U.S. patent 10967335, the Water Container with an Ozone Diffuser, was granted April 6, 2021 for an apparatus that diffuses ozone gas into water held in, or flowing through, a container, and neutralizes the excess ozone before it is exhausted into the room. The patent abstract names 5 components: an aeration chamber, an ozone generator coupler, a distribution hub, porous tubes and a degassing unit. This article explains what each of the 5 components does, why Chapter 4 of my book Invent It and Be Your Own Boss uses the degassing unit as its example of non-obviousness, and the filing route that took the invention from provisional application to grant in under 5 years.
The 5 Components in the Abstract
Component 1, the aeration chamber, retains the water while it is aerated with ozone. Component 2, the ozone generator coupler, connects the apparatus to a pressurized ozone gas supply, which is the ozone generator. Component 3, the distribution hub, carries the ozone gas from the coupler to the porous tubes. Component 4, the porous tubes, introduce the ozone into the water uniformly. Component 5, the degassing unit, neutralizes excess ozone before the gas is exhausted into the surroundings.
Why the Degassing Unit Made the Combination Non-Obvious
Chapter 4 states that the patent integrates multiple elements in a non-obvious way and names the degassing unit as the example. The unit sits in fluid communication with the aeration chamber and is positioned outside it, and Chapter 4 calls that design and placement a safety layer that is not a straightforward combination of known parts. Inside component 5, multiple filtering and straining layers add complexity and improve the effectiveness of the process. A patent examiner tests non-obviousness against a hypothetical skilled person with average knowledge of the field, and the external, multi-layer degassing unit is the feature Chapter 4 offers against that test.
The Ozone Problem Behind the Design
The design requirement came from 1 customer’s measurement. That customer measured ambient ozone at work and showed me that the corona-discharge ozone generators I sold emitted unsafe ozone levels almost immediately. My first recommendations were an exhaust fan, leaving the room, or running the machines outdoors, and Chapter 2 records that none of the 3 was a sustainable solution. Chapter 2 records the 2nd source of the same hazard: ozone gas escaping from water during ozonation. I bought ozone meters for 2 readings, ambient ozone in the air and dissolved ozone in the water, to test ozone equipment against both.
The Filing Route: Provisional, PCT, U.S. National Phase
I filed the provisional application on May 13, 2016 to secure an early filing date at low cost, which gave me 12 months to file a non-provisional or a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application. I filed the PCT application on August 26, 2016, 105 days later, rather than a U.S. design or utility application, to obtain the written opinion of the International Searching Authority (WOISA). A PCT filing returns 2 documents: the International Search Report (ISR), which lists prior art that may affect patentability, and the WOISA, a preliminary, non-binding opinion on novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability.
The WOISA for this invention stated that it met all 3 patentability criteria, so the design needed no change before the U.S. national phase. I converted the PCT application into a U.S. utility application with the same functional elements, and the USPTO granted patent 10967335 on April 6, 2021, 4 years and 10 months after the provisional filing. As the inventor, I assigned patent 10967335 to my company, CREATRIX SOLUTIONS LLC. A utility patent protects the functional aspects of an invention for 20 years from the filing date, and Chapter 6 records why I chose utility protection here: the functional aspects of the invention carried the innovation and value.
Where the Patent Sits in My Ozone Line
My ozone equipment is sold under the Tri-Oxy brand. A 2nd ozone water patent, the Water Sterilization System with Multipurpose Degasser, 10786758, was granted September 29, 2020, and the Tri-Oxy Refresh countertop degasser came from the same ozone-meter testing, with a draftsman I hired through Upwork and prototypes from a Formlabs 3D printer I bought for the work.
Keep Exploring
This article is for educational purposes only.
