WO1998024335A1

WO1998024335A1 - Garment with liquid reservoir

Info

Publication number: WO1998024335A1
Application number: PCT/AU1997/000823
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erden Katri
Original assignee: Erden Katri
Priority date: 1996-12-03
Filing date: 1997-12-03
Publication date: 1998-06-11
Also published as: AUPO400796A0

Abstract

A garment (1) to be worn by sports persons to provide access to a beverage during sporting activities, the garment having a pouch or pocket (4), preferably on the back surface (3) of the garment for storage of a container for the beverage, and having a flexible tube or conduit (5) extending from the container in the pouch or pocket (4) to the front surface (2) of the garment via a fabric tunnel (7) comprising a double layer of fabric extending over the shoulders (6) of the garment. The distal end (8) of the tube or conduit is fitted with a mouthpiece and a one-way flow non-return valve to ensure ready availability of the beverage at the distal end of the tube, which is positioned in proximity to the position of the mouth of a person wearing the garment with the aid of a clip (9) attached adjacent to the neck of the garment.

Description

GARMENT WITH LIQUID RESERVOIR

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to improved garments to be worn on or around the human body, or body member, comprising reservoir or storage means for liquid refreshments for use by the wearer of the garment when and as required.

BACKGROUND ART

A problem which is often faced by persons engaged in sport or other physical fitness or recreational activities is to be able to have at hand liquid refreshment or sustenance to quench the person's thirst and/or to prevent dehydration through loss of liquids and electrolytes. This can be a major problem for fitness walkers, joggers and cross-country or triathalon athletes where the person is engaged in a high level of physical activity for sustained periods of time.

Persons engaged in active or vigorous sporting activities need to regularly replenish fluids and electrolytes which are lost during such activities. The more convenient the liquids are, the more likely the sportspersons will avail themselves of such availability or accessibility. If a sportsperson waits until he or she is thirsty before seeking out a replenishing beverage, then that person's performance is already degrading. It has been stated that every one percent (1%) loss in water weight can decrease a person' performance by up to two percent (2%).

It is not always possible or convenient for the athlete to carry a separate container for liquid refreshments, especially where there is no provision in or on the clothing of the athlete to hold or carry a liquid container, such as a can, flask or bottle, and/or where it is necessary for the athlete to have his or her hands free for use during the sporting or other physical activity.

It is of course known to provide a flask or container holder which is attachable to a waist belt worn by the user, but provision for a belt around the waist is not always available or always possible with some sporting garments. Further, it is not always convenient or possible for the athlete to remove the drink container from is storage position on the waist belt, to take a drink, and then return the container again to its storage position on the waist belt.

U.S. Patent 5,067,637 (Aurness et al) discloses a rationing container to carry liquids while running or walking, wherein the container bottle is carried tethered in a holder on a person's belt. Liquid for drinking is dispersed from the bottle through a movable spring-biased mouthpiece in rationed amounts. This device is relatively complex in construction and is not really suitable for general usage.

U.S. Patent 5,107,548 discloses a combination can holder and headwear in the form of a cap that includes fastening members on the cap for attachment of a drink can holder. When the user needs the can holder the user removes the can holder from the cap then places the can holder around a canned beverage to keep the beverage from rapidly warming up. This device does not address the problem of where to store the beverage container during sporting or other physical activities which require the hands to be free.

French Patent No. 2 723 686 discloses a sports jacket or vest for hiking or mountain climbing, which includes an insulated isothermal pocket which is adapted to contain a cold or hot beverage container to provide accessible sustenance for the user or wearer of the jacket. However, the jacket includes a separate support harness integral with the jacket for the beverage container. This arrangement is too bulky and is therefore not adaptable for use in active or vigorous sports where unnecessary bulk and/or weight are undesirable.

French Patent No. 2 696 915 discloses a backpack for use by hikers which is attached to the back of the hiker by means of shoulder straps or harness straps which are separate from the clothing worn by the hiker. The backpack includes liquid reservoir means and tubing attached to the harness straps to deliver liquid for drinking in the proximity of the mouth of the hiker carrying the backpack on his back. Again, such an arrangement is too bulky and is therefore not adaptable for use in more active or vigorous sports such as athletics and rowing. Japanese Patent Publication No. JP 08 214 941 discloses a harnessed backpack comprising a liquid reservoir. However, the backpack is separate from the clothing worn by the backpack user, and again the backpack is too bulky to be used in more active sports.

U.S. Patent No. 5,524,293 discloses a cooling vest arranged with a pocket between a denim outer layer and a linen inner layer to receive a flexible vessel containing separate pockets filled with water. The vessel is releasably attached to the vest, and in use the water is cooled or frozen before the vessel is fitted in the pocket. The vest is used for cooling the body of a user either during recreation, or while working in hot conditions, or a sick person to reduce his abnormal body temperature. However, there is no disclosure of how such a vest could be modified to provide a storage pouch for a beverage container with a flexible tube or conduit adapted to extend from a container stored within the pouch to a frontal position of the garment in proximity to the mouth of a person wearing the garment to provide liquid for drinking when and as required.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved form of garment which includes liquid storage or reservoir means which goes at least some way towards overcoming or at least minimising the prior art problems or limitations referred to above.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved garment and beverage storage and delivery means which allows more efficient delivery of beverages to the user or wearer of the garment.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the following description.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a garment to be worn on or around the human body or body member having a pouch or pocket means thereon for storage of a container for a liquid, a flexible tube or conduit adapted to extend from a container stored within the pouch or pocket means to a frontal position of the garment in proximity to the position of the mouth of a person wearing the garment and a mouthpiece located at the distal end of the tube or conduit including a one-way flow non- return valve means to ensure ready availability of liquid for drinking at said distal end.

The garment may be any suitable garment or item of apparel normally worn by sportspersons, and includes but is not limited to blouses, shirts, T-singlets, shorts, bodysuits, combination top and bottom outfits and the like.

Ideally, the pouch or pocket means is located on a back or lateral portion of the garment, and the flexible tube or conduit extends from the container in the pouch or pocket, up and over a shoulder of the garment and down and across a front surface thereof, guided by loops and/or passageways integral with the garment, to a position adjacent the head and mouth of the wearer of the garment.

The liquid container may be any suitable container for a liquid beverage and may include flexible, semi-rigid (e.g. plastic bottles) or rigid containers, including glass bottles or metal containers. Ideally, the container is a flexible container of the type used to package beverages, e.g. as developed by the Australian Institute of Sport.

Preferably, the mouthpiece at the distal end of the tube or mouthpiece includes a one-way flow non-return valve to ensure that the liquid is readily available for consumption on demand, and that the liquid does not flow back to the container each time the user discontinues drinking the liquid. Without such a non-return valve, the user would be required to exert too much energy and time to refill the tube or conduit with liquid each time the user wished to partake of a mouthful of liquid. Although ideally, the one-way non-return valve is located at the distal end of the tube, alternatively it could be located at the other or proximal end of the tube, or anywhere in between should that be required. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DIAGRAMS

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying illustrations wherein: -

FIGURE 1 is a rear perspective view of a garment with liquid storage and delivery means according to one embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a front perspective view of the garment illustrated in Figure 1.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

According to this embodiment, the garment 1 - in the form of an upper torso vest - comprises a front surface 2 and a rear surface 3, with a pouch 4 located on the rear surface and being adapted to house or contain a beverage container (not illustrated), preferably in the form of a soft or flexible container, such as the beverage pack or container developed by the Australian Institute of Sport. A flexible tube or conduit 5 is friction fitted to the outlet of the container, and extends up the back of the garment across the shoulder as at 6, guided through an elongated fabric tunnel 7, open at both ends. In this embodiment, the fabric tunnel is formed as a spaced-apart double layer of fabric in the shoulder strap area of the garment. The tube 5 then extends across the front of the garment to a position adjacent the head and mouth of the wearer. The distal end 8 of the tube is fitted with a one-way non-return valve, forming part of a mouthpiece for delivery of beverage or other liquid to the user. A looped tab 9 clipped to the neck of the garment, is adapted to retain the tube and mouthpiece in a readily available and convenient location on the frontal surface of the garment. In this illustration of the embodiment (Figure 2) however, the distal end 8 of the tube 5 has been extended away from the garment for the purpose of clarity of the drawing.

The distal end of the tube 8 and/or the looped tab clip 9 can be designed and fabricated so as to ensure that the configuration or position of the mouthpiece on the distal end of the tube is such that it is spaced from but in close proximity to the mouth of a person wearing the garment. For example, the distal end of the tube can be fabricated from suitable plastics material to enable it to be formed or shaped in a variety of configurations to suit the requirements of the user. Likewise, the lopped tab clip can be moulded to ensure that the distal end of the tube is oriented towards the head and mouth of the user.

In a further embodiment of the invention the distal end of the tube is adapted to be attached to protective headwear, such as a safety helmet worn by the sportsperson (e.g. by a cyclist). In yet another embodiment, for example for use by joggers or long distance runners, the distal end of the tube is adapted to attachment to an earphone headband normally used by the runner to listen to music from a portable radio or CD/cassette player. In this instance, the earphone headband has a multifunctional use.

The pouch or pocket for the beverage container is of a suitable size to accommodate various sized beverage containers. It can be made closeable/openable by means of conventional closure means such as press studs or 'Velcro' (registered Trade Mark). Ideally, the pocket or pouch is located on a suitable garment surface in an out-of-the-way position, such as on the back surface of a vest or shirt or in a side pocket or back pocket of pants or shorts. Preferably, the pouch or pocket is of isothermal construction, being lined with a suitable flexible insulating material to prevent or to minimise the transfer of heat to (or from) the beverage - either from the wearer or from the external environment. In an embodiment, especially for joggers, the pouch or pocket can be fabricated wholly or in part by a vapour permeable material which allows moisture in vapour form to dissipate through the fabric but which will not allow the passage of liquid itself. In this embodiment, the latent heat of evaporation can assist in the retention of cooler temperatures within the pouch.

In some sports, and in some embodiments of the inventive garment, e.g. for rowing or sculling, it may be convenient for the beverage container to be stored separately from the garment e.g. within the watercraft shell for rowing, and on the body frame in cycling.

Components of the inventive garment of the present invention are in the main standard off-the- shelf items which can be adapted for use in the present invention. From the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment, it is apparent that the present invention provides an improved garment with integral liquid storage means which is potentially useful for sportspersons or other persons who require access to beverages or other liquids at various times, but where it is not always convenient or possible to have separate means for carriage or storage of such beverages or other liquids.

Although the invention has been described in relation to an embodiment which is essentially a vest or outer garment, it will be appreciated that the garment could just as easily be in the form of an under garment, beneath one or more layers of outer garments, e.g. cricket players in the field, mountain climbers, cross-country skiers, to name but a few.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications or alterations to the invention described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit of the present invention. All such changes, modifications and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention.

It should be appreciated that the present invention provides a substantial advance in garments with inbuilt liquid/beverage storage means, providing all of the herein described advantages without incurring any relative disadvantage.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A garment to be worn on or around the human body or body member having a pouch or pocket means thereon for storage of a container for a liquid, a flexible tube or conduit adapted to extend from a container stored within the pouch or pocket means to a frontal position of the garment in proximity to the position of the mouth of a person wearing the garment, and a mouthpiece located at the distal end of the tube or conduit including a one-way flow non-return valve means to ensure ready availability of the liquid at said distal end.

2. A garment according to Claim 1, wherein the pouch or pocket means is located on a back or lateral portion of the garment.

3. A garment according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, in the form a blouse, shirt, vest, T-singlet, shorts, bodysuit or a combination top and bottom outfit.

4. A garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flexible tube or conduit extends from the pouch or pocket means via a fabric tunnel formed as a double layer of fabric at the upper or shoulder area of the garment to the said frontal position of the garment.

5. A garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container to be stored in the pouch or pocket means of the garment is either a semi-rigid or a flexible container.

6. A garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pouch or pocket is of isothermal insulated construction.

7. A garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distal end of the tube or conduit is configured such that the mouthpiece at the distal end of the tube or conduit is oriented towards the head and mouth of a person wearing the garment.

8. A garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distal end of the tube or conduit is adapted to be attached to the garment by means of a removable clip.

9. A garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distal end of the tube or conduit is adapted to be attached to protective headwear worn by a person wearing the garment.

10. A garment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the distal end of the tube or conduit is adapted to be attached to a headband worn by a person wearing the garment.

11. A garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container for a liquid and the attached tube or conduit are removable from the garment for storage adjacent to the person wearing the garment.