Patent Publication Number: US-9883729-B2

Title: Hydra ring

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present invention is a non-provisional of and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/177,294 filed Mar. 12, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the invention are directed generally to a hydration unit and, more particularly, to a hands-free wearable hydration unit that solves the problem of having to inconveniently stop to get a water bottle, glass, or cup while engaging in light or heavy activities; making it easy to drink during continuing movement. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of an embodiment of a hydration pack in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a three-quarter front perspective view of the hydration pack shown in  FIG. 1  displayed on a person; 
         FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the hydration pack shown in  FIG. 1  displayed on a person; 
         FIG. 4  is a exploded view of the hydration pack shown in  FIG. 1  with the Parker LIQUIfit Union BPA free push-to-connect fittings disconnected from the drink hoses; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross section view of how the Legris quick release fittings work on the hydration pack shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1-5  illustrate various views of a collapsible, easily cleaned, discreet, and convenient hands-free wearable hydration unit  1  for people on the go. Following here below is a general listing of the components from which the hydration pack  1  is composed, as well as a description of the interfitting of such components and the interaction therebetween. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a front view of a tube strapped wearable hydration pack  1  in a configuration of a traditional backpack shape is illustrated. In  FIG. 1 , the components of the hydration pack  1  that are highlighted/described include: 
     a plurality of tubes or hoses  2  that, according to an exemplary embodiment, are Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter, ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tubes; 
     an L shaped bite valve  3 ; 
     28 mm diameter water tight plastic screw-on caps  4  with a 11/32″ hole drilled in the top center of it for entry of a drink tube  12  therethrough (e.g., Tygon® Silver ⅜″ outer diameter drink tube); 
     a 25 ounce BPA free collapsible water bottles  5 ; 
     Parker LIQUIfit™ Union Y BPA free quick release push-to-connect fittings  6 ; 
     Parker LIQUIfit Union Tee BPA free quick release push-to-connect fittings  7 ; 
     8 inch long plastic cable ties  8 ; 
     1.75″ long carabineer clips  9 ; 
     a user drink tube  11  (e.g., Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tube) headed to the mouth of the user; and 
     drink tubes  12  (e.g., Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tubes) inserted into the 25 ounce BPA free collapsible water bottles  5 . 
       FIG. 2 . Illustrates a three-quarter view of a man  10  while wearing the tube strapped wearable hydration pack  1  in configuration of a traditional backpack shape. In  FIG. 2 , the components of the hydration pack  1  that are highlighted/described include: 
     the plurality of tubes or hoses  2  that, according to an exemplary embodiment, are Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tubes; and 
     The user drink tube  11  (e.g., Tygon Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tube) headed to the mouth of the user  10 . 
       FIG. 3 . illustrates a back view of the man  10  cycling while wearing the tube strapped wearable hydration pack  1  in configuration of a traditional backpack shape. In  FIG. 3 , the components of the hydration pack  1  that are highlighted/described include: 
     the plurality of tubes or hoses  2  that, according to an exemplary embodiment, are Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tubes; 
     the 28 mm diameter water tight plastic screw-on caps  4  with a 11/32″ hole drilled in the top center of it for entry of the drink tube  12  therethrough (e.g., Tygon® Silver ⅜″ outer diameter drink tube); 
     the 25 ounce BPA free collapsible water bottles  5 , with it being recognized that different sized collapsible water bottles could be used instead of the 25 ounce size bottles  5 ; 
     the Parker LIQUIfit™ Union Y BPA free quick release push-to-connect fittings  6 ; 
     the Parker LIQUIfit™ Union Tee BPA free quick release push-to-connect fittings  7 ; 
     the 8 inch long plastic cable ties  8 ; 
     the 1.75″ long carabineer clips  9 ; 
     the user drink tube  11  (e.g., Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tube) headed to the mouth of the user  10 ; 
     the drink tubes  12  (e.g., Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tubes) inserted into the 25 ounce BPA free collapsible water bottles  5 . 
       FIG. 4 . illustrates an exploded view of the tube strapped wearable hydration pack  1  in a configuration of a traditional backpack shape shown in  FIGS. 1, 2, and 3  [[4]] with the Parker LIQUIfit™ Union BPA free push-to-connect fittings  6 ,  7  disconnected from the Tygon Silver ⅜″ outer diameter drink tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12 . Once the drink tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12  are released from the push-to-connect fittings  6 ,  7 , they enable the user to easily clean the drink tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12  along with also allowing the user to cut the released drink tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12  to fit his or her own torso size. In  FIG. 4 , the components of the hydration pack  1  that are highlighted/described include: 
     the plurality of tubes or hoses  2  that, according to an exemplary embodiment, are Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tubes; 
     the L shaped bite valve  3 ; 
     the 28 mm diameter water tight plastic screw-on caps  4  with a 11/32″ hole drilled in the top center of it for entry of the drink tube  12  therethrough (e.g., a Tygon Silver ⅜″ outer diameter drink tube  12 ); 
     the 25 ounce BPA free plastic collapsible water bottles  5 ; 
     the Parker LIQUIfit™ Union Y BPA free quick release push-to-connect fittings  6 ; 
     the Parker LIQUIfit™ Union Tee BPA free quick release push-to-connect fittings  7 ; 
     the 8 inch long plastic cable ties  8 ; 
     the 1.75″ long carabineer clips  9 ; 
     the user drink tube  11  (e.g., Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tube) headed to the mouth of the user  10 ; And 
     the drink tubes  12  (e.g., Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tubes) inserted into the 25 ounce BPA free collapsible water bottles  5 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross section view including a man&#39;s hand demonstrating how the Legris quick release push-to-connect fittings  6 ,  7  work on the hydration pack shown in  FIG. 1 . In  FIG. 5 , the components of the hydration pack  1  that are highlighted/described include: 
     the Parker LIQUIfit™ Union Y BPA free quick release push-to-connect fittings  6 ; 
     the Parker LIQUIfit™ Union Tee BPA free quick release push-to-connect fittings  7 ; 
     the plurality of tubes or hoses  2  that, according to an exemplary embodiment, are Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tubes. 
     the user drink tube  11  (e.g., Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tube) headed to the mouth of the user  10 ; and 
     the drink tubes  12  (e.g., Tygon® Silver ¼″ inner diameter and ⅜″ outer diameter BPA free drink tubes) inserted into the 25 ounce BPA free collapsible water bottles  5 . 
     Collectively, the tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12 , collapsible water bottles  5 , carabineer clips  9 , zip ties  8 , quick release fittings  6 ,  7 , and bite valve  11  come together to form the shape and purpose of a lightweight hydration backpack  1  that can go under or over clothing and is hands-free, with tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12  that work in the same way canvas straps work on a traditional backpack, making the hydration pack/unit  1  easy to slip on or off. The tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12 , which also double as left and right shoulder straps, deliver the liquid to the user  10  along with supporting the weight of the liquid in the collapsible bottles  5  on the back of the pack  1 . In the hydration pack  1 , all the tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12  can be easily released from the connectors  6 ,  7  by hand, allowing for easy cleaning of the tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12  and also allowing the user to cut the released tubes to fit his or her own torso size. The hydration pack  1  has two collapsible water bottles  5  instead of one to minimize the sloshing effect that one large water reservoir tends to have, which is commonly used by many other hydration backpacks on the market today. Having two collapsible bottles  5  instead of one also has an added benefit of allowing the user  10  to draw up two separate types of fluids (one in each bottle) and have them merge within the tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12  as a freshly mixed beverage before it reaches the users mouth. 
     Beneficially, the hydration unit  1  differs from other prior art units because the hoses/tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12  not only deliver the fluid to the person wearing it, but it also acts as the straps of the pack/unit  1  bearing the weight of the two collapsible water flasks  5 . Because the hoses  2 ,  11 ,  12  support the weight, it allows for the elimination of the usual canvas straps and bulky pack that comes with must hydration units, thus also eliminating the sweat that said canvas straps and pack tend to absorb during strenuous activity. This is a minimalist hydration unit that allows the user a light weight discreet alternative. The user can wear the unit hidden under or over a shirt and stay hydrated while never having to stop to get a drink or disrupt their form, such as by bending to get a water bottle while cycling or running. Additionally, with the hydration unit  1 , the user is not forced to wear a hot, sweat-soaked, overbearing backpack or water helmet, or forced to stumble while inserting their water bottle back into its cage while cycling. When done, the user can stow the empty folded hydration unit  1  in an on-bike storage pack, suitcase, gym bag, cinch sack, glove compartment or other storage device. The hydration unit  1  also utilizes two collapsible water bottles  5  instead of one in order to help stabilize the sloshing effect water has during fast movement that accompanies most sports and recreational activities. The collapsible water bottles  5  also have large ¾″ diameter bottle openings for easy filling. All hoses  2 ,  11 ,  12  can be easily released using, for example, the Legris quick release fittings  6 ,  7  allowing the user to easily clean all the hoses  2 ,  11 ,  12  with a brush. The hydration unit  1  comes with a bite valve  11  for convenient delivery of fluid to the mouth. According to an exemplary embodiment, the tubes  2 ,  11 ,  12  on the hydration unit  1  also are Tygon® Silver tubes to prevent the spread of bacteria.