Jacket with Integrated Fluid Pack

Abstract

A wearable garment is provided. The garment includes an outer shell, an inner lining, a pocket, a liquid-fillable bladder, a bladder opening and a tube. The outer shell has an interior surface. The inner lining is positioned adjacent at least a portion of the interior surface of the outer shell. The pocket is located between the outer shell and at least a portion of the inner lining. The liquid-fillable bladder is removably positioned in the pocket. The bladder opening is in the outer shell and permits the bladder to be removed from the pocket. The bladder opening also includes a closure to selectively seal the bladder opening. The tube extends from the bladder and through a tube opening such that a user can withdraw liquid from the bladder via the tube.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/281,299 which was filed on Nov. 16, 2009.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present device relates to garments. Particularly, the present device relates to jackets having an integrated fluid pack or bladder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Individuals participating in sports and other activities often become dehydrated and have to continually take in additional fluids that are being lost. Oftentimes, it is desirable to continue to take in fluids without stopping and without having to carry large bulky water bottles. In this regard, a number of different water bladder systems have been developed whereby a user will wear an external bag carrying liquid-fillable bladders with tubing such that the user may place the tube in his or her mouth when desired without having to stop.

However, these systems have a number of drawbacks as the external structure can become snagged on external sources, such as tree branches when skiing or hiking. This may be further compounded as the device shifts while being worn. Additionally, the external bladders may be prone to freezing when used in cold climates. Even if a user were to attempt to wear the external bladder within a layer of clothing, it is often difficult to manipulate the tube to take in fluids. Moreover, the user would need to remove the layers of clothing to gain access to the bladder if it is necessary to refill or otherwise operate the bladder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one form, a wearable garment is provided. The garment includes an outer shell, an inner lining, a pocket, a liquid-fillable bladder, a bladder opening and a tube. The outer shell has an interior surface. The inner lining is positioned adjacent at least a portion of the interior surface of the outer shell. The pocket is located between the outer shell and at least a portion of the inner lining. The liquid-fillable bladder is removably positioned in the pocket. The bladder opening is in the outer shell and permits the bladder to be removed from the pocket. The bladder opening also includes a closure to selectively seal the bladder opening. The tube extends from the bladder and through a tube opening such that a user can withdraw liquid from the bladder via the tube.

According to one form, a wearable garment is provided. The wearable garment includes an outer shell, an inner lining, a liquid-fillable bladder, a tube, an opening and a retracting mechanism. The outer shell defines an interior side of the garment with the outer shell including a bottom portion. The inner lining is positioned on the interior side of the garment. The liquid fillable bladder is positioned between the outer shell and the inner lining. The tube extends from the bladder and is positioned on the interior side of the garment. The opening is located on the outer shell permitting a portion of the tube to extend therethrough such that a user can withdraw liquid from the bladder via the tube. The retracting mechanism is operably coupled to the tube. The retracting mechanism has an end extending from the bottom of the outer shell such that a user can pull on the end to retract a portion of the tube back through the opening.

In accordance with one form, a wearable garment is provided. The wearable garment includes an outer shell, an inner lining, a pocket, a liquid-fillable bladder, a tube and a collar opening. The outer shell defines an interior side of the garment with the outer shell including a collar portion. The inner lining is positioned on the interior side of the garment. The pocket is positioned between the outer shell and at least a portion of the inner lining. The liquid-fillable bladder is positioned in the pocket. The tube extends from the bladder and positioned on the interior side of the garment. The collar opening permits a portion of the tube to extend therethrough such that a user can withdraw liquid from the bladder via the tube.

In one form, the closure is a zipper.

According to one form, the closure is a hook and loop fastener.

In accordance with one form, the garment further includes a retracting mechanism operably coupled to the tube to retract the tube back through the tube opening.

In one form, the tube is substantially located between the outer shell and the inner lining.

According to one form, the liquid-fillable bladder is removable from the pocket.

In accordance with one form, the retracting mechanism is a cord having a first end secured to a portion of the tube and a second end extending from the bottom of the outer shell.

In one form, the garment further includes a bladder opening in the outer shell permitting the liquid-fillable bladder to be selectively removed from the garment.

According to one form, the opening in the outer shell is positioned adjacent a collar of the garment.

In accordance with one form, the garment further includes a flap positioned adjacent the opening in the outer shell to substantially cover a portion of the tube when the tube is not in use.

In one form, the garment further includes a fastener on the flap to secure the flap, the fastener including at least one of a snap, a button, a zipper and a hook and loop fastener.

These and other aspects of the device may be understood more readily from the following description and the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

FIG. 1 is front view of a garment with a portion of the garment shown broken away to view a liquid-fillable bladder, tubing and retraction mechanism;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a liquid-fillable bladder and tube;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of one form of a garment with a liquid-fillable bladder, tubing and retraction mechanism shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of one form of a garment with a liquid-fillable bladder, tubing and retraction mechanism through an opening having a closure;

FIG. 5A is a partial view of a garment having a collar and flap in a closed position;

FIG. 5B is a partial view of the garment of FIG. 5A showing the flap being moved to an open position;

FIG. 5C is a partial view of the garment of FIG. 5A showing the tube being retracted back into the opening; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one form of the garment illustrating the operation of the retracting mechanism.

Various figures are presented to further aid one skilled in the art in understanding the various forms of the garment. However, the present invention should not be construed to be limited to the forms depicted in the figures and described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While this device is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail various embodiments of the device with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the device and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the device to embodiments illustrated.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a garment 10 having an outer shell 12 which has an interior surface 14 and otherwise defines an interior side of the garment 10. The garment 10 also includes a inner lining 16 positioned adjacent at least a portion of the interior surface 14 of the outer shell 12. Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the inner lining 16 only extends along a portion of the outer shell 12. However, it should be understood that the inner lining 16 may extend along substantially all of the outer shell 12 to form an overall lining for the garment 10.

The garment 10 also includes a pocket 20 located between the outer shell 12 and at least a portion of the inner lining 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer shell 12 and a portion of the inner lining 15 form the pocket 20. In one form, a separate structure is positioned between the outer shell 12 and the inner lining 16 to form the pocket 20. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that other forms of the pocket 20 are also contemplated.

In one form, the pocket 20 is accessed via a bladder opening 22, as best seen in FIG. 4. While the bladder opening 22 is illustrated in FIG. 4 as being located on the outer shell 12, it should be understood that the bladder opening 22 may also be positioned elsewhere on the garment 10, such as on the inner lining 16.

A liquid-fillable bladder 24 may be positioned in the pocket 20 via the opening 22. In this regard, the bladder 24 may take the form of a conventional bladder, such as illustrated in FIG. 2. In one form, such as shown in FIG. 4, the bladder 24 includes securing structure, such as tabs 26. Further, the bladder 24 may include a quick disconnect structure 28 whereby a tube 30 may be connected to the bladder 24. The quick disconnect 28 may be used to fill and dispense water from the bladder 24. It should be understood that other connections and openings on the bladder may be present for filling, venting and the like of the bladder 24. At the opposing end of the tube 30, a dispenser, such as a bite valve 32 which may be operated by the user to dispense liquid when desired. Other forms of dispensers are also contemplated as understood by those skilled in the art.

In one form, the bladder opening 22 may include a closure 34 such as zipper 36 as shown in FIG. 4 or hook and loop fasteners (not shown) to secure the opening. In this regard, the closure 34 may be used to selectively close the opening 22 to help further secure the bladder 24 in the pocket 20. Further, it should be understood that the closure may take other forms.

When positioned within the pocket 20, the bladder 24 may be secured therein such as through the use of the tabs 26 in combination with other securing structure in the pocket 20, such as hooks 40. Other forms of securing structure may also be used to maintain the position of the bladder 24 in the pocket 20, such as hook and loop fasteners, elastic bands, strapping and the like.

The tube 30 may be positioned throughout the garment 10 such that the tube 30 exits the garment 10 at an opening, such as at collar opening 42, as best seen in FIG. 5B. In one form, the tube 30 is positioned on the interior side of the garment 10. Further, the tube may be substantially enclosed, such as between the outer shell 12 and the inner lining 14. In this regard, additional layers, such as layers of insulation may also be placed around the tube 30 to prevent liquid from freezing therein. Furthermore, instead of utilizing the inner liner 14 to enclose the tube, an additional length of material may be sewn into the garment 10 to create a channel for the tube to be contained within and to help maintain the position of the tube 30. The channel or enclosure for the tube 30 may also be lined with a low friction material to permit the tube 30 to slide easily within the enclosure. While collar opening 42 is illustrated, it should be understood that the opening may be placed in other locations on the garment as desired. For example, the opening may be placed on a chest portion of the garment, on a sleeve of the garment 10 or the like as understood by those skilled in the art.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, in one form, the bladder 24 is positioned at a back portion 44 of the garment 10 such that the tube 30 must travel from the back portion 44 towards a front portion 46 of the garment 10. In this regard, as shown in FIG. 3, the tube 30 travels from the back portion 44, along the side of the garment 10 such that the tube 30 would pass under the arm of the user when the garment 10 is being worn. Alternatively, the tube 30 could be positioned such that it passes over the should of the user when the garment 10 is being worn. In another form, the bladder 24 may be positioned at other locations on the garment 10, such as at the front portion 46. In this regard, the tube 30 may similarly be positioned from the bladder 24 to exit at any desired location on the garment 10.

The garment 10 may also include a retracting mechanism 50, such as show in FIG. 1. The retracting mechanism 50 may be used to help retract the tube 30 back into the opening, such as collar opening 42, when the tube 30 is not in use. In one form, the retracting mechanism 50 is a cord 52 having a first end 54 secured to a portion of the tube 30 and a second end 56 extending from a bottom portion 58 of the outer shell 12. As seen in FIGS. 5B-C and FIG. 6, as the retracting mechanism 50 is pulled downwardly by the second end 56, the first end 54 pulls the tube 30 such that it is pulled back into the collar opening 42. Therefore, in this regard, the tube 30 is not loosely dangling from the garment 10 when not in use. It should be understood that other forms of retracting mechanisms are also contemplated that would function to retract the tube 30. Also, in one form, the collar opening 42 is sized such that an end of the tube 30, for example having bite valve 32 does not easily pass through the collar opening 42 when the tube 30 is being retracted. Therefore, this may help prevent the tube 30 from accidentally being pulled completely back through the collar opening 42. However, in one form, the tube 30 and/or bite valve 32 may still be permitted to pass through the collar opening 42 by manipulating the collar opening 42 and/or the orientation of the bite valve 32, such as when the tube 30 is being replaced or otherwise maintained.

As shown in FIGS. 5A-C, in one form, the garment 10 also includes a flap 60 which can be used to substantially cover the opening, such as collar opening 42 when the tube 30 is not in use. In this regard, the tube 30 may be retracted back through the opening 42 as discussed previously. Once the tube 30 and/or bite valve 32 have been retracted, the flap 60 may be positioned over the tube 30 and/or bite valve 32 and secured via fasteners 62, such as snaps 64, buttons, zippers, hook and loop fasteners and the like.

As mentioned previously, the bladder 24 may be removable from the garment 10 so that liquid may be easily added to the bladder 24. Further, the tube 30 may also be removable from the garment 10 so that the tube 30 can be replaced, cleaned or otherwise maintained. In this regard, the garment 10 may include a guide string extending from the pocket 20 to the collar opening 42 to help guide the tube 30. Similarly, the inner lining 16 may include one or more openings so that a user may help guide the tube 30 from the pocket 20 to the collar opening 42 or other opening.

It should be understood that the actual operation of the bladder 24, tube 30 and bite valve 32 for providing liquid to a user are well understood. In this regard, the bladder may provide liquid as a result of gravity, pressure and the like from the bladder 24.

Further, it should be understood that the garment 10 and associated components may be made from a variety of different materials. For example, the garment 10, including the outer shell 12 and inner lining 16 may be made of conventional materials including, but not limited to, cotton, polyester and the like. Further, these materials may be provided with additional coatings such as water resistant and wind resistant coatings. The bladder 24, tube 30 and bite valve 32 may similarly be made from conventional water proof materials as understood by those skilled in the art.

Additionally, it should be understood that the garment 10 may also include other features such as a hood, sleeve cuffs, pockets, additional closures and the like.

The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.

Claims

1. A wearable garment comprising:

an outer shell having an interior surface;

an inner lining positioned adjacent at least a portion of the interior surface of the outer shell;

a pocket located between the outer shell and at least a portion of the inner lining;

a liquid-fillable bladder removably positioned in the pocket;

a bladder opening in the outer shell permitting the bladder to be removed from the pocket, the bladder opening including a closure to selectively seal the bladder opening; and

a tube extending from the bladder and through a tube opening such that a user can withdraw liquid from the bladder via the tube.

2. The wearable garment of claim 1 wherein the closure is a zipper.

3. The wearable garment of claim 1 wherein the closure is a hook and loop fastener.

4. The wearable garment of claim 1 further comprising a retracting mechanism operably coupled to the tube to retract the tube tack through the tube opening.

5. The wearable garment of claim 1 wherein the tube is substantially located between the outer shell and the inner lining.

6. The wearable garment of claim 1 wherein the liquid-fillable bladder is removable from the pocket.

7. A wearable garment comprising:

an outer shell defining an interior side of the garment, the outer shell including a bottom portion;

an inner lining positioned on the interior side of the garment;

a liquid-fillable bladder positioned between the outer shell and the inner lining;

a tube extending from the bladder and positioned on the interior side of the garment;

an opening located on the outer shell permitting a portion of the tube to extend therethrough such that a user can withdraw liquid from the bladder via the tube; and

a retracting mechanism operably coupled to the tube, the retracting mechanism having an end extending from the bottom of the outer shell such that a user can pull on the end to retract a portion of the tube back through the opening.

8. The wearable garment of claim 7 wherein the retracting mechanism is a cord having a first end secured to a portion of the tube and a second end extending from the bottom of the outer shell.

9. The wearable garment of claim 7 further comprising a bladder opening in the outer shell permitting the liquid-fillable bladder to be selectively removed from the garment.

10. The wearable garment of claim 7 wherein the tube is substantially located between the outer shell and inner lining.

11. The wearable garment of claim 7 wherein the opening in the outer shell is positioned adjacent a collar of the garment.

12. The wearable garment of claim 11 further comprising a flap positioned adjacent the opening in the outer shell to substantially cover a portion of the tube when the tube is not in use.

13. A wearable garment comprising:

an outer shell defining an interior side of the garment, the outer shell including a collar portion;

an inner lining positioned on the interior side of the garment;

a pocket positioned between the outer shell and at least a portion of the inner lining;

a liquid-fillable bladder positioned in the pocket;

a tube extending from the bladder and positioned on the interior side of the garment; and

a collar opening permitting a portion of the tube to extend therethrough such that a user can withdraw liquid from the bladder via the tube.

14. The wearable garment of claim 13 further comprising a retracting mechanism having a cord with a first end secured to a portion of the tube and a second end extending from a bottom of the outer shell.

15. The wearable garment of claim 13 further comprising a bladder opening in the outer shell permitting the liquid-fillable bladder to be selectively removed from the garment.

16. The wearable garment of claim 13 wherein the tube is substantially located between the outer shell and inner lining.

17. The wearable garment of claim 13 further comprising a flap positioned adjacent the opening in the outer shell to substantially cover a portion of the tube when the tube is not in use.

18. The wearable garment of claim 17 further comprising a fastener on the flap to secure the flap, the fastener including at least one of a snap, a button, a zipper and a hook and loop fastener.

19. The wearable garment of claim 13 further comprising a guide string extending from the pocket towards collar opening to guide the tube to the collar opening.