Integrated cap for upright water bottle coolers

• US 20030106907A1
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Howard R. Harrison, Jeffrey R. Brown
• Original Assignee: Howard R. Harrison, Jeffrey R. Brown
• Inventors: Harrison, Howard R., Brown, Jeffrey R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,824,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/383.1
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/0002 incorporating means for heating or cooling, e.g. the material to be sprayed
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/00444 with provision for filtering or cleaning the air flow drawn into the container
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/1097 with means for sucking back the liquid or other fluent material in the nozzle after a dispensing stroke
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/002 incorporating means for heating or cooling, e.g. the material to be sprayed
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/0861 the motor being electric
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0004 the beverage being stored in a container, e.g. bottle, cartridge, bag-in-box, bowl
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0869 using solid state elements, e.g. Peltier cells
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/1247 Means for detecting the presence or absence of liquid

Abstract

A cooler and dispenser for use with upright water bottles operates to (1) pump chilled water from a vertical bottle through a top opening, (2) filter the air that is drawn in to replace the water, (3) and provide the user with an indication of the water level in the bottle. The dispenser cap is designed to fit snugly over the top of standard 3.0 and 5.0 gallon refillable water bottles in the vertical orientation. A small pump in the dispenser cap draws water from the bottom of the bottle and dispenses it through a tube that extends past the side of the bottle. The vacuum created within the bottle during the pumping process draws air in through a filter that keeps foreign particles from entering the bottle. Further, the airflow through the filter is constricted so as to ensure that a partial vacuum exists even after the pump has been turned off, and this draws residual water back through the delivery tube thereby preventing drips. The dispenser cap also contains a fluid level indicator that is connected to sensors mounted on the water draw tube.

Claims

1. A cooler and dispenser for use with a water bottle, comprising in combination:

a dispenser cap, further comprising, a cap housing adapted to operatively engage a neck of the water bottle;

a pump mounted within the cap housing in fluid connection with the interior of the water bottle and with a delivery tube;

an air inlet tube having a first end in fluid connection with the interior of the bottle and a second end in fluid connection with the air, and an air filter operatively connected to the second end of the air inlet tube;

an actuating means operatively connected to the pump to selectively operate the pump to draw water from the water bottle into the delivery tube;

a thermally conductive cold saddle configured for intimate supporting contact with the water bottle and to withdraw heat from the water contained within the water bottle; and

,

a housing to retainingly engage the dispenser cap, the cold saddle, and the water bottle, said housing having at least one opening to permit the extension of the delivery tube therethrough, the extension of the actuating means therethrough, the venting of the heat from the cold saddle, and the through passage of an electrical power supply to the cold saddle and the pump.

2. The water cooler and dispenser of claim 1 further comprising an indicator, visible through an opening in the housing, said indicator light being operatively connected to a control circuit, which control circuit is operatively connected to a water level sensor, whereby the indicator emits a first signal when power is applied to the cooler and dispenser, and a second signal when the fluid level in the water bottle falls below the threshold level.

3. The water cooler and dispenser 2 wherein the fluid level sensor is a strain gauge.

4. The water cooler and dispenser 2 wherein the fluid level sensor is a capacitance device.

5. The water cooler and dispenser 1 wherein the cold saddle is contoured to mate with the bottom and a selected portion of the sides of water bottle.

6. The water cooler and dispenser 1 wherein the housing is insulated.

7. A dispenser cap for use with a bottle, said dispenser cap comprising:

a cap housing adapted to operatively engage a neck of the bottle;

a pump mounted within the cap housing in fluid connection with the interior of the bottle and with a delivery tube;

an air inlet means in fluid connection with the interior of the bottle and with the air.

8. The dispenser cap of claim 7 wherein the pump is an electric pump which may be selectively actuated to operate, thereby creating a vacuum within the bottle as fluid is pumped out of the bottle and through the delivery tube.

9. The dispenser cap of claim 8 wherein the air inlet means is a tube having a first end in fluid connection with the interior of the bottle and a second end in fluid connection with ambient air.

10. The dispenser cap of claim 9, wherein the second end of the air inlet means further comprises an air flow restricting means to ensure that a drawback vacuum persists in the bottle for a selected time after the pump has stopped, to draw residual fluid from the delivery tube back into the bottle.

11. The dispenser cap of claim 10 wherein the air flow restricting means is an air filter operatively connected to the second end of the air inlet.

12. The dispenser cap of claim 11 wherein the air filter is configured such that substantially all air entering the bottle in response to a vacuum in the bottle must first pass through the air filter.

13. The dispenser cap of claim 12, wherein the air filter is adapted for easy removal and replacement.

14. The dispenser cap of claim 13 wherein the fluid connection between the pump and the interior of the bottle is through a draw tube having a first end operatively attached to the pump and a second end depending into the interior of the bottle.

15. The dispenser cap of claim 14 wherein the second end of the draw tube is adapted to rest directly on the bottom of the bottle while sill removing water from the bottle.

16. The dispenser cap of claim 15 wherein the draw tube is adapted with an adjustable means to enable the second end of the draw tube to rest directly on the bottom of the bottle while still removing fluid from the bottle.

17. The dispenser cap of claim 7 further comprising a fluid level sensor located on the draw tube at a level corresponding to a threshold level of fluid within the bottle to detect threshold level of fluid within the bottle.

18. The dispenser cap of claim 17 wherein the fluid level sensor comprises an electrical circuit operating by means of the conductance of a small and harmless amount of electricity through the fluid, to detect the presence or absence of fluid at the threshold level.

19. The dispenser cap of claim 18, further comprising a control circuit connected to the level sensor and to an indicator means to signal when the fluid level in the bottle falls below the threshold level.

20. The dispenser cap of claim 19 wherein the indicator means is operatively connected to the control circuit, to emit a first signal when electrical power is applied to the dispenser cap, and a second signal when the fluid level in the fluid bottle falls below the threshold level.

21. The dispenser cap of claim 7 wherein the fluid connection between the pump and the interior of the bottle is by means of a draw tube adapter having a first end attached to the pump and a second end adapted for mating connection to a draw tube having a top end attached to the bottle and a bottom end depending within the bottle