Water cooler drip tray drainage apparatus
First Claim
1. A water cooler comprising:
- (a) a housing;
(b) a water source;
(c) at least one spigot in said housing fed by said water source;
(d) a drip tray in said housing below said at least one spigot, said drip tray including a receptacle having a floor, walls, open top, and a drain hole in said floor;
(e) a filter at said drain hole to prevent passage of particles of a predetermined and larger size into said drain hole;
(f) a pump having an inlet and outlet, said inlet operatively connected to said drain hole by an inlet hose and said outlet operatively connected to a drain by an outlet hose; and
(g) a control circuit with a sensor for activating said pump when liquid is present in said inlet hose.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A water cooler with a drip tray in which liquid in the drip tray drains through a drain hole connected to a pump. When liquid is detected, the pump activates to pump the liquid to a remote drain. A filter at the drain hole traps overly-large particles. One filter embodiment includes a vertical rigid pipe with a plurality of side wall apertures through which the liquid drains. Another filter embodiment includes a fine mesh at the drain hole. The drip tray is covered by a removable strainer. With the first filter embodiment, the strainer includes a plug that fits into the upper opening of the filter pipe to hold the strainer in place. The electric pump is activated by a sensor that detects the presence of liquid in the inlet hose and remains on for a period after liquid is no longer detected so that the liquid is pumped the full distance to the drain.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A water cooler comprising:
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(a) a housing;
(b) a water source;
(c) at least one spigot in said housing fed by said water source;
(d) a drip tray in said housing below said at least one spigot, said drip tray including a receptacle having a floor, walls, open top, and a drain hole in said floor;
(e) a filter at said drain hole to prevent passage of particles of a predetermined and larger size into said drain hole;
(f) a pump having an inlet and outlet, said inlet operatively connected to said drain hole by an inlet hose and said outlet operatively connected to a drain by an outlet hose; and
(g) a control circuit with a sensor for activating said pump when liquid is present in said inlet hose. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A water cooler comprising:
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(a) a housing;
(b) a water source;
(c) at least one spigot in said housing fed by said water source;
(d) a drip tray in said housing below said at least one spigot, said drip tray including a receptacle having a floor, walls, open top, and a drain hole in said floor;
(e) a filter at said drain hole to prevent passage of particles of a predetermined and larger size into said drain hole, said filter including a rigid pipe extending upwardly from the circumference of said drain hole, said rigid pipe having a plurality of apertures to permit passage of liquid from said receptacle to said drain hole;
(f) a pump having an inlet and outlet, said inlet operatively connected to said drain hole by an inlet hose and said outlet operatively connected to a drain by an outlet hose, said being a peristaltic pump or a diaphragm pump; and
(g) a control circuit with a sensor for activating said pump when liquid is present in said inlet hose. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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Specification