Patent Publication Number: US-2004055948-A1

Title: System for adding consumable enhancing additives to drinking water

Description:
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 USC section 119(e) of U.S. provisional application No. 60/400,127, filed Aug. 2, 2002, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] Studies have shown that many people are not receiving 100% of their RDA (recommended daily allowance) of vitamins and nutrients. A shortage of nutrients and vitamins in the diet may lead to health problems.  
       [0003] One way in which the marketplace has attempted to meet the need for better nutrition is through “enhanced” bottled water. Typically given such labels as “fitness water” and “vitamin water,” enhanced bottled water products may be enhanced by the addition of common vitamins, minerals and nutrients; flavors may also be added to increase appeal to consumers.  
       [0004] The inconvenience and cost of obtaining enhanced bottled water products on a regular basis, however, may discourage consumers from pursuing this potential source of better nutrition. Accordingly, a more convenient and cost-effective approach to providing better nutrition to the public is called for. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0005]FIG. 1 shows an example of a system for selectably adding consumable enhancing additives to drinking water according to embodiments of the present invention;  
     [0006]FIG. 2 shows an example of a cartridge for containing and releasing consumable enhancing additives to water according to embodiments of the invention;  
     [0007]FIG. 2A shows a partial sectional view of the cartridge in FIG. 2;  
     [0008]FIG. 3 shows an example of a pill for encapsulating consumable enhancing additives according to embodiments;  
     [0009]FIG. 3A shows a sectional view of the pill in FIG. 3;  
     [0010]FIG. 4 shows an example of a dispensing mechanism according to embodiments;  
     [0011]FIG. 5 shows an example of a dispensing mechanism according to alternative embodiments; and  
     [0012]FIG. 5A shows an example of an injector button for dispensing a selected additive according to embodiments. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     [0013] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a cost-effective and convenient system for providing better nutrition through enhanced drinking water. As described in more detail in the following, the system may be configured to attach to a drinking water source such as a home faucet, and to selectably treat water from the source with consumable enhancing additives such as nutrients, vitamins and flavors. Thus, the system may make better nutrition conveniently available in the home as easily as, for example, turning on a tap at the kitchen sink.  
     [0014]FIG. 1 shows an example of a system for enhancing the content of drinking water according to embodiments of the present invention. The system  100  may comprise an inlet  101  that can be sealably connected to a source of drinking water, such as a home faucet  77 . The system may further comprise a portion  102  for enhancing the content of drinking water from the source, coupled between the inlet  101  and an outlet  103  for the enhanced drinking water. The enhancing portion  102  could include a channel or conduit for water to pass from the inlet  101  to the outlet  103 . The system may further comprise a water filter  107  disposed, for example, between the source  77  and the inlet  101 . In such an embodiment, the filter could be implemented in any stand-alone commercially-available filter. Alternatively, the filter could be associated with the enhancing portion  102 ; for example, the filter could be disposed in the enhancing portion ahead of a dispensing mechanism for selectably dispensing consumable enhancing additives. An outlet  110  could be provided for untreated water directly from the source  77 .  
     [0015] As noted, the enhancing portion  102  may comprise a dispensing mechanism for selectably dispensing consumable enhancing additives, such as nutrients, vitamins and flavors, into a flow of water from the source  77 . In embodiments, the dispensing mechanism may comprise replaceable cartridges  104  containing consumable enhancing additives. The portion  102  may comprise openings or slots  105  configured to receive the cartridges. The slots  105  may have corresponding covers or lids  106  able to substantially seal the slots closed so as to prevent water leakage. The cartridges may be configured to release a consumable enhancing additive into a flow of water in the enhancing portion  102 . In the example of FIG. 1, a first cartridge could contain a nutrient(s) and/or vitamin(s), while a second cartridge contained a flavor. However, the system is not limited to two cartridges.  
     [0016] Referring to FIG. 2, a cartridge  104  may, for example, according to embodiments, be formed as a cylinder having walls  200  connecting an inlet end  201  and an outlet end  202 . There could be a plurality of openings or pores  203  in the walls, to allow consumable enhancing additives contained within the cylinder to be released into a flow of drinking water. A channel  204  for the passage of water may be formed in the cylinder, and extend between the inlet end  201  and the outlet end  202 .  
     [0017] The cylinder cartridge  104  may contain consumable enhancing additives that have been encapsulated or micro-encapsulated within pellets or pills  88 . These pills  88  could be released into a flow of water through the enhancing portion  102  via the openings  203  in the cylinder walls. To this end, the channel  204  through the cylinder may comprise a spiral structure, such as spiral grooves or fins  205 , as shown in a partial cross-sectional view in FIG. 2A, to facilitate spinning of the cylinder in the water flow, thereby causing the pill  88  to be propelled outward through the openings  203  by centrifugal force  
     [0018] Referring to FIG. 3, according to embodiments, the pills  88  may comprise a water-soluble coating or shell  88 . 1  surrounding a consumable enhancing additive  88 . 2 . The shell  88 . 1  could, for example, include an edible polymer such as hydrolyzed starch, acrylic acid, or cellulose. The additive  88 . 2  could be any of a nutrient, a vitamin, a flavor, or other enhancing substance. Outside the cylinder, the pills may dissolve in the water flow to introduce the consumable enhancing additive into the water. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3A, in embodiments the pills could have a radius on the order of microns (0.000001 meters). For example, the radius could be five microns. Accordingly, in embodiments, the openings or pores  203  in the cylinder wall could have a radius about twice the radius of the pills or greater; that is, about 10 microns or greater. However, the pills  88  and pores  203  are not limited to the foregoing dimensions, and could be larger or smaller.  
     [0019] In alternative embodiments, a cartridge may simply be a mass of compressed additive that slowly dissolves over time as water passes over, through or around the cartridge.  
     [0020] Returning to FIG. 1, the system  100  could include indicators  108  for indicating when the cartridges  104  need to be replaced. The indicators could, for example, be coupled to a monitoring mechanism such as a microchip containing a programmable clock. The indicators could be implemented as, for example, light-emitting diodes or LCD (liquid crystal display) readouts, and the clock could be programmed to cause the indicators to, for example, light up or flash after a predetermined period of time had passed since installing a new cartridge, for example, a month. A user could then replace this cartridge with a fresh one and reset the clock. An indicator could also be triggered by a flow meter configured to monitor the amount of water flowing through a corresponding cartridge. In such an arrangement, the flow meter could be coupled to the indicator and send a signal to the indicator to cause it to light up or flash after a pre-determined volume of water had flowed through the corresponding cartridge.  
     [0021] The system  100  could further comprise a switching mechanism  109 . The switching mechanism could operate to cause a flow of water into the inlet  101  to selectably be treated by only filtering, bypassing the cartridges  104 , and thereby producing water, for example at the outlet  110 , that may have only been filtered but not otherwise enhanced. On the other hand, the switching mechanism could operate to cause a flow of water into the inlet  101  to selectably be treated by both filtering and by the cartridges  104 , or to select only one cartridge for enhancement of the water. For example, one cartridge could contain nutrients or vitamins, while another contained a flavor. As shown in FIG. 1, the switching mechanism  109  could comprise a rotary member with a plurality of settings  109 . 1 , representing, e.g., “filter only”;  109 . 2 , representing, e.g., “nutrient only”; and  109 . 3 , representing, e.g. “flavor only”. A default setting, not shown, could enable selection of treatment of the water by all of filtering, nutrients and flavoring. By rotating the rotary member to a desired setting, a user could receive a corresponding output at either the outlet  103  for enhanced drinking water, or at the outlet  110  for filtered-only water. The switching mechanism could be implemented, for example, with an arrangement of selectable valves, chambers and conduits, and is not described in detail herein.  
     [0022] According to further embodiments, referring to FIG. 4, the dispensing mechanism could comprise a flow meter  400  coupled to a container  401  of a consumable enhancing additive. The flow meter and the container could be located in the enhancing portion, with the flow meter arranged so as to be able to measure a volume of water flowing through the enhancing portion. The flow meter could be electrically coupled to the container via a connection  403 , and send a control signal through the connection to the container after measuring a predetermined volume of water. The control signal could cause the container to release a predetermined amount of a consumable enhancing additive into the flow of water through the enhancing portion.  
     [0023]FIG. 5 illustrates another alternative embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the dispensing mechanism could comprise a plurality of refillable injectors  500  for holding consumable enhancing additives. The injectors, for example, could be formed as hollow buttons configured to be insertable into and retractable from a flow of drinking water through the enhancing portion  102 . Thus, a user could select any desired combination of nutrients, vitamins, flavors, or other enhancing additives for treatment of the water, by filling the buttons with selected additives and inserting a corresponding combination of buttons into the water flow.  
     [0024] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, the buttons  500  could be formed similarly to cabinet drawers, but with side walls constructed so as to allow water in the enhancing portion to flow through the walls. For example, the side walls might only comprise retaining members  501  for retaining a container of a consumable enhancing additives within the button  500 , but otherwise be open to allow water to flow through. The buttons could be configured, for example, to receive and retain a cylindrical replaceable cartridge  104  as described earlier in connection with FIG. 2.  
     [0025] Examples of consumable enhancing additives that could be used with the foregoing system include, as noted earlier, vitamins, minerals and flavors, but could further include (but are not limited to) botanicals, herbals, dietary supplements, nutritional supplements, pharmaceuticals, carbonation and dyes. Various additives could be individually introduced in selected combinations as described above, or could be pre-combined in a single package.  
     [0026] As noted earlier, the additives could be encapsulated within tiny pills on the order of microns in size. An advantage of encapsulating the additives is that it provides some control over the timing and rate of the delivery of the additives into a volume of water. More specifically, different additives will typically have different solubility properties; solubility properties are further dependent on solvent flow rate and temperature. By coating an additive with a shell with known, consistent solubility properties, the timing and rate of delivery of the additive can be controlled to an extent. The system could also include a flow regulator for controlling the volume and rate of water admitted into the enhancing portion, for better control of additive delivery.  
     [0027] According to embodiments, the pill coating could have a range of solubility properties. For example, the pill coating could have a solubility that was dependent on the pH level of the medium in which it was suspended. In such an embodiment, the coating could be insoluble in water that is relatively pH balanced (e.g., pH=7), but soluble once in a person&#39;s stomach, where the pH is very acidic and in a healthy person is typically between 1 and 2, or more than ten thousand times as acidic as drinking water. Yet another alternative could involve using bicarbonate to mix with the additives, to control the rate and timing of delivery.  
     [0028] However, the foregoing are not the only methods of delivery of additives contemplated according to the present invention, and the additives need not be encapsulated in a pill as described, nor in a cartridge. For example, the additives could be in liquid form, powdered form, or solid form, similar to a bouillon cube. The additives could be in any kind of porous package, similar to a teabag.  
     [0029] According to embodiments, the system might further comprise a display window to display information relating to the system, such as the current contents of the additive containers of the system, how long the containers have been in use, nutritional information, and the like. The display window could utilize LCD technology, for example, and be controlled by a programmable microchip.  
     [0030] Embodiments of the present invention are not limited to use with faucets or the like. For example, elements of the present invention could be adapted for use with portable containers such as pitchers, water bottles, or with other drinking water delivery systems such as water coolers or refrigerators. More specifically, an attachment for a container such as a pitcher or water bottle could be designed to include a filter and a replaceable dispenser of a consumable enhancing additive. Un-enhanced water could be introduced into, or dispensed from, the container via the attachment, thereby treating the water to enhance it. Similarly, elements of the present invention could be installed into a water cooler or refrigerator, and operated by corresponding buttons, switches and the like to selectively treat the water with enhancing additives.  
     [0031] Several embodiments of the present invention are specifically illustrated and/or described herein. However, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the present invention are covered by the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention.