Abstract:
A reusable, pressurize-able, foldable and flexible dispenser pack for hot or cold liquids or food is described as consisting an insulation jacket, an enclosed chemical bladder and an innermost product bladder. The chemical bladder contains exothermic material when activated would produce heat and pressure. The chemical and product bladders are formed to be easily accessible to the insides of the bladders for refilling chemicals and products, respectively. When used specifically for heating water, the dispenser pack can be fitted with a shower head for showering; or a coffee/espresso filter bead for making fresh brewed coffee or espresso.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of The Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates to a dispenser pack for dispensing pressurized hot or cold liquids or food. In particular it is related to a reusable, pressurize-able and flexible dispenser pack with an insulation jacket; an inner chemical bladder with self-heating or cooling capability; and an innermost liquid or food containing bladder to be heated or chilled. Additionally, the present invention relates to a combination of accessory features for added convenience as part of the dispenser pack. 
         [0006]    2. Art Background 
         [0007]    Hot water is used for a number of essential purposes in the outdoors, from personal hygiene; cleaning and shower, to preparing hot beverages and re-hydrating compressed foods. An “outdoor” environment may include places and activities as related to camping, hiking, sailing, rock-climbing, watching a football game in a stadium, or attending an outdoor concert. Military deployment is an example of a more arduous outdoor activity, where hot water serves numerous essential purposes but remains difficult to obtain. 
         [0008]    In the case of military deployment, a field kitchen typically uses fuel-fired burners to heat water in large stockpots. For hot beverages; water is first heated to a boil; then, transferred to insulated beverage dispensers; and, finally transported throughout the field. Alternatively, mounted personnel may be supported by Mounted Water Ration Heaters, which are available for use in vehicles (e.g. Abrams, Bradley, HMMWV, and STRYKER). 
         [0009]    Military deployment tends to operate in less-than-desirable environments. There is often insufficient personnel and equipment available to distribute hot water throughout the field, particularly for small groups of infantry personnel operating remotely. Furthermore, hot water is typically consumed quickly, or cools when stored for an extended period. The military&#39;s developmental “Unitized Group Ration-Express” (“UGR-E”) will provide group meals to groups of personnel operating away from the field kitchen or squad stove assets, but it does not currently include a water heating capability to provide hot beverages or hot water. The desire for a hot beverage has been expressed as a recurring need through field evaluation at Ft. Richardson, Ak. 
         [0010]    Accordingly, there has been a need for a reusable, heavy duty, pressurize-able, tote-able, multi-serving, and self-heating instant hot water or beverage dispenser to support small group forces operating remotely. 
         [0011]    In addition to military applications, such a reusable pressurize-able hot or cold dispenser pack could also be quite useful in civilian, emergency, disaster relief and recreational applications, where hot beverages are desired and often essential. 
         [0012]    A few U.S. Patents have attempted to address some of the aforementioned needs. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,715,992, 5,909,841 and 6,196,452, issued to Andrews Sr. et al, (collectively “Andrews”) disclose a beverage container including an outer shell, a flexible bladder within the shell, a mouth and a handle. Its assembly is awkward and confusing. These inventions do not address all of the above-mentioned needs. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,011 issued to Takemura et al., also discloses a bladder-in-carton dispenser for carrying liquid. However, Takemura does not disclose an effective heat management methodology either, since the inner bladder is adhered to the inside surface of the carton. Takemura further lacks a handle assembly, making it less useful when it is used with large amount of liquid, especially when the liquid may be hot. 
         [0014]    None of the above or existing inventions are pressurize-able. They do not teach the embodiments of the present invention or provide the benefits disclosed below. 
       SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0015]    The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is only intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. It shall be further noted that for the ease of describing the embodiments without limiting its scope, in the ensuing discussions, the term “pressurize-able dispenser pack for hot or cold liquids or food” will be simply addressed as “dispenser pack”. 
         [0016]    The dispenser pack in accordance with the present invention would provide up to 3.78 liters of pressurized hot beverage or hot water in an expandable self-heating pack that will be made fully reusable. The expandable pack would be produced and shipped in collapsed form (about the size of a backpack), providing a small, lightweight package that could be conveniently distributed in the field. When chemically activated, an internal heating element would preferably provide both the heat necessary to raise the temperature of the water to a desirable temperature, e.g. 170 F in 20 minutes, and the pressure. The heater element would be capable of maintaining 3.78 liters, or 16 8-ounce beverage servings, for more than two hours after the one-time heater activation. 
         [0017]    At the time of use, the reusable self-heating pack in accordance with the present invention would be unfolded and filled with potable water. To conveniently prepare hot coffee, hot cocoa, cappuccino or tea, pre-packaged beverage sachets, like those currently used in the military&#39;s Unitized Group Ration (UGR) (e.g. the coffee filter pack), could be inserted into the inside chamber of the dispenser pack. Depending on cost, convenience and customer requirements, various beverage sachets could be packaged with or within the self-heating dispenser pack at the time of manufacture to further improve the convenience of the package. The self-heating dispenser pack could also be used with the recently developed military Drink-Pack beverage bladders, which contain an instant beverage and include a re-sealable zipper closure that eliminates the need for additional cups. Furthermore, special-purpose rations, including the Go-To-War Ration, could be coupled to cases of Long-Rang-Patrol and Cold-Weather Rations to provide groups of 12 to 18 personnel hot water for preparation of hot beverages and/or ration hydration. 
         [0018]    The embodiment of the dispenser pack of the present invention has the following salient characteristics. The pack would consist of a reusable jacket; an enclosable reusable water and gas tight heater bladder; and, an innermost water or product bladder. The heater bladder and the product bladder may be separate bladders or configured in a “bladder-in-bladder” arrangement. After unfolding the dispenser pack, the water or product bladder could be filled with up to 3.78 liters of water or product. 
         [0019]    The outer insulating jacket could be made of ballistic nylon, PE foam or other flexible materials with good insulation and pressurize-able properties. The jacket would have zipper openings allowing access to the inside chamber that holds the inner bladder or bladders. Foam like materials would serve both as an insulation for the internal heating package (heating element and heater bladder), and as a heating (or cooling) chamber for heating (or cooling) a can, bottle, shelf-stable tray food, or zipper bladder containing various food, from the outside. Heating can be achieved by adding heating elements while cooling can be achieved by adding cooling chemicals. 
         [0020]    The heating element would be placed in the inside heater bladder for heating the contents of the water or product in the inner bladder. The heating element may be any exothermic chemicals that generate heat and gases, e.g. magnesium ferrite alloy (MgFe alloy) or other similar chemicals. Such chemicals can be activated by adding water or other reagents. The activation water can be added from the outside through a port into the inside heater bladder. Water can also be self-contained with the MgFe alloy and activated when a separate water-containing bladder is torn open by a pull string mechanism. 
         [0021]    The pressurize-able aspect of the dispenser pack allows it to be used in new and novel ways. When fitted with a showerhead, the dispenser pack would provide ample fast flowing hot water for outdoor showers. When fitted with a coffee or espresso filter head, fresh coffee or espresso can be brewed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  depicts a perspective view of pressurize-able dispenser pack for hot or cold liquids or food in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  depicts a perspective view of the innermost liquid or product bladder positioned inside of the outer heater bladder in a “bladder-in-bladder” configuration in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  depicts a perspective view of the insertion of the heating chemical element into the inside heater bladder through the heater bladder opening and the unzipped insulation jacket according to the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  depicts a perspective view of another embodiment of the dispenser pack as described in the present invention. Specifically  FIG. 4  depicts a dispenser pack to be used for heating prepackaged “liquids or products” and the method by which the innermost liquid or product bladder is inserted into the dispenser pack. 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  describes in additional detail of the method by which the innermost prepackaged liquid or product bladder is positioned for heating and the construction of the inner heater bladder, in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 6  depicts a view of an attached showerhead fitted to the innermost bladder that contains pressurized water for using the embodied invention as a hot water shower in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0028]      FIG. 7  depicts another view of an attached coffee or espresso filter-head fitted to the innermost bladder that contains pressurized water for using the embodied invention to brew hot coffee or espresso, in accordance with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0029]    In the following description, various embodiments of the present invention will be described. For purpose of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment being described. 
         [0030]    In  FIG. 1  depicts a perspective view of the pressurize-able dispenser pack for hot or cold liquids or food in accordance with the present invention. The dispenser pack consists of an outer insulation jacket  10 . The outer insulating jacket  10  could be made of ballistic nylon, PE foam or other flexible materials with good insulation and elastic properties. The reusable jacket  10  is constructed to allow the building up of pressure for the pressurized release of the enclosed heated liquid when the dispenser is activated. A strap tote device  11  may be affixed on top of the jacket  10  to facilitate the carrying of heavy quantities of liquids or foodstuff. An accessory pocket  12  may likewise be affixed to the outside of jacket  10  for holding cups, heating chemicals, dispenser attachments etc. On the side of jacket  10  is a zipper  13  when opened allows access to the inside chamber of the jacket  10  that holds the inner bladders (not shown in  FIG. 1 ). Similarly on the top side of jacket  10  is a zipper  14 . When zipper  14  is opened, the inside chamber of the jacket  10  that holds the inner bladders are accessible. Extending perpendicularly out from jacket  10  is a threaded port  23 . Port  23  is “leak-proof” bonded to the wall of bladder  20  (not shown in  FIG. 1 , shown in  FIG. 2 ). After the initial insertion of the heater element into the inside heating bladder  20 , port  23  is an entry way by which water or reagent is poured into the inside reaction bladder  20  to initiate the exothermic chemical reaction for heating. Once the chemical reaction has started, a cap  24  is secured onto port  23  to contain the chemical reaction generating both heat and pressure. Also extending from the inside heater bladder  20  (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) and out of the jacket  10  is the over-pressure valve  22 . Valve  22  would release any excess pressure formed during the exothermic reaction to prevent the dispenser pack from rupturing. Lastly, extending perpendicularly out from the innermost product bladder  40  (not shown in  FIG. 1 , shown in  FIG. 2 ) and out of the jacket  10  is the threaded product dispenser port  41 . Port  41  is “leak-proof” bonded to the walls of the bladders  20  and  40 . For dispensing hot water or hot liquid products, a liquid dispenser attachment  42  is used. The dispenser attachment  42  would be affixed onto the product dispenser port  41 . 
         [0031]    In  FIG. 2 , the inside heater bladder  20  and the innermost liquid or product bladder  40  are described in greater detail. As shown, the inner bladder  20  and the innermost bladder  30  are in a “bladder-in-bladder” configuration. 
         [0032]    The inside heater bladder  20  is formed from heavy duty reusable flexible thermal plastics, with a side opening  26  and a top opening  28 . When the zipper  13  is unzipped and the opening  26  is opened, the chemical heater element  31  (not shown in  FIG. 2 , shown in  FIG. 3 ) would be inserted into the heater bladder  20 . A plastic rib  25  is affixed across the opening  26  and a hook and loop strap  27  is affixed on bladder  20 . When the opening  26  is folded across the plastic rib  25  and then rolled closed and secured in place by hook and loop straps  27 , a water and gas tight seal is formed across the opening  26 . The plastic rib  25  and hook and loop straps  27  constitute a sealing means for sealing the opening  26 . Similarly an opening  28  is formed on the top side of bladder  20 . Likewise a plastic rib  29  is affixed across the opening  28 . The plastic rib  29  and hook and loop straps  30  constitute a sealing means for sealing the opening  28 . The opening  28  allows the placement of the innermost product bladder  40  into bladder  20 . The combination of bladder  20  and bladder  40  constitute the “bladder-in-bladder” configuration. Extending perpendicularly from the wall of the heater bladder  20  are the threaded ports  21  and  23 . Affixed to port  21  is the over-pressure valve  22  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). Valve  22  prevents excess pressure from building up that may rupture the dispenser pack. When the cap  24  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) is removed off of port  23 , water or other chemical reagents can be poured into the heater bladder  20  through the opening for the initiation of the heating reaction. 
         [0033]    The innermost bladder  40  is positioned inside the heater bladder  20  through the opening  28 . For multiple usages, the liquid or product bladder  40  is formed from heavy duty reusable flexible thermal plastics with a top opening  43 . Liquids or products to be heated would be placed into the product bladder  40  through the opening  43 . A plastic rib  44  is affixed across the opening  43 . When the opening  43  is folded across the plastic rib  44  and then secured by hook and loop straps  30 , any water or product inside of bladder  40  would be sealed for heating. A threaded port  41  would be affixed to the innermost bladder  40 . The port  4 land bladder  40  are “leak-proof” bonded together. The port  41  would extend through the side wall of the inner heater bladder  20 . Heated liquids or products would exit through this port  41 . 
         [0034]    The above “bladder-in-bladder” configuration is ideally suited for the multiple heating and dispensing of large quantities of water in the field. Prior to heating, water and the heater element  31  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) would be inserted. After use, this configuration of bladders allows the easy removal of bladder  40  from bladder  20  for cleaning. 
         [0035]      FIG. 3  shows the process of inserting the chemical heater element  31 . Chemical heater element  31  can be MgFe alloy material or other similar exothermic chemicals. For ease of handling, element  31  made be in the form of a pad or wafer. Prior to heating the enclosed liquids or products, the insulation jacket zipper  13  would be first unzipped. The hook and loop straps  27  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) would be unfastened and the opening  26  can be unrolled and opened. Through the opening  26 , fresh or used chemical heater pads would be inserted or removed. The procedure would be reverse to close up the bladder  20  for each heating cycle. 
         [0036]      FIG. 4  shows another embodiment of the present invention. For prepackaged liquids or food products, the innermost product bladder  40  would be a sealed bladder with a threaded port fitment  45 . The bladder  40  will no longer have a top opening  43 . Likewise bladder  40  would not need a plastic rib  44 . Liquid or food product would be sealed inside. The only attachment to bladder  40  is the port fitment  45 . Port  45  is “leak-proof” bonded perpendicular to the side wall of bladder  40 . The innermost bladder  40  may be formed from less expensive one-time use plastics. Prior to heating the enclosed liquids or products, the insulation jacket zipper  13  would be first unzipped. The hook and loop strap  27  would be unfastened and opening  26  can be unrolled and unfolded through the opening  26  (shown in  FIG. 5 ), the prepackaged product bladder  40  would be inserted; and, after use removed. The port fitment  45  would extend out of the jacket  10  through the port  41 ; whereby the dispenser fitment  42  would be affixed to port  41 . Once the product been consumed, the spent bladder  40  would be removed for disposal through the reversal of the above procedure. 
         [0037]    In  FIG. 5 , the inside heater bladder  20  and the innermost prepackaged liquid or product bladder  40  for the second embodiment of the present invention is described in greater detail. The inside heater bladder  20  is again constructed from heavy duty reusable flexible thermal plastics, with a side opening  26 . Bladder  20  no longer has the top opening  28  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). When the zipper  13  is unlocked and the opening  26  is exposed, the chemical heater element  31  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) would be inserted into the inside bladder  20 . A plastic rib  25  is affixed across the opening  26  and a hook and loop strap  27  is affixed on bladder  20 . When the opening  26  is folded across the plastic rib  25  and then attached onto the strap  27 , a water and gas tight seal is formed across the opening  26 . The plastic rib  25  and hook and loop  27  constitute a sealing means for closing the opening  26 . Extending perpendicularly from the wall of the heater bladder  20  are the threaded ports  21  and  23  (shown in  FIG. 4 ). The ports  21  and  23  are “leak-proof” bonded perpendicularly to the side wall of the heater bladder  20 . Affixed to port  21  is the over-pressure valve  22  (shown in  FIG. 4 ). Valve  22  prevents excess pressure from building up that may rupture the dispenser unit. When the cap  24  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) is removed off of port  23 , water or other chemical reagents can be poured into the heater bladder  20  through the opening for the initiation of the heating process. 
         [0038]      FIG. 6  depicts a method by which the present invention can supply hot shower water. A tube  51  is attached to a threaded port fitment  52  at one end and a shower head  50  at the other end. Fitment  52  is affixed to the dispenser port  41  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). When activated, the pressure and heat of reaction would provide ample fast running hot water for showers. The dispenser pack could be hung via the strap  11  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) to provide added water pressure for a more comfortable shower. 
         [0039]      FIG. 7  describes a method by which the present invention can be used to brew hot coffee or espresso. A tube  51  is attached to a threaded port fitment  52  at one end and a coffee or espresso filter head  53  at the other end. Fitment  52  is affixed to the dispenser port  41  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). When activated, the pressure and heat of reaction would provide ample hot pressurized water for brewing coffee or espresso. An alternatively, the coffee or espresso filter head  53  can be directly attached onto the threaded dispenser port  41  without connecting to an intermediate tube  51 . The dispenser unit could be hung via the strap  11  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) to provide added water pressure as needed.