Bottled water supply system

A system for supplying water from a bottle to a faucet and an auxiliary device on demand. The inventive device includes a water bottle for storing a quantity of fresh water. A demand pump fluidly communicates with the water bottle and creates a pressurized output of water from the bottle. The demand pump is responsive to a drop in output pressure such as occurs during opening of a faucet or operation of a refrigerator ice-maker so as to supply water from the water bottle to such devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to fluid supply structures and more 
particularly pertains to a bottled water supply system for supplying water 
from a bottle to a faucet and an auxiliary device on demand. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The use of fluid supply structures is known in the prior art. More 
specifically, fluid supply structures heretofore devised and utilized are 
known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural 
configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the 
crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of 
countless objectives and requirements. 
Known prior art fluid supply structures include U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,958; 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,866; U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,042; U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,806; 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,380; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,345. 
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and 
requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a bottled water 
supply system for supplying water from a bottle to a faucet and an 
auxiliary device on demand which includes a water bottle for storing a 
quantity of fresh water, and demand pump fluidly communicating with the 
water bottle for creating a pressurized output of water from the bottle, 
wherein the demand pump is responsive to a drop in output pressure such as 
occurs during opening of a faucet or operation of a refrigerator ice-maker 
so as to supply water from the water bottle to such devices. 
In these respects, the bottled water supply system according to the present 
invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs 
of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily 
developed for the purpose of supplying water from a bottle to a faucet and 
an auxiliary device on demand. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of fluid 
supply structures now present in the prior art, the present invention 
provides a new bottled water supply system construction wherein the same 
can be utilized for supplying water from a bottle to a faucet and a 
auxiliary device. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, 
which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a 
new bottled water supply system apparatus and method which has many of the 
advantages of the fluid supply structures mentioned heretofore and many 
novel features that result in a bottled water supply system which is not 
anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the 
prior art fluid supply structures, either alone or in any combination 
thereof. 
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a system for 
supplying water from a bottle to a faucet and an auxiliary device on 
demand. The inventive device includes a water bottle for storing a 
quantity of fresh water. A demand pump fluidly communicates with the water 
bottle and creates a pressurized output of water from the bottle. The 
demand pump is responsive to a drop in output pressure such as occurs 
during opening of a faucet or operation of a refrigerator ice-maker so as 
to supply water from the water bottle to such devices. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present 
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional 
features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which 
will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention 
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its 
application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the 
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the 
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being 
practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood 
that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose 
of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon 
which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the 
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the 
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, 
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions 
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present 
invention. 
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent 
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the 
scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar 
with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a 
cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of 
the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention 
of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to 
be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new bottled 
water supply system apparatus and method which has many of the advantages 
of the fluid supply structures mentioned heretofore and many novel 
features that result in a bottled water supply system which is not 
anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the 
prior art fluid supply structures, either alone or in any combination 
thereof. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new bottled 
water supply system which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and 
marketed. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new bottled 
water supply system which is of a durable and reliable construction. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new bottled 
water supply system which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with 
regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then 
susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making 
such bottled water supply systems economically available to the buying 
public. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
bottled water supply system which provides in the apparatuses and methods 
of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously 
overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new bottled 
water supply system for supplying water from a bottle to a faucet and an 
auxiliary device on demand. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new bottled 
water supply system which includes a water bottle for storing a quantity 
of fresh water, and demand pump fluidly communicating with the water 
bottle for creating a pressurized output of water from the bottle, wherein 
the demand pump is responsive to a drop in output pressure such as occurs 
during opening of a faucet or operation of a refrigerator ice-maker so as 
to supply water from the water bottle to such devices. 
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various 
features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with 
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this 
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating 
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should 
be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there 
is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1-8 thereof, 
a new bottled water supply system embodying the principles and concepts of 
the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 
will be described. 
More specifically, it will be noted that the bottled water supply system 10 
comprises a water bottle 12 for receiving and storing a quantity of fresh 
water such as is commonly supplied by commercially available sources. The 
water bottle 12 is shaped so as to define an unlabeled cylindrical body 
tapering to a neck of reduced cross sectional diameter. A filter cap 14 is 
secured to the neck of the water bottle 12 and includes a sump conduit 16 
extending through an interior of the water bottle to terminate proximal to 
a lower end thereof. An intake conduit 18 extends from the filter cap 14 
and in communication with the sump conduit 16 to couple and fluidly 
communicate with a demand pump 20. An output conduit 22 extends from the 
demand pump 20 and into communication with a faucet conduit 24 
communicating with a faucet 26. If desired, an auxiliary conduit 28 can be 
positioned into fluid communication with the output conduit 22 for 
coupling the output conduit to an auxiliary device such as a refrigerator 
ice-maker. The demand pump 20 operates to maintain a predetermined 
pressure within the output conduit 22 such that a pressure drop will 
effect automatic operation of the demand pump 20 to supply water or other 
fluids from the water bottle 12 to the output conduit 22 and the faucet 
conduit 24 and/or auxiliary conduit 28. By this structure, an operation of 
the faucet 26 and/or the refrigerator ice-maker will result in a 
continuous supply of water from the water bottle 12 by the demand pump 20 
in response thereto. 
Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, it can be shown that the 
filter cap 14 according to the present invention 10 comprises a closed 
cylindrical cap 30 having a seal 32 engaging the neck of the water bottle 
12. A connector 34 extends through the closed cylindrical cap 30 and 
couples the sump conduit 16 to the intake conduit 18. An air filter 36 is 
positioned into fluid communication with an interior of the water bottle 
12 and operates to filter air vented into the interior of the water bottle 
12 during removal of fluids therefrom. By this structure, the filter cap 
14 can be easily coupled to interchangeable water bottles 12, with the air 
filter 26 filtering air entering such water bottle to maintain the water 
in a fresh condition therewithin. 
Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein the demand pump 20 is illustrated, 
it can be shown that the same comprises an electric pump 38 mounted within 
an unlabeled housing. Electricity is supplied to the electric pump 38 
through a power cord 40 communicating with a manual switch 42 mounted to 
an exterior of the demand pump housing. The manual switch 42 operates to 
electrically coupled the power cord 40 to the electric pump 38 as 
prescribed an end user. The electric pump 38 includes an intake port 44 
positioned into fluid communication with the intake conduit 18, and an 
output port 46 positioned into fluid communication with the output conduit 
22. The electric pump 38 further includes an unillustrated interior 
pressure sensor responsive to pressure within the output port 46 such that 
energization of the electric pump 38 is commenced upon a dropping of 
pressure within the output port 46 below a predetermined level. By this 
structure, a manual energization of the electric pump 38 through an 
operation of the manual switch 42 will result in the generation of a 
predetermined fluid pressure within the output port 46 and the output 
conduit 22. When the faucet 26 or a device coupled to the auxiliary 
conduit 28 accepts fluid from the output conduit 22, the pressure sensor 
within the electric pump 38 will sense the drop in pressure within the 
output port 46 to commence operation of the electric pump 38. Upon closure 
of the faucet 26 and/or termination of water flow through the output 
conduit 22, pressure within the output port 46 will rise above the 
predetermined pressure, whereby the pressure sensor within the electric 
pump 38 will terminate operation thereof. 
As shown in FIG. 7, the auxiliary conduit 28 is preferably coupled to an 
ice-maker intake line of a refrigerator 50 so as to supply fresh water 
from the water bottle 12 thereto as described above. As shown in FIG. 8, 
the faucet 26 desirably includes a manual valve 52 permitting selective 
dispensing of water from the faucet conduit 24 into a sink or other 
desired area. 
In use, the bottled water supply system 10 according to the present 
invention can be easily utilized to supply bottled water from a 
commercially available water bottle 12 to either or both of a faucet 26 or 
a refrigerator ice-maker as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. 
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the 
present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. 
Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and 
operation will be provided. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.