NZ629556A - Water dispensing system - Google Patents

Abstract

A water dispensing system (100) dispenses potable water and potable water which includes additives into reusable bottles (121). The water dispensing system (100) includes an inlet (111), an additive supply (112), at least one outlet (113) and a receptacle dispenser (120). The inlet (111) connects to a potable water supply. The additive supply (112) selectively provides at least one additive for mixing with potable water. The at least one outlet (113) is coupled to the inlet (111) so that in use it dispenses at least one of potable water and enhanced water including at least one additive. The receptacle dispenser (120) dispenses a reusable bottle (121). The dispenser includes a payment mechanism to receive payment from a user, a controller that determines user inputs and payments and controls dispensing accordingly, and a display to display advertising sourced remote from the dispenser to the user.

Description

WATER DISPENSING SYSTEM Background of the Invention This invention relates to a water dispensing system and in one particular example to a vending system capable of dispensing potable drinking water, as well as enhanced water and water bottles.

Description of the Prior Art The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that the prior publication ( or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

The world is spending $100 billion on bottled water per year, with global consumption increasing by 10% per year. However, bottled water is expensive, costing up to 1,000 times the amount of tap water. Additionally, in scientific testing, bottled water has been found to be no safer than tap water, with one in five bot tled water samples con taining more bacteria than allowed under guidelines.

A further drawback of bottled water is the issue of plastic bottles, which has a significant environmental impact. This includes the production of bottled water, which is energy intensive and wastes water, for example it takes three times the amount of water to make a plastic bottle as it does to fill it. Additionally, there are disposal problems associated with plastic bottles, which contributes significantly to littering. For example, in south east Queensland, plastic bottles constitute over 22% of waterway litter.

Despite the above drawbacks, bottled water remains popular largely due to portability, availability and hence convenience. An alternative to bottled water is the use of water fountains, however these are only of limited availability and many users have concerns regarding hygiene.

Summary of the Present Invention In one broad form the present invention seeks to provide a water dispensing system including: a) an inlet that connects to a potable water supply; b) an additive supply that selectively provides at least one additive for mixing with potable water received from the potable water supply; c) at least one outlet coupled to the inlet that in use dispenses at least one of: i) potable water received from the potable water supply; and, ii) enhanced water including at least one additive; d) a receptacle dispenser that dispenses a reusable bottle; e) a user input device; f) a payment mechanism that receives payment from a user; g) a controller that: i) determines user inputs supplied via the user input device: ii) detects payments received via the payment device; and, iii) controls the dispensing system to thereby dispense at least one of: (1 ) potable water without requiring a payment; (2 ) a reusable bottle or enhanced water in response to receipt of a payment; and, h) a display that selectively displays advertising at least one of: i) retrieved from a local store; and, ii) received via a communications network.

Typically the dispensing system includes at least one of: a) a pump that pumps potable water received from the potable water supply to the outlet; b) a flow meter that measures a volume of potable water to be dispensed; c) a filter that filters potable water received from the potable water supply; d) a chiller that chills water received from the potable water supply; e) a mixing unit that selectively mixes an additive with the potable water; and, f) a flow control valve to selectively restrict flow of water from the outlet.

Typically the additive supply includes: a) a plurality of additive stores that store respective additives; and, b) a dosing system that selectively provides a respective quantity of at least one additive for mixing with a predetermined quantity of potable water to form the enhanced water.

Brief Description of the Drawings An example of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example of a drink dispensing system; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of an external housing of a second example of a drink dispensing system; Figure 3 is a block diagram of the functionality of the drink dispensing system of Figure 2.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments An example of a water dispensing system will now be described with reference to Figure 1.

In this example, the water dispensing system 100 includes an inlet 111 that connects to a potable water supply, such as a mains water supply, an additive supply 112 that selectively provides at least one additive for mixing with the potable water and at least one outlet 113, that in use dispenses at least one of potable water and enhanced water including at least one additive.

The dispensing system also includes a receptacle dispenser 120 that dispenses a reusable bottle 121. The bottle can be of any suitable form, but in one example includes a polyethylene, impact resistant, pliable bottle, such as a sports water bottle, including a removable lid, although other arrangements can be used.

The provision of a re-usable bottle allows the users to fill the bottle with potable tap water, and then carry this with them, allowing this to be consumed as required. As water is retained in a bottle, this addresses many of the hygiene concerns individuals have with water fountains, whilst also providing a convenient mechanism for consumers to avail themselves of tap water. By making the bottles re-usable this reduces the issues associated with bottled water, in particular by encouraging users to re-use the bottle as opposed to disposing of it.

To further increase the chance of bottle re-use, users can be charged for the bottles.

This creates an association of value with the bottle in the mind of the user, thereby encouraging the user to re-use the bottle on subsequent occasions.

Additionally, enhanced water including additives for providing nutrients and/or flavouring can also be provided. This can assist in increasing the user base of the dispensing system, encouraging users that would normally purchase flavoured "soft" or "fizzy" drinks to also use the machine. Furthermore, by careful selection of the additives, this can present a healthier option to "soft" or "fizzy" drinks. Enhanced water can be made available for purchase, whilst ordinary tap water is made available free of charge.

It will be appreciated that in one example, tap water is therefore made available without charge, whilst bottles and enhanced water are sold as a means of subsidising the cost of manufacturing, installing and operating the drink dispenser.

A number of further features will now be described.

In one example, the dispensing system is provided in a housing 140, including openings 141, 142 to access the outlet 113 and dispensed bottles 121. Although separate openings are shown, this is not essential and alternatively a common opening could be provided.

The dispensing system can include a user input device, allowing the user to select to dispense a drink and/or bottle, a payment mechanism that receives payment from a user and a controller 130. The input device and payment device could be of any suitable form. For example, the input device could include individual buttons to order respective drinks and/or a bottle, or could include a keypad, touch screen or the like. The payment mechanism can include any one or more of a coin or note counting mechanism, credit card reader, NFC (N ear Field Communications) sy stem for communicating with an electronic wallet or mobile phone, or remote payment processing system, for example which accepts payments via mobile phone and then confirms payment to the controller. It will be appreciated that the mechanism used will vary depending on the preferred implementation.

In use, the controller 130 can determine user inputs supplied via the user input device, detect payments received via the payment device and then control the dispensing system to thereby dispense potable water without requiring a payment or a reusable bottle or enhanced water in response to receipt of a payment.

The dispensing system 100 can include additional components to facilitate dispensing, such as a pump that pumps potable water received from the potable water supply to the outlet. This may be required in the event that the supply water pressure is poor, for example if this is insufficient for subsequent filtering steps, but otherwise may not be required.

A flow meter can be used which measures a volume of potable water to be dispensed.

This can be used to dispense set amounts of water, which can be useful for example, when preparing flavoured or vitamin enhanced water drinks, to ensure the concentration of the additive is appropriate. This can also allow the amount of water dispensed to be controlled to fill one of the dispensed bottles.

A filter can be provided that filters potable water received from the potable water supply. This can be of any suitable form, but in on example includes a nano-pore filter, which can assist in ensuring water cleanliness, for example by filtering out harmful bacteria or other contaminants. This allows the dispensing system to be used in situations in which the water supply is not necessarily ideal for drinking purposes, and therefore helps allay hygiene concerns of users.

The dispensing system can include a chiller that chills water received from the potable water supply. This can be particularly beneficial in a hot environment, thereby further encouraging use of the system.

A mixing unit can be provided that selectively mixes an additive with the potable water. The requirement for a mixing unit will depend on the nature of the additive, for example on whether the additive is liquid based, such as a liquid concentrate, or solid, such as a powder. In this latter scenario, the mixing unit would typically be adapted to agitate a water and powder mix to ensure the powder dissolves completely, whereas for liquid concentrates, this may not be required.

The dispensing system can include a flow control valve to selectively restrict flow of water from the outlet. This can be in the form of a solenoid flow control valve, or the like, allowing dispensing of water to be easily controlled, although any suitable technique can be used.

The additive supply can be of any suitable form, but in one example includes a plurality of additive stores, such as respective reservoirs, that store respective additives and a dosing system that selectively provides a respective quantity of at least one additive for mixing with a predetermined quantity of potable water to form the enhanced water. This allows a combination of different additives to be added to the water in a controlled manner, allowing a range of different enhanced water drinks to be provided.

In one example, the dispensing system includes a display that selectively displays advertising. The advertising can be of any suitable form, such as a video and/or image sequence and may be accompanied by associated audio information. The advertising is typically either retrieved from a local store, such as an internal database, or may be received via a communications network, such as the Internet, allowing the advertising to be controlled and/or updated remotely. Additionally, and/or alternatively, static advertising can also be provided on the housing 140. The presentation of advertising can act as an additional revenue stream, which can be used for funding installation and operation of the dispensing system.

A second example dispensing system will now be described in more detail with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

In this example, the dispensing system includes a generally rectangular housing 200 including a door 210 in a front of the housing 200, to provide access to an internal cavity for example for re-stocking and/or maintenance purposes. The housing 200 and door 210 can be made of any suitable material, such as stainless steel, aluminium, fibreglass panels, or the like. The housing typically includes adjustable feet 201 mounted proximate a front of an underside of the housing 200 and wheels mounted proximate a rear of the underside of the housing 200, thereby allowing the housing to be easily moved and installed, even on uneven surfaces.

A display screen 220 is mounted in an upper region of the door 210, thereby allowing advertising to be displayed to users during the dispensing process. It will be appreciated that in this position, the display is substantially at or near eye level, making the advertising particularly effective. However, this is not essential and a display screen 220 could be mounted elsewhere depending on the implementation.

The door 210 also includes a control panel 230 having a coin/note/credit card reader 231 and a number of input buttons 232, allowing the users to provide funds and request a drink or bottle be dispensed. It will be appreciated that this type of arrangement is similar to that of other vending machines, and will not therefore be described in any further detail.

The door 210 also includes a first opening 241, to provide access to the dispensing outlet. The first opening 241 can be covered by a sliding door 241.1 when not in use, although this is not essential. Additionally, one or more second openings 242 can be provided to allow a bottle 250 to be dispensed. Two different openings can be provided to allow for dispensing of different bottles. For example, bottles could include empty bottles for filing with water or enhanced water, or could include pre-filled bottles. Alternatively different styles of bottle could be dispensed, allowing users to choose a style that appeals to them. A further option is for the bottles to be associated with branding or advertising, which can act as a further revenue stream. Alternatively, one of the second openings 242 could act as a display window to show an example of the bottle 250 that will be dispensed, allowing the users to view a bottle 250 prior to purchase, thereby assisting in making an informed decision when purchasing the bottle 250.

An example of the internal components of the dispensing system will now be described with reference to Figure 3. In this example, similar reference numerals to those used in Figure 2 are used to denote similar components.

In this example, the dispensing system includes an inlet 311, for connecting to the potable water supply, such as a mains water supply. The inlet 311 can be of any appropriate form and can include a flexible pipe, or the like, optionally including a connector, allowing this to be coupled to a tap or other suitable water supply outlet. The inlet 311 is coupled to a pump 312, such as a rotary impeller pump, which is in turn connected to a flow meter 313, filter 314 and chiller 315, via a water conduit 316. The water conduit also includes a flow control valve 317 and terminates at an outlet nozzle 318. Accordingly, in use, water received via the inlet can be pumped through the flow meter, filter and chiller, allowing filtered and chilled water to be supplied via the outlet nozzle 318. Whilst the flow control valve is shown between the chiller 316 and nozzle 318, it will be appreciated that this is not essential and the valve could alternatively be located anywhere between the inlet 311 and outlet 318.

The additive dispensing system includes three additive reservoirs 321, 322, 323 containing respective liquid concentrates, with these being connected via flow control valves 324, 325, 326 and a fluid conduit 327 to the outlet nozzle 318. In use, the flow control valves 324, 325, 326 can be used to meter out a respective amount of concentrate allowing this to be supplied to the outlet nozzle 318, for mixing with the chilled and filtered water.

The bottle dispenser includes a bottle store 331 including a number of bottles 250 stacked above a gate 332. In use, opening of the gate allows bottles 250 to be deposited into a cavity accessed via the opening 242, so that the user can retrieve the bottle 250. It will be appreciated that multiple bottle dispensers may be provided and that a single bottle dispenser is shown for the purpose of example only.

A controller 340 is provided for controlling operation of the dispensing system. The controller 340 is typically coupled to a database 341, for storing advertising and the display 220, allowing advertising to be displayed thereon. The controller 340 may also be coupled to a communications network (not shown), allowing advertising to be transferred to the dispensing system and either displayed upon receipt or alternatively stored in the database for subsequent display.

The controller 340 is also coupled to the control panel 230, allowing the controller 340 to receive signals from the coin/note/credit card reader 231 and confirm when a payment has been made, and also receive input commands via the input buttons 232, corresponding to options selected by the user. In use, the controller 340 therefore determine selections made by the user, assesses whether required payment has been made and if so can proceed with the dispensing process. As part of this, it will be appreciated that when payments are made with a credit card, the controller 340 and or card reader may need to obtain credit card details and supply these to a payment gateway, card issuer, or the like, for validation. In this example, the controller and/or card reader would typically be connected to a communications network, such as a GSM cellular network or the like, allowing for communication with the payment gateway or other remote server, in accordance with standard credit card validation processes, as will be understood by persons skilled in the art.

The controller 340 is also coupled to the pump 312, flow control valves 317, 324, 325, 326 and the gate 332, allowing the controller 340 to generate control signals, and control these components to thereby control the dispensing processes. The controller 340 can also be coupled to the flow meter 313 allowing the controller 340 to detect signals from the flow meter and monitor the dispensing operation.

The controller 340 can also be coupled to additional sensors to sense other aspects of system operation. This can include, but is not limited to: payment mechanism sensors to ensure correct operation of the note/coin/card reader; tilt, vibration or access sensors to detect attempts to tamper with the housing; temperature sensors to ensure correct operation of the chiller; additive levels sensors to detect emptying of the additive reservoirs; empty bottle sensors to determine if the bottle dispenser is empty.

The controller 340 can also be coupled via a communications network, such as the GSM cellular network, to a central monitoring facility, allowing the dispensing systems to be monitored remotely, and allowing intervention to be organised if required, for example for restocking and repair.

It will be appreciated from this that the controller 340 can be of any suitable form and typically includes a microprocessor, microchip processor, logic gate configuration, firmware optionally associated with implementing logic such as an FPGA (F ield Programmable Gate Array), or any other electronic device, system or arrangement. The controller typically includes instructions stored in memory defining appropriate control processes for controlling dispensing of water and/or bottles.

The housing 200 would also typically include or be coupled to a power supply, allowing for power of the various components. In one example, this is achieved using a mains electricity supply, for example using a cable that connects to an external electrical supply socket, as will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art. In this example, the housing 200 would also contain any other associated required equipment, such as transformers or the like. Additionally and/or alternatively, the housing 200 could incorporate power generation equipment, such as one or more solar panels mounted to an exterior of the housing, together with associated batteries for storing the generated electricity. This can be used to allowing the dispensing apparatus to operate in absence of an external electrical supply and/or to reduce usage of external electrical supply to reduce costs associated with operating the dispensing device.

It will be appreciated that the above described arrangement is for the purpose of example only and is not intended to be limiting. In any event, the above described dispensing arrangement provides a mechanism for dispensing water, typically free of charge, with the option of allowing users to pay for re-usable bottles as well as flavoured water or otherwise enhanced water. In one preferred example, the arrangement can provide three unique flavour and vitamin combination options.

The dispensing system includes a display to allow for advertising and public service announcements to be presented to users, as well as including space on the housing for static advertising or the like.

The dispensing system can incorporate a 1500 LPD (Litres Per Day) nano-filtration water purification system and in-line chiller to provide filtered and chilled potable water, as well as a series of additive stores, allowing a range of different flavoured and/or vitamin enhanced water drinks to be provided.

Finally, the dispenser is adapted to dispense reusable bottles. The above combination of features therefore result in a cost effective mechanism for making tap water available free of charge, whilst avoiding the hygiene concerns associated with drinking fountains. The aim of this is to reduce reliance on bottled water and hence reduce littering and wastage.

Additionally, the dispensing system is intended to provide flavoured and/or vitamin water, enhancing the flexibility of the system and providing greater selection for consumers.

Throughout this specification and claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word comprise, and variations such as comprises or comprising, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous variations and modifications will become apparent. All such variations and modifications which become apparent to persons skilled in the art, should be considered to fall within the spirit and scope that the invention broadly appearing before described.

Claims (3)

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1) A water dispensing system including: a) an inlet that connects to a potable water supply; b) an additive supply that selectively provides at least one additive for mixing with potable water received from the potable water supply; c) at least one outlet coupled to the inlet that in use dispenses at least one of: i) potable water received from the potable water supply; and, ii) enhanced water including at least one additive; d) a receptacle dispenser that dispenses a reusable bottle; e) a user input device; f) a payment mechanism that receives payment from a user; g) a controller that: i) determines user inputs supplied via the user input device: ii) detects payments received via the payment device; and, iii) controls the dispensing system to thereby dispense at least one of: ( 1 ) potable water without requiring a payment; (2 ) a reusable bottle or enhanced water in response to receipt of a payment; and, h) a display that selectively displays advertising at least one of: i) retrieved from a local store; and, ii) received via a communications network.

2) A dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing system includes at least one of: a) a pump that pumps potable water received from the potable water supply to the outlet; b) a flow meter that measures a volume of potable water to be dispensed; c) a filter that filters potable water received from the potable water supply; d) a chiller that chills water received from the potable water supply; e) a mixing unit that selectively mixes an additive with the potable water; and, f) a flow control valve to selectively restrict flow of water from the outlet.

3) A dispensing system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the additive supply includes: a) a plurality of additive stores that store respective additives; and, b) a dosing system that selectively provides a respective quantity of at least one additive for mixing with a predetermined quantity of potable water to form the enhanced water. 112 120