Flexible Hydration Pouch With UV Barrier and Full-Drain Spout
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydration systems, such as reusable sport and activity water bottles and hydration bladders, face challenges with bacterial growth, mold contamination, and plastic leaching, failing to provide a comprehensive solution for high-purity, cold hydration with controlled dispensing across multiple orientations.
Innovation Solution
A disposable flexible pouch with a spout and hanger aperture designed for vertical or horizontal hanging, featuring a UV-blocking material, hermetic seal, and auxiliary hose assembly for hands-free drinking, ensuring full liquid dispensing and maintaining liquid purity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If reusable water bottles and hydration bladders are used, then environmental friendliness and reusability are improved, but bacterial growth and mold contamination increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable flexible pouch system that is discarded after single use, eliminating the cleaning and maintenance requirements of reusable containers. This resolves the contradiction by sacrificing reusability to completely prevent bacterial growth and mold contamination, as the pouch is sealed until use and then discarded, ensuring no microbial environment can develop.
2Ease of manufacture
If flexible pouches without UV protection are used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but plastic material degradation and leaching increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a UV-blocking layer within the flexible pouch structure, creating a composite material system that combines the flexibility and ease of manufacture of conventional pouches with UV protection capabilities. This layered composite structure prevents UV-induced plastic degradation and leaching while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through established lamination or bonding processes.
3Stability of the object's composition
If traditional rigid containers are used, then structural stability is improved, but flexibility and portability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes a flexible pouch constructed from flexible polymeric materials that can conform to various shapes and orientations while maintaining structural integrity. This flexible shell approach provides the necessary stability to contain liquid while enabling extreme portability and adaptability to different storage and dispensing configurations, overcoming the rigidity limitations of traditional containers.
4Device complexity
If spout configuration does not account for multiple orientations, then device simplicity is improved, but dispensing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an asymmetric spout configuration positioned at a specific angle relative to the pouch body, optimized for vertical hanging dispensing. This asymmetric design, combined with the pouch's ability to be hung in various orientations, creates an efficient dispensing system that leverages gravity in the most common use case while maintaining simplicity. The asymmetric spout position ensures proper liquid flow characteristics when hung vertically, the primary intended configuration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides safe, hygienic, and efficient hydration with reduced plastic leaching, enabling controlled thawing and gravity-fed dispensing in various orientations, enhancing user convenience and health benefits.
Implementation Method 1
the use of an opaque flexible film in reusable hydration devices offers potential benefits by blocking ultraviolet (UV) light, which may reduce the degradation of the plastic material caused by UV exposure, thereby minimizing the leaching of plastic components into the stored liquid
Implementation Method 2
The flexible pouch is formed by a first panel and second panel of material, that includes a polymeric material, that is sealed along the perimeter to form a seal, such as a hermetic seal to prevent liquid from leaking from the flexible pouch
Implementation Method 3
The orientation of the spout and the hanger aperture enable the spout to dispense substantially all of the liquid (at least 90% and preferably at least 95%) from the interior of the flexible pouch when the flexible pouch is hung vertically or horizontally from the hanger aperture
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid reservoir system includes a flexible pouch with a spout and a hanger aperture configured to enable the spout to dispense substantially all of the liquid from the interior of the flexible pouch when hung vertically or horizontally from the hanger aperture. The flexible pouch including high-barrier layers and ultraviolet light blocking layers. The system may also include an auxiliary hose configured to detachable attach to the spout and extend to an oral interface to enable drinking from the pouch with the pouch retainer in an auxiliary location, such as in a saddle bag of a bicycle.