Water cooler abstract
A bottled water cooler has a bottle inverted into a cooling reservoir,
and a double lipped gasket seals the bottle to the reservoir. Air
is admitted, to permit water flow, through a conduit ending in a
housing. The housing supports a removable, and replaceable, filter
element carrying an extremely fine porosity filter medium. A check
valve in the housing blocks the conduit unless the filter element
is in place. The housing and conduit is mounted on the cooler cabinet
in a shielded, but conveniently accessible, location.
Water cooler claims
We claim as our invention:
1. An air filtering system for permitting clean air intake to an
otherwise air sealed region comprising, in combination, a gasket
forming a portion of what defines said air sealed region, a valve
and filter housing, a conduit connecting the interior of said housing
to and through said gasket for transmitting air from the housing
to said region, a filter element carrying a filter medium removably
fitted on said housing so as to otherwise close the interior of
the housing except for said conduit, a normally closed valve in
said housing for sealing said conduit from the interior of said
housing, and means on said filter element for opening said valve
when the element is fitted on said housing, whereby air can pass
through said filter medium, through said conduit and into said region,
said valve being closed when the filter element is removed from
the housing.
2. The combination of claim 1 in which said valve is a check valve
including a ball, a seat and a spring for normally biasing said
ball against said seat, and said opening means is a projection that
unseats said ball from said seat when the filter element is in place.
3. The combination of claim 1 in which said filter medium is a
panel of surgical gauze having pores on the order of one micron.
4. The combination of claim 1 in which said filter element is a
disc snap fitted into a groove on said housing, said element having
a tab for conveniently removing the element from its snap fit.
5. The combination of claim 1 in which said conduit includes at
least a portion thereof rigidly affixed to said housing and communicating
with the interior thereof.
6. The combination of claim 5 in which said conduit includes a
flexible portion interconnecting said rigid portion and said gasket
for transmitting air from the housing to said region.
7. An air filtering system for permitting clean air intake to an
otherwise air sealed region comprising, in combination, sealing
means for closing said air sealed region including a gasket forming
a portion of what defines said air sealed region, a valve and filter
housing, a conduit connecting the interior of said housing to and
through said sealing means for transmitting air from the housing
to said region, a filter element carrying a filter medium removably
fitted on said housing so as to otherwise close the interior of
the housing except for said conduit, a normally closed valve in
said housing for sealing said conduit from the interior of said
housing, and means on said filter element for opening said valve
when the element is fitted on said housing, whereby air can pass
through said filter medium, through said conduit and into said region,
said valve being closed when the filter element is removed from
the housing.
8. The combination of claim 7 in which said conduit includes at
least a portion thereof rigidly affixed to said housing and communicating
with the interior thereof.
9. The combination of claim 8 including flexible means for interconnecting
said rigid portion and said sealing means for transmitting air from
the housing to said region.
10. The combination of claim 7 in which said valve is a check valve
including a ball, a seat and a spring for normally biasing said
ball against said seat, and said opening means is a projection that
unseats said ball from said seat when the filter element is in place.
Water cooler description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to bottled water coolers and dispensers,
and more particularly concerns an air filter system for such coolers
and dispensers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A cooler and dispenser for bottled water normally has a cooling
reservoir within which the inverted neck of a water bottle is held.
Water flows from the bottle until the water level closes the bottle
neck, and a refrigerating system cools the reservoir and the water
being held there. Water is dispensed by draining the reservoir,
usually through a faucet, and when the water level clears the inverted
bottle neck, air in the reservoir can enter the bottle, bubble to
the top, and release more water to maintain the water level in the
cooling reservoir.
In conventional devices of this kind, the air containing upper
portion of the cooling reservoir is in open contact with the ambient
air conditions surrounding the cooler, and it is that air which
bubbles into the bottle as water is dispensed. This air can carry
dust, bacteria and other contaminants. Moreover, leaving the upper
portion of the cooling reservoir open permits the undesirable entry
of dirt, insects, etc.
One approach to keep bottled water clear, although in a somewhat
different type of cooler than that so far discussed, is shown in
U.S. Pat. No. 3333741 issued Aug. 1 1967 which discloses placing
a plastic foam filter in the water bottle neck so that entering
air is filtered through the foam. More recently, the owner of that
patent commercially marketed an inverted bottle water cooler having
a gasket in the open top of the cooling reservoir that seals against
the inverted water bottle, thus closing the reservoir. Air is admitted
to the cooling reservoir through foam filter portions of the gasket
assembly. This arrangement limits the filtering effectiveness to
that obtainable with relatively large foam blocks, and exposes the
cooling reservoir to contaminants falling from the gasket-filter
element assembly when that assembly is disturbed--as when changing
filter elements.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is the primary aim of the present invention to better protect
the water in a bottled water cooler by more efficiently and completely
filtering the air entering a sealed cooling reservoir and the water
bottle. A related object of the invention is to provide an air filtering
system for such coolers that economically permits the use of highly
efficient filtering materials such as those used for surgical masks.
Another object is to provide an air filtering system as characterized
above that automatically and positively seals the cooling reservoir
if the filter element is not in operative position, as when a filter
element is being changed. A collateral object is to provide an air
filtering system of the foregoing kind that affords easy replacement
of the filter element. A further object is to provide such a filtering
system that gives a reliable indication of a need for filter replacement.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an air filtering
system that can be readily and economically retrofitted on existing
bottled water coolers, and, if desired, associated with other forms
of liquid dispensing structures that require drawing in air to permit
liquid flow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Air is filtered to the cooling reservoir of a bottled water cooler
by sealing that area with a gasket fitted between the upper, normally
open end of the reservoir and the inverted top of a water bottle,
and then providing air access through a conduit ending in a housing.
The housing admits air to the conduit through a filter medium of
extremely fine porosity such as surgical gauze. A check valve is
biased closed to block air flow from the housing to the conduit.
The filter medium is carried by a filter element that can be removably
snapped into the housing. The element includes a portion to engage
and open the check valve when the element is in position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent
upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference
to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective of the top portion of a water
cooler, with portions broken away in section, that embodies the
invention;
FIG. 2 is a top plan of the cooler shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a vertical section and elevation of the portion of the
cooler shown in FIG. 1 with a water bottle in position;
FIGS. 4A and 4B are sections taken approximately along the line
4--4 in FIG. 3 showing alternate positions of that structure; and
FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary portion of the upper left-hand
section in FIG. 3 showing the gasket sealing between the bottle,
the cooler cover and the reservoir.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred
embodiment, it will be understood that we do not intend to limit
the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, we intend to
cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be
included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined
by the appended claims.
Turning to the drawings, there is shown a bottled water cooler
10 of the type having, in a cabinet 11 an open-topped cooling reservoir
12 into which is fitted the inverted top of a bottle 13 containing
water. Typically, the reservoir 12 includes an inner metal shell
12a surrounded by an outer shell 12b of insulating material, as
shown in FIGS. 1 3 and 5 and the metal shell 12a is cooled by
a refrigeration system, not shown, in the lower portion of the cabinet
11. Water is taken from the reservoir through a drain pipe 15 and
a faucet 16 mounted on a cabinet front panel 14. In the illustrated
cooler 10 the front panel 14 is recessed within the cabinet periphery
so as to set the faucet 16 back into the cabinet and thus prevent
inadvertent contact. The cabinet 11 is closed by a cover 17 having
a depending flange 18 and a center opening defined by a downwardly
extending annular skirt 19 registering with the cooling reservoir
12.
When the typical bottle of water 13 is inverted into the reservoir
12 water spills from the open bottle neck 20 and fills the reservoir
12 until the water level reaches the bottle neck. This blocks air
from entering the bottle, and atmospheric pressure prevents further
water flow. In the illustrated cooler 10 a baffle plate 21 is fitted
in the cooling reservoir to help control initial splashing. When
water is drawn at the nozzle 16 the water level in the reservoir
drops, exposing the then open neck 20 of the bottle to air within
the upper portion of the reservoir, and air bubbles rise to the
top of the bottle releasing more water until the rising water level
cuts off the air flow into the bottle neck.
In accordance with the invention, a gasket 25 mounted on the cover
17 air-seals the bottle 13 to the top of the reservoir 12 to define
an air sealed region 26 a housing 30 is secured to the cabinet
11 a conduit 31 connects the interior of the housing 30 to the
region 26 through the gasket 25 and a filter element 32 carrying
a filter medium 33 is removably fitted on the housing to form a
wall to the interior of the housing. In this way, air can reach
the region 26 only through the filter medium 33 and thus only filtered
air can reach the water being cooled and dispensed once the bottle
13 is in place. The housing 30 also encloses a normally closed valve
35 for sealing the conduit 31 from the interior of the housing 30
and the filter element 32 is formed to hold the valve 35 open when
that filter element is in place.
In the preferred embodiment, the valve 35 is in the form of a common
check valve, including a valve seat 36 a ball 37 and biasing spring
38. The filter element 32 has a projection 39 to engage and unseat
the ball 37 when the element 32 is in place, which, as shown, means
that a surrounding rib 41 on the circular filter element 32 has
been snap fitted into an annular groove 42 in the substantially
cylindrical housing 30. To permit this snap fitting, the housing
30 is formed of somewhat resilient plastic to allow the required
deformation. A tab 43 is formed integrally on the element 32 also
preferably molded of plastic, to facilitate removal for replacement.
The filter medium is preferably surgical gauze having extremely
fine porosity, on the order of one micron, which typically is made
of non-woven plastic fiber on a very thin film. While relatively
expensive, only a small amount of such a filter medium is needed
in this application. In use, this material is said to develop a
static charge as a result of air flow which forms one barrier in
the form of static attraction, and then a second barrier is the
fine, one micron, porosity of the filter medium. One feature flowing
from the use of this filtering material is that after extended use,
perhaps one year or more in normal use in a normal environment,
when the filter finally fills, it reaches that condition rather
quickly. Going from an air flowing condition to an air blocking
condition signals the user to replace the filter by stopping the
water flow.
The valve 35 protects the water during filter replacement and,
more importantly, by preventing use of the cooler if the filter
is not properly installed or not installed at all.
A further feature is to locate the housing 30 under the front flange
of the cover 17 where it can be conveniently reached for servicing
and yet is out of sight to minimize unauthorized or curiosity provoked
tampering. In the illustrated construction, the housing is mounted
by mounting a clip 45 on the underside of the cover 17 which engages
and holds the conduit 31 onto which the housing 30 is fitted.
Another feature of the invention is to mount the resilient gasket
25 on the cover 17 so that it . sealingly engages the upper portion
of the cooling reservoir, and to form the gasket with double annular
lips 46 and 47 to provide a more reliable double seal against the
bottle 13. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 the lower edge of the gasket
25 has a third lip 48- to help insure sealing between the downwardly
extending skirt 19 of the cover 17 and the upper end of the metal
shell 12a of the cooling reservoir 12.
It should be noted that the gasket 25 filter and valve housing
30 and conduit 31 are all carried by the cover 17 which simply
fits over the bottle cooler cabinet 11. Such a cover assembly thus
permits convenient and economical retrofitting of existing bottled
water coolers having the same cabinet shape. Obviously, for other
standard cooler cabinet shapes, the proportions of the cover 17
can be readily adapted and a similar efficient retrofitting replacement
effected. |