WATER PURIFYING DRINK CONTAINERS

• US 20110174993A1
• Filed: 01/13/2011
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CamelBak Products LLC (Vista Outdoor Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CamelBak Products LLC (Vista Outdoor Inc.)
• Inventors: Blain, Christopher C.
• Application Number:
  US13/006,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20110174993A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/492.1
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/008 Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/325 Irradiation devices or lamp constructions
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/008 Mobile apparatus and plants, e.g. mounted on a vehicle for biological treatment C02F2203/008
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/3221 Lamps suspended above a water surface or pipe
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/3222 Units using UV-light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/3225 Lamps immersed in an open channel, containing the liquid to be treated
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/3228 Units having reflectors, e.g. coatings, baffles, plates, mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/326 Lamp control systems
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/005 Processes using a programmable logic controller [PLC]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/04 Disinfection

Abstract

Water purifying drink containers include a liquid container, a cap assembly removably coupled to the liquid container, and a purification assembly that emits ultraviolet (UV) light in the germicidal spectrum to purify a volume of drink liquid held in the liquid container. In some embodiments, the purification assembly includes a UV bulb positioned within a recess of the cap assembly facing the internal compartment of the liquid container. In some embodiments, the UV bulb further emits light in the visible spectrum and the drink container includes an indicator that becomes illuminated with visible light to indicate to a user when the UV bulb is emitting UV light.

Claims

1. A drink container, comprising:

a liquid container having a neck with an opening and having an internal compartment sized to hold a volume of drink liquid;

a cap assembly removably coupled to the neck of the liquid container and adapted to restrict dispensing of drink liquid from the internal compartment of the liquid container through the opening, wherein the cap assembly includes a body, wherein the body includes a lower portion that defines a lower edge that is adjacent to the liquid container, and wherein the lower portion defines a recess facing the internal compartment of the liquid container when the cap assembly is coupled to the neck of the liquid container; and

a purification assembly coupled to the body of the cap assembly, wherein the purification assembly includes an ultraviolet (UV) bulb positioned within the recess, wherein the UV bulb is adapted to selectively emit UV light in the germicidal spectrum for a predetermined period of time and to thereby purify a volume of drink liquid held in the internal compartment of the liquid container.

2. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the UV bulb does not extend into the drink liquid when a predetermined volume of drink liquid is held in the internal compartment of the liquid container, wherein the predetermined volume is equal to a predetermined liquid capacity of the liquid container.

3. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the UV bulb does not extend beyond the lower edge of the body of the cap assembly.

4. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the cap assembly further includes a reflective surface positioned to reflect light from the UV bulb toward the internal compartment of the liquid container, and wherein the reflective surface is configured to reflect light from the UV bulb toward an entirety of the internal compartment of the liquid container.

5. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the cap assembly further includes a UV-transmissive partition positioned between the UV bulb and at least a substantial portion of the internal compartment of the liquid container when the cap assembly is coupled to the neck of the liquid container.

6. The drink container of claim 5, wherein the UV-transmissive partition is configured to direct UV light emitted by the UV bulb to an entirety of the internal compartment of the liquid container.

7. The drink container of claim 5, wherein the UV-transmissive partition is configured to direct UV light emitted by the UV bulb to an entirety of the internal compartment of the liquid container without any portion of the drink container blocking the UV light from illuminating all of any drink liquid held in the internal compartment.

8. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the drink container is configured such that the UV bulb selectively emits UV light to the entirety of the internal compartment of the liquid container.

9. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the drink container is configured such that the UV bulb selectively emits UV light to the entirety of the internal compartment of the liquid container without any portion of the drink container blocking the UV light from illuminating all of any drink liquid held in the internal compartment.

10. The drink container of claim 1, further comprising:

an indicator adapted to indicate to a user when the UV bulb is emitting UV light, wherein the UV bulb is further adapted to selectively emit light in the visible spectrum for the predetermined period of time, and wherein the indicator includes a visible-light-transmissive portion that is configured to become illuminated when the UV bulb is emitting light in the visible spectrum.

11. The drink container of claim 10, wherein the lower portion of the body of the cap assembly includes the indicator, wherein at least a portion of the lower portion defines an illuminated ring around the cap assembly when the UV light emitter is emitting light in the visible spectrum.

12. The drink container of claim 11, wherein the cap assembly includes a threaded insert that includes threads adapted to mate with corresponding threads of the liquid container, wherein the threaded insert includes the lower portion of the body of the cap assembly.

13. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the purification assembly includes a controller adapted to track the number of cycles that the UV bulb has been selectively activated, and wherein the controller is further adapted to restrict activation of the UV bulb upon the UV bulb having been activated a predetermined number of cycles.

14. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the purification assembly includes a controller adapted to restrict activation of the UV bulb based at least in part on criteria associated with the effectiveness of the UV bulb at a given moment in time.

15. The drink container of claim 14, wherein the criteria includes one or more of a state of charge of an associated power source, a power output of the UV bulb, a germicidal content of the volume of drink liquid held in the internal compartment of the liquid container, and a UV-transmissivity of the volume of drink liquid held in the internal compartment of the liquid container.

16. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the purification assembly includes a power source and a controller adapted determine a potential output of the power source and to restrict activation of the UV bulb if the power source does not have sufficient output to activate the UV bulb for the predetermined period of time to purify the volume of drink liquid held in the internal compartment of the liquid container.

17. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the purification assembly is adapted to detect a UV-transmissivity of the volume of drink liquid held in the internal compartment of the liquid container and based at least in part on the UV-transmissivity to select at least one of (i) the predetermined period of time and (ii) a power output of the UV bulb.

18. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the purification assembly is adapted to detect a germicidal content of the volume of drink liquid held in the internal compartment of the liquid container and based on the germicidal content to select at least one of (i) the predetermined period of time, and (ii) a power output of the UV bulb.

19. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the purification assembly is adapted to detect a germicidal content of the volume of drink liquid held in the internal compartment of the liquid container, wherein the purification assembly includes a user display positioned to display information to a user of the drink container, wherein the information relates to the germicidal content of the drink liquid held in the internal compartment of the liquid container before and/or after the UV bulb has emitted UV light in the germicidal spectrum for the predetermined period of time.

20. The drink container of claim 1, wherein the cap assembly defines a liquid passage, through which drink liquid may be selectively dispensed from the liquid container, and wherein the cap assembly further includes a mouthpiece in fluid communication with the liquid passage, wherein the mouthpiece is configured to selectively dispense the drink liquid without removal of the cap assembly from the liquid container.

21. A drink container, comprising:

a liquid container having a neck with an opening and having an internal compartment sized to hold a volume of drink liquid;

a cap assembly removably coupled to the neck of the liquid container and adapted to restrict dispensing of drink liquid from the internal compartment of the liquid container through the opening, wherein the cap assembly includes a body, wherein the body includes a lower portion that defines a lower edge that is adjacent to the liquid container;

a purification assembly coupled to one of the liquid container and the body of the cap assembly, wherein the purification assembly includes an ultraviolet (UV) light emitter adapted to selectively emit UV light in the germicidal spectrum and light in the visible spectrum for a predetermined period of time and to thereby purify a volume of drink liquid held in the internal compartment of the liquid container; and

an indicator adapted to indicate to a user when the UV light emitter is emitting UV light, wherein the indicator includes a visible-light-transmissive portion that is configured to become illuminated when the UV light emitter is emitting light in the visible spectrum.

22. The drink container of claim 21, wherein the lower portion of the body of the cap assembly includes the indicator, wherein at least a portion of the lower portion defines an illuminated ring around the cap assembly when the UV light emitter is emitting light in the visible spectrum.

23. The drink container of claim 22, wherein the cap assembly includes a threaded insert that includes threads adapted to mate with corresponding threads of the liquid container, wherein the threaded insert includes the lower portion of the body of the cap assembly.

24. A drink container, comprising:

a liquid container having a neck with an opening and having an internal compartment sized to hold a volume of drink liquid;

a cap assembly removably coupled to the neck of the liquid container and adapted to restrict dispensing of drink liquid from the internal compartment of the liquid container, wherein the cap assembly includes a body that defines a recess facing the internal compartment of the liquid container when the cap assembly is coupled to the liquid container; and

means for purifying drink liquid held in the internal compartment of the liquid container, wherein the means for purifying includes a UV bulb positioned within the recess, wherein the UV bulb is adapted to selectively emit UV light in the germicidal spectrum for a predetermined period of time and to thereby purify a volume of drink liquid held in the internal compartment of the liquid container.

25. The drink container of claim 24, wherein the body of the cap assembly includes a lower portion that defines a lower edge and the recess, and wherein the UV bulb does not extend beyond the lower edge of the body of the cap assembly.