Single orifice bottle water filter - Patent Review 5653878

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid treatment mechanism adapted for use with a single orifice bottle for treating the liquid in the bottle prior to or during dispensing, comprising:

a substantially rigid material first tube having first and second opposite ends;

an end cap, for attachment to a bottle neck, adjacent said first end of said first tube;

a liquid treatment element for treating liquid passing therethrough, said liquid treatment element disposed in said first tube and extending from adjacent said second end of said first tube to a termination position near, but spaced from, said first end of said first tube, so that said first tube has a substantially open interior first end portion, and a middle and second end portion containing said liquid treatment element;

liquid inlet means for allowing passage of liquid from exteriorly of said first tube into said middle and second end portion of said first tube;

a dispensing tube disposed in said first end portion and extending from said liquid treatment element substantially through said interior of said first end portion for dispensing liquid from said first tube after the liquid has passed through said liquid treatment element;

air inlet means formed in said first end portion, exteriorly of said dispensing tube, for allowing air to pass from said interior of said first end portion, but substantially precluding passage of liquid from exteriorly of said first end portion into said interior of said first end portion; and

wherein said liquid treatment element comprises a hollow tube containing activated carbon.

2. A liquid treatment mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein said first tube has a length from said first to said second end thereof; and wherein said dispensing tube comprises a tube at least partly of flexible material that extends outwardly from said first end of said first tube a distance at least as great as the length of said first tube.

3. A liquid treatment mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein said air inlet means comprises at least one through-extending free opening in said first end portion having a maximum dimension of between about 0.02-0.1 inches.

4. A liquid treatment mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein said liquid treatment element further comprises ion exchange media in the form of: resin beads; flat filtration membranes; fibrous filters; or zeolite particles or coatings; or resin beads, flat filtration membranes, fibrous filters, or zeolite particles, sintered together with activated carbon.

5. A liquid treatment mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein said dispensing tube does not extend significantly past said first end of said first tube; and wherein said first tube has an outside diameter of between about 0.5-1.75 inches, and is dimensioned to fit through a bottle neck into a bottle.

6. A liquid treatment mechanism as recited in claim 5 wherein said first tube comprises an interior divider which divides said first tube interior into said first end portion and said middle and second end portion; and wherein said liquid inlet means comprises at least one opening formed in said first tube middle and second end portion adjacent said interior divider.

7. A liquid treatment mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein said dispensing tube comprises a radial flow particle filter capable of filtering cysts out of liquid passing therethrough.

8. A liquid treatment mechanism as recited in claim 7 wherein said particle filter comprises one or more filtering membranes having a pore size of about 1.5-6.0 microns and capable of effectively filtering out cysts and other particles having a size of about 3-4 microns.

9. A liquid treatment mechanism as recited in claim 1 further comprising a sheath of porous material capable of removing fine particles from liquid, said sheath surrounding said activated carbon tube.

10. A liquid treatment mechanism as recited in claim 9 wherein said first tube is substantially transparent, and wherein said sheath is light colored, obscuring the black color of said activated carbon tube.

11. An unpressurized bottle and treatment apparatus, comprising:

a bottle having a neck defining the sole orifice through which liquid may flow into or out of the bottle;

a liquid treatment mechanism having an axial dimension and a radial dimension, said liquid treatment mechanism comprising: an end cap attached to said bottle neck; a first tube disposed within said bottle and having first and second opposite ends spaced from each other in said axial dimension, said end cap being disposed adjacent said first end of said first tube; a liquid treatment element for treating liquid passing therethrough, said liquid treatment element disposed in said first tube and extending from adjacent said second end of said first tube to a termination position near, but spaced from, said first end of said first tube, so that said first tube has a substantially open interior first end portion, and a middle and second end portion containing said liquid treatment element, said liquid treatment element dividing said middle and second end portion into first and second radially spaced chambers, liquid radially flowing through said treatment element from said first chamber to said second chamber; liquid inlet means for allowing passage of liquid from exteriorly of said first tube into said middle and second end portion of said first tube; and a dispensing tube disposed in said first end portion and extending from said liquid treatment element substantially through said interior of said first end portion for dispensing liquid from said first tube second chamber after the liquid has passed through said liquid treatment element; and

a vent to allow air to pass into the bottle to take the place of liquid dispensed therefrom.

12. A bottle and treatment apparatus as recited in claim 11 wherein said vent comprises an air inlet means formed in said first end portion, exteriorly of said dispensing tube, for allowing air but not water passage therethrough.

13. A bottle and treatment apparatus as recited in claim 11 wherein said bottle comprises a standard five gallon or smaller drinking water bottle, said bottle having water therein, and wherein said bottle is inverted, with said neck substantially the lowest point of said bottle.

14. A bottle and treatment apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein the water is non-potable water; and wherein said apparatus further comprises, a frangible non-permeable ampoule containing a water disinfectant of sufficient amount so as to provide the equivalent of a total chlorine concentration of at least about 10 ppm when said ampoule is broken, wherein the water disinfectant is provided in said bottle substantially full of non-potable water; and wherein said dispensing tube comprises a particle filter, and wherein said liquid treatment element comprises a material for removing chlorine from water.

15. A liquid treatment mechanism adapted for use with a single orifice bottle for treating the liquid in the bottle prior to or during dispensing, comprising:

a substantially rigid material first tube having first and second opposite ends;

an end cap, for attachment to a bottle neck, adjacent said first end of said first tube;

a liquid treatment element for treating liquid passing therethrough, said liquid treatment element disposed in said first tube and extending from adjacent said second end of said first tube to a termination position near, but spaced from, said first end of said first tube, so that said first tube has a substantially open interior first end portion, and a middle and second end portion containing said liquid treatment element;

liquid inlet means for allowing passage of liquid from exteriorly of said first tube into said middle and second end portion of said first tube;

a dispensing tube disposed in said first end portion and extending from said liquid treatment element substantially through said interior of said first end portion for dispensing liquid from said first tube after the liquid has passed through said liquid treatment element;

air inlet means formed in said first end portion, exteriorly of said dispensing tube, for allowing air to pass from said interior of said first end portion, but substantially precluding passage of liquid from exteriorly of said first end portion into said interior of said first end portion; and

wherein said liquid treatment element divides said middle and second end portion into first and second radially spaced chambers so that liquid must flow radially through said treatment element from said first to said second chamber.

16. A liquid treatment mechanism as recited in claim 15 wherein said liquid treatment element comprises a hollow tube, said second chamber comprising the hollow interior, said first chamber comprising an annular chamber between said first tube and said liquid treatment element.

17. A liquid treatment mechanism as recited in claim 15 wherein said liquid treatment element comprises a liquid-porous solid block substantially concentric with said first tube, said first and second chambers on opposite sides of said block.