Prior art

The USPTO patent record for US10294649, titled "Urinal anti-splash device," lists 22 patent citations and 1 non-patent citation as prior art. I will now detail the most relevant prior art from this list.

Most Relevant Prior Art for US10294649:

1. US5809590A

   • Full Citation: Williams; Theodore A., "Thermochromic urinal mat", US5809590A, filed November 29, 1996, issued September 22, 1998.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a thermochromic urinal mat that changes color when liquid is applied, providing a visual indicator of use and cleanliness.
   • Potentially Anticipates: This patent potentially anticipates Claim 7 of US10294649, which states "The urinal anti-splash device according to claim 1, wherein the anti-splash body includes a thermochromic material," as it explicitly discloses a thermochromic urinal mat.

2. US8856977B2

   • Full Citation: Ramirez; Ed, "Urinal splash guard employing flexible bristles", US8856977B2, filed May 22, 2006, issued October 14, 2014.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a urinal splash guard that uses flexible bristles to prevent urine from splashing. The bristles are designed to break up the urine stream.
   • Potentially Anticipates: This patent potentially anticipates aspects of Claim 1 and Claim 8 of US10294649, specifically the concept of having a "plurality of protrusions" (bristles) extending from a surface to prevent splashing.

3. US10036154B2

   • Full Citation: Crevier; Jeffrey Scott, "Urinal anti-splash device", US10036154B2, filed November 3, 2016, issued July 31, 2018.
   • Brief Description: This patent, by the same inventor, describes a urinal anti-splash device. It is a parent application (continuation) of US10294649. It shares many similar features to US10294649, including an anti-splash body and a base with protrusions.
   • Potentially Anticipates: As a direct continuation of US10036154B2, this patent is highly relevant and likely anticipates most, if not all, of the independent claims (Claims 1, 8, and 18) of US10294649. It explicitly discusses an anti-splash body mounted on a back wall, a base covering a drain, and protrusions on both.

4. USD329893S

   • Full Citation: Luedtke; Richard C., "Anti-splash mat for urinal or the like", USD329893S, filed March 11, 1991, issued September 29, 1992.
   • Brief Description: This is a design patent for an anti-splash mat for a urinal. While it doesn't detail functional aspects, its visual design suggests a mat with features to reduce splash.
   • Potentially Anticipates: While a design patent does not disclose functional features, the ornamental design could potentially be considered for the general "anti-splash device" concept, particularly if its form directly implies splash reduction, which might broadly anticipate the intent of Claims 1, 8, and 18, but not their specific functional elements.

5. US4866793A

   • Full Citation: Luedtke; Richard C., "Toilet anti-splash device", US4866793A, filed February 2, 1988, issued September 19, 1989.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a device to prevent splashing from a toilet, including a flexible mat with upstanding projections.
   • Potentially Anticipates: This patent could potentially anticipate the general concept of using flexible projections (protrusions) on a device to prevent splashing, as mentioned in Claims 1 and 8, even though it's for a toilet rather than a urinal.

6. US5313672A

   • Full Citation: Luedtke; Richard C., "Urinal mat", US5313672A, filed May 13, 1991, issued May 24, 1994.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a urinal mat, which would be placed in a urinal to serve various functions, potentially including splash reduction.
   • Potentially Anticipates: This patent potentially anticipates the broad concept of a "urinal anti-splash device" being a "urinal mat" placed in a urinal, as outlined in Claims 1, 8, and 18. However, it may not detail the specific two-part structure or protrusion characteristics.

7. US5774905A

   • Full Citation: Wager; Leonard E., "Deodorant holding device for a plumbing fixture", US5774905A, filed August 19, 1997, issued July 7, 1998.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a device for holding a deodorant in a plumbing fixture. While its primary focus is deodorizing, such devices often incorporate elements that interact with liquid flow.
   • Potentially Anticipates: If the deodorant holding device includes elements that function as protrusions to break up liquid flow and reduce splash, it could potentially anticipate some aspects of the "plurality of protrusions" in Claims 1 and 8, especially if it also integrates with a urinal drain. The patent text for US10294649 mentions that "many urinal screens include urinal cakes or deodorizers which require costly and frequent replacement." This citation shows prior art for such combined devices.

8. US6550075B1

   • Full Citation: Brannon, Iii Homer, "Toilet bowl splash guard", US6550075B1, filed March 25, 2002, issued April 22, 2003.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a splash guard for a toilet bowl. Similar to the Luedtke '793 patent, it addresses splash reduction in a sanitary fixture.
   • Potentially Anticipates: Similar to US4866793A, this patent could generally anticipate the concept of a "splash guard" with splash-reducing features, as described in Claims 1, 8, and 18, although for a toilet rather than a urinal.

9. US20130000027A1

   • Full Citation: San Luis; Deborah Marie, "Removable, Reusable, and Flexible Urine Deflector", US20130000027A1, filed June 30, 2011, published January 3, 2013.
   • Brief Description: This published application describes a removable, reusable, and flexible urine deflector. This would be highly relevant due to its explicit purpose of urine deflection.
   • Potentially Anticipates: This application could potentially anticipate Claims 1, 8, and 18, especially regarding the flexibility and the ability to deflect urine, which is a core function of the anti-splash device. The "removable" aspect might also be relevant to the "removably coupled" feature of Claim 3 and 19.

Non-Patent Citation:

1. Examination Report from the European Union Intellectual Property Office dated Oct. 4, 2018, pp. 1-5.
   • Brief Description: This refers to an examination report from the EUIPO. Such reports often include an assessment of novelty and inventive step against existing prior art.
   • Potentially Anticipates: The content of this report is not fully detailed in the provided text or search results, so it's impossible to determine specific anticipation. However, examination reports generally analyze claims against prior art, and thus, this report would list prior art considered relevant by the EUIPO examiner at the time. Therefore, it could potentially cite documents that anticipate one or more claims of US10294649.