CA 02381465 2005-05-16
PRESSURE-ASSISTED LIQUID DELIVERY SYSTEM
Background of the Invention
Hydration systems for ~orrs enthusiasts, workers, and others engaged in a high
level of
physical activity typically consist of a textile backpack or waist pack (or
other pack-type designs)
containing a flexible reservoir bag with a hose or outlet having a demand
valve at its end The reservoir
contains a liquid for drinking which is accessed via the valve. Most valves
require applying suction
while simultaneously perfom~ing a bite or squeeze action of some sort with the
teeth, tongue, or lips,
which opens of the valve and allows the liquid to be drawn out through the
hose. There are many valve
designs on the market having distinct activating requirements.
When tile pack is mounted on die user's back, the liquid is drawn from the
reser<roir up through
a length of hose requiring moderate but notable suction. When the pack is
waist-mounted, greater
suction is naquirad to raise the liquid to mouth level. The suction required
by existing art hydration pacts
is comparable to that needed to drink from a 24" to 30" vertical diinlang
straw. The dual requirements
of creating suction and of valve manipulati~ while engaged in high kevels of
activity such as nmning or
cycling is inefficient and cumbersome, and interferes with the user's
breathing, concentration, and
performance. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved liquid delivery
system providing a more
effcient delivery of liquid to individuals e:r~ad in vigorous physical
activity.
CA 02381465 2002-04-11
Summary ojthe Invention
Applicant's pressure assisted liquid delivery system described herein
constitutes a radical
improvement over the prior art. A reservoir for containing liquid is typically
a seam-welded leak-proof
bag made of flexible plastic materials which can withstand external pressure
and compression. The
reservoir has an exit port to which a length of hose is connoted, and a fill
port, or opening, which can
be sealed shut by various means once the reservoir has been filled. In
applicant's invention, once the
reservoir has been filled and closed, a compressive force is applied to the
reservoir by one of several
means described below. The compressive force is such that the liquid contents
of the reservoir are
maintained under constant pressure, driving the pressurized liquid to flow
through the hose to the valve.
The valve system is operable under such pressure without leaking or dripping.
Thus, once the user
activates the valve, the compressive forcx in the reservoir causes the liquid
to flow actively and rapidly
into the mouth. No hydration system in the prior art provides such instant
delivery of liquid on demand
to the athlete or other physically active user.
Prior art hydration systems employ the conventional suction method requiring
the user/athlete to
1 S intem~pt breathing for long intervals in order to create suction, draw
liquid up into the mouth, and
swallow; draw and swallow, draw and swallow, gulp by gulp. Using applicant's
pressure-assisted
system, the drinking interval is completed substantially faster, typically in
1/4 to 1/3 the time as
compared to prior art hydration systems, because when the valve is activated,
the pressurized liquid jets
directly and immediately into the mouth leaving breathing rhythms
unintem~pted, and preventing
breathlessness.
It is commonplace in human beings to drink only once we are thirsty. By the
time the "thirsty"
2
CA 02381465 2002-04-11
sensation is detected and the person takes action, the body's hydration level
may have fallen
considerably below the optimum for best perfonwance, especially during
exertion. The pressure-
assisted delivery system, assists the user/athlete with drinking a larger
quantity of liquid in a given period
of time than would be possible using the prior art suction method, resulting
in achievement of a greater,
perfom~anae-cenhancing hydrating effect at an earlier stage in the event or
activity.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pressure-assisted liquid delivery
system according
to the invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the liquid slivery system of Fig. 1 shown
fully assembled
Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a
pressure-assisted liquid
delivery system according to the invention, having plates which cover half the
reservoir.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the liquid delivery system of Fig. 3 shown
fully assembled.
Figs. 5 and 6 are end views of the pressure-assisted liquid delivery system of
Fig. l, showing a
first position of plate separation wherein the reservoir is dilated, and a
second position of plate
separation wherein the reservoir is constricted.
Fig. 7 is a chart relating the compressive force of the plates upon the
reservoir to the stretched
length of elastic loops used to compress the plates together.
Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiments
A pressure-assisted liquid delivery system 10 is illushated in the
accompanying drawings and
described below. The invention comprises a reservoir bag 12 for containing
liquids to be consumed
during a period of vigorous physical activity. The reservoir is preferably a
flexible bag constructed of
CA 02381465 2005-05-16
seam-welded plastic materials. It must be of sufficient strength to withstand
the compressive forces
exerted on it by the invention and remain lealcproof. The reservoir 12 is
accessed through a fill port 14
for filling the bag with liquids and for cleaning. Ideally, the fill port
consists of a fold-top bag closure as
described in applicant's U.S. Patent No. 6,267,506 for a Fold-top Closure and
Method Therefor. The fold-top closure allows improved access to the reservoir
for
cleaning, allowing for a greater selection of liquids which can be contained
in the reservoir, e.g., dairy
products, is easy to use, and provides a leak~roof seal. In other embodiments,
the opening comprises
a narrower neck, fill hose, or finmel.
The reservoir 12 fiuther comprises an exit port 16 to which is attached a hose
18 having at its
fi~ee end a demand valve 20. The demand valve 20 preferably is of the type
which is mouth-activated
by a biting or squeezing action, but which can withstand the compressive
forces bearing on the reservoir
and liquid contained therein without leaking. Applicant has determined that
the Crulp valve
manufactured for Bell Sports, Inc. by P&T Products, Ltd. of Hong Kong provides
reliable
perfom~ance.
'The pressureassisted liquid delivery system can best be seen in Figure 1. The
reservoir 12 is
sandwiched between two semi-rigid plates, a top plate 40 and bottom plate 42.
The plates are
preferably const<ucted of polyethylene, but may be constructed of any polymer
or cellulose providing
sufFrcient rigidity characteristics. Both the top plate 40 and bottom plate 42
have lateral dimensions
slightly greater than the lateral dimensions of the reservoir, allowing the
plates to completely overlie and
sandwich the reservoir, as seen in Figures 1 and 2. A phuality of loops of
elastic rope extend from the
edges of bottom plate 42, including two end loops 44 and two pairs of side
loops 46. In the preferred
4
CA 02381465 2005-05-16
embodiment, a single length of elastic rope is tied off at a first comer 48a
(see Fig. 1 ), looped through
holes 50 in the bottom plate 42 such that suffcient lengths of the elastic
rope extend upwardly from the
bottom plate along its edges to form side loops 46, and is tied off at second
comer 48b. A second
length of elastic rope, tied off below bottom plate 42 as seen in Fig. 1, is
looped through holes SO at
each longitudinal end of bottom plate 42, and is of sufficient length to
extend upwardly to form end
loops 44. The elastic rope may consist of any heavy-duty elastic rope, such as
Bungee~ cord, that is
strong enough to create the compressive forces needed
Top plate 40 includes on a top surface 52 thereof a plurality of lugs 54. for
removable
attachment of loops 44 and 46. As best seen in Figure 2, each pair of side
loops 46 extends upwardly
from die bottom plate, is drawn across side edges 56 of top plate 40, and is
affixed to a single lug 54 in
the top surface 52 of the top plate 40. End loops 44 are similarly configured,
extending upwardly from
bottom plate 42, drawn across or from end portions 58 of the top plate 40, and
are mutually attached
to a single lug 54 in a central area of the top plate. Both end and side loops
are easily detachable from
lugs 54 for providing easy access to the reservoir. Attachment of opposing
pairs of side loops and end
loops to single lugs negates stresses on the lugs and fom~s a web of loops
extending across the entire
top surface 52 of the top plate 40, thereby creating substantially uniform
downward compressive forrx
across the top plate for pressurizing the reservoir and its liquid contents,
as seen in Figure 2. Each loop
has two ends extending upwardly from bottom plate 42 across an edge portion
56, 58 of top plate 40.
The loops 44, 46 thereby form a plurality of primary compression points P
coincident with each end of
the loops around a common perimeter of the plates and the reservoir, for
substantially uniform
distribution of the compressive fomx of the elastic ropes across the plates.
CA 02381465 2002-04-11
Use of the invention is initiated by opening the reservoir 12, filling it with
a selected liquid, and
sealing the fill port closed. The reservoir is then p~itioned on bottom plate
42; top Plate 40 is moved
into a position overlying the reservoir, and loops 44, 46 are stretched and
attached to lugs 54. T'he
system is generally mounted vertically in a suitable b~acl~ack, with tl~ exit
port 16 located as low as
possible. As the liquid is removed from the reservoir during use, plates 40,
42 move finm a position of
maximum separation S, as seen in Fig. 5 wherein the reservoir is fully dilated
to a second position of
closer separation SZ as seen in Fig. 6 wherein the reservoir is constricted.
Referring back to Fig. 1, by
using a single lengths of elastic tape to form a plurality of loops, the
appuahrs takes advantage of the
fact that the entire length of rope used will still remain substantially
stretched as the plates move from
first position S, to second position Sz. As graphically illustrated in Fig. 7,
the relatively small
incremental decrease in the stretched length of the rope effectively maintains
the compressive force of
the rope, and hence the plates, upon the reservoir at all points of separation
between the plates. In
other embodiments, the plurality of loops could be formed by individual
lengths of rope, or by any
plurality of rapes less than the total number of loops, so long as a
compressive force sufficient to expel
1 S the reseNOir's liquid contents rhmugh the hose and valve is maintained at
all points of separation of the
plates. In still other embodiments, the compressive force can be achieved by
wrapping the Plates and
reservoir in an elastic web or in an elastic sock or by using mechanical
assistance derived finm springs
or pumps.
A second embodiment of the invention is illust<ated in Figures 3 and 4,
comprising reservoir 80,
similar in construction to reservoir 12 shown in Figure 1, and dual
compression plates consisting of top
plate 82 and bottom plate 84. Plates 82 and 84 extend longitudinally only
a~roximately half as far as
6
CA 02381465 2002-04-11
plates 40 and 42 in the embodiment shown in Figs 1 and 2. Therefore, plates 82
and 84 cover only
approximately half of reservoir 80. Two side loops 8b and one end loop 88
extend upwardly from
edges of bottom plate 84. Side loops 8b and end loop 88 are preferably
constructed from a single
length of elastic rope, but in alternate embodiments, each loop is a single
length of elastic rope. On top
plate 82 are provided three gussets 90, which are attached to top plate 82 by
rivets 92. In alternate
embodiments, gussets 90 are attached to top plate 82 using adhesives or other
means for attachment
well known in the art. Preferably, gussets 90 are manufachu~d from a sturdy
polyethylene, but in
alternate embodiments are comprised of metal. Each gusset 90 includes a lug
94.
Once reservoir 80 has been filled and sealed, the top portion thereof as
illustrated in Figure 4 is
sandwiched between plates 82 and 84, and loops 86 and 88 are stretched over
edges of top plate 82
and removably attached to lugs 94. The configuration of lugs 94 in this
embodiment has the advantage
that side loops 86 are stretched substantially across the entire width of top
plate 82, and end loop 88 is
stretched approximately the entire length of plate 82. The longer extension of
loops 86 and 88
minimizes the incremental reduction in the stretched length of these loops as
plates 82 and 84 collapse
toward each other during use of the system.
The half plates 82, 84 of the second embodiment of applicant's invention apply
a compressive
force to only the top half of the reservoir. Once the plates reach their
closest relative separation, no
further compressive fomx will bear on any liquid remaining in the lower
portion of the reservoir.
However, the compressive force bearing on the reservoir is small enough that,
as needed, air can simply
be blown back into the reservoir through demand valve 96, inflating the
reservoir until fully dilated.
Since the apparatus is carried with exit port 98 at the lowest vertical
portion of the reservoir, reinflation
CA 02381465 2002-04-11
of the re.~ervoir iechacg~es the compressive force bearing on the reservoir's
contents, thereby again
pcnviding pressure-assisted liquid delivery upon activation of the valve. The
half plate embodiment of
applicant's inv~tion thus provides the benefits of radu~d weight and
manufachuing cost, simplified
installation of a filled reservoir, and controlled pressure-assisted delivery
of liquid upon recharging the
reservoir.
Further embodiments of a pressure-assisted liquid delivery system, not
illustrated, achieve the
required compression using a tourniquet-style elastic webbing which is mapped
around the upper half
of the reservoir. The elastic webbing avoids the need for rigid plates and
attendant complications with
their fabri~tion. This embodiment is used by filling and sealing shut the
reservoir, then wrapping the
webbing tightly around the reservoir, and fastening it in place using a hook-
and-loop type fastener,
snaps, conventional hooks, or other fastening means well known in the art.
Another embodiment of a pn~suce-assisted liquid delivery system comprises
hinging the plates
together, Placing the t~eservoir between the hinged plates with the exit port
disposed away from the
hinge, and mapping the fi~ee ends of the plates with an elastic rope or
webbing to apply compressive
1 S force on the reservoir in the style of a clam shell. This embodiment
allows easier access to the reservoir
and simplifies assembly of the compression means.
A fiurher embodiment of a pressure--assisted liquid delivery system, also not
illustrated,
comprises a fill valve disposed in a sidewall of the reservoir. Preferably the
fill valve is of similar
ootistructi~ as fill valves used on bicycle inner tubes. The device is
prepared for use by filling the
reservoir arxi sealing it shut as usual, and then inflating the reservoir,
using a bicycle pump or like means,
to a level of pressure adequate to expel the liquid contents through the exit
port and demand valve.
8
CA 02381465 2002-04-11
Although this embodiment requires use of a pump, it eliminates the need for
and cost of manufacturing
the compression plates.
There have thus been described and illustrated certain preferred embodiments
of a pressure-
assisted liquid delivery system according to the invention. Although the
present invention has been
described and illustrated in detail, it should be clearly understood that the
same is by way of illustration
and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and
scope of the present
invention being limited only by the teams of the appended claims and their
legal equivalents.
9
