Filtered Water System for Customized Sparkling Beverage Maker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing single-serve beverage makers face issues with inconsistent results due to varying water quality, contamination concerns, and shifting consumer preferences towards filtered and purified beverages, lacking the ability to filter or purify water, control sugar and mineral content, and regulate carbonation and flavor.
Innovation Solution
A device that incorporates a filtered water system allowing for the dispensing of filtered water, customizable flavor, and adjustable carbonation, featuring a high-pressure filter assembly, thermoelectric chiller, and user-controlled carbonation, enabling the creation of customized, healthy beverages with precise temperature and flavor control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single-serve beverage maker uses municipal water directly, then the device structure remains simple, but the beverage quality becomes inconsistent and potentially unsafe due to varying water quality and contaminants
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage maker is divided into distinct functional modules: a water filtration system with replaceable filters, a carbonation system, a flavoring system, and a dispensing system. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently, with the filtration module specifically addressing water quality consistency while maintaining overall device manageability.
Solution Approach 2:
A filtration system acts as an intermediary between the municipal water supply and the beverage preparation process. The filter assembly removes contaminants and inconsistencies from the source water, providing a consistent base quality for all beverages regardless of variations in municipal water supply.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the beverage maker includes filtration and purification systems, then water quality and safety improve, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration system uses disposable or easily replaceable filter cartridges rather than complex permanent filtration systems. These filters can be replaced by the consumer without requiring specialized tools or technical knowledge, reducing manufacturing complexity while still providing effective contaminant removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtration system is designed to work with standard household water pressure and temperature parameters, eliminating the need for complex pressure regulation or temperature control systems. The filters are engineered to operate effectively within the existing operational parameters of the beverage maker.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the beverage maker allows customization of flavor, sugar, and mineral content, then consumer preference satisfaction improves, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage maker incorporates adjustable controls that allow users to dynamically modify flavor concentration, carbonation level, and dispensing volume. These dynamic adjustments are achieved through simple mechanical or electronic controls that regulate flow rates and mixing ratios without requiring complex programming or microprocessor control.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is designed to manage multiple functions (flavoring, carbonation, dispensing) through a unified interface. A single control mechanism coordinates the interaction between different subsystems, allowing beverage customization without requiring separate complex control systems for each function.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the beverage maker regulates temperature and carbonation levels, then beverage freshness and quality improve, but the energy consumption and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage maker pre-chills water and pre-carbonates beverages before dispensing. By performing these actions in advance rather than during the dispensing process itself, the system maintains temperature stability and carbonation levels without requiring continuous energy input during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The carbonation system is designed to self-regulate by capturing and retaining CO2 in the beverage without requiring continuous external pressure or energy input. Once carbonated, the beverage maintains its carbonation level through the sealed dispensing mechanism, eliminating the need for continuous energy consumption to maintain pressure.
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
Provides consistent, healthy, and customizable beverages, ensuring contaminant removal, regulating sugar and mineral content, and offering on-demand freshness, addressing consumer preferences and water quality concerns while reducing waste and costs.
Implementation Method 1
incorporating a system for filtering or purifying water into such beverage machines
Implementation Method 2
featuring a high-pressure filter assembly, thermoelectric chiller
Implementation Method 3
on-demand, in situ single dose cold beverage machines capable of creating a sparkling or non-sparkling flavored water
Data Source
AI summary
A method for making a customized beverages in a beverage maker is provided using a filtered water system for processing pressurized potable water. The filter system is monitored to allow for certification of a filter system performance for a claimed contaminant reduction up through 320 gallons of use while providing NSF/ANSI Standard 42 or NSF/ANSI Standard 53 health claims when operated at a flow rate of at least 0.50 gallons per minute (gpm).