Filtering water bottle

Abstract

A portable, personal apparatus for treating drinking water comprises a generally tubular or cylindrical filter housing containing filtration media and water-permeable screen or mesh or felt or membrane or netting layer at the top and bottom ends of the filter. The design of the apparatus involves the bottle exterior and interior contouring to the filter and enables the efficient and rapid gravity flow of water in through the filter. The apparatus may be configured such that water is first passed through a top reservoir designed to receive water, followed by a porous mesh, followed by granular filtration and antimicrobial media agitated by turbulent motion of influent water, followed by a porous mesh before reaching a durable and reusable water containment vessel.

1 - 27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . A filter apparatus comprising:
 a filter housing having a filter chamber defined at least in part by an inlet mesh and a filter pad disposed opposite the inlet mesh, the inlet mesh having a porosity ranging from approximately 50 microns to approximately 2000 microns, the filter pad having a porosity ranging from approximately 50 microns to approximately 500 microns; and   filtration media disposed in the filter chamber, the filtration media comprising granular activated carbon having a mesh size of 4×8, 6×12, 8×16, 8×30, or 12×30,   wherein the filter apparatus allows for a flow rate of water greater than approximately 0.1 Lpm through the filter chamber by the force of gravity when the water is supplied to the filter chamber.   
     
     
         29 . The filter apparatus of  claim 28 , wherein the granular activated carbon has a mesh size of 8×16. 
     
     
         30 . The filter apparatus of  claim 28 , wherein the inlet mesh has a greater porosity than the filter pad. 
     
     
         31 . The filter apparatus of  claim 28 , wherein the filter apparatus allows for a flow rate of the water of about 0.5 Lpm to about 5 Lpm through the filter chamber by the force of gravity when the water is supplied to the filter chamber. 
     
     
         32 . The filter apparatus of  claim 28 , further comprising a reservoir disposed upstream of and adjacent to the inlet mesh. 
     
     
         33 . The filter apparatus of  claim 28 , wherein the filter apparatus is configured to reduce at least one contaminant from the water at a flow rate of at least 0.5 Lpm. 
     
     
         34 . An apparatus comprising:
 a container having an opening;   a filter housing attached to and disposed within the container, the filter housing having a filter chamber defined at least in part by an inlet mesh and a filter pad disposed opposite the inlet mesh, the inlet mesh having a porosity ranging from approximately 50 microns to approximately 2000 microns, the filter pad having a porosity ranging from approximately 50 microns to approximately 500 microns;   filtration media disposed in the filter chamber, the filtration media comprising granular activated carbon having a mesh size of 4×8, 6×12, 8×16, 8×30, or 12×30; and   a cap configured to connect to the opening of the container over the filter housing, wherein the apparatus allows for a flow rate of water greater than approximately 0.1 Lpm through the filter chamber by the force of gravity when the water is supplied through the opening to the filter chamber.   
     
     
         35 . The apparatus of  claim 34 , further comprising a reservoir disposed between the cap and the inlet mesh of the filter housing. 
     
     
         36 . The apparatus of  claim 34 , wherein the filter housing is configured to be removably engaged with the container. 
     
     
         37 . The apparatus of  claim 34 , wherein the granular activated carbon has a mesh size of 8×16. 
     
     
         38 . The apparatus of  claim 34 , wherein the inlet mesh has a greater porosity than the filter pad. 
     
     
         39 . The apparatus of  claim 34 , wherein the filter apparatus allows for a flow rate of the water of about 0.5 Lpm to about 5 Lpm through the filter chamber when the water is supplied to the filter chamber by the force of gravity. 
     
     
         40 . The apparatus of  claim 34 , further comprising one or more ventilation holes through a wall of the container, the ventilation hole(s) configured to permit flow of air from inside the apparatus to outside the apparatus. 
     
     
         41 . The apparatus of  claim 34 , wherein the apparatus is configured to reduce at least one contaminant from the water at a given flow rate of at least 0.5 Lpm. 
     
     
         42 . An apparatus for treating drinking water, the apparatus comprising:
 a filter housing having a filter chamber; and   filtration media disposed in the filter chamber, wherein the apparatus allows for a flow rate of water greater than approximately 0.9 Lpm through the filter chamber when the water is supplied to the filter housing by the force of gravity.   
     
     
         43 . The apparatus of  claim 42 , wherein the filtration media comprises granular activated carbon having a mesh size of 4×8, 6×12, 8×16, 8×30, or 12×30. 
     
     
         44 . The apparatus of  claim 43 , wherein the granular activated carbon has a mesh size of 8×16. 
     
     
         45 . The apparatus of  claim 42 , wherein the apparatus is configured to reduce at least one contaminant from the water at a flow rate of 1.0-2.0 Lpm. 
     
     
         46 . The apparatus of  claim 42 , wherein the apparatus is configured to reduce at least one contaminant from the water at a flow rate of 3.0-5.0 Lpm. 
     
     
         47 . The apparatus of  claim 42 , further comprising a container having an opening and a cap configured to connect to the opening of the container, the filter housing attached to and disposed within the container.