Hybrid Water Bottle With Squeezable Filter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water bottles with built-in filters are difficult to squeeze, making it hard to generate sufficient internal pressure to force water through the filter, leading to user frustration and inefficient filtration.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid water bottle formed from two different materials, where a harder material provides structural support and a softer, more flexible material facilitates easy squeezing to generate pressure for filtration, combined with a unique filtration system including a NANO filter cartridge and pH modifier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a homogeneous hard plastic material is used for the water bottle body, then structural support and filter protection are improved, but ease of squeezing to generate filtration pressure deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The water bottle employs a hybrid construction where the upper portion (containing the filter) is made of hard plastic for structural support, while the lower portion is made of soft, flexible material for easy squeezing. This local differentiation of material properties allows each section to perform its specific function optimally without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines two different materials with distinct properties: a hard plastic material for the upper section and a soft flexible material for the lower section. This composite structure integrates the advantages of both materials - the hardness and structural integrity of plastic with the flexibility and squeezability of soft material - to resolve the contradiction between structural support and ease of operation.
2Strength
If a hard plastic material is used for the water bottle, then filter structural support is improved, but user effort required for squeezing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hard plastic material is localized to the upper portion of the bottle where filter support is needed, while the soft material is applied to the lower portion where user squeezing force is applied. This spatial distribution of material properties minimizes the force required from the user while maintaining adequate filter support.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining hard plastic and soft flexible materials in a composite structure, the bottle achieves both sufficient structural support for the filter and reduced user effort for squeezing. The soft material acts as a compliant interface that requires less force to deform, thereby reducing the user effort needed to generate filtration pressure.
3Ease of operation
If single use PETE bottles are used for filtered water access, then access to clean water is improved, but environmental pollution worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a disposable single-use bottle model to a reusable model. The hybrid water bottle is designed for repeated use, allowing the user to refill and reuse the same bottle multiple times. This eliminates the need to continuously discard single-use bottles, thereby reducing plastic waste and environmental pollution while maintaining convenient access to filtered water.
Solution Approach 2:
The reusable hybrid water bottle serves multiple functions: it acts as a storage container, a filtration system, and a portable drinking solution. This multi-functionality replaces the need for multiple single-use bottles, reducing overall waste generation while providing continuous access to clean water across different scenarios.
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
The hybrid design allows for efficient filtration with reduced user effort, providing clean drinking water while being reusable and environmentally friendly, reducing plastic pollution and improving marine ecosystem health.
Implementation Method 1
The bottom element is formed from a resilient material that is of a second hardness less than the first hardness to facilitate squeezing of the bottom element
Implementation Method 2
The filter assembly includes a lower body, a lower filter, and a filter passageway
Data Source
AI summary
A method of forming a hybrid, hand-held drinking bottle includes connecting a top element to a bottom element to form a seam therebetween. The top element includes a top wall extending around a top axis, and a top opening extending within the top element between opposed ends of the top wall. The top element is formed from a material that is of a first hardness. The bottom element comprises an end wall, a bottom wall extending around a bottom axis, and a bottom opening extending between the end wall and an opposing end of the bottom wall. The bottom element is formed from a material that is of a second hardness less than the first hardness. The top opening is in communication with the bottom opening when the top element is connected to the bottom element. The method further includes over molding a collar around the seam.