The field of the invention is containers, more specifically, containers with pump and filter systems for water treatment.
The following background discussion includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Drinking water contamination is still a significant concern in many parts of the world. Drinking water contaminants can include pathogens (bacterium, virus, microorganisms, etc.), heavy metals, pesticides, industrial by-products (solvents, refrigerants, etc), and toxic chemicals, to name a few. These contaminants are a major cause of death in many under-developed countries and still pose significant health risks in developed countries. There is a tremendous need for cost efficient solutions to the problem of drinking water contamination.
Noah Water Systems (see http://www.noahwater.com.) provides various portable filtration systems for emergency responders during natural disasters. The Trekker™ product, for example, is capable of producing 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of safe drinking water per minute, and is small and light enough to be carried by hand into remote locations. Unfortunately, Trekker™ costs over $1,000 US dollars and requires electrical power to operate. In addition, the filtration system does not include containers for storing water.
Various portable water delivery systems are known. For example, the Hydroller™, made by Reliance Products, LP (see http://www.relianceproducts.com/), is an 8 gallon portable water container that has wheels and a handle. Another example of portable water delivery systems can found at http://www.wizardkicking.com/hydration-systems.html. Unfortunately, these portable water delivery systems do not have a built-in filtration system for purifying water.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0187183 to Nelson describes a portable water bottle with a filter and a pump. The pump provides sufficient pressure to force water through the filter and out of the water bottle for drinking. Unfortunately, the water bottle in Nelson is too small to provide safe drinking water for large groups of people.
UK Patent Application No. GB2473256 to Pritchard discloses a 20 liter (5.28 US gallons) portable jerrycan that has an active carbon filter and a piston pump for forcing water through the filter. As such, Pritchard provides a portable water filter container for delivering significantly large amounts of filtered water. Unfortunately, the jerrycan in Pritchard is pressurized when the pump is actuated, which can weaken the jerrycan over time and causes inconsistent dispensing flow rates.
These and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
Thus, while some portable water containers having filtration systems are generally known, the current state of the art fails to provide a portable filter-container that is hand-powered, easy to use, safe, cost-effective, and easy to transport over long distances.
Thus, there is still a need for improved portable water containers and filtration systems for delivering large quantities of filtered drinking water.
The inventive subject matter provides apparatus, systems and methods in which a filtration system comprises a housing with two chambers connected by a one-way valve conduit. The first chamber includes a pump and the second chamber includes a filter. The first chamber is sealed from the surrounding environment (e.g., atmosphere and/or lumen of a water container) such that a pressure decrease is created in the first chamber when the pump is actuated (e.g., pulled). This pressure difference draws liquid into the first chamber through a one way valve inlet. When the pump is further actuated (e.g., pushed), the water is pushed from the first chamber into the second chamber via the one-way valve conduit, through a filter in the second chamber, and out of the filtration system for drinking. Another one-way valve in the inlet prevents water from exiting the inlet when the pump is actuated.
The filtration system can be used in combination with a container. The filtration system's housing has a flange that is sized and dimensioned to mate with an opening of a container. In some embodiments, the flange includes threads that mate with threads on the container's opening. The filter system serves as a cap for the container. The container can be filled with water or any other liquid by removing the filtration system to access the container's opening.
The container can include a handle and wheels, to allow for easy transportation. The container can also include one or more brace members that connect different walls of the container to provide additional strength. The container can also include a spout for dispensing the water.
Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
The following discussion provides many example embodiments of the inventive subject matter. Although each embodiment represents a single combination of inventive elements, the inventive subject matter is considered to include all possible combinations of the disclosed elements. Thus if one embodiment comprises elements A, B, and C, and a second embodiment comprises elements B and D, then the inventive subject matter is also considered to include other remaining combinations of A, B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.
Those of skill in the art will appreciate that container 150 could comprise many different shapes and sizes, depending on the application and need of the user, without departing from the inventive subject matter.
Second chamber 130 includes a filter 119 for filtering a liquid. Various filters are well known and filter 119 could comprise any filter suitable for removing constituents from a liquid or for otherwise improving the quality of the liquid.
As shown in
System 710 has a cap 762 comprising a threaded sleeve (e.g., a flange with internal threading) that mates with threads on an opening of container 750. Cap 762 also mates with face plate 763. Face plate 763 has a first opening for dispensing liquid. A spout can be coupled with the first opening of face plate 763. Face plate 763 has a second opening in which pump 761 is disposed. Pump 761 is slidably and sealably coupled with the second opening, thus allowing a user to actuate the pump to dispense liquid.
In some embodiments, face plate 763 is rigidly coupled with cap 762. When a user desires to remove filtration system 710 from container 750, the user can unthread cap 762 from container 750 by rotating cap 762 (thus rotating all of filtration system 710), as shown by arrow 787. In other embodiments, face plate 763 is removably and/or rotatably coupled with cap 762. As such, rotating cap 762 will not cause the remaining components of filtration system 710 (e.g., chambers 720 and 730) to rotate.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the inventive filtration systems discussed herein can be used with non-portable containers and could be used to filter liquids other than water.
Unless the context dictates the contrary, all ranges set forth herein should be interpreted as being inclusive of their endpoints, and open-ended ranges should be interpreted to include commercially practical values. Similarly, all lists of values should be considered as inclusive of intermediate values unless the context indicates the contrary.
As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term “coupled to” is intended to include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements). Therefore, the terms “coupled to” and “coupled with” are used synonymously.
It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/693141 filed on Aug. 24, 2012 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/780304 filed on Mar. 13, 2013, which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61693141 | Aug 2012 | US | |
61780304 | Mar 2013 | US |