Filtered Squeeze Bottle Cap Assembly for Easy Drinking and Refill
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing personal drinking containers with integrated filtration systems face issues such as interference with drinking and refilling due to cap design, require significant force to dispense water, and often necessitate manual handling of filters, leading to contamination risks and decreased user experience.
Innovation Solution
A portable drinking container with a flexible tether system that securely holds the cap assembly away from the drinking spout, incorporates a filter assembly with a one-way check valve for easy water flow and air return, and features a resilient bottle design for efficient squeezing and rebounding, along with a date indicator for filter replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cap assembly is tethered to the bottle with a stiff strap, then the cap is retained close to the bottle mouth, but the cap interferes with drinking and refilling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The tether strap is designed with flexible, limp material that allows dynamic movement rather than rigid positioning. The cap can move freely along the tether, allowing it to be positioned away from the drinking spout during use while still being retained on the bottle when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The tether system separates the cap retention function from the drinking operation space. The cap is connected via a long, flexible tether that allows spatial separation between the cap and the bottle mouth during drinking, eliminating interference while maintaining retention.
2Reliability
If a filter assembly is integrated into the cap, then water filtration is provided, but significant force is required to dispense water through the filter
Solution Approach 1:
A check valve is introduced as an intermediary component that allows air to bypass the filter media during the rebound phase. This creates a separate air return path that does not require forcing air through the filter, reducing the force needed for bottle rebound and subsequent water dispensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes pneumatic principles by incorporating a check valve that controls air flow. The check valve allows air to enter the bottle through the filter during rebound while preventing backflow during dispensing, optimizing the pressure dynamics for easier water dispensing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible bottle material is used, then the bottle can be squeezed for dispensing, but significant return air flow is required through the drinking spout for bottle rebound
Solution Approach 1:
The check valve acts as an intermediary that provides an alternative air return path through the filter assembly. This bypasses the need for air to return through the drinking spout, facilitating easier bottle rebound while maintaining the flexibility of the bottle material.
4Ease of operation
If manual handling of the cap is required during refilling, then the cap can be positioned for refilling, but contamination risks increase and user experience decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible tether system allows the cap to be self-positioned away from the drinking spout area during refilling operations. The cap naturally hangs away from the bottle mouth, reducing the need for manual handling and minimizing contamination risks without user intervention.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables convenient on-the-go filtration, easy drinking and refilling without manual cap handling, reduced force required for dispensing water, and improved user experience with quick bottle rebound and reduced contamination risks.
Implementation Method 1
incorporates a filter assembly with a one-way check valve for easy water flow and air return
Implementation Method 2
features a resilient bottle design for efficient squeezing and rebounding
Data Source
AI summary
A personal, portable drinking container has a bottle with a side wall, a closed bottom, a neck, a reservoir, and a top opening in the neck providing access to the reservoir. A cap is removably fitted on the neck to close the top opening. A ledge can be on an interior surface of the bottle below the top edge. A filter assembly is supported in the bottle and can be suspended on the ledge. The bottle can have an annular formation in the side wall below the neck to prevent the neck from deforming when the bottle is squeezed. The side wall can have a pair of squeezable sides and a pair of opposed stiff sides below the annular formation, whereby the stiff sides help the bottle to rebound quickly after each squeeze.