Pre-filled personal hydration reservoir

Abstract

A beverage reservoir for a personal hydration device is filled with a beverage concentrate and sealed in a tamper-evident manner. As a result, the reservoir can be sold pre-filled and the user can simply add water from any of a multitude of public water sources to form a beverage and use the reservoir confident that the beverage contains no mold, fungus, or residue from previously stored and consumed beverage. The reservoir can also include a port for re-filling such that the user can use the reservoir in a conventional manner after consumption of the beverage of the previously sealed-in beverage concentrate.

Description

[0001] This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 251,707 filed Sep. 20, 2002.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to the field of beverage containers for active sports use, and more specifically to a particularly convenient reservoir for personal hydration and a method for making such a reservoir. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The importance of maintaining hydration while engaging in strenuous physical activity is well known. Recently, personal hydration devices have been developed which allow users to carry large amounts of liquids and drink more or less continuously during long periods of physical activity. These devices typically have a bag-like water reservoir that is carried in small, back-mounted packs and, more recently, backpacks of all sizes. A long flexible hose is connected to the reservoir at one end and terminates in a mouth piece at the other end. The hose is long enough to allow the user to carry the mouth piece and dra...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The solution provides a convenient, clean, and cost-effective hydration system that minimizes waste, prevents mold and fungus growth, and ensures continuous hydration during strenuous activities by allowing easy refilling and cleaning, while eliminating the need for disposable containers.

Problems solved by technology

Initial designs of the refillable reservoir suffered from two main limitations: restricted flow of the beverage at the junction between the hose and the reservoir and difficulty in cleaning the reservoir.

Flow of the beverage is restricted when the user applies suction to the hose in an effort to drink and the reservoir collapses as the hose junction thereby forming an unwanted seal at the hose's end.

Cleaning the reservoir is very important and difficult due to small diameters in the hose and a filling port in the reservoir.

After a reservoir has been used to carry sports beverages such as Gatorade®, a sticky residue remains and repeated fillings of such sports beverages eventually render the reservoir unusable.

However, such recent designs still grow mold and / or fungus in the drinking hose due to lack of ventilation and are still difficult to clean despite larger fill openings.

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