Abstract:
Military personnel may use the personal hydration system in environments containing nuclear, biological and chemical agents. This system includes a bladder, a neck, a cap having an outlet port and a hose with a connector. The bladder has no sharp or small radius internal corners and may be tuned inside out through an oversized fill port to ensure complete cleaning. The cap is sealed by a primary seal, wherein a thicker portion of the bladder is trapped between the cap and the neck, and a secondary seal, wherein seals are squeezed between the neck and the bladder&#39;s interior. The cap includes an outlet port, thereby decreasing the possible exposure sites. The connector is adapted so that it may attach itself to various other equipment, such as gas masks or mouthpieces. A user wearing thick gloves will be capable of operating the entire system, including the cap and the connectors.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to systems for providing drinking a user and more particularly to a personal hydration system capable of being used ary personnel, police, security or members of the public that may find themselves rdous environmental conditions, which may include nuclear, biological and agents.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     Canteens and water bottles of various configurations have long been utilized to create a portable source of drinking water and other hydrating fluids. While functional, they require a significant amount of manual manipulation and distraction from the activities at hand.  
         [0003]     More recently, a number of improvements in hydration systems have been devised. These improvements are based on having a flexible bladder connected to a tube and shut-off device that allows the user to drink at will with no or minimal distraction and use of the hands. These bladders are often strapped in carriers worn on the back, creating a small pressure that enables the drinking fluid to be dispensed with little or no sucking. The result of these hydration systems is that they facilitate hydration without requiring the user to pause in activities such as bicycling, hiking, skiing, etc.  
         [0004]     These same features have also proved to be useful to military personnel who often face the need to remain hydrated while being engaged in physical activities. Hydration systems designed for the recreational market have been utilized by military personnel and a certain amount of customization has been done to facilitate that usage. One notable adaptation of the hydration system concept was to change the materials and construction to make the system resistant to nuclear, biological and chemical agents that may be encountered during military conflict.  
         [0005]     In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 6,908,015, entitled “Personal Hydration System With Component Connectivity,” issued to Choi et al. (the “Choi Patent”) illustrates a personal hydration unit capable of being resistant to chemical agents that are present in the atmosphere. The Choi Patent includes a quick-connect assembly that fluidly interconnects components of the hydration system and which is configured to quickly release, and pennit reattachment of, the detached or replacement components. This quick-connect assembly utilizes a lock-ring which must be depressed in order to detach and attach components. One of the disadvantages of using this assembly is that a user wearing thick gloves will not be able to operate the quick-connect assembly very well. Such users include people involved in military conflict. Thus, although the system is designed for use with chemical agents in the atmosphere, it is not feasible for someone wearing thick gloves to properly operate the assembly unit. It would be highly likely that a user would wear thick gloves while being present around chemical agents in the atmosphere.  
         [0006]     While improvements have been made to the personal hydration system, there are still numerous drawbacks for use of these personal hydration systems in a military setting. One drawback of the prior art personal hydration systems is that they are difficult to clean and do not allow the user to visually inspect the cleanliness of the systems. Another drawback of the prior art personal hydration systems is that the systems are difficult to operate when the user is wearing thick gloves. A third drawback of the prior art personal hydration systems is that there are too many lineal sealing points which may provide access to nuclear, biological and chemical agents into the hydration systems. Another drawback of the prior art systems is that the bladders have corners which form stress joints and may allow for nuclear, biological and chemical agents to enter into the hydration systems. Another drawback of the prior art personal hydrating systems is that the users will find it difficult to determine whether the cap is properly sealed before operating the hydration systems in unsafe environmental conditions. These are just a few of the numerous drawbacks of the prior art personal hydration systems.  
         [0007]     It is a desire of the present invention to provide an improved personal hydration system that is easier to clean, allows the user to visually determine that the system is clean, operable with thick gloves, has fewer lineal sealing points, has fewer stress joints and has improved sealing of the cap so as to enable the user to determine that the cap is sealed properly. The present invention also eliminates the drawbacks associated with the Choi Patent. The present invention uses a connector that eliminates the lock-ring, thus allowing the user to connect the improved personal hydration system to other equipment by simply pulling and pushing the connector to the equipment.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     An embodiment of the improved personal hydration system, which may be used by military personnel, includes an elastomeric bladder that may be translucent, a neck, a cap having an outlet port, an internal drinking tube, and a hose with a connector at one end. The improved personal hydration system is capable of being used in environments containing nuclear, biological and chemical agents. The bladder is flexible and has a shape that has no sharp or small radius internal corners. The bladder has a fill port located at an angle in the bladder&#39;s top portion which is oversized so that the bladder may be turned inside out for cleaning purposes.  
         [0009]     The neck has deformable seals positioned concentrically along its base which attaches to the internal side of the bladder&#39;s fill port. A thicker portion of the bladder, the portion which is slightly thicker at the rim of the fill port, is exposed along the top side of the neck&#39;s base adjacent to the lower end of the neck&#39;s threaded section so that it may act as a primary seal when the cap is attached to the neck. The rim of the cap is tapered at its bottom side so that it can properly form a seal with the thicker portion of the bladder trapped between the cap and the neck. The cap also has external ribs to facilitate a user to operate the cap while wearing gloves. The cap has an outlet port attached to the top side of the cap, thereby decreasing the number of parts and the possible exposure sites to the environment. As the cap is turned for closing, the cap is sealed by two methods. The primary seal is where the bladder is trapped between the cap and the neck and is tightened as the cap is closed. The secondary seal is where the deformable seals are squeezed between the neck and the bladder&#39;s inner surface.  
         [0010]     The internal drinking tube attaches to the outlet port on the cap&#39;s inner side and extends the bladder&#39;s length along its interior side. The hose is connected to the outlet port on the cap&#39;s exterior side and has a connector attached to the hose&#39;s other end. The connector is adapted so that it may receive a connection from various other equipment, which includes, but is not limited to, a mouthpiece or a gas mask.  
         [0011]     The foregoing has outlined the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The foregoing and other features and aspects of the present invention will be best understood with reference to the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  illustrates an improved personal hydration system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 1A  depicts an exploded cross-sectional view of the primary seal, which is created by a thicker portion of the bladder, the cap and the neck, as shown in  FIG. 1  in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  depicts a side angular view of a neck of the improved personal hydration system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of a cap of the improved personal hydration system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  illustrates a frontal view of an insulated cover holding the improved personal hydration system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]     The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. The general principles described herein may be applied to embodiments and applications other than those detailed below without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. The present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.  
         [0019]     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and devices for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.  
         [0020]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the present invention disclosed hereinbelow describes an improved personal hydration system  10  specifically designed for operation by military personnel in hazardous environmental conditions, which may include nuclear. biological and chemical agents. The improved personal hydration system  10  has been designed with several improvements that it may be used by anyone, including non-military personnel, who wishes to take advantage of its improvements without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The improved personal hydration system  10  includes a bladder  20  for storing potable drinking fluid and has a fill port  22  located at the top portion of the bladder  20 , a neck  30  ( FIG. 2 ) installed at the fill port  22 , a cap  40  having an outlet port  50 , wherein the cap  40  is removably attached to the neck  30  ( FIG. 2 ), an internal drink tube  80  connected to the cap&#39;s  40  inner side and extending therefrom within the bladder  20  to the bladder&#39;s  20  bottom, a hose  60  having an adjacent end  62  and a distal end  64 , wherein the adjacent end  62  is removably connected to the outlet port  50 , and a connector  70  attached to the distal end  64 .  
         [0021]     In an embodiment, the bladder  20  has a fill port  22  located at an angle along its top portion. The bladder  20  is a molded elastomeric bladder, preferably made of silicone and coated with parylene. The bladder&#39;s  20  wall thickness is uniform throughout, with the exception that the wall thickness at the fill port  22  is slightly greater. Silicone is an inherently translucent elastomer which naturally inhibits biological growth. There are several other benefits for using silicone as the construction material. Another benefit is that silicone is easy to make suitable for potable water. A third benefit is that silicone has a history of application in products which must be resistant to atmospheric contaminants, which include nuclear, biological and chemical agents. Another benefit is that it is easily formulated with excellent strength and very high ultimate elongation, which allows it to resist shock and deformation extremely well. Although silicone with a parylene liner has been shown as the construction material in this embodiment, other materials that are waterproof and resistant to nuclear, biological and chemical agents, such as chlorobutyl and other butyl materials, if needed, may be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.  
         [0022]     The bladder  20  is molded as an elliptical shape, with a cylindrical body and spherical ends, having no sharp or small radius internal corners. Small radius internal corners are internal corners having a radius of about 1.5 mm or less. In this embodiment, the bladder  20  has internal corners with a radius of about 2.5 mm. This shape removes potential areas capable of trapping debris and removing potential stress points. The bladder  20  may vary in shape and size within the scope of the present invention, such as depending upon the volume of drinking fluid to be carried by the user and the intended use of the improved personal hydration system  10 . The bladder  20  may come in other shapes, such as round, oval, cubical, rectangular, triangular, etc., so long as there are no sharp or small radius internal corners, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Also, although this embodiment shows the radius for the internal corner being about 2.5 mm, the radius may be larger without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.  
         [0023]     In this embodiment, the bladder  20  needs to meet certain testing and physical requirements because of its potential use in a military setting. First, the bladder  20  must be able to hold at least  70  ounces of drinking fluid at a temperature in the range from about −60° F. to about 160° F. The bladder  20  will be designed to normally store drinking fluid at a temperature in the range from about 0° F. to about 125° F. The bladder  20  should also be able to support a 500 lb distributed load and be able to withstand a 30 feet drop while filled with chilled water at a temperature range from about 32° F. to about 40° F. Also, there should be no air leakage through the bladder  20  when it is exposed to about a 5 psi pressure. Finally, the bladder  20  should provide 24 hour protection from exposure to nuclear, biological and chemical agents based on a 15 liter/day consumption rate and 70 ounces bladder  20  capacity. These requirements may be higher or lower without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.  
         [0024]     The materials and construction of the improved personal hydration system  10  will enable a user to use it for multiple purposes, including in environments containing nuclear, biological and chemical agents, conventional warfare, training use and daily use. With the present invention, there is no need to use different products for different types of activities.  
         [0025]     The fill port  22  in this embodiment, which is circular in shape, is located at the top portion of the bladder  20  at an angle so as to reduce the bladder&#39;s  20  profile while the cap  40  is engaged to the neck  30  ( FIG. 2 ). The location of the fill port  22  may be at other locations on the bladder  22  without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The fill port&#39;s  22  shape may also vary without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The fill port&#39;s  22  wall thickness is slightly greater than the rest of the bladder  20  because it acts as an anti-extrusion device and also provides an adequate sealing area when it is trapped between the cap  40  and the neck  30 . The fill port  22  is also oversized, thus facilitating the cleaning and drying of the bladder  20  by allowing the bladder  20  to be drawn inside out through the fill port  22 . This oversized fill port  22  also enables the user to fill the bladder  20  with drinking fluid or ice easier. Finally, since the fill port  22  is oversized, the cap  40  will also be larger, thereby allowing the user to operate the cap  40  while wearing thick gloves.  
         [0026]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the neck  30  has a base  32  having a plurality of arcs  34  along its perimeter and a circular threaded section  36  protruding outward therefrom. A plurality of deformable seals  38  are placed concentrically around the top side of the neck&#39;s  30  base  32 , such that it traverses along each of the plurality of arcs  34 . These deformable seals  38  create a seal between the neck&#39;s  30  base  32  and the bladder&#39;s  20  ( FIG. 1 ) interior at the fill port  22  ( FIG. 1 ), once the neck  30  has been installed properly to the bladder  20  ( FIG. 1 ). Once installed properly and the seal is created, the neck  30  is no longer removable from the bladder  20  ( FIG. 1 ). As the cap  40  ( FIG. 1 ) is tightened upon the neck  30 , the result is a tighter seal. The plurality of arcs  34  provides an increased surface area of the base  30  which is located on the bladder&#39;s  20  ( FIG. 1 ) interior side, thereby preventing the neck area from being pulled out away from the sealing area as well as creating a tighter seal between the neck  30  and the bladder  20  ( FIG. 1 ) when force is applied, i.e. pulling or tightening of the cap  40 . The overall seal of cap  40  ( FIG. 1 ) and neck  30  to bladder  20  ( FIG. 1 ) consists of a single point with approximately 8.5 lineal inches of seal. There are a total of four sealing points which have about 10.4 lineal inches of seal, thus minimizing the risk for nuclear, biological and chemical agents ingress. The four sealing points are the seals created between the bladder&#39;s  20  ( FIG. 1 ) fill port  22  ( FIG. 1 ) and the cap  40  ( FIG. 1 ), between the outlet port  50  ( FIG. 1 ) and the hose  60  ( FIG. 1 ), between the hose  60  ( FIG. 1 ) and the connector  70  ( FIG. 1 ) and between the connector  70  ( FIG. 1 ) and the equipment connector (not shown). The connector&#39;s  70  design may also incorporate an additional sealing point incorporated within it, which may add about  2  lineal inches of seal, thus totaling 12.4 lineal inches of seal for the improved personal hydration system  10  ( FIG. 1 ).  
         [0027]     In this embodiment, the neck  30  needs to meet certain testing and physical requirements because of its potential use in a military setting. The neck  30  must be able to support three times the weight of the bladder  40  ( FIG. 1 ) filled with drinking fluid. This requirement may be higher or lower without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.  
         [0028]     As seen in  FIG. 1A , the neck  30  has deformable seals  38  positioned concentrically along its base  32  which attaches to the internal side of the bladder&#39;s  20  fill port  22 . A thicker portion of the bladder  20 , the portion which is slightly thicker at the rim of the fill port  22 , is exposed along the top side of the neck&#39;s  30  base  32  adjacent to the lower end of the neck&#39;s  30  threaded section  36  so that it may act as a primary seal when the cap  40  is attached to the neck  30 . The rim of the cap  40  is shown to be tapered at its bottom side so that it can properly form a seal with the thicker portion of the bladder  20  trapped between the cap  40  and the neck  30 . Thus, as the cap  40  is turned for closing, the cap  40  is sealed by two methods. The primary seal is where the thicker portion of the bladder  20  is trapped between the cap  40  and the neck  30  and is tightened as the cap  40  is closed, thereby eliminating the need for separate o-rings or other sealing devices. The secondary seal is where the deformable seals  38  are squeezed between the neck  30  and the bladder&#39;s  20  inner surface. These sealing techniques serve to lower cost, minimize the number of components and eliminate the possibility of the seals becoming dislodged and lost. The threaded section  36  has a large pitch with a small profile so that the cap  40  may fully seal with a short rotation.  
         [0029]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the cap  40  is tapered at its bottom side and has external ribs  42  located along its side, an outlet port  50  located on its top side and threads (not shown) located along the interior sides of the cap  40 . The cap  40 , when engaged to the neck  30  ( FIG. 2 ), is designed to minimize its profile above the bladder&#39;s  20  ( FIG. 1 ) surface so as to minimize the possibility of snagging and facilitate the roll over of the user. The cap  40  is also attached to the bladder  20  ( FIG. 1 ) so that it does not get lost or misplaced. Although this embodiment depicts the cap  40  being attached to the bladder  20  ( FIG. 1 ), the cap  40  may be completely removable from the bladder  20  ( FIG. 1 ) without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.  
         [0030]     The external ribs  42  are substantially vertical along the cap&#39;s  40  external side and serve a dual purpose. First, the external ribs  42  facilitate the user to turn the cap  40 , even while wearing thick gloves. Secondly, the external ribs  42  strengthen the integrity of the cap  40 . Although this embodiment shows the external ribs  42  being substantially vertical, they may also be angled without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.  
         [0031]     The outlet port  50 , preferably a hose barb, is integrally molded onto the center of the exterior top side of the cap  40 . Although this embodiment shows that the outlet port  50  is integral to the cap  40 , the outlet port  50  may be removably attached to the cap  40  without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Also, although this embodiment locates the outlet port  50  onto the center of the cap  40 , the outlet port  50  may be located elsewhere on the cap  40 , including its sides, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The advantages of having the outlet port  50  molded onto the cap  40  is that the number of components are reduced thereby limiting the cost and the number of leak points, the length of the hose  60  ( FIG. 1 ) is reduced by the length of the bladder  20  ( FIG. 1 ) thereby reducing the surface area exposed to nuclear, biological and chemical agents and easier cleaning of the exterior, and the elimination of tubes and attachment outcroppings at the bottom of the bladder  20  ( FIG. 1 ) in order to ease insertion into an insulated cover  90  ( FIG. 4 ).  
         [0032]     Threads  44  ( FIG. 1A ) having a large pitch are located along the interior sides of the cap  40 . The large pitch enables a user to seal the cap  40  with a short rotation. The threads  44  ( FIG. 1A ) are designed to be self locking to prevent accidental loosening. As the cap  40  is turned for sealing, the cap  40  eventually hits a dead stop on the rim of the neck&#39;s  30  ( FIG. 2 ) threaded section  36  ( FIG. 2 ) to create a positive hard stop for rotation to enable the user to determine that the cap  40  is fully closed and sealed.  
         [0033]     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the internal drink tube  80  attaches to the outlet port  50  on the cap&#39;s  40  inner side and extends the bladder&#39;s  20  length along its interior. The internal drink tube  80  may be constructed from any suitable material for dispensing potable water, which includes, but is not limited to, polypropylene and polyethylene. These materials may be light and inexpensive compared to the silicone with parylene coating used for the bladder  20  since the internal drink tube  80  is already protected by the bladder  20  from nuclear, biological and chemical agents that may be present in the atmosphere.  
         [0034]     The hose  60  has an adjacent end  62  and a distal end  64 , wherein the adjacent end  62  is removably connected to the outlet port  50  on the cap&#39;s  40  exterior side. In this embodiment, the hose  60  is constructed of the same or similar material as the bladder&#39;s  20  material. This material ensures that nuclear, biological, and chemical agents do not penetrate into the improved personal hydration system  10  via the hose  60 . Although this embodiment shows that the hose&#39;s  60  material is the same or similar material as the bladder&#39;s  20  material, the hose&#39;s  60  material may be completely dissimilar depending upon its application without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.  
         [0035]     Also shown in  FIG. 1 , the connector  70  has a male end  72  and a female end  74  having a guiding rod  76 . The male end  72  is removably attached to the hose&#39;s  60  distal end  64 . Once attached, the user may remove the connector  70  from the hose  60  by pulling, and possibly twisting, hard. The female end  74  has a guiding rod  76  which attaches to an equipment connector (not shown). As the equipment connector approaches the guiding rod  76 , it snaps into the guiding rod  76  via a pushing force. The user may disconnect the equipment connector from the connector  70  by pulling the two apart and can easily reconnect it to another equipment connector (not shown). One of the advantages of using this connector  70  is that the user may operate it while wearing thick gloves, i.e. when the user is performing military duty and wearing thick gloves is a requirement.  
         [0036]     Although the improved personal hydration system  10  could be used separately,  FIG. 4  illustrates the insulated cover  90  with the improved personal hydration system  10  secured within it. The insulated cover  90  would have a flap  92  going from the front, an open position, to the back, a closed position. The flap  92  can be opened to provide access to the cap  40  for filling with drinking fluid without the bladder&#39;s  20  removal from the insulated cover  90 . There are numerous other benefits that are provided when using the insulated cover  90 . First, in its closed position, the insulated cover  90  can protect the bladder&#39;s  20  surface and cap  40  by further limiting exposure to nuclear, biological and chemical agents and facilitating clean-up from exposure to the same. This same feature would also provide an additional layer of physical protection for the bladder  20  and keep it cleaner than if the insulated cover  90  was not used. Finally, the use of the insulated cover  90  in conjunction with the cap&#39;s  40  low profile allows for less snagging potential and reduces the impediment for a user to roll over on his back.  
         [0037]     Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, these descriptions are not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. It is therefore, contemplated that the claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments that fall within the true scope of the invention.