Integrated cap for upright water bottle coolers
First Claim
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 battle;
a pump mounted within the cap housing in fluid connection with the interior or 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.
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Accused Products
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 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.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A cooler and dispenser for use with a water bottle, comprising in combination:
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a dispenser cap, further comprising, a cap housing adapted to operatively engage a neck of the water battle;
a pump mounted within the cap housing in fluid connection with the interior or 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. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. The water cooler and dispenser 2 wherein the fluid level sensor is a strain gauge.
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4. The water cooler and dispenser 2 wherein the fluid level sensor is a capacitance device.
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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.
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6. The water cooler and dispenser 1 wherein the housing is insulated.
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7. A dispenser cap for use with a bottle, said dispenser cap comprising:
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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, 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 communication with ambient air, and wherein the second end of the air inlet means further comprises an air 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. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification