초록 ▼

A flexible water bottle is provided that includes an approach for filtering unfiltered water within the bottle. The bottle includes a filter assembly located within the cap of the bottle such that the filter assembly need not descend into the bottle cavity when the cap is screwed on, thereby not dis

A flexible water bottle is provided that includes an approach for filtering unfiltered water within the bottle. The bottle includes a filter assembly located within the cap of the bottle such that the filter assembly need not descend into the bottle cavity when the cap is screwed on, thereby not displacing water while screwing on the cap. The filter assembly has an axial flow orientation. An illustrated filter assembly includes paper filters covering the upper and lower ends and can include an activated charcoal filter in between the paper filters. Water is filtered when pressure generated by squeezing the bottle forces water from the bottle cavity through the filter along an axial flow path and out through a spout.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A reusable portable bottle having filtering capability, comprising: a hollow container component, said container component including a relatively rigid neck portion surrounding an open mouth portion and positioned above a flexible body portion that is squeezable to redu

The invention claimed is: 1. A reusable portable bottle having filtering capability, comprising: a hollow container component, said container component including a relatively rigid neck portion surrounding an open mouth portion and positioned above a flexible body portion that is squeezable to reduce total volume of the body portion; a cap component having a spout, said hollow container component and said cap component include respective interengaging members so as to secure said cap component to said hollow container component; said hollow container component and said cap component each have an external surface and an internal surface, each internal surface being substantially cylindrical and substantially coaxial with the hollow container component and with the cap component; a filter assembly; said filter assembly is removably and replacably slidably secured to said interior surface of the hollow container component and of the cap component so as to be inside said neck while remaining outside said flexible body portion of the hollow container component when said cap component is secured to said hollow container component; said filter assembly includes a hollow shell having an open central chamber having two generally opposing open ends; said filter assembly includes a primary filter located inside said open central chamber; a first of said open ends being adjacent said spout and being closed by a secondary filter, said secondary filter being secured to said first open end by a first retainer, a second one of said open ends being closed by a further secondary filter, said further secondary filter being secured to said second open end by a second retainer; said filter assembly has an axial flow characteristic whereby water present in said flexible body portion of the container component moves, in response to digital squeezing pressure on the external surface of the hollow container component, through said secondary filter, then through said primary filter and then through said further secondary filter, and the water then exits the bottle through said spout; the first retainer of the filter assembly has an outer circumference, a groove in its outer circumference, and an O-ring situated in the groove, and said O-ring engages said internal surface of the cap component whereby pushing movement and pulling movement respectively slidably secure and remove the filter assembly onto or from the internal surface of the cap component; and the second retainer of the filter assembly has an outer circumference, a groove in its outer circumference, and an O-ring situated in the groove, and said O-ring engages said internal surface of the hollow container component, whereby pushing movement and pulling movement respectively slidably secure and remove the filter assembly onto or from the internal surface of the hollow container. 2. The reusable portable bottle of claim 1, wherein the second retainer assembly has a handle depending therefrom in the direction of the flexible body portion. 3. The reusable portable bottle of claim 1, wherein at least one of the secondary filters comprises a paper fabric. 4. The reusable portable bottle of claim 1, wherein at least one of the secondary filters comprises a polymer foam. 5. The reusable portable bottle of claim 1, wherein said primary filter comprises activated carbon. 6. The reusable portable bottle of claim 1, wherein the first retainer assembly sealingly engages a portion of an assembly supporting said spout. 7. The reusable portable bottle of claim 1, wherein each of said filter assembly and the internal surface of said cap component has in interference member, and said interference members engage each other for securing the filter assembly within the cap component. 8. The reusable portable bottle of claim 1, wherein said neck portion of the hollow container component includes an upstanding generally cylindrical wall having an inwardly directed rim that defines a shelf surface onto which said filter assembly rests. 9. A reusable portable bottle having filtering capability, comprising: a hollow container component, said container component including a relatively rigid neck portion surrounding an open mouth portion and positioned above a flexible body portion that is squeezable to reduce total volume of the body portion; a cap component having a spout, said hollow container component and said cap component include respective interengaging members so as to secure said cap component to said hollow container component; said hollow container component and said cap component each have an external surface and an internal surface, each internal surface being substantially cylindrical and substantially coaxial with the hollow container component and with the cap component; a filter assembly; said filter assembly is removably and replacably slidably secured to said interior surface of the hollow container component and of the cap component so as to be inside said neck while remaining outside said flexible body portion of the hollow container component when said cap component is secured to said hollow container component; said filter assembly includes a hollow shell having an open central chamber having two generally opposing open ends; said filter assembly including a primary filter located inside said open central chamber, said primary filter including activated carbon with silver; a first of said open ends being adjacent said spout and being closed by a secondary filter, said secondary filter being secured to said first open end by a first retainer, a second one of said open ends being closed by a further secondary filter, said further secondary filter being secured to said second open end by a second retainer, said secondary filters being selected from the group consisting of nylon-reinforced paper and polyurethane foam; said filter assembly has an axial flow characteristic whereby water present in said flexible body portion of the container component moves, in response to digital squeezing pressure on the external surface of the hollow container component, through said secondary filter, then through said primary filter and then through said further secondary filter, and the water exits the bottle through said spout; the first retainer of the filter assembly has an outer circumference, a groove in its outer circumference, and an O-ring situated in the groove, and said O-ring engages said internal surface of the cap component whereby pushing movement and pulling movement respectively slidably secure and remove the filter assembly onto or from the internal surface of the cap component; and the second retainer of the filter assembly has an outer circumference, a groove in its outer circumference, and an O-ring situated in the groove, and said O-ring engages said internal surface of the hollow container component, whereby pushing movement and pulling movement respectively slidably secure and remove the filter assembly onto or from the internal surface of the hollow container. 10. The reusable portable bottle of claim 9, wherein the second retainer assembly has a handle depending therefrom in the direction of the flexible body portion. 11. The reusable portable bottle of claim 9, wherein the first retainer assembly sealingly engages a portion of an assembly supporting said spout. 12. The reusable portable bottle of claim 9, wherein each of said filter assembly and the internal surface of said cap component has in interference member, and said interference members engage each other for securing the filter assembly within the cap component. 13. The reusable portable bottle of claim 9, wherein said neck portion of the hollow container component includes an upstanding generally cylindrical wall having an inwardly directed rim that defines a shelf surface onto which said filter assembly rests. 14. A reusable portable bottle having filtering capability, comprising: a hollow container component, said container component including a relatively rigid neck portion surrounding an open mouth portion and positioned above a flexible body portion that is squeezable to reduce total volume of the body portion; a cap component having a spout, said hollow container component and said cap component include respective interengaging members so as to secure said cap component to said hollow container component; said hollow container component and said cap component each have an external surface and an internal surface, each internal surface being substantially cylindrical and substantially coaxial with the hollow container component and with the cap component; a filter assembly; said filter assembly is removably and releasably slidably secured to said interior surface of the hollow container component and of the cap component so as to be inside said neck while remaining outside said flexible body portion of the hollow container component when said cap component is secured to said hollow container component; said filter assembly includes a hollow shell having an open central chamber having two generally opposing open ends, said hollow shell having filter material within said open central chamber, said filter material being retained within said open central chamber by a first and a second retainer; said second retainer sealingly engages a portion of said neck portion of the container component to prevent passage of water therethrough; said filter assembly has an axial flow characteristic whereby water present in said flexible body portion of the container component moves, in response to digital squeezing pressure on the external surface of the flexible body portion of the hollow container component, along a water flow path through said filter material, and then through said spout; said filter assembly has an outer circumference, a first groove in its outer circumference, and an O-ring situated in the first groove, and said O-ring engages said internal surface of the cap component, whereby pushing movement and pulling movement respectively slidably secure and remove the filter assembly onto or from the internal surface of the cap component; and said filter assembly outer circumference has a second groove and a second O-ring is situated in the second groove, and said O-ring engages said internal surface of the hollow container component, whereby pushing movement and pulling movement respectively slidably secure and remove the filter assembly onto or from the internal surface of the hollow container. 15. The reusable portable bottle of claim 14, wherein said neck portion of the hollow container component includes an upstanding generally cylindrical wall having an inwardly directed rim that defines a shelf surface onto which said filter assembly rests. 16. The reusable portable bottle of claim 14, wherein the first retainer sealingly engages a portion of an assembly supporting said spout. 17. The reusable portable bottle of claim 14, wherein each of said filter assembly and the internal surface of said cap component has in interference member, and said interference members engage each other for securing the filter assembly within the cap component. 18. A filter assembly for a reusable portable bottle, comprising: a filter assembly being adapted to be removably and replacably slidably secured to an interior surface of both a cap portion and a hollow container portion of a reusable portable bottle; said filter assembly including a cylindrical body having an open central chamber having two open ends, a first of said open ends being closed by a first filter, said first filter being secured to said first open end by a first retainer, a second of two open ends being closed by a second filter, said second filter being secured to said second open end by a second retainer; said filter assembly including a third filter located inside said open central chamber; a curved handle depends from said second retainer in a direction away from said filter assembly; the first retainer has an outer circumference, a groove in its outer circumference, and an O-ring situated in the groove, the O-ring extending radially beyond the filter assembly adequate to engage the bottle cap portion to effect the removable and replaceable slidable securement to the cap portion interior surface; and the second retainer has an outer circumference, a groove in its outer circumference, and an O-ring situated in the groove, this O-ring extending radially beyond the filter assembly adequate to engage the hollow container portion to effect the removable and replacable slidable securement to the hollow container interior surface. 19. The filter assembly of claim 18, wherein the first and second filters are selected from the group consisting of a paper fabric and a polymer foam. 20. The filter assembly of claim 18, wherein the third filter comprises activated carbon.