Water filter abstract
The present invention concerns a water filter designed to be inserted
into a drinking water circuit. The water filter has a support designed
to house removably one or more different filters each having a different
filtering property and adapted to be mounted either independently
of each other or associated in a particular combination so as to
effect a filtration of the drinking water according to its composition.
Water filter claims
We claim:
1. An apparatus for selectively filtering water, said apparatus
inserted between a water source and a water utilization point in
a water circuit, said circuit is in a cafetiere, said circuit having
a water reservoir connected to a water heater, and said apparatus
is upstream of said water heater, said apparatus comprising:
filtration means having a filtering property, said filtering property
selected to affect filtration of the water according to a composition
of the water to be filtered, said filtration means having a thickness
variable according to said selected filtering property; and
a support having first and second facing frames, said first and
second frames defining corresponding aligned openings, said first
and second frames having corresponding facing surfaces and said
first and second frames connected by clamping means, said clamping
means adjustable so that said first frame is positionable with respect
to said second frame to accommodate said thickness of said filtration
means, said filtration means dimensioned to be larger than said
corresponding aligned openings, said filtration means removably
secured between said first and second frames by positioning said
frames with said adjustable clamping means so that portions of said
filtration means are clamped between portions of said corresponding
facing surfaces of said first and second frames, wherein said reservoir
has a bottom end, and said support is positioned in said reservoir
at a distance from said reservoir bottom end, such that a portion
of said reservoir between said support and said reservoir bottom
end forms an intermediate reservoir between said bottom end and
said support, said support being dimensioned to closely fit inside
said reservoir, and said first frame of said support comprising
a vertically extending hollow body having a base end, said second
frame of said support being secured to said base end so that said
corresponding aligned openings of said first and second frames and
said filtration means are positioned in said base end, and said
aligned openings and said filtration means substantially dimensionally
correspond to said bottom of said reservoir.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said clamping means
comprises a hinge connecting a respective first side of each of
said first and second frames and said clamping means further comprises
an elastic cramp connecting an opposite respective side of each
of said first and second frames.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said clamping means
comprises a series of notches on said first frame cooperatively
engaging corresponding elastic lugs on said second frame.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said filtration means
comprises a plurality of sheets arranged transversely to the flow
of water in said circuit, each of said plurality of sheets having
a filtering property selected to affect filtration of said water
according to a particular combined of said water composition, such
that sheets having different filtering properties can be component
to affect filtration of several components of said water passing
through said filtration means.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said filtration means
has a chemical composition producing said filtering property.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said chemical composition
comprises activated carbon.
7. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said chemical composition
comprises an ion exchange material.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said filtration means
comprises a sheet arranged transversely to a flow of water in said
circuit .
Water filter description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a water filter designed to be inserted
in a drinking water circuit.
2. Discussion of the Art
The water filters known in the prior art use either predetermined
chemical or electrochemical processes or magnetic processes. In
both cases, these filters require installations of complex and costly
design, intended for a single type of treatment of the drinking
water. However, the nature of the drinking water depends on its
composition, which varies according to several factors specific
to each region such as, for example, the nature of the soil or the
industrial and agricultural activity. Thus the filters of the prior
art become completely ineffective in regions where the normal drinking
water contains several types of impurity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aim of the invention is to remedy this drawback by producing
a filter which is of simple and inexpensive design and affords wider
possibilities of use, eliminating a greater variety of impurities
present in the water to be treated, and which is adapted to be used
effectively in several different regions.
According to the invention, the water filter has a support designed
to house removably one or more different filtration means each having
a different filtering property and adapted to be mounted either
independently of each other on the said support or associated in
a particular combination so as to effect a filtration of the said
drinking water according to its composition.
By virtue of the filter according to the invention, the treatment
of the water is effected by a single type of filtration means where
the water to be treated contains a single type of impurity and by
several types of judiciously combined filtration means where the
said water contains several types of impurity. In addition, the
modular character of the filter according to the invention makes
it suitable for being used in several different regions and within
the framework of several different applications both in small items
of domestic electrical equipment and in the supply circuit to installations
of an industrial or scientific research nature requiring the use
of treated water.
According to another characteristic of the invention, each filtration
means has a particular chemical composition with a specific reaction
adapted to a particular treatment of the drinking water used.
Thus, according to the composition of the water to be treated,
the user fixes, in the said support, one or more different filtration
means each having a chemical composition adapted to bring about
the elimination of a particular type of impurity contained in the
water to be treated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will moreover
emerge from the description which follows, by way of non-limitative
example, with reference to the accompany drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a water
filter according to the invention designed to be fitted to a cafetiere;
FIG. 2 is a view in vertical section to a smaller scale along the
line 2--2 in FIG. 1 in which the filter is inserted in the water
reservoir of a cafetiere;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of a filter
according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The filter of the invention is designed to be inserted in a drinking
water circuit, for example between a tap or a reservoir and a utilisation
circuit.
In the particular application illustrated in FIG. 2 the water
filter is inserted in a drinking water circuit supplying a cafetiere
including a water reservoir 1 connected to a water heater E. Within
the scope of this application, the said filter is arranged upstream
of the water heater E.
According to the invention, and as can be seen in FIGS. 1 to 3
the water filter has a support 2 designed to house removably one
or more different filtration means 4 each having a different filtering
property and adapted to be mounted either independently of each
other or associated in a particular combination so as to effect
a filtration of the drinking water according to its composition.
As can be seen best in FIGS. 1 and 3 the support has a frame formed
by two parts, that is to say a first part (5; 6) and a second part
(7; 8) connected together by adjustable clamping means so as to
allow the holding of a filtration means 4 and the holding of a stack
of filtration means 4. As can be seen best in FIG. 3 in which the
depiction has been limited to three filtration means, each filtration
means 4 consists of a sheet (16 17 18) which is arranged transversely
to the flow in the feed water circuit. With such a structure, the
user is able to adjust the treatment of the drinking water according
to the impurities to be eliminated by fixing, to the said support
2 the sheet 16 or 17 or 18 or the combination of sheets (16 17
18) adapted to produce a filtration of the water used with a view
to eliminating therefrom, during the same filtration operation,
the different types of impurity.
According to one important characteristic of the invention, each
filtration means has a particular chemical composition having a
specific reaction adapted to a particular treatment of the drinking
water used. Naturally a filtration means can also be of the mechanical
type, that is to say it may have a sufficiently fine structure to
retain for example scale and solid impurities.
Thus, where the drinking water contains limestone or pesticides
such as nitrates, one or more of the filtering sheets 4 will consist
of ion exchange materials. For example, for limestone, a "cationic
exchanger" filter will be used and for nitrates an "anionic
exchanger" filter.
Where the drinking water contains organic impurities such as chlorides,
one or more of the filtering sheets 4 will consist of an activated
carbon. As stated previously, the different filtering sheets 4 can
be used independently of each other or associated in a particular
combination when the water to be treated contains several types
of impurity requiring several conjoint treatments. As is known per
se, each sheet (16 17 18) has a saturation indicator, not shown,
enabling the user to change the filtering sheet or sheets (16 17
18) simply when they are saturated. In a particularly interesting
embodiment of the invention, each sheet is manufactured from a non-woven
rot-proof material treated chemically so as to have the desired
chemical characteristics.
Naturally the above-mentioned treatments are in no way limitative
since the water filter according to the invention can include other
filtration means having other chemical compositions and able to
have different forms adapted to the environment in which the filter
is used. The latter can, for example, include cartridges containing
different filtering substances and disposed removably in a structure
having a form adapted to the environment in which the said filter
is used.
Referring notably to FIG. 2 the support 2 has the form of a hollow
body, whose casing partly matches the shape of the water reservoir
1 so as to enable the support 2 to be fitted in, and whose base
includes the filtering sheets 16 17 18. The said support 2 is
arranged in the water reservoir 1 at a distance from the bottom
of the latter so as to form an intermediate reservoir 20 between
the said bottom and the bottom sheet 18 mounted in the support 2.
The intermediate reservoir 20 is designed to contain the filtered
water which flows downstream of the filter and which is then sent
to the utilisation circuit through pipes arranged in the bottom
of the intermediate reservoir 20. According to a preferred embodiment
of the invention, the sheets (16 17 18) extend over practically
the entire extent of the base of the support 2 and consequently
over the entire extent of the reservoir 1.
As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 the first part (5; 6) and the
second part (7; 8) of the support 2 for the filtering sheets (16
17 18) are formed by a curved structure of trapezoidal shape overall.
The said second part (7; 8) has a first side (30; 31) in the shape
of an arc of a circle and a second side (32; 33) parallel to the
first side (30; 31) and with a length shorter than that of the latter.
The respective ends of the first side (30; 31) and of the second
side (32; 33) are connected respectively by two symmetrical lateral
edges (34 36) and (35 37). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.
2 and in FIG. 3 the said first side (30; 31) and second side (32;
33) have on their respective internal faces grooves (40; 41) designed
to house the edges of the filtering sheets (17 17 18). In order
to prevent the said sheets (16 17 18) coming loose under the action
of the water passing through them, the frame has at least three
transverse ribs (42 44 46) and (43 45 47) arranged in the second
part (7 8) and connecting the first side (30; 31) and the second
side (32; 33). These ribs serve as a support grid for the said filtering
sheets (16 17 18) and/or supplementary mechanical sheets.
According to a first, embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 the said
clamping means are formed by a translational-movement device having
on the first part 5 a series of notches 52 and on the second part
7 opposite the said notches 52 a series of elastic lugs 54. According
to this embodiment, in order to reinforce the support grid for the
filtering sheets (16 17 18), the transverse ribs (42 44 46)
are connected by an arch 57 parallel to the first side 31 and to
the second side 33.
According to a second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 the clamping
means for holding the sheets are formed by an articulation device
having, on the first side 31 of the frame, a hinge 48 and on the
second side 33 at least one elastic-attachment cramp 50. In the
embodiment illustrated, the cramps are two in number and hook onto
the notches 53 carried by the part 6.
This device affords on the one hand a sure locking of the filtration
means 4 in the support 2 and on the other hand simple manipulation
for replacing and/or cleaning the filtering sheets (16 17 18).
By virtue of the modular character of the filter according to the
invention, the filtration of drinking water can be effected "a
la carte" according to the impurities to be eliminated and
the health legislation in the different countries. In addition the
filter according to the invention enables the normal drinking water
to be adapted to the taste of the consumer, which is very important
for producing good coffee. |