Water filter abstract
A self-cleaning water filter system for a household or the like
having a plurality of water usage zones requiring varying water
quality.
Water filter claims
What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:
1. A self cleaning water filter system for use in a household or
the like comprising a plurality of filter means each having a housing,
a filter element within said housing, water inlet means connected
to said housing on the upstream side of said element, water outlet
means connected to said housing on the downstream filtered side
of said element, and flushing outlet means connected to said housing
on the upstream side of said element; first conduit means connecting
the water outlet means of a first of said filter means to the water
inlet means of a second of said filter means; second conduit means
adapted to connect the flushing outlet means of said first filter
means to a first water service zone which uses water of a given
quality; third conduit means adapted to connect the flushing outlet
means of said second filter means to a second water service zone
which uses water of a better quality, whereby as water is routinely
drawn from said first and second service zones the filter element
of said first and second filter means, respectively, is automatically
cleaned to thereby extend the effective life of the elements.
2. The filter system of claim 1 said inlet means located at one
end of said housing and said flushing outlet means located at the
other end of said housing, whereby as water passes from said inlet
means to said flushing outlet means the incoming side of said element
is cleaned.
3. The filter system of claim 1 comprising fourth conduit means
adapted to connect the water outlet means of said second filter
means to a third service zone which uses water of a quality better
than that of the first and second zones.
4. The filter system of claim 3 said fourth conduit means being
connected to the water inlet means of a third filter means; fifth
conduit means adapted to connect the flushing outlet means of said
third filter means to said third service zone; and sixth conduit
means adapted to connect the water outlet means of said third filter
means to a fourth service zone which uses water of a better quality
than that of the first, secnnd, and third zones.
5. A water supply system for a household or the like comprising
a plurality of water service zones utilizing water of different
quality; water supply means; a plurality of filter means each having
a housing, a filter element within said housing, water inlet means
connected to said housing on the upstream side of said element,
water outlet means connected to said housing on the downstream filtered
side of said element, and flushing outlet means connected to said
housing on the upstream side of said element; first conduit means
connecting said water supply means to the water inlet means of a
first of said filter means; second conduit means connecting the
water outlet means of said first filter means to the water inlet
means of a second filter means; third conduit means connecting the
flushing outlet means of said first filter means to a first service
zone which uses water of a given quality; fourth conduit means connecting
the flushing outlet means of said second filter means to a second
service zone which uses water of a better quality than that of said
first zone; and fifth conduit means connecting the water outlet
means of said second filter means to a third service zone which
uses water of a better quality than that of said first and second
zones, whereby as water is routinely used at said first and second
service zones the filter element of said first and second filter
means, respectively, is automatically cleaned to thereby extend
the effective life of the elements.
6. The water supply system of claim 5 said fifth conduit means
being connected to the water inlet means of a third filter means;
sixth conduit means connecting the flushing outlet means of said
third filter means to said third service zone, whereby as water
is used at said third service zone the filter element of said third
filter means is automatically cleaned; and seventh conduit means
connecting the water outlet means of said third filter means to
a fourth service zone which uses water of a better quality than
that of said first, second, and third zones.
7. The water supply system of claim 6 wherein said first zone
services a toilet closet, said second zone services laundry facilities,
said third zone services kitchen facilities, and said fourth zone
provides drinking or cooking water.
8. The filter system of claim 2 said filter element being a cylindrical
filter cartridge extending between said one and other ends, said
water inlet means feeding water into said one end of said housing
around the outer upstream side of said cartridge, said water outlet
means connected to the inner downstream filtered side of said cartridge,
and said flushing outlet means drawing water from around the outer
upstream side of said cartridge at the other end of said housing.
9. The water supply system of claim 5 said housing having first
and second ends, said filter element being a cylindrical filter
cartridge extending between said first and second ends, said water
inlet means feeding water into said first end of said housing around
the outer upstream side of said cartridge, said water outlet means
connected to said housing for receiving water from the inner downstream
filtered side of said cartridge, and said flushing outlet means
connected to said second end of said housing for drawing water from
the outer upstream side of said cartridge.
10. A self cleaning water filter system for use in a household
or the like comprising a plurality of filter means each having a
housing with first and second ends, a cylindrical filter element
mounted within said housing and extending between said first and
second ends, water inlet means connected to said first end of said
housing for feeding water into said housing around the outer upstream
side of said element, water outlet means connected to said housing
for receiving water from the inner downstream filtered side of said
element, and flushing outlet means connected to said second end
of said housing for drawing water from around the outer upstream
side of said element; first conduit means connecting the water outlet
means of a first of said filter means to the water inlet means of
a second of said filter means; second conduit means adapted to connect
the flushing outlet means of said first filter means to a first
water service zone which uses water of a given quality; third conduit
means adapted to connect the flushing outlet means of said second
filter means to a second water service zone which uses water of
a better quality, whereby as water is routinely drawn from said
first and second service zones the filter element of said first
and second filter means, respectively, is automatically cleaned
to thereby extend the effective life of the elements.
11. A method of filtering water to be used in a household or the
like wherein a plurality of water service zones utilizes water of
different quality, the method comprising providing a plurality of
filter means each having a housing, a filter element within said
housing, water inlet means connected to said housing on the upstream
side of said element, water outlet means connected to said housing
on the downstream filtered side of said element, and flushing outlet
means connected to said housing on the upstream side of said element;
passing water to the water inlet means of a first filter means;
passing water from the water outlet means of the first filter means
to the water inlet means of a second filter means; connecting the
flushing outlet means of the first filter means to a first service
zone which uses water of a given quality; connecting the flushing
outlet means of the second filter means to a second service zone
which uses water of a better quality than that of the first zone;
and connecting the water outlet means of the second filter means
to a third service zone which uses water of a better quality than
that of the first and second zones; whereby as water is routinely
used at said first and second service zones the filter element of
said first and second filter means, respectively, is automatically
cleaned.
12. The method of claim 11 connecting the water outlet means of
said second filter means to the water inlet means of a third filter
means; connecting the flushing outlet means of said third filter
means to said third service zone, whereby as water is used at said
third service zone the filter element of said third filter means
is automatically cleaned; and connecting the water outlet means
of said third filter means to a fourth service zone which uses water
of a better quality than that of said first, second, and third zones.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said first zone services a
toilet closet, said second zone services laundry facilities, said
third zone services kitchen facilities, and said fourth zone provides
drinking or cooking water.
Water filter description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a water filter system and,
more particularly, to a self-cleaning water filtering system and
method especially useful in a household, restaurant, office building,
or the like having modern plumbing facilities.
Today, water supply systems are frequently contaminated with such
elements such as dirt, rust, and other sediment, chlorine, Giardia
Lambia cysts, etc. Many type filters have been proposed for cleaning
the water, especially for making it suitable for drinking purposes.
Most commonly used are in-line cartridge type filters, several of
which are usually arranged in series for progressively finer filtration
necessary to provide water suitable for drinking and cooking purposes.
An average household may use about 200 gallons of water per day,
and all that water passes through all the filters. As a result,
these filters require frequent manual cleaning and replacement,
e.g. every four to six weeks, and consequently are terribly inconvenient
and expensive.
Most household systems are closed water systems and there are various
zones of water usage requiring various degrees of filtration. For
example, a first zone servicing toilet closets may use unfiltered
water as received from the supply source. A second zone servicing
laundry appliances or bathing facilities may need water filtered
only for dirt, rust, and other sediment, e.g. 20 micron. A third
zone servicing a kitchen and food washing outlet may need water
which is filtered for finer dirt and sediment, e.g. 5 micron, and
for odor and chlorine removal. A fourth zone which provides pure
drinking and cooking water often needs filtration to 1 micron for
the removal of fine sediment and Giardia Lambia cysts.
As mentioned, the conventional manner of passing all the water
through a number of serially arranged filters is inconvenient and
expensive. Thus, a need clearly exists for a water filtering system
for a household which is not only capable of providing water of
suitable quality at the various service zones, but also is conveniently
and economically maintained over an extended period of time, e.g.
one year or more.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the primary object of this invention resides in the
provision of a novel self cleaning filtering system and method for
purifying the water supply in a household or the like.
Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel
self cleaning water filtering system for a household or the like,
the system providing water of different quality at various zones
of usage within the household.
Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel,
self cleaning, water filtering system comprising a plurality of
cartridge-type filter units connected in series to sequentially
filter the water passing therethrough, with each unit having a flushing
outlet connected to a respective service zone such as a toilet closet,
laundry machine, etc. As water is used at each service zone, the
filter unit associated therewith is automatically flushed and cleaned.
Still another object of the invention resides in the provision
of the above novel water filtering system for a household, whereby
the filtering units are frequently automatically flushed and cleaned
throughout the day as water is drawn at the various service zones
in the house.
Another object of the invention resides in the provision of the
novel self cleaning water filtering system described above, wherein
only the pure drinking and cooking water is passed through all the
filter units, thus extending the life of the filter units, particularly
the fine filter units.
A further object of the invention resides in the provision of the
above novel water filtering system, wherein the filtering units
require virtually no manual attention and the effective serviceable
life of the units is greatly extended.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent
from reading the following detailed description of the invention
wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which like
numerals indicate like elements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary schematic view of the novel filtering system
of the invention; and
FIG. 2 is a partially sectioned fragmentary view of a typical cartridge
type filter employed in the system of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings, the water filter system 10 of the
invention includes a plurality of cartridge type filters 12 14
and 16 connected in series, each filter having a cap 18 a removable
housing or sump 20 and a cylindrical filter element or cartridge
22 mounted within the sump. Water passes through an inlet passageway
24 in cap 18 into the annular area 26 surrounding the outer surface
of element 22 through the element and out through outlet passageway
28 in cap 18. flushing outlet 30 is provided at the bottom of sump
20 in communication with the incoming water in annular area 26.
With the exception of flushing outlet 30 filters 12 14 and 16
are of standard commercial construction. For example, filter 12
may be an Ametek model HD-10-R50 with a 20 micron filter cartridge
22a to remove sand, silt, rust, sludge, and scale. Filters 14 and
16 may both be an Ametek model PS, but with different cartridges.
Filter 14 is provided with a 5 micron Ametek activated carbon Cl
cartridge 22b to remove foul odors, taste of chlorine, and sediment.
Filter 16 is provided with a 1 micron Ametek CRE-1 ceramic cartridge
for removing Giardia Lambia cysts and very fine sediment.
Operation of my filtering system and method will now be described
as it pertains to a modern household plumbing system having various
usage zones, A, B, C, D requiring various degrees of filtration.
Water is furnished to the house via supply line 32 connected to
inlet 24a of filter 12. Conduit 34 connects outlet 28a of filter
12 to inlet 24b of filter 14 and conduit 36 connects outlet 28b
of filter 14 to inlet 24c of filter 16. Conduit 38 delivers the
pure fine filtered water from outlet 28c of filter 16 to drinking
Zone D.
Conduit 40 connects flushing outlet 30a of filter 12 to Zone A
which may a toilet closet capable of using unfiltered water. Conduit
42 connects flushing outlet 30b to Zone B servicing laundry appliances
and bathing facilities which require some filtration, e.g. for dirt
and sediment. Conduit 44 connects flushing outlet 30c to Zone C
which services a kitchen and food washing station that require better
quality water filtered for dirt, sediment, foul odor, and chlorine.
Conduit 38 connects outlet 28c to Zone D which provides pure filtered
water for drinking and cooking purposes.
In a normal household a total of about 200 gallons of water per
day may be used. Zones A and B use about 80 gallons each, Zone C
uses about 30 gallons, and Zone D uses about 10 gallons. Thus, of
the total 200 gallons, 120 gallons will pass through the 20 micron
cartridge 22a of filter 12 40 gallons will pass through the 5 micron
cartridge 22b of filter 14 and only 10 gallons will pass through
the 1 micron cartridge 22c of filter 16. Consequently, the effective
serviceable life of the filters, particularly the finer filters
14 and 16 is greatly extended due to the fact that only the specific
volume of water required for a specific zone is filtered for that
zone.
In addition, each time a toilet is flushed at Zone A, the incoming
unfiltered water from inlet 24a passes downwardly around the outer
filtering surface of cartridge 22a in unit 12 and out flushing outlet
30a, thereby automatically scrubbing and cleaning the incoming side
of the cartridge. Similarly, as water which has been filtered by
unit 12 is used at Zone B, it will first pass downwardly around
the outer filtering surface of cartridge 22b in unit 14 to clean
the incoming side of that cartridge. Finally, as water which has
been filtered by units 12 and 14 is used at Zone C it will first
pass downwardly around the outer surface of cartridge 22c in unit
16 to clean that cartridge.
From the description hereinabove, it is apparent that my invention
provides a water filtering system and method for a household or
the like which effectively furnishes water of varying suitable quality
at various service zones. Because the filters are frequently cleaned
automatically by the large volumes of water routinely used at the
various service zones throughout the day, the system is conveniently
and economically maintained over an extended period of time, e.g.
one year or more. The system is a closed system and all the water
delivered to the household supply is utilized within the household.
No waste water or filter back flushing to drain or sewer is required.
While the system as illustrated employs three filters, it is to
be understood that additional filters as needed may be employed.
Also, conventional filters other than those identified above may
be utilized.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing
from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present
embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative
and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated
by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description,
and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency
of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. |