Water belt

Abstract

The water belt is a flat, lightweight foam belt having a sufficient length to encircle a person's waist. A plurality of releasable fasteners, such as hook and loop fasteners or snap fasteners, are affixed along the length of the belt. Small plastic bottles are held onto the water belt using the fasteners. In this manner a user may access the plastic bottles and rehydrate when exercising. The water belt may also be integrated into the waist of a pair of athletic shorts or the waist portion of an athletic shirt. An alternative embodiment reinforces an athletic shirt with vertical straps that extend below the waist of an athletic shirt for attachment to a pair of shorts and provide support for one or more small water bottles removably attached to the shoulders of the athletic shirt.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/625,576, filed Nov. 8, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a water belt, and particularly to a lightweight belt capable of supporting one or more small water bottles in order to hydrate a user while exercising.

2. Description of the Related Art

People that engage in exercise, such as jogging, running or walking, often carry water or other fluids with them to rehydrate themselves due to fluids lost during exercise. Although some people simply carry a water bottle in their hands, others choose to have the bottle attached to their person.

A variety of ideas have been put forward for apparatus to inexpensively and efficiently carry fluid while exercising. Examples include waist belts with attached water bottles, and more complicated systems in which a reservoir of fluid is accessed through a tube to the user's mouth. The apparatus currently in use have disadvantages, however. In the example of the waist belt systems, commonly one or two large water bottles are used that sit below a runner's center of gravity and impede the runner's exercise. Further, as a water bottle is emptied, the remaining water creates a free surface effect in the bottle as water sloshes back and forth. This free surface effect can hinder a runner's balance and performance.

Hydration systems utilizing reservoirs and bladders also have disadvantages. One disadvantage is that it is hard for a runner to control his or her intake of fluid. Since bladders and reservoirs can hold thirty-two ounces of fluid or more, a runner may inadvertently drink more water than they should and subject themselves to cramps. Hydration systems can also be bulky and expensive.

A water belt that is both lightweight and further allows a user to regulate the amount of their water consumption is needed. Thus, a water belt solving the above problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The water belt is a flat, lightweight foam belt having a sufficient length to encircle a person's waist. A plurality of fasteners, such as hooks and loop fasteners or snap fasteners, are affixed along the length of the belt. Small plastic bottles are held onto the water belt by the fasteners. In this manner a user may access the small water bottles and rehydrate when exercising. The fasteners may be used to affix another accessory, such as a cell phone or canister of pepper spray, which a user may require while exercising. The water belt may also be integrated into the waist of a pair of athletic shorts or the waist portion of an athletic shirt. An alternative embodiment of the water belt reinforces an athletic shirt with vertical straps that extend below the waist of an athletic shirt for attachment to a pair of shorts and that provide support for one or more small water bottles removably attached to the shoulders of the athletic shirt.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of a water belt according to the present invention having hook and loop fasteners.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of a water belt according to the present invention having snap fasteners.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a water bottle according to the present invention having hook and loop fasteners.

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of a cell phone featuring hook and loop fasteners for use with a water belt according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a water belt with water bottles shaped as a flower and a ladybug.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a water belt integrated into a pair of athletic shorts according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a water belt integrated into an athletic shirt according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an athletic shirt with straps and water bottle attachments according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is a water belt, a first embodiment of which is referred to generally as 10a in FIG. 1. The water belt 10a is a flat, lightweight foam strap 12 having a first end 14 and a second end 16. A buckle 18 is attached to the first end 14 and a series of apertures 20 are bored into the second end 16 to receive the tongue of the buckle 18. The strap 12 is of sufficient length to encircle a person's waist.

One or more small plastic bottles 22 are attached to the water belt 10a. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the belt 10a having one or more hook and loop fastener strips 24 affixed along the length of the water belt 10a. FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the water belt 10b that is substantially the same as belt 10a, but has a plurality of snap fasteners 26 affixed to the strap instead of hook and loop strips 24. The fasteners may also be raised away from the surface of the strap 12 to keep possible condensation on the plastic bottle 22 from reaching the user. Mating fasteners, such as hook and loop strips 24 or snap fasteners, are also affixed to one side of the plastic bottle 22, as shown in FIG. 3A. It is contemplated that other articles besides plastic bottles 22 can be attached to the water belt 10a or 10b according to the needs of the user. Examples include a cellular phone 40 (shown in FIG. 3B) or a canister of pepper spray. It is contemplated that the plastic bottles 22 are small and hold approximately three ounces of liquid. The small size of the plastic bottles 22 would allow a user to accurately monitor their fluid intake. Further, because a user would likely consume all three ounces of liquid at once, the free surface effect of a bottle of liquid sloshing back and forth on a user's waist would be eliminated. For aesthetic reasons, plastic bottles 22 could take unconventional shapes, such as a flower-shaped bottle 72 or a ladybug-shaped bottle 74, as seen in FIG. 4.

Another embodiment of the water belt integrates the water belt into an athletic garment. FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the water belt 10c integrally formed as part of a pair of athletic shorts 28. In FIG. 5, the water belt 10c is attached inside the waist of the athletic shorts 28 and the athletic shorts 28 are provided with openings 30 so that the hook and loop strips 24 or other releasable fasteners are available for the attachment of a plastic bottle 22. Similarly, a water belt 10d may be integrated into an athletic shirt 32, as shown in FIG. 6. The water belt 10d is attached inside the waist portion of the athletic shirt 32 and the athletic shirt 32 is provided with openings 30 so that the hook and loop strips 24 are available for the attachment of a plastic bottle 22. It is contemplated that the water belt 10c or 10d may be integrated into the inside or the outside of an athletic shirt 32 or pair of athletic shorts 28.

A further embodiment of the technology associated with the water belt can be seen in FIG. 7. An athletic shirt 32 has vertically positioned straps 34 stitched along the lower portion of the athletic shirt 32 that extend below the waist of the athletic shirt 32. The lower portion of the straps 34 are equipped with either hook and loop fasteners 24 or snap fasteners 26 and the vertical straps may extend below the waist of an athletic shirt for attachment to a pair of shorts, and provide support for one or more small water bottles removably attached to the shoulders of the athletic shirt. The hook and loop fasteners 24 or snap fasteners 26 on the straps 34 may also be attached to a water belt, as described in the first embodiment, above, to increase the rigidity of the athletic shirt 32.

The rigidity of the athletic shirt 32 is further increased by hard or supportive stitching 36 extending vertically upwards from the straps 34 to the shoulder area of the athletic shirt 32. Fitted to the shoulder area of the athletic shirt 32 are soft foam pads 38 that are also equipped with hook and loop fasteners 24 or snap fasteners 26. In this manner a plastic bottle 22 may be attached to the pads 38. Some users would prefer to have a plastic bottle 22 positioned above their center of gravity. The straps 34 and hard supportive stitching 36 keep the plastic bottle 22 from swaying due to a user's motion.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A water belt, comprising:

an elongated strap having a first end and a second end, the strap being dimensioned and configured to encircle a person's waist, the strap having a plurality of apertures longitudinally positioned along the second end;

a buckle attached to the first end of the strap, the strap and the buckle forming a belt;

a plurality of first releasable fasteners affixed along the length of the belt; and,

a plurality of plastic bottles, each of the bottles having at least one second releasable fastener affixed thereto releasably mating with at least one of said first releasable fasteners for attaching the bottles to the belt, the bottles being adapted for containing water.

2. The water belt of claim 1, wherein said first and second releasable fasteners comprise hook and loop fasteners.

3. The water belt of claim 1, wherein said first and second releasable fasteners comprise snap fasteners.

4. The water belt system of claim 3, wherein said snap fasteners are raised away from a surface of said strap sufficient to keep condensation on said bottles from reaching the user.

5. The water belt of claim 1, wherein each of said bottles has a capacity for holding a volume of about three ounces of liquid.

6. The water belt of claim 5, wherein said bottles are flower-shaped.

7. The water belt of claim 5, wherein said bottles have a shape simulating a lady bug.

8. The water belt according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of shorts having a waistband having a plurality openings defined therein, said strap being affixed to the waistband within the shorts with said plurality of first fasteners being accessible through the openings defined in the waistband for releasably mating said second fasteners to said first fasteners in order to attach the bottles to the shorts.

9. The water belt according to claim 1, further comprising a shirt having a lower portion defining a waist opening, the lower portion having a plurality of openings defined therein, said strap being affixed to the lower portion within the shirt with said plurality of first fasteners being accessible through the openings defined in the lower portion for releasably mating said second fasteners to said first fasteners in order to attach the bottles to the shirt.

10. The water belt according to claim 1, further comprising:

a shirt having an upper portion defining shoulders and a lower portion defining a waist opening;

a plurality of reinforcement straps extending from the shoulders of the shirt to below the waist opening;

a plurality of third releasable fasteners attached to the straps below the waist opening, the third releasable fasteners mating with the first releasable fasteners in order to attach said belt to the shirt;

a plurality of foam pads attached to the shoulders of the shirt; and

a plurality of fourth releasable fasteners attached to the foam pads, said second releasable fasteners mating with the fourth releasable fasteners in order to attach said bottles to the shoulders of the shirt.

11. The water belt according to claim 10, wherein said reinforcement straps are stitched to the shirt from the shoulders to the waist opening in order to prevent said bottles from swaying.

12. The water belt according to claim 1, wherein said elongated strap forming the belt is made from a foam material.

13. An athletic garment with attachable water bottles, comprising:

a shirt having an upper portion defining shoulders and a lower portion defining a waist opening;

a plurality of reinforcement straps extending from the shoulders of the shirt to below the waist opening;

a pair of shorts having a waistband and a plurality of first releasable fasteners attached to the waistband;

a plurality of plastic bottles, each of the bottles having at least one second releasable fastener affixed thereto, the bottles being adapted for holding water;

a plurality of third releasable fasteners attached to the reinforcement straps below the waist opening, the third releasable fasteners mating with the first releasable fasteners in order to attach the shirt to the shorts;

a plurality of foam pads attached to the shoulders of the shirt; and

a plurality of fourth releasable fasteners attached to the foam pads, the second releasable fasteners mating with the fourth releasable fasteners in order to attach the bottles to the shoulders of the shirt.

14. The athletic garment according to claim 13, wherein said reinforcement straps are stitched to the shirt from the shoulders to the waist opening in order to prevent said bottles from swaying.

15. The athletic garment according to claim 13, wherein each of said bottles has a capacity for holding a volume of about three ounces of liquid.