Water container with floatable filter system and method
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B01D-033/74
C02F-001/00
B01D-035/05
B01D-033/01
B01D-024/00
출원번호
US-0598234
(2017-05-17)
등록번호
US-10118113
(2018-11-06)
발명자
/ 주소
Shotey, Marcus J.
Swanson, Jason
Daniel, David M.
Reed, Daniel
출원인 / 주소
Bonvi Water, Inc.
대리인 / 주소
Booth Udall Fuller, PLC
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
11
초록▼
A portable drinking water filter system, such as a pitcher, having a sleeve and a floatable body including a filter opening configured to receive a water filter, the floatable body having a seal extending outward from an outer surface of the floatable body. The floatable body is disposed in a sleeve
A portable drinking water filter system, such as a pitcher, having a sleeve and a floatable body including a filter opening configured to receive a water filter, the floatable body having a seal extending outward from an outer surface of the floatable body. The floatable body is disposed in a sleeve cavity such that a body seal engages the sidewall and restricts water from passing between the floatable body and the sidewall. The seal is configured to create friction with the sidewall, wherein the friction created when the floatable body rises in the sleeve is different than when the floatable body lowers in the sleeve. The friction created when the floatable body rises in the sleeve is greater than when the floatable body lowers in the sleeve, allowing the floatable body to auto-retract toward a cavity base without burping.
대표청구항▼
1. A portable water pitcher comprising: a floatable body surrounding a filter opening adapted to receive and engage a replaceable water filter therein, the floatable body having a seal extending outward of an outer surface of the floatable body; anda pitcher having an upper end and a base opposite t
1. A portable water pitcher comprising: a floatable body surrounding a filter opening adapted to receive and engage a replaceable water filter therein, the floatable body having a seal extending outward of an outer surface of the floatable body; anda pitcher having an upper end and a base opposite the upper end, the base and the upper end joined by an outer wall, the pitcher defining a first cavity;a removable sleeve positioned within the pitcher and extending from the upper end to proximate the base of the pitcher, the sleeve defining a second cavity within the pitcher and comprising one or more sidewalls continuously surrounding the second cavity, the sleeve having a top open end and a bottom open end;a spout formed by the one or more sidewalls of the removable sleeve and the outer wall of the pitcher, the spout extending from adjacent the base of the pitcher to adjacent the upper end of the pitcher, the spout defining an exit opening located adjacent the upper end and an inlet opening located adjacent the base, wherein the inlet opening of the spout is in fluid communication with the bottom end of the sleeve and receives water from the second cavity of the sleeve;wherein the floatable body is disposed in the second cavity with the seal engaging the one or more sidewalls to restrict water from passing between the floatable body and the one or more sidewalls as the floatable body moves from a raised position adjacent the top end of the sleeve to a lowered position adjacent the bottom open end of the sleeve; andwherein as a function of water dispensing through the spout, the floatable body auto-retracts towards the base while maintaining the engagement of the seal with the one or more sidewalls and an orientation of the floatable body in relation to the base as the pitcher is tipped to pour water from the spout. 2. The portable water pitcher of claim 1, wherein the auto-retraction of the floatable body is in reaction to a pressure differential created between air above the floatable body in the second cavity and water below the floatable body in the second cavity. 3. The portable water pitcher of claim 1, wherein the auto-retraction of the floatable body is in a direction away from the exit opening of the spout. 4. The portable water pitcher of claim 3, wherein the base of the pitcher is located above the exit opening of the spout at the upper opening when the floatable body auto-retracts away from the upper opening towards the base when the pitcher is tipped to pour water from the spout. 5. The portable water pitcher of claim 4, wherein the seal of the floatable body is located above the bottom end of the sleeve after the floatable body has been auto-retracted to the base. 6. The portable water pitcher of claim 5, wherein the floatable body has a planar bottom surface and the sleeve has a planar bottom surface, the planar surfaces located parallel to one another and remain parallel as the floatable body auto-retracts towards the base when the pitcher is tipped to pour water from the spout. 7. The portable water pitcher of claim 6, wherein the floatable body fills a portion of the bottom open end as the floatable body auto-retracts towards the base. 8. The portable water pitcher of claim 1, wherein the top open end of the sleeve is proximate the upper end of the pitcher and the bottom open end of the sleeve is in contact with the base. 9. The portable water pitcher of claim 1, wherein the second cavity fills a majority of the first cavity. 10. The portable water pitcher of claim 1, the first cavity having a first volume and the second cavity having a second volume, wherein the second volume fills at least 70% of the first volume. 11. The portable water pitcher of claim 10, wherein the second volume fills at least 85% of the first volume. 12. The portable water pitcher of claim 1, wherein one of the bottom open end of the sleeve and the pitcher base comprises a protrusion, and an other of the bottom open end of the sleeve and the pitcher base is mated with the protrusion. 13. The portable water pitcher of claim 1, wherein the pitcher engages the sleeve proximate at least one of the top open end and the bottom open end of the sleeve. 14. The portable water pitcher of claim 1, further comprising a removable lid coupled to the upper end of the pitcher and the top open end of the sleeve. 15. The portable water pitcher of claim 1, wherein the floatable body having a volume within the floatable body and the second cavity having a volume within the second cavity, wherein the ratio of the floatable body volume to the second cavity volume being within the range of ⅛ to ½. 16. The portable water pitcher of claim 1: wherein the seal has a first portion configured to engage the floatable body and a second portion extending outwardly and configured to engage the one or more sleeve sidewalls and restrict water from passing between the floatable body and the one or more sleeve sidewalls;wherein the second portion comprises an arm, a distal tapered tip coupled to the arm, and a bridge coupled to the arm through a hinge portion opposite the tapered tip and also coupled to the first portion opposite the hinge portion;wherein the hinge portion is configured to allow the second portion to bend about the hinge portion such that the tapered tip engages the one or more sleeve sidewalls at a second angle relative to the floatable body when the floatable body rises, and a first angle when the floatable body lowers; andwherein the tapered tip is configured to create friction with the one or more sleeve sidewalls, wherein the friction created when the floatable body rises in the sleeve is different from the friction created when the floatable body lowers in the sleeve. 17. A portable water pitcher comprising: a floatable body surrounding a filter opening adapted to receive and engage a replaceable water filter therein, the floatable body having a seal extending outward of an outer surface of the floatable body; anda pitcher having an upper end, a sidewall defining a cavity, a lid, and a base opposite the upper end, the pitcher further having an inner wall and an outer wall defining a channel, the channel including an exit opening located adjacent the upper end and an inlet opening located adjacent the base;wherein the floatable body is disposed in the cavity with the seal engaging the sidewall of the cavity to restrict water from passing between the sidewall and the floatable body as the floatable body moves between a first position and a second position; andwherein as a result of water dispensing through the exit opening of the channel, the floatable body auto-retracts away from the lid towards the base while maintaining the engagement of the seal with the sidewall and an orientation of the floatable body in relation to the base as the pitcher is tipped to pour water from the channel. 18. The portable water pitcher of claim 17, wherein the auto-retraction of the floatable body is in a direction away from the exit opening of the channel. 19. The portable water pitcher of claim 18, wherein the base of the pitcher is located above the exit opening of the channel when the floatable body auto-retracts away from the lid towards the base when the pitcher is tipped to pour water from the channel. 20. The portable water pitcher of claim 19, wherein the inner wall has a terminal end that is spaced a distance from the base and defines a passageway in fluid communication with the inlet opening of the channel, the floatable body reduces the size of the passageway as the floatable body auto-retracts towards the base. 21. The portable water pitcher of claim 20, wherein the seal of the floatable body is located above the terminal end after the floatable body has been retracted to the base. 22. The portable water pitcher of claim 21, wherein the floatable body has a planar bottom surface and the base has a planar bottom surface, the planar surfaces located parallel to one another and remaining parallel as the floatable body auto-retracts toward the base when the pitcher is tipped to pour water from the channel. 23. The portable water pitcher of claim 21, wherein the floatable body further comprises at least one contact point on a surface of the floatable body that is vertically spaced from the seal by more than half a distance between a top surface of the floatable seal and a bottom surface of the floatable seal. 24. A method of filtering water, comprising: disposing a removable sleeve in a first cavity of a container, the container having a handle, an upper end, a pour lip, one or more pitcher sidewalls, and a pitcher base opposite the upper end together defining the first cavity, and the removable sleeve having an upper opening, one or more sleeve sidewalls, and a lower opening in the one or more sleeve sidewalls proximate a lower end of the sleeve opposite the upper opening together defining a second cavity;securing an interchangeable water filter within a filter opening of a floatable body, the floatable body surrounding the filter opening and having a seal extending outward of an outer surface of the floatable body;disposing the floatable body within the sleeve such that the seal is engaged with the one or more sleeve sidewalls and restricts water from passing between the floatable body and the one or more sleeve sidewalls while the floatable body remains moveable within the second cavity between a first position proximate the pitcher base to a second position proximate the sleeve upper opening;filling a portion of the second cavity above the floatable body with unfiltered water deposited through the upper opening;dispensing filtered water by tipping the pitcher, pouring the filtered water from the second cavity below the floatable body through a channel formed by a void between the container and the sleeve, the channel extending from the second cavity through the lower opening of the sleeve to the pour lip proximate the upper end of the container;refilling the portion of the second cavity above the floatable body with unfiltered water after the all filtered water has been dispensed and the floatable body has auto-retracted to the first position in response to the dispensing of all filtered water;wherein filtered water is deposited into the second cavity below the floatable body after passing through the water filter as the floatable body moves within the sleeve toward the second position in response to a first pressure differential within the second cavity created by water filtering from above the floatable body to below the floatable body; andwherein the floatable body auto-retracts toward the first position, while maintaining engagement with the one more sleeve sidewalls and relative orientation in relation to the pitcher base, in response to a second pressure differential within the second cavity created by pouring filtered water from the second cavity through the channel by tipping the pitcher, wherein the auto-retraction toward the first position is a result of the pouring of filtered water and in a direction opposite a direction of the filtered water moving through the channel to the pour lip. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising coupling a removable lid to the upper end and the upper opening. 26. The method of claim 24, wherein one of the lower end of the sleeve and the pitcher base comprises a protrusion, and wherein disposing the removable sleeve in the first cavity of the container further comprises mating the other of the lower end of the sleeve and the pitcher base with the protrusion.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (11)
Milne, John D., Apparatus for buoyancy driven filtration.
Harris, Jordan; Rogers, Roo; Behar, Yves; Morenstein, Joshua; Beaulieu, Serge; Olson, Jennifer, Bottle with an integrated filtration assembly that is manually operated using a plunger.
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