Patent ID: 8408420

Claim:
A water dispensing apparatus, comprising: (a) a water reservoir, comprising, (i) a compartment for receiving and storing water from a water bottle, (ii) a water bottle receiving area by which a mouth of a water bottle is received for the flow of water from the water bottle into the compartment of the water reservoir, (iii) a mechanism by which a water bottle is securely coupled to the water reservoir, and (iv) a dispenser by which a user selectively dispenses water from the compartment of the water reservoir; and (b) a lifting system, comprising, (i) a carriage, (ii) a track along which the carriage traverses, (iii) a motor assembly by which traversal of the carriage along the track is driven, and (iv) a coupling mechanism connecting the water reservoir to the carriage and enabling rotation of the water reservoir relative to the carriage, (c) wherein the water reservoir is transitionable between, (i) a lower position of the water reservoir, in which a water bottle in an upright orientation is coupled to the water reservoir, with a mouth of the water bottle being received in the water bottle receiving area of the water reservoir, and (ii) an upper position of the water reservoir, in which the water reservoir is rotated and a water bottle coupled thereto is transitioned into an inverted orientation, with the mouth of the water bottle facing downwardly for gravitationally induced flow of water from the water bottle into the water reservoir.