Integrated cooling and hydration vest

Abstract

An integrated cooling and hydration vest, incorporating a vest like structure made from liquid impervious material, the vest having at least one chamber formed therein, the chamber being structured into an upper section and a bottom section, a divider provided between the upper and bottom sections, at least one aperture provided through the divider to allow frozen material deposited within the upper section as it melts to gravitate into the bottom section during usage, and a syphoning device operative being associated with said chamber to allow the user to extract the melted liquid from the bottom section for consumption during usage.

Claims

1. A disposable integrated cooling and hydration vest, including a vest like structure made from a liquid impervious material, said vest as formed having at least one chamber formed therein, said chamber being structured into various segments, an upper section formed to hold frozen but meltable liquid material therein, and incorporating at least one upper edge closure, a bottom section formed to directly hold the liquid deposited by gravity from the melted liquid material provided within the upper section of said chamber, a divider permanently integrated between the said upper section and said bottom section of the chamber to separate the two sections, the upper section of the chamber is formed into two parts, and bifurcated as extending upwardly from the lower section of said vest chamber and to the upper edge of said upper section of said chamber, to allow for and accommodate the application to the upper chest and around the neck of the wearer when worn, there being at least one aperture provided through the divider separating the bifurcated upper section and said bottom section of the said chamber and provided for allowing the melted liquid to pass through the said aperture and into the bottom section of the chamber to allow accumulation of the melted liquid within said bottom section, a siphoning member being a straw member extending through the upper section and into the bottom section of said vest, an opening at a bottom end of said straw member approximate the bottom of the said bottom section, said straw member extending upwardly through the upper section and extending exteriorly approximate the location of the upper edge closure, to allow access of the wearer to extract liquid through said straw member for imbibing by the wearer of said vest, said siphoning member comprising said straw member operatively associated with said bottom section of said chamber and extending upwardly from said bottom section of said chamber of said vest and through said upper section of said chamber of said vest to allow the user to extract the melted liquid from the bottom section for consumption during usage.

2. The vest of claim 1, wherein said chamber is formed of a polymer.

3. The vest of claim 2, wherein said polymer is polyethylene film.

4. The vest of claim 1, and including a drawstring provided proximate the upper edge of the chamber, to allow for securement of the vest about the neck of the wearer in preparation for its usage.

5. The vest of claim 1, and including a drawstring provided proximate the lower edge of the chamber, to allow for the vest to be tightened about the waist of the wearer when worn.

6. The vest of claim 1 wherein said chamber, said upper and lower sections of said chamber, and said divider are formed by heat sealing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In referring to the drawings,

(2) FIG. 1 provides a front view of the integrated cooling and hydration vest of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(3) In referring to the drawings, in FIG. 1, therein is shown the integrated cooling and hydration vest 1 of this invention. It includes a vest-like structure, as noted, formed of a pair of layers of polymer material, having a front layer 2 and a back layer 3, sealed together around their edges 4 as can be noted. The sealing may be done by heat sealing, simply folding over the polymer layers onto each other, wherein the fold will form one side edge, and the heat sealing will be provided upon the opposite side edge, and along the bottom edge 5. The formed chamber 6 between the two layers has an upper section 7 and a lower section 8, and there is a divider or baffle 9 provided between the two sections of the chamber, for purposes to be subsequently described. In addition, the upper section 7 of the chamber may be bifurcated, as noted at 10 and 11, in order to provide clearance for the wearer's neck, as can be noted at N.

(4) It can be seen that the divider 9 has clearance areas, or apertures, provided laterally, as noted at 12, or it is just as likely that the apertures may be provided anywhere along the length of the divider 9, as can be understood.

(5) As previously summarized, the purpose of the various sections of the chamber, is to provide for the deposit of cubes of iced material, such as water, as generally noted at W, deposited through the upper edge 13 of the device, for locating within the upper section 7, as noted, and then as the ice melts, it can pass through the clearance areas or apertures 12, as noted, to deposit its cold liquid, such as water, into the bottom section 8, of the vest, as previously explained.

(6) It can be seen that the upper edges 13 of the vest may have means for opening and closing of the vest at this location, through the use of a Zip lock, or other forms of connector, as noted at 14, so that the upper edges 13 may be opened, have their iced material deposited therein, and then reclosed, so as to prevent any leakage from the vest at this location.

(7) In addition, it can be seen that there is a straw like means 15 that extends through the upper region of the vest, as noted at 16, and has an upper capped end 17 while the lower end of the straw like member 15 extends to the bottom of the lower section of the chamber, as noted at 18. Thus, when there is an accumulation of melted water or other fluids into the bottom of the chamber, the wearer of the vest may simply remove the cap 17, and suck such fluids up through the straw like member 15, to provide for hydration or rehydration of the wearer, during usage of this device.

(8) Hence, as can be understood, not only does the vest provide for cooling of the wearer, through the location of its ice or other material frozen cubes W, in the upper section of the chamber, while at the same time, eventually furnishing a means for rehydration, from the accumulation of melted fluids, such as water, in the bottom section 8 of the chamber, during its usage.

(9) It can be seen there are means for securement of the vest to the wearer. There is a neck drawstring 19 furnished at the upper end, and which may fit around the back of the neck of the wearer, and adjusted, as a drawstring, at that location. There is also a drawstring provided at the bottom, as noted at 20, and it can be tightened, around the waist or stomach of the wearer, to provide for contiguity of the vest against the front surface of the chest of the wearer, during its usage.

(10) It can also be seen that there may be a clearance area, as noted at 21 formed of the chamber, and has an extension as noted at 22 that extends downwardly within the vest, in order to provide flexibility of the vest, as it is fitted around the neck area of the wearer, in preparation for its usage and application.

(11) While the concept of the invention has been described, in the preferred embodiment, as utilizing polymer material, of the inexpensive type, so as to make the formed vest also disposable, it is just as likely that a more permanent type of vest can be constructed, from moisture resistant treated cloth, vinyl, or other more substantial material to make the vest more sustainable of usage. In addition, and while there is shown an upper section for the chamber, and a singular lower section for the vest chamber, it is just as likely that there may be a plurality of such compartments provided throughout the structure of the vest, in order to perhaps add ice cubes at one location, frozen fruit juice cubes at another location, and have separated lower sections for the chamber, so that the user can withdraw by one or more straws, operatively associated with each lower section, either ice water, fruit juice, or any other frozen material that has melted and deposited its fluids into the bottom of the shown vest.

(12) Variations or modifications to the subject matter of this invention may occur to those skilled in the art upon review of the disclosure as provided herein. Such variations, if within the spirit of this invention, are intended to be encompassed within the scope of any claims to patent protection issuing herein. The summarization of the invention as provided in this application, its specific description within the preferred embodiment, and its disclosure within the drawing, are set forth for illustrative purposes only.