to urine streams and released to the pool in a discontinuous slow release coinciding with the intermittent streams, and collecting urine to which the block means is exposed in a common pool together with an antimicrobial agent that is leached from the block means for a time not longer than the expiration of the useful life of the antimicrobial agent.

Claim 2

A method of minimizing urine protein degradation occurring during the collection of pooled urine employing as urinal block means a hydrophilic water-leachable antimicrobial agent adapted in operation to be leached ratably by exposure to intermittent urine streams that is distributed in a matrix of water-insoluble hydrophobic component adapted in operation to sublime ratably to the air, the antimicrobial agent being partly leachable when exposed to urine streams and partly leachable only when and as the matrix sublimes away from the block, the respective rates of leaching and subliming during the service life being chosen such that the antimicrobial agent progressively exposed by said subliming and leaching of the thus exposed antimicrobial agent from the block means into the pooled urine is sufficient to provide an inhibitor concentration effectively inhibiting microbial growth and consequent degradation of wanted proteins contained in the pool, the method comprising the steps of installing the block means in a urinal at a location such that the block means is exposed to air and intermittent urine streams but is not exposed to flushing water, allowing the matrix to sublime and progressively expose the water-leachable antimicrobial agent while further allowing said agent to be protected from exposure to flushing water and to be exposed to urine streams and released to the pool in a discontinuous slow release coinciding with the intermittent streams, and collecting urine to which the block means is exposed in a common pool together with an antimicrobial agent that is leached from the block means for a time not longer than the expiration of the useful life of the antimicrobial agent.