Patent Publication Number: US-2010123019-A1

Title: Bottle adaptor for personal hydration system

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims benefit of provisional application 61/114,549, filed Nov. 14, 2008. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to personal hydration systems. In particular, the invention relates to a personal hydration system usable with bottles. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Canteens have long been used by hikers and other outdoor recreationists for a portable supply of water and other liquids. Bottled water and other bottled beverages using a plastic bottle and screw lid or selectable nipple can be effectively used as canteens. In recent years, personal hydration systems have been introduced by CamelBak Products of Petaluma, Calif. and by other manufacturers. These popular personal hydration systems which include a collapsible bladder held in a backpack carried by a hiker or biker and coupled to a mouthpiece through a flexible tube. Thereby, the hiker can drink the liquid contained in the bladder without stopping or removing the backpack or even accessing pockets in the backpack. Because the bladder is collapsible and because the mouthpiece during use is usually elevated above the bladder, the mouthpiece can include a simple force-actuated valving system opened by the hiker squeezing the mouthpiece between his teeth and then sucking (reducing pressure below atmospheric pressure) on the mouthpiece to receive the liquid within his mouth. An overall bladder and mouthpiece system is described by Gardner et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,168, incorporated herein by reference. The overall personal hydration system is described in more detail by Choi et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,688, also incorporated by reference. 
     Such bladder-based systems, however, have disadvantages. They tend to be relatively expensive so they are expected to be reused over long periods of time. Even with their use only with water, they are likely to promote the growth of algae and other forms of mold when stored for long periods without having been completely dried. Accordingly, the bladder needs to be occasionally cleaned and cleaning supplies are commercially available for this particular use. Further, on long-distance hikes, locally available water needs to be treated with iodine or other harsh chemicals to kill incidental bacteria and bugs. The iodine degrades the flexible plastic liner of the bladder. Often the hiker wishes to carry liquids other than water, such as carbonated soda with a high sugar content, wine, sports drinks, vitamin water, and electrolyte replenishing drinks. Once a bladder has carried one of these other liquids, it is difficult if not impossible to completely clean the bladder to remove any residual taste. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One aspect of the invention includes a personal hydration system including an adaptor to which may be attached through threaded receivers one or more bottles having a threaded top having a standardized thread pattern used for screw tops. Preferably, the receivers have two axially arranged threaded sections of different standardized sizes, such as DIN standards GL-32 and GL-45. 
     The receivers include a fluid channel axially above the threaded sections into which a straw may be inserted which may reach to the bottom of the attached bottle. 
     The fluid channel is connected to a coupling for attaching a drinking tube, the distal end of which may be inserted into the user&#39;s mouth for sucking fluid from the one or more attached bottles. 
     The coupling to the drinking tube may be detachable from the rest of the adaptor. 
     Preferably, the straw is inserted into a tapered hole formed in the adaptor to allow a friction fit with wide tolerance to size of the straw. 
     A vent valve placed axially above the threaded section is selectively opened to vent the space in the bottle above the fluid level to allow easy sucking of the fluid out of the bottle. 
     Optionally, a selector valve may be formed in the adaptor to close off the fluid channel or to select one of multiple bottles. 
     One set of embodiments include receivers for two bottles, either of which may be selected for sipping. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an orthographic view of a first embodiment of the adaptor of invention coupled to two bottles and to a drinking tube 
         FIG. 2  is a sectioned orthographic view of the adaptor of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an orthographic view of the adaptor of  FIG. 1  coupled to a drinking tube and to two straws insertable into respective bottles. 
         FIG. 4  is an orthographic view of a three-way valve usable in the adaptor of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is an orthographic view of a second embodiment of the adaptor of the invention including top and bottom pieces fused together. 
         FIG. 6  is a partially sectioned orthographic view of the adaptor of  FIG. 2  illustrating the halves forming the top and bottom pieces. 
         FIG. 7  is an orthographic view of the bottom piece. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A first embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the orthographic view of  FIG. 1  includes an adaptor  10  to which two commercially sold bottles  12 ,  14  of water or other liquid may be screwed into respective bottle receivers  16 ,  18  to provide a substantially air-tight seal against gaskets placed inside the receivers  16 ,  18 . The bottles  12 ,  14 , which are typically made of plastic but may in some cases be made of glass or aluminum, are usually sold at retail with resealable screw caps engaging threads on the bottle tops or necks. The caps are removed before use and are not used with this embodiment of the invention. As better shown in the partially sectioned orthographic view of  FIG. 2 , a hollow outlet barb  20  with a central bore  22  is formed with the adaptor  10  to be inserted into the bore of the proximal end a flexible drinking tube  24  of  FIG. 1  to form a water-tight seal. One example of such a drinking tube is disclosed by Gill in US patent application 2007/0267425. The drinking tubes of conventional hydration systems can be adapted to be used with the invention. The distal end of the drinking tube can be positioned near the user&#39;s mouth and be inserted into the user&#39;s mouth to allow a sip to be delivered to user by his sucking on the tube  24 . The distal end of the tube  24  preferably includes an unillustrated mouth valve to allow sipping by a sucking action by the user through the tube  24  without back flow back into the bottles  12 ,  14  when there is no sucking action. However, it is possible to dispense with the mouth valve. The mouth valve may be a lip- or tooth-operated bite valve at the end of the tube or may be a manually actuated valve near the distal end of the tube  24 . 
     The adaptor  10  and attached bottles  12 ,  14  can be carried in a conventional backpack well known for hiking, biking, climbing, and skiing as the user with attached backpack moves along a path of the activity. However, specialized holders, such as may be attached to a belt, may be used to carry the adaptor  10  and attached bottles  12 ,  14 . Because of its various sealing qualities, the adaptor  10  is not requited to be maintained in a fixed orientation. Of course, if desired, the adaptor  10  and bottles  12 ,  14  may be used while placed on a stationary table, desk, or workbench. 
     The interior of the adaptor  10  is illustrated in more detail in  FIG. 2  and the exploded sectioned orthographic view of  FIG. 3 . Two bottle receivers  16 ,  18  for the respective bottles  12 ,  14  are internally (female) threaded to correspond to the external (male) threads on the tops of the bottles  12 ,  14 . Most commercially available drinks are bottled in bottles having either a narrow mouth conforming to DIN standard GL-32 or a narrow mouth conforming to DIN standard GL-45. For this reason, each bottle receiver  16 ,  18  includes a lower wide thread  26  for bottles with the GL-32 standard and an upper narrow thread  28  for the GL-45 bottles wound about and displaced from the lower wide thread  26  along a bottle receiving axis of the receiver  16 ,  18 . The width of the wide thread  26  is sufficient for the narrower neck of the GL-45 bottles to reach the narrow thread  28 . Separate unillustrated elastomeric gaskets are placed inside the receivers  16 ,  18  above the wide thread  26  and above the narrow thread to seal the bottle to the inwardly extending ledge above the respective thread  26 ,  28 . 
     Each bottler receiver  16 ,  18  includes a slanted and inwardly tapered or flared straw socket  30  which receives and seals one end of a straw  32 , illustrated in the orthographic view of  FIG. 3 . The taper, which may range from 5 to 25° from the central axis with a typical value of 15°, produces a wider entrance to the straw socket  30  so that the straw  32  can be inserted until it engages the tapered socket sidewall. The taper in the straw socket  30  allows some variability in the diameter of the commodity market straws readily purchasable at retail in grocery stores. The straws  32  are preferably flexible and long enough to reach the bottom of the associated bottle  12 ,  14 . The straws  32  may be supplied with the adaptor  10  but the straw sockets  30  are preferably sized to the standard for most drinking straws available at food and drink retail markets. The retail straws can be cut to the desired length and be discarded after some usage and be easily and inexpensively replaced by new straws. 
     The bottle receivers  16 ,  18  are rigidly connected through a strut  34  which includes an internal transverse passageway  36  providing a fluid channel between the bore  22  of the outlet barb  20  and the two straw sockets  30 . Thereby, the user sucking on the drinking tube  24  can sip fluids from the bottoms of the two attached bottles  12 ,  14 . However, it is advantageous to include an optional three-way ball selector valve  40  at the intersection of the transverse passageway  36  and the bore  22  of the outlet barb  20 . It includes a ball  42 , separately illustrated in the orthographic view of  FIG. 4 , which is formed of resilient material to better seal and has a diameter greater than that of the passageway  36  so that it is rotabably sealed at the corners of the intersection. The ball valve  40  also includes a switching tab  44  connected to the ball  42  through a shaft  46  which can turn the ball  42  about the axis of the barb bore  22 . The ball  42  includes an internal cavity, a top hole  46  through the cavity top wall which is always open to the barb bore  22  and at least side hole  50  through the cavity side wall extending in the plane of the transverse passageway  36 . At least one of the other sides arranged at 180° from the side hole is spherically shaped so that it rotate into sealing engagement with the end of either portion of the transverse passageway while the at least one side hole  50  provides a inlet from the unsealed passageway portion. The other two lateral side walls of the ball  42  arranged at 90° intervals from the side hole  50  and the spherical wall may be either spherical or contain another side hole  50 . Manual turning of the switching tab  44  can position the side hole  50  to face the side of the transverse passageway  36  toward the first bottle receiver  16  to thereby connect the drinking tube  24  to the first bottle  12  while the spherical sidewall faces the other portion of the trasnverse passageway  36  and disconnects the drinking tube  24  from the second bottle receiver  16 . In the anti-parallel orientation of the ball  42  to face the side of the transverse passageway  36  toward the second bottle receiver  18 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the drinking tube  24  is thereby connected to the second bottle  14  and disconnected from the first bottle  12 . Thereby, the three-way valve acts as a selector valve to select one or the other of the bottles  12 ,  14  for sipping. In the embodiment of three side holes  50 , the ball  42  can also be turned to an intermediate position for two of the side holes  50  to face both passageway portions to thereby connect the drinking tube  24  to both bottles  12 ,  14  to simultaneously access and blend the drinks, particularly if they are different drinks. Such would be desired to produce a third taste from two flavored drinks or to selectively dilute a flavored drink with water. 
     An indicium  52 , such as an arrow, formed on or within the switching tab  44  visually indicates which bottle is selected or the degree of mixing. 
     The three-way valve  40  provides several advantages. If two bottles of two different types of drinks are connected to the hydration system, for example, soda and wine, the valve  40  can select which type is to be sipped or control the mixing of the two drinks if desired. It can also prevent contaminating one drink with the other. The valve  40  permits only one of the bottle receivers  16 ,  18  to have a bottle screwed into it is the valve is selecting the receiver to which is screwed a bottle. 
     Unlike a bladder, the bottles  12 ,  14  are fairly rigid and may benefit from pressure equalization or relief as liquid is removed from them under reduced pressure. Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a vent valve  54  is provided for each bottle receiver  12 ,  14  near their tops above the usual top surface of the fluid contained in the bottles  12 ,  14 . Each vent valve  54  may resemble a standard drinking valve associated with many disposable drink bottles. It may include a tubular neck  56  with an internal upper vent air passage  58  connecting through a lower vent air passage  60  to the bottom of the bottle receivers  16 ,  18  overlying the inside of the bottles  12 ,  14 . A stem  62  having a disk-shaped head  64  is supported in the upper air passage  58  with the head  64  rising above an annular sealing surface  66  of the neck  56 . A snap-on valve  70  is a integral member having a bottom tubular wall  72  that slidably seals to the bottom of the neck  56 , a washer-shaped upper wall  74  with a central aperture  76 , and unillustrated retention means which, after the snap-on valve  70  has been snapped onto the neck  56 , retains the snap-on valve  70  along the axial extent of in an annular recess  78  of the neck  56 . The retention means may be an integral spring with a detente end. 
     In its upper position, the snap-on valve  70  opens an air passage from the exterior ambient through the upper wall aperture  76  and the two vent air passages  58 ,  60  to space above the level of the liquid in the attached bottle. Thereby, when the user sucks through the drinking tube  24 , pressure in the bottle can be relieved to allow the drink to flow to the lower pressure inside the user&#39;s mouth. In its lower position, the snap-on valve  70  seals against both side of the stem head  64  and the sealing surface  66  of the neck  56  to interrupt the air passage between the exterior and the interior of the bottle. Without pressure relief, it is almost impossible to suck fluid from the bottle. Additionally, the lack of pressure relief guards against leakage from the bottle when the system is not in its standard operational orientation, such as when the system is being transported in a car. The vent valve  54  can also be used to directly drink from the attached bottle by the user inserting the raised snap-on valve  74  into his mouth and sucking on it. Furthermore, at the end of extended usage especially with sugary drinks, the adaptor  10 , straws  32 , and drinking tube  24  should be cleaned. Blowing through the opened vent valves  54  can flush clean water or cleaning fluid in attached bottles back through the straws, adaptor, and drinking tube. 
     The material for the adaptor  10  and the snap-on valve  70  should conform to FDA standards for anti-microbial characteristics and may be silver-impregnated polypropylene. The adaptor  10  can be fabricated by extruding two identical or nearly identical halves as illustrated in the  FIG. 2  with the exception of the three-way selector valve  40  and the two snap-on valves  70 . The separately manufactured three-way valve  40 , which may also be extruded plastic, is inserted between two halves and the halves are heat or ultrasonically sealed together to form air-tight passageways. A resultant seam  79  between the two halves is evident in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . The two snap-on valves  56  are snapped on to complete the adaptor  10  for later addition of the drinking tube  24  and eventually the bottles  12 ,  14  of liquid as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     A second embodiment of an adaptor  80  of the invention illustrated in the orthographic view of  FIG. 5  includes a top piece  82  and a bottom piece  84 , each of which are formed of respective pails of nearly matching halves. A tube coupler  86  includes an axial fluid passageway  88 , a hose barb  90  at its top having plural circumferential ridges over which the flexible drinking tube  24  is fit and fluid sealed, and a base  92  which is fit into a locking receptor  96  having a threaded bottom  93  screwed into the top piece  82 . The tube coupler  86  is sealed to a central bore  97  (shown in  FIG. 6 ) of the receptor  96  by an O-ring  94  fit into an O-ring groove in the tube coupler  86 . The tube coupler  86  and the receptor form a quick disconnect by which is meant a mechanism that allows one member of the quick disconnect to be quickly and manually inserted into and sealed to another member of the quick disconnect without any tools and without any threading of the two parts together. 
     The tube coupler  86  and the receptor  96 , which may both be formed of acetal plastic, are commercially available from Colder Products Company of St. Paul, Minn. The receptor  96  includes a metal finger latch  98  with a finger tab  100  and a slider  102 , which can slide in opposed grooves formed in the head of the disconnect  96 . The finger tab  100  is spring biased away from central axis  106  of the receptor. The slider  102  includes a central aperture including a circular portion of sufficient diameter to easily pass the O-ring  94  of the coupler  86  into the central bore  106  of the receptor  96  and a stepped slot  108  connected to the circular portion. The distal end of the stepped slot  108  is narrower than the proximal end to closely fit to the stem of a pin  110  projecting and spring biased upwardly from the receptor  96 . On the other hand, the proximal end of the stepped slot  108  closely accommodates the head of the pin  110 . When the tube coupler  86  is pushed generally downwardly into the aperture of outwardly biased slider  102 , the tube coupler  86  and especially its O-ring  94  laterally pushes the slider  102  sufficiently that the pin  100  is positioned in the wider proximal portion of the slot  108 . At the same time, the large central ridge of the tube coupler  86  presses the pin  110  downwardly to place the wider head of the pin  110  is the wider proximal end of the slot  108  with the slider  102  axially locked in a circumferential groove  112  of the tube coupler  86 . On the other hand, when the finger tab  100  is pulled outwardly with the tube coupler  86  already inserted in and sealed by the O-ring  94  to the central bore  97  of the receptor  96 , the interlocking is released and the tube coupler  86  can be removed from the receptor  96  and the rest of the adaptor  80 . 
     The partially sectioned orthographic view of  FIG. 6  shows a top half  120  and a bottom half  122  vertically mated and sealed together by ultrasonic fusing or other methods and with the sectioned tube coupler  86  locked to the receptor  96  by the slider  102  of the finger latch  98 . The orthographic view of  FIG. 7  shows the bottom piece  84  including its two fused halves  122  and a recess  124  formed in its top to receive and align the bottom of the top piece  82 . Two ribs  126  are formed in the bottom piece  84  with a gap between them to vertically extend into a slot  130  formed in the top piece  82 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . The slot  130  connects to both the straw sockets  60  and a threaded hole  132 , such as a ¼″ NPT female thread, for the corresponding male thread on the bottom of the receptor  96  of the drinking tube  24 . The threaded hole  132  for the receptor  96  is positioned over the gap between the two ribs  126  of the bottom piece  84 . The slot  130  in the top piece  82  is somewhat wider than the ribs  126  and is taller than the ribs  126  so that the slot  130  forms a restricted fluid passageway between the receptor  96  and the two straw sockets  60 . The reduced volume reduces the formation of air traps in the pas sage way, which would lead to an unpleasant sipping experience. 
     Each of the bottle receivers  16 ,  18  includes the large-diameter threads  26  formed in the extrusion of the bottom piece  84  and the small-diameter threads  28  formed in the extrusion of the halves  120  of the top piece  82 . As in the first embodiment, the large-diameter threads  26  and the small-diameter threads  24  are wound about and displaced along a bottle receiving axis of the respective receiver  16 ,  18 . 
     The bottom piece  84  and the halves  120  of the top piece  82  may be assembled and fused together in a single operation, for example, by ultrasonic welding. After the pieces  82 ,  84  are fused, the snap-on valves  70  are applied to the adaptor  80  to form the two vent valves  54  and the receptor  96  is threaded onto the top piece  120  to the threaded surfaces  132  extruded into the halves  120  of the top piece  82 . Finally, the tube coupler  86  is detachably inserted into and locked to the receptor  96 . 
     The second embodiment does not include a selector valve. However, one or the other of the two bottles may be selected for sipping by opening the respective vent valves  54 . 
     In comparison to the first embodiment, the second embodiment provides easier extrusion and better joining of the parts to be leak free and more secure. The quick disconnect allows the barbed coupler  86  to be easily removed from the adaptor  80  and easily cleaned along with the drinking tube  24 . 
     The adaptor can be modified to accept only one bottle or to accept more than two bottles. For one bottle, the three-way valve may be excluded. 
     The invention differs from many commercially available personal hydration systems in that it allows the user to buy already bottled water, sodas, or other drinks in sealed bottles from retail outlets and stores and transport the sealed bottle until ready for use. The user removes the retail bottle cap and replaces it with the adaptor so that the hiker or other user can drink from the original commercial bottle. After use, the bottle may be discarded and replaced by a fresh bottle. Although it is possible to refill an empty bottle, but especially for non-water commercial drinks which tend to foul a reusable bottle, the drink is already in a disposable bottle so that it makes sense to attach that bottle to the adaptor. The invention allows different types of bottled drinks to be used with a single adaptor with little fear of cross contamination. Further, if a traveler wishes to drink different types of liquids, for example, water, Gatorade, and soda, he can pack all three bottles with their respective sealing caps and use them as desired on his trip. It is not necessary to deplete one bottle before replacing it with another or even to interchange bottles. 
     The invention does not require a special backpack and does not exclude the use of the system in a conventional hiking backpack for carrying the adaptor and joined bottle. The single-bottle system may be stored in a side pocket of a conventional hiking back pack, particularly one built around a frame. 
     The invention benefits from the use of disposable bottles of bottled water or other liquids, which are sold in large quantities. No bladder or other large liquid container needs to be cleaned. If a bottle is not completely emptied by the end of the activity, the commercial top can reseal the bottle. 
     The invention can be used in conjunction with a conventional personal hydration system, such as the CamelBak, whose sipping hose and mouthpiece can be shifted back and forth between the conventional and the inventive hydration systems.