Method for sanitizing water dispensed from a water dispenser having a reservoir

• US 9,745,211 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SIP Technologies LLC (S.I.P. Technologies)
• Original Assignee: SIP Technologies LLC (S.I.P. Technologies)
• Inventors: Davis, Kenneth A., Shelton, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Savage, Matthew O
• Application Number:
  US14/716,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20150360978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00002 Purifying means
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00013 Sterilising means
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0035 the bottle or container being held upside down and not provided with a closure, e.g. a bottle screwed onto a base of a dispenser
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0038 the liquid being stored in an intermediate container prior to dispensing
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/50 by addition or application of a germicide or by oligodynamic treatment C02F1/4606, C02F1/467, C02F1/76 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/78 Details relating to ozone treatment devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/42 Ozonizers

Abstract

A method and apparatus of sanitizing drinking water to be dispensed from a water dispenser having a reservoir includes the steps of providing the ozone gas generator that generates an ozone gas stream, transmitting the ozone gas stream from the generator to the water dispenser reservoir, mechanically breaking up the ozone gas stream inside the reservoir to produce ozone gas bubbles, and using the ozone gas bubbles to disinfect water in the reservoir. The ozone gas stream can be mechanically broken up using a pump such as, for example, an impeller type pump.

Claims

1. A method of sanitizing drinking water dispensed from a water dispenser having a water supply that includes an inverted bottle and neck supported upon a cabinet so that the neck extends downwardly, an anti-spill receiver having a projecting probe that extends into the bottle neck, and a reservoir having a bottom and a water surface, comprising the steps of:

a) providing an ozone gas generator that generates a mixture of air and ozone gas;

b) providing a first flow line that carries the mixture;

c) transmitting the gas mixture from the generator to the water dispenser reservoir via the first flow line;

d) creating, in the reservoir, a stream containing water from the reservoir and gas bubbles containing the gas mixture transmitted from the first flow line;

e) directing a first portion of said stream to disinfect the water in the reservoir;

f) providing a second flow line in the reservoir; and

g) discharging a second portion of said stream at a position that is closer to the water surface than to the bottom of the reservoir and within the anti-spill receiver with the second flow line.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second flow line extends to a position within the probe.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second flow line extends to a position above the reservoir water surface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the anti-spill receiver extends into the reservoir.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second flow line extends above and below the reservoir water surface.