Personal hydration system with component connectivity

Abstract

Personal hydration systems that include a fluid reservoir and may be housed within a pack. Drink fluid is drawn from the reservoir through a drink tube to a mouthpiece. In some embodiments, the hydration system includes a manually actuated on/off valve, a filter, a pump, a quick-connect assembly, and/or a bite-actuated mouthpiece. The quick-connect assembly fluidly interconnects components of the hydration system and is configured to quickly release, and permit reattachment of, the detached components or replacement components, which may enable different performance from the detached components. In some embodiments, the on/off valve is integrated with an exit port of the reservoir. In some embodiments, the valve is positioned downstream of the exit port. In some embodiments, at least a portion, if not the entire, hydration system is formed from at least one chemically resistant material. In some embodiments, the reservoir is formed from a heat-sealable and/or multilaminate material.

1 . A personal hydration system, comprising: 
 a flexible fluid reservoir having a body portion with an internal compartment adapted to receive a volume of drink fluid;    an exit port connected to the body portion of the reservoir and in fluid communication with the internal compartment of the body portion; wherein the exit port includes an inlet in fluid communication with the internal compartment, and an outlet, and a fluid passage that extends between the inlet and the outlet; wherein the exit port further includes a manually actuated on/off valve that is adapted to be selectively configured between open and closed configurations responsive to forces applied by a user; wherein in the open configuration, drink fluid may flow from the inlet to the outlet of the exit port through the fluid passage; and further wherein in the closed configuration the on/off valve restricts drink fluid from flowing through the fluid passage from the inlet to the outlet; and    an elongate downstream assembly extending in fluid communication with the outlet of the exit port to define a fluid conduit through which drink fluid may flow from the compartment, through the exit port, and through the downstream assembly for drinking by a user, wherein the downstream assembly comprises a plurality of fluidly interconnected components that include at least a length of flexible drink tubing and a bite-actuated mouthpiece; wherein the bite-actuated mouthpiece is adapted to dispense drink fluid to a user's mouth upon receipt of user-applied compressive forces to the mouthpiece.    
     
     
         2 . The personal hydration system of  claim 1 , wherein the on/off valve includes a valve body through which the fluid passage extends; and further wherein the on/off valve includes a valve member that is selectively positioned relative to the valve body to configure the on/off valve between the open and closed configurations.  
     
     
         3 . The personal hydration system of  claim 2 , wherein the valve member includes a rotatable core that is coupled for rotatable movement relative to the valve body.  
     
     
         4 . The personal hydration system of  claim 3 , wherein the core includes at least one aperture that is selectively aligned with the fluid passage.  
     
     
         5 . The personal hydration system of  claim 1 , wherein the exit port includes a male coupling member having a hollow shaft that includes a tip, and further wherein the fluid passage extends through the shaft and the tip includes at least a portion of the outlet.  
     
     
         6 . The personal hydration system of  claim 5 , wherein the male coupling member includes a mount adapted to receive an end region of the length of flexible drink tubing.  
     
     
         7 . The personal hydration system of  claim 5 , wherein the exit port further includes a female coupling member having a body with an opening sized to receive at least the tip of the male coupling member; wherein the opening is in fluid communication with a cavity that extends through the female coupling member to a region distal the opening that includes an exit port through which drink fluid may selectively flow from the exit port of the female coupling member into the downstream assembly; wherein the exit port further includes a lock member adapted to releasably and fluidly interconnect a male coupling member and a female coupling member; wherein the lock member is selectively configured between a locked configuration, in which the lock member is configured to retain the male and the female coupling members in fluid interconnection with each other, and an unlocked configuration, in which the lock member is configured to permit the male coupling member to be selectively removed from and inserted into the cavity of the female coupling member; and further wherein the lock member is biased to the locked configuration.  
     
     
         8 . The personal hydration system of  claim 7 , wherein the lock member includes at least one release member adapted to configure the lock member to release the portion of the male coupling member upon receipt of a user-applied force to the release member, and further wherein the female coupling member includes at least one aperture through which the at least one release member at least partially extends.  
     
     
         9 . The personal hydration system of  claim 7 , wherein the lock member includes a resilient lock ring coupled to the female coupling member and including a passage extending therethrough, wherein the lock ring is adapted to selectively engage and prevent removal of the shaft of the male coupling member when the shaft of the male coupling member is at least partially inserted into the passage, wherein the lock ring is selectively deformable between an unlocked configuration, in which the tip of the male coupling member may pass through the passage, and a locked configuration, in which the tip of the male coupling member may not pass through the passage.  
     
     
         10 . The personal hydration system of  claim 9 , wherein the lock ring is adapted to be configured between the locked and the unlocked configurations without requiring rotational movement of the lock ring relative to the female coupling member.  
     
     
         11 . The personal hydration system of  claim 9 , wherein the shaft of the male coupling member includes a region of reduced cross-sectional area bounded by a pair of regions of greater cross-sectional area than the region of reduced cross-sectional area; wherein the region of reduced cross-sectional area is sized such that the region of reduced cross-sectional area may extend within the passage with the regions of greater cross-sectional area on respective sides of the lock ring; wherein when the lock ring is in the locked configuration, the regions of greater cross-sectional area cannot fit through the passage; and further wherein the lock ring is adapted to deflect from its locked configuration to its unlocked configuration upon urging of one of the regions of greater cross-sectional area through the passage.  
     
     
         12 . The personal hydration system of  claim 11 , wherein the tip of the male coupling member defines one of the regions of greater cross-sectional area.  
     
     
         13 . The personal hydration system of  claim 11 , wherein upon insertion of the one of the regions of greater cross-sectional area through the passage, the lock ring is biased to automatically return toward the locked configuration to seat the lock ring upon the region of reduced cross-sectional area of the male coupling member.  
     
     
         14 . The personal hydration system of  claim 1 , wherein the reservoir further includes a selectively sealable fill port having an opening through which drink fluid may be added to or removed from the compartment.  
     
     
         15 . The personal hydration system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fluidly interconnected components further includes at least one additional component selected from at least the group consisting of one or more of another length of hollow drink tubing through which drink fluid may flow, an on/off valve adapted to selectively obstruct the fluid conduit and prevent drink fluid from flowing therethrough, a filter adapted to selectively remove impurities from the drink fluid flowing therethrough, and a gas mask fitting adapted to fluidly interconnect a quick-connect assembly with an intake tube of a gas mask.  
     
     
         16 . The personal hydration system of  claim 1 , further comprising a pack into which the reservoir is received and from which at least a portion of the downstream assembly is adapted to extend.  
     
     
         17 . The personal hydration system of  claim 1 , wherein the reservoir is formed from a flexible chemically resistant material.  
     
     
         18 . The hydration system of  claim 1 , wherein the reservoir is adapted to be chemically resistant, such that drink fluid may remain in the downstream assembly when the downstream assembly is exposed to a chemical agent present in a concentration of 10 g/m 2  for 24 hours without more than a maximum acceptable amount of the chemical agent penetrating the downstream assembly and contacting the drink fluid.  
     
     
         19 . The hydration system of  claim 18 , wherein the chemical agent includes mustard blister agent and the maximum acceptable amount is 0.047 mg/L.  
     
     
         20 . The hydration system of  claim 18 , wherein the chemical agent includes sarin nerve agent and the maximum acceptable amount is 0.0093 mg/L.