Patent ID: 8128820

Claim:
A water pitcher filter comprising: a water pitcher having a base, body, handle and spout; a liquid chamber within said body and occupying only an upper portion thereof, comprising: a filtration compartment divided by a removable and replaceable filter into an upper reservoir and a lower collector chamber, said filter containing filter media capable of removing minerals from water; an ultraviolet treatment compartment having an ultraviolet light source contained therein, said filtration compartment and said ultraviolet treatment compartment being separated by a vertical partition defining a liquid passage at a lowermost end thereof; and an exit opening at an upper end of said ultraviolet treatment compartment, wherein said exit opening and said liquid passage are sufficiently narrow so that filtered liquid remains in the ultraviolet treatment compartment for a duration sufficient for ultraviolet light emitted from said ultraviolet light source to kill 99% of the pathogens present in water being treated prior to exiting said ultraviolet treatment compartment; wherein water to be treated is introduced into said upper reservoir, passes though said filter into said lower collector chamber under the action of gravity, then passes through said liquid passage into said ultraviolet treatment compartment, where it is subjected to ultraviolet radiation, and subsequently flows through said exit opening.