Patent ID: 9327957
Filing Date: 2016-05-03
CPC Classification: B67D,F17D,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A water dispenser comprising: a housing having a lower portion; an exchangeable raw water container which has a plug and which can be set at the lower portion of the housing in an upside-down position; a water storage tank mounted in the housing at a position higher than the raw water container set at the lower portion of the housing in the upside-down position; a water supply line through which water in the raw water container, set at the lower portion of the housing in the upside-down position can be drawn up into the water storage tank by a pump; a water discharge line through which water in the water storage tank can be discharged; a piercing member configured to push up the plug of the raw water container when the raw water container is placed at the lower portion of the housing in the upside-down position; an air intake line through which atmospheric air can be freely sucked into the raw water container, set at the lower portion of the housing in the upside-down position, while the pump is activated; a sterilizer provided in the air intake line and configured to mix sterilizing gas into atmospheric air in the air intake line, wherein the sterilizer is operatively associated with the pump; and an air chamber, wherein the air chamber is connected to the water storage tank through an air introducing pipe, wherein the water supply line has an end portion which is a portion of the piercing member, wherein the air intake line has a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein the second end portion of the air intake line constitutes an atmospheric air intake port of the air chamber, wherein the first end portion of the air intake line constitutes a portion of the piercing member such that, with the raw water container set at the lower portion of the housing in the upside-down position, the air intake line maintains the raw water container in communication with the atmosphere, wherein the raw water container is made of a soft material and has a portion which is collapsible under an atmospheric pressure when water remaining in the raw water container decreases, and wherein a portion of the air intake line is constituted by an upwardly extending pipe through which atmospheric air flows downwardly toward the first end portion of the air intake line, and the sterilizer is configured to mix sterilizing gas in the air chamber and to mix sterilizing gas with the atmospheric air to flow with the atmospheric air downwardly through the upwardly extending pipe toward the first end portion of the air intake line.