PRIORITY CLAIM

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/264,278 filed December 7, 2015, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Consumers are seeking solutions tailored to "done in a day" pursuits for common problems such as water treatment. The solutions available today are simple and inexpensive, but water collection, storage and consumption are far from optimized.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0003] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a liquid-filtering dispenser according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0004] FIG. 2 illustrates a pump bulb according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0005] FIGS. 3-4 illustrate a clip according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0006] FIGS. 5-7 illustrate a filter cartridge according to an embodiment of the invention; and

[0007] FIG. 8 is top perspective view of the liquid-filtering dispenser of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] This patent application is intended to describe one or more embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that the use of absolute terms, such as "must," "will," and the like, as well as specific quantities, is to be construed as being applicable to one or more of such embodiments, but not necessarily to all such embodiments. As such, embodiments of the invention may omit, or include a modification of, one or more features or functionalities described in the context of such absolute terms.

[0009] As shown and described in FIGS. 1 and 8, a liquid-filtering dispenser 100 according to an embodiment includes an intake assembly 110, a flexible hose assembly 1 1, a pump assembly 120, a filter assembly 130 and a dispenser assembly 140. Dispenser 100 may further include a hook-and-loop tie 10 that can facilitate secure folding of hose assembly 11 and convenient storage of dispenser. Intake assembly 1 10 serves to provide ingress from a liquid source, such as a stream or lake, into the dispenser 100 of liquid to be filtered and dispensed for drinking. Hose assembly 1 1 serves as a conduit for the liquid from the intake assembly 1 10 to the filter assembly 130. Pump assembly 120, when activated (i.e., squeezed with one hand) by a user of dispenser 100, functions to draw the liquid through the filter assembly 130 from hose assembly 1 1 and propel the filtered liquid into and out of the dispenser assembly 140. As such, in operation and requiring only one hand to do so, the user simply engages the intake assembly 1 10 with the water source, squeezes pump assembly 120 and dispenses filtered liquid from dispenser assembly 140.

[00010] Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 8, intake assembly 1 10 includes a prefilter assembly 13, which may include a screen (not shown), an inlet-valve female component 9, a duckbill check valve 3 to prevent liquid backflow out of intake assembly and an inlet-valve male component 8. The intake assembly 1 10 may further include a float element 12 that couples the intake assembly to the hose assembly 1 1. Float element 12 can serve to prevent intake assembly 1 10 from sinking toward the bottom of the liquid source.

[0001 1] Pump assembly 120 includes a compressible elastomeric pump bulb 7 coupled to a rigid clip 2, which serves as a resistive element against which the user may press the pump bulb to draw liquid from hose assembly 11. Filter assembly 130 includes a filter cartridge 1 through which the liquid passes to be filtered and a cartridge cap 5 that fastens to a top end of the filter cartridge. Pump bulb 7 defines a water chamber 300 (FIG. 2) into which the filter cartridge 1 may be inserted so as to be in fluid communication with hose assembly 11. The elastomeric bulb 7 allows for automatic re-inflation of the water chamber 300. The clip 2 engages the bulb 7 in such manner as to partially enclose the bulb and filter cartridge 1. Consequently, a set of ribs 1100 (FIG. 3) on the inside of the clip 2 prevent the bulb 7 from expanding laterally when the bulb is squeezed. Additionally, the edges 1 110 (FIG. 4) of the clip 2 that assist in enclosing the bulb 7 prevent the bulb from expanding horizontally when the bulb is squeezed. These limits to bulb expansion allow for more efficient pumping.

[00012] A hollow-fiber microfilter 21 (FIG. 5) is disposed inside of cartridge 1. In an embodiment, and as best seen in FIG. 6, cartridge 1 includes a plurality of side holes 33 formed along a side surface 3 land bottom holes 30 formed along a bottom surface 32 to allow liquid to access and be filtered by microfilter 21. While FIG. 6 illustrates only two side holes 33, it should be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, more than two such side holes may be formed through cartridge 1 at any location along the cartridge side surface 31. Indeed, in a preferred embodiment, a pair of side holes (not shown) additional to side holes 33 are disposed on a side of side surface 31 directly opposing the side on which holes 33 are disposed.

[00013] As best illustrated in FIG. 7, the microfilter 21 is composed of multiple water-passing fibers 22 and, in an embodiment, completely excludes air-passing fibers (i.e., fibers that allow gas to pass into and flow along the length of an interior channel of such fibers). Each fiber 22 includes microscopic pores that allow liquid (e.g., water) to pass into and flow along the length of an interior channel of the fiber while blocking and keeping external to the fiber gases, microorganisms (e.g., viruses, bacteria, etc.) and other solids. Consequently, only filtered water passes into dispenser assembly 140 via microti Iter 21, and the filtered solids are suspended within the cartridge 1 and/or chamber 300. Alternative, and/or supplemental, filter media could include, for example, activated carbon, a pleated- filter membrane, or a ceramic-filter medium.

[00014] Dispenser assembly 140 includes a dispensing interface 6 and an umbrella valve 4 that couples to the cartridge cap 5. Because of the sealed connections among components of the pump assembly 120, filter assembly 130 and dispenser assembly 140, all water collected by intake assembly 110 from a water source must first pass through microfilter 21 via at least one of holes 33, 30 before passing through umbrella valve 4 and exiting dispensing interface 6. A user may pump the filtered liquid from dispensing interface 6 into a drinking vessel or may drink the filtered liquid directly from the dispensing interface, even while the intake assembly 110 is submerged in or otherwise engaged with the liquid source. To clean (i.e., remove filtered matter from) the filter cartridge 1, the user need only shake the pump assembly 120. By shaking the pump assembly 120 while it is partially filled with water, any debris attached to the fibers 22 of the microfilter 21 is dislodged. The dislodged debris can then be removed from dispenser 100 by disconnecting the hose assembly 1 1 from the pump assembly 120 then squeezing the bulb 7 to flush the debris out of the water chamber 300. No backflushing is required to clean filter cartridge 1.

[00015] More specifically, the configuration of cartridge 1, with ports to chamber 300 at both the top (holes 33) and bottom (holes 30) of the cartridge, allows water to flow back and forth from one end of each fiber 22 to the other, as well as back and forth between the chamber and the interior of the cartridge, when a user actively shakes pump assembly 120. A similar effect is "passively" achieved when dispenser 100 is carried during ordinary user activities, such as hiking or biking. Consequently, microfilter 21 frequently, if not continually, is rinsed during such activities.

[00016] Additionally, dispenser 100 can connect to a hydration reservoir at a bite valve, and a user can refill without removing the bladder from a pack. More specifically, the user can remove the bite valve from a hydration-reservoir system. The bite valve nozzle is then exposed. The interface 6 can create a water-tight seal around the bite valve nozzle. When the user plugs the bite valve nozzle into the interface 6 and begins pumping, water travels directly from the dispenser 100 into the hydration reservoir.

[00017] While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, an alternative embodiment may include an infuser (not shown) into which flavor-enhancing substances, nutraceuticals, electrolytes, etc. could be placed to modify the water dispensed from dispenser 100. Such an infuser may be screwed or snapped into the cartridge 1 in place of, or in addition to, the microfilter 21. The infuser may be porous and cylinder-shaped so that anything put inside of it could contact the water in dispenser 100, and structured to prevent drinking die contents of the infuser. Additionally, cartridge 1 may be similar or identical in structure and/or functionality to one or more cartridges described in International Application No. PCT/US2016/032932, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.