The Lifestraw® personal water filtering system, now a
company brand in the outdoor adventure and expedition sector, is the retail
offshoot of the much larger Vestergaard humanitarian enterprise. A
company working in partnership, since 1994, with the Carter Center for Peace and Health Programs, developing filtration systems within the context of the campaign for eradication of Guinea Worm Disease, and other humanitarian products, such as, for example, the PermaNet®, a long-lasting insecticidal net for the prevention of malaria.
The Lifestraw® personal filtering system is
equipped with a microporous membrane (0.2 micron pore size) that removes
99.999999% (log 8) of bacteria (e.g., Escherichia
coli, Vibrio cholera, and Salmonella Typhi); 99.999% (log 5) of
parasites (e.g., Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum); and 99.999% (log
5) of microplastics and turbidity. The Lifestraw® has an unlimited shelf life. Once opened, it filters
about 1000 liters of water, which is enough water, for a single individual, for 5
years.
The ornamental design of the original straw filter is
patented in the US design patent USD782610S1, titled
Water purifier. As a reminder:
“a utility patent” protects the way an article
is used and works (35 U.S.C. 101), while a “design patent” protects the way an
article looks (35 U.S.C.
171) [MPEP Chapt. 1502.01; [R-07.2015]].
The patent Figure 3, showing
a side view of the Lifestraw® water purifier, is included below, together with an image of
the marketed personal water purification Lifestraw®.
Reference
LifeStraw®
MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility
patent
The Carter Center
The Carter Center – Guinea Worm Disease Campaign
Vestergaard
