Systems and methods for beverage storage and concealment

Abstract

This invention relates generally to containers, and more specifically, to systems and methods for beverage storage and concealment. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a liquid container that includes a flat bag with a front and rear sheet that has one or more cross-connection, which couple portions of the front and rear sheet and thereby reduces bulging of the flat bag when the flat bag is holding liquid. The flat bag also includes an exit port that defines an orifice between the inside of the flat bag and the outside of the flat bag. Additionally, the flat bag is a closed system aside from the orifice defined by the exit port and the flat bag is configurable to hold and dispense liquid. In other embodiments, the flat bag can have a fill port that provides an additional opening to the inside of the flat bag and which can be closed by a fill cap. Additionally, the flat bag is configurable to be concealed beneath or within clothing or various articles of manufacture and in one embodiment a drinking tube can be coupled to the exit port, which allows a user to draw liquid from the flat bag.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 60 / 715,739 filed Sep. 12th, 2005. The foregoing application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates generally to containers, and more specifically, to systems and methods for beverage storage and concealment. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Previously, wearable beverage containers have been primarily designed to allow a user involved in vigorous exercise to carry and dispense beverage liquids to the user to maintain hydration. These containers typically have a bag-like liquid container that is worn on the back or waist of the user and a long flexible tube attached to an exit port on the container that allows the user to draw liquid from the container through a mouthpiece on the terminal end of the flexible tube. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No 6,820,780. [0004] Other wearable beverage containers are fas...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] This invention relates generally to containers, and more specifically, to systems and methods for beverage storage and concealment. In one embodiment the present invention provides a liquid container that includes a flat bag with a front and rear sheet that has one or more cross-connection, which couple portions of the front and rear sheet and thereby reduces bulging of the flat bag when the flat bag is holding liquid. The flat bag also includes an exit port that defines an orifice between the inside of the flat bag and the outside of the flat bag. Additionally, the flat bag is a closed system aside from the orifice defined by the exit port and the flat bag is configurable to hold and dispense liquid.

Problems solved by technology

While most wearable beverage containers allow a user to comfortably and conveniently carry and drink liquids during exercise, they are not easily concealed when a user desires to carry and drink beverages without others knowledge.

Additionally, the harness or straps that hold the container onto the user cannot be easily concealed and can be detected by others, even when worn under clothing.

Although some beverage containers are fashioned to resemble articles of clothing, they suffer from limitations regarding volume capacity for liquid and lack of realism as a genuine article of clothing or they are not suitably worn in non-exercise contexts.

While this vest appears to effectively conceal the beverage container within it, the tubing container has a thick profile, which makes the vest that contains it thicker than a typical vest; additionally, the vest would not be an article of clothing that would be appropriate to wear in non-exercise contexts.

Accordingly, this design does not result in a beverage container that is effectively concealable because the method of storing liquid gives the vest an unnatural a bulky appearance and vest cannot be effectively worn naturally in many social environments.

In addition to giving the vest a bulky appearance, the method of liquid storage does not allow a user to store a very large volume of liquid compared to the total volume of the vest itself.

Although this invention can provide improved concealability to users, it ultimately suffers from an even smaller volume capacity for liquids than the aforementioned vest and does not have the appearance of a typical belt.

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