Patent Publication Number: US-2017355626-A1

Title: Portable electrolytic water purifier

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrolytic device and, more particularly, to a portable electrolytic water purifier. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Free radicals have high chemical activity and exist within cells of human body. When excessive free radicals exist within the human body, the free radicals will seize electrons around cells of the human body to become potentially harmful to human health and accelerate body aging. There are many reasons for free radial generation. For example, living environment, dietary habits, lifestyle and the like may cause excessive free radical generation inside the human body. A conventional approach for reduction of free radicals inside the human body is to drink electrolyzed water. Many people then install electrolytic water purifiers at home accordingly. The electrolytic water purifiers are usually connected to drinking water hoses and perform electrolysis of ordinary tap water in generation of electrolyzed water. When users in possession of the electrolytic water purifiers go out, electrolyzed water to be drunk outside may be filled in a bottle beforehand. However, when the electrolyzed water runs out, refilling the bottle with electrolyzed water becomes an issue. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An objective of the present invention is to provide a portable electrolytic water purifier for ease of carrying and decomposition of water in a plastic bottle placed on the portable electrolytic water purifier when necessary. 
     To achieve the foregoing objective, the portable electrolytic water purifier includes a housing, a base, a first conducting grid plate, a second conducting grid plate, and an electrolytic circuit module. 
     The housing has an internal space and a container coupling portion. 
     The container coupling portion has an opening communicating with the internal space. 
     The base is mounted inside the internal space of the housing and has an assembly ring annularly formed on a top surface of the base. An inner wall of the assembly ring abuts against a periphery of the container coupling portion. 
     The first conducting grid plate is mounted on the top surface of the base, and is located within the assembly ring and underneath the opening of the container coupling portion. 
     The second conducting grid plate is mounted above and is electrically isolated from the first conducting grid plate, and is located within the assembly ring of the base and underneath the opening of the container coupling portion. 
     The electrolytic circuit module is mounted inside the internal space of the housing and is electrically connected to the first conducting grid plate and the second conducting grid plate. 
     Given the foregoing portable electrolytic water purifier, when users go out, the portable electrolytic water purifier can be carried along and combined with a plastic bottle filled with water by inversely placing the plastic bottom on the portable electrolytic water purifier for the first conducting grid plate and the second conducting grid plate to be immersed in the water of the plastic bottle. When the electrolytic circuit module supplies power with reverse polarities to the first conducting grid plate and the second conducting grid plate, water located between the first conducting grid plate and the second conducting grid plate is decomposed into drinkable electrolyzed water through electrolysis. The portable electrolytic water purifier is compact and lightweight for ease of carry. When users go out, the portable electrolytic water purifier can be used to generate electrolyzed water. After one bottle of water is fully decomposed and drunk, another bottle of water can be provided for continuous electrolysis in generation of electrolyzed water. Accordingly, users can supplement electrolyzed water at all time as long as bottled water is available. 
     Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a portable electrolytic water purifier in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the portable electrolytic water purifier in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the portable electrolytic water purifier in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the portable electrolytic water purifier taken along A-A in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the portable electrolytic water purifier taken along B-B in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an operational schematic view of the portable electrolytic water purifier in  FIG. 1  coupled to a water container; and 
         FIG. 7  is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the portable electrolytic water purifier and the water container in  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a portable electrolytic water purifier in accordance with the present invention includes a housing  10 , a base  20 , a first conducting grid plate  31 , a second conducting grid plate  32 , an insulation spacer  40  and an electrolytic circuit module  50 . 
     The housing  10  has an internal space  102  and a container coupling portion  101 . The internal space  102  is defined inside the housing  10 . The container coupling portion  101  is formed through to have an opening  103 , a retaining protrusion  104 , and threaded portion  101   a.  The opening  103  is located at a bottom of the container coupling portion  101  and communicates with the internal space  102 . The retaining protrusion  104  is annularly formed on and protrudes inwardly and upwardly from a portion of an inner wall of the container coupling portion  101  adjacent to the opening  103 . The threaded portion  101   a  is formed on the inner wall of the container coupling portion  101 . The opening  103  may be a circular opening. In the present embodiment, the housing  10  includes a lower seat  11 , a fastening member  12  and a cover  13 . The lower seat  11  is hollow with an opening facing up and may be rested on a table. The fastening member  12  is mounted inside the lower seat  11  for the internal space  102  defined between the fastening member  12  and the lower seat  11 . The fastening member  12  has a flange  120  and the container coupling portion  101 . The flange  120  is formed on a top edge portion of a periphery of the fastening member  12 , is mounted on a top portion of the lower seat  11 , and has an electrical connector  121  mounted inside the flange  120 . The electrical connector  121  may be a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector. The opening  103  is located on a bottom portion of the fastening member  12  formed on and protruding downwardly from an inner wall of the flange  120 . The cover  13  is mounted on a top surface of the flange  120  of the fastening member  12  and has a mounting hole  130  and a power switch  131 . The mounting hole  130  is formed through the cover  13  and is aligned with the electrical connector  121  of the fastening member  12 . The power switch  131  may be a touch button. 
     The base  20  is mounted inside the internal space  102  of the housing  10  and has an assembly ring  21 . The assembly ring  21  is formed on a top surface of the base  20  and may be annular with a center thereof corresponding to a center of the opening  103  of the container coupling portion  101 . A diameter of the assembly ring  21  is greater than a diameter of the opening  103  of the container coupling portion  101 . With reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , an inner wall of the assembly ring  21  abuts against a periphery of the bottom portion of the container coupling portion  101 . The assembly ring  21  and the container coupling portion  101  may be in tight mating with each other. With reference to  FIG. 2 , the base  20  has a bottom plate  22  and the assembly ring  21 . The assembly ring  21  is formed on a top surface of the bottom plate  22 . The bottom plate  22  has a first through hole  221  and a second through hole  222  formed through the bottom plate  22  and separately located within the assembly ring  21 . 
     The first conducting grid plate  31  is mounted on the top surface of the bottom plate  22  and is located within the assembly ring  21  and underneath the opening  103  of the container coupling portion  101 . In the present embodiment, the first conducting grid plate  31  has a first frame  311  and multiple first bars  312 . The first frame  311  may take a form similar to that of the assembly ring  21 , such as a circular frame. An outer diameter of the first frame  311  is greater than an outer diameter of the opening  103  of the container coupling portion  101 . The first bars  312  are coplanar with the first frame  311  and are formed inside the first frame  311  and spaced apart from each other by gaps. The first frame  311  has a first pin  313  formed on and protruding downwardly from a bottom of the first frame  311  and mounted through the first through hole  221  of the bottom plate  22  of the base  20 . The first frame  311  and the first bars  312  are made from a titanium alloy and have a silver coating formed on a surface of the titanium alloy. 
     The insulation spacer  40  is mounted on a top surface of the first conducting grid plate  31 . With reference to  FIG. 3 , the insulation spacer  40  is smaller than the opening  103  of the container coupling portion  101  in area. In the present embodiment, the insulation spacer  40  is a circular plate with a diameter less than that of the opening  103  of the container coupling portion  101 . For example, the diameter of the insulation spacer  40  is less than half of that of the opening  103  of the container coupling portion  101 . 
     The second conducting grid plate  32  is mounted on a top surface of the insulation spacer  40  for the first conducting grid plate  31  and the second conducting grid plate  32  to be separately mounted below and above the insulation spacer  40 . The second conducting grid plate  32  is located underneath the opening  103  of the container coupling portion  101 . In the present embodiment, the second conducting grid plate  32  is structurally the same as the first conducting grid plate  31 . The second conducting grid plate  22  has a second frame  321  and multiple second bars  322 . The second bars  322  are coplanar with the second frame  321  and are formed inside the second frame  321  and spaced apart from each other by gaps. The second frame  321  has a second pin  323  formed on and protruding downwardly from a bottom of the second frame  321  and mounted through the second through hole  222  of the bottom plate  22  of the base  20 . The second frame  321  and the second bars  322  are made from a titanium alloy and have a silver coating formed on a surface of the titanium alloy. When the second conducting grid plate  32  and the first conducting grid plate  31  are mounted on the base  20 , the second bars  322  are aligned in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first bars  312  are aligned. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the second bars  322  and the first bars  312  are overlapped to take the form of a mesh. 
     The electrolytic circuit module  50  is mounted inside the internal space of the housing  10  and is electrically connected to the first conducting grid plate  31  and the second conducting grid plate  32  to supply power to the first conducting grid plate  31  and the second conducting grid plate  32  with different polarities for electrolysis. For example, when the first conducting grid plate  31  is connected to the anode of a power source of the electrolytic circuit module  50 , the second conducting grid plate  32  is connected to the cathode of the power source. In the present embodiment, the electrolytic circuit module  50  includes a circuit board  51  and a rechargeable battery  52 . The circuit board  51  is electrically connected to the rechargeable battery  52 , the first pin  313 , the second pin  323  and the electrical connector  121  and the power switch  131  of the housing  10 . The rechargeable battery  52  supplies the power for electrolysis, and the circuit board  51  is controlled by the power switch  131  to output the power for electrolysis to the first conducting grid plate  31  and the second conducting grid plate  32 . 
     As to a combined structure of the fastening member  12 , the base  20  and the lower seat  11 , with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the flange  120  of the fastening member  12  has multiple fixing holes  122  formed through the flange  120 , the bottom plate  22  of the base  20  has multiple upper cylindrical bosses  23  formed through the bottom plate  22  and aligned with the respective fixing holes  122 , and the lower seat  11  has multiple lower cylindrical bosses  110  formed on an inner bottom of the lower seat  11  and aligned with the respective fixing holes  122  of the fastening member  12 . Each upper cylindrical boss  23  has a threaded hole formed through the upper cylindrical boss  23 , and each lower cylindrical boss  110  has a threaded hole formed in a top thereof. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the upper cylindrical bosses  23  of the base  20  are respectively connected between a bottom surface of the flange  120  and the tops of the lower cylindrical bosses  23  of the base  20 . Multiple screws are sequentially and respectively mounted through the fixing holes  122  of the fastening member  12 , the upper cylindrical bosses  23  of the base  20  and the lower cylindrical bosses  110  of the lower seat  11  to fasten the fastening member  12 , the base  20  and the lower seat  11  together through threaded connection. The cover  13  of the housing  10  is mounted on the top surface of the flange  120  to cover the fixing holes  122  for aesthetic concerns. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , when the portable electrolytic water purifier is in use, after a container  60  is filled with water  62 , a mouth  61  of the container  60  is connected with the container coupling portion  101 , such that a water-filling space of the container  60  to communicate with the opening  103  of the container coupling portion  101  and the container  60  is inversely placed with the mouth  61  facing down. Thus, the housing  10  of the portable electrolytic water purifier can be rested on a table. As the container  60  is inversely placed and the insulation spacer  40  is smaller than the opening  103  of the container coupling portion  101 , water  62  flows through the mouth  61  to a portion of the base  20  surrounded by the assembly ring  21 . Also because the assembly ring  21  and the container coupling portion  101  are in tight mating with each other, water  62  is hermetically retained in the portion surrounded by the assembly ring  21 , and the first conducting grid plate  31  and the second conducting grid plate  32  are immersed in water  62 . As such, when the circuit board  51  supplies power with opposite polarities for electrolysis to the first conducting grid plate  31  and the second conducting grid plate  32 , water  62  can be decomposed to electrolyzed water. 
     In sum, in contrast to regular electrolytic water purifiers, the portable electrolytic water purifier in accordance with the present invention is compact and lightweight for ease of carry. When going out, users can combine a plastic bottle containing water with the portable electrolytic water purifier. After the bottle is inversely placed and the power switch  131  is switched on, the first conducting grid plate  31  and the second conducting grid plate  32  start performing electrolysis of water and electrolyzed water decomposed from water in the plastic bottle is available for users to drink after a while since the start of the electrolysis. 
     Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.