Liquid purification or separation – With alarm – indicator – register – recorder – signal or... – Responsive to fluid flow
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-23
2001-11-06
Cintins, Ivars (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
With alarm, indicator, register, recorder, signal or...
Responsive to fluid flow
C210S090000, C210S103000, C210S143000, C210S202000, C210S251000, C210S266000, C261SDIG007
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312589
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to water treatment apparatus used in soft drink and other dispensers to purify water as it is processed in such dispensers. In soft drink or postmix dispensers, water is treated, carbonated, and mixed with syrup to produce the soft drink dispensed to customers or users.
In the production of soft drinks in a bottling plant, full water treatment purifies water according to the quality of the water supplied to the plant. Such water treatment typically reduces hardness, assures sterility, and removes suspended solids, dissolved organic matter, and possibly other matter such as sodium and nitrates.
Postmix (soft drink) beverage dispensing systems employ water treatment apparatus which operates on a small scale as compared to the complex and large scale water treatment provided at the bottling plant level. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,796, entitled FULL WATER TREATMENT APPARATUS FOR USE IN SOFT DRINK DISPENSING SYSTEM, issued to George Plester on Jul. 4, 1989, and assigned to the present assignee, discloses a relatively simple and inexpensive, yet effective, water treatment apparatus for use in postmix beverage dispensers.
The quality of water received from a general water supply normally meets local purification needs, but the quality varies from location to location. Thus, additional water treatment needed at the situs of each postmix beverage dispenser may vary according to the local water supply. In particular, local drinking water quality in many parts of the world may require situs treatment for excessive turbidity (suspended particles), microbiological or chemical problems, or undesirable taste and odor.
As a result, water treatment apparatus for postmix beverage dispensers typically have been designed inefficiently on a one-by-one basis according to situs water treatment needs. Further, such prior art designs have often resulted in apparatus lacking a match of treatment units to water problems at the installation situs. In other words, some guesswork has often been used in creating designs for prior art water treatment apparatus to be installed at a particular situs.
Further, even where acceptable matches have been made in installed treatment units and situs water problems, the operators often would not know or adequately plan in advance when installed filters became used up. In these cases, the lack of water has caused carbonator pump burnup.
Moreover, if problems in the water supplied to an installed prior-art water treatment apparatus were to change after installation, a new design and a new or modified water treatment apparatus has been required to match the changed problems in the water supply. Again, the new or modified apparatus would typically involve some design guesswork. In any case, excessive cost would be incurred and the new water treatment requirements might or might not be met.
Accordingly, for economy in manufacture and distribution, postmix water treatment apparatus needs to be structured so that it can be readily and economically customized to water treatment requirements at the installation situs at the time of installation, as well as subsequently during the apparatus lifetime if water treatment requirements change at the situs.
Further, postmix water treatment apparatus requires maintenance to assure continuing efficacy of water treatment as usage occurs over time. Maintenance has typically been provided by scheduled replacement of treatment cartridges, and, in some instances, in response to automatic indications of end-of-cartridge-life. Thus, a need has also existed for better real time monitoring and control in dispenser water treatment apparatus to enable better maintenance by the owner/user and better efficacy in water treatment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to water treatment apparatus which is modularly structured to facilitate economic customization of the apparatus for local use and which is provided with monitoring and control capabilities enabling better apparatus maintenance and more effective water treatment in soft drink postmix dispensers and in other applications.
In accordance with the invention, water treatment apparatus comprises an arrangement of modules which can be variably configured by varying the modules selected for inclusion in a water treatment configuration for a particular situs at which water from the situs water supply has been tested to identify water problems. The modules include a basic filter module and other water treatment modules which, when connected together, provide full water treatment.
The modular arrangement is configured to an original configuration, for the particular situs, to include the basic filter module and any, all, or none of the remaining water treatment modules connected together according to the water treatment needed at least to match the identified water problems. A booster pump module preferably operates to boost inlet water pressure if low water pressure is determined to be a water problem. A monitoring and control system preferably interfaces with the water treatment apparatus and responds to sensed system parameters to provide data readouts, generate alarms, and apply control actions to the apparatus.
The objects of the invention are still further fulfilled by an apparatus having a flow path for water being treated with the apparatus comprising a booster pump, a basic filter, and an ion exchange chamber connected in the flow path. A pressure sensor and a flow sensor are also coupled to the flow path.
A monitoring and control system responds to an output from the pressure sensor to provide ON/OFF cycling control of the booster pump for outlet water pressure control.
The monitoring and control system further responds to an output from the flow sensor to determine total flow over time. The monitoring and control system also generates at least a basic filter replacement alarm when a low water pressure setpoint is detected and an ion-exchange-resin replacement alarm when a setpoint total water flow is reached.
The objects of the invention are still further fulfilled by a method for assembling water treatment apparatus for treating water supplied to a particular situs. The steps of the method include testing the situs water to determine situs water problems and determining an arrangement of water treatment modules which can be variably configured by varying the modules selected for inclusion in a water treatment configuration for the particular situs. The modules include a basic filter module and other water treatment modules which, when connected together, provide full water treatment.
The arrangement is configured to an original configuration, for the particular situs, to include the basic filter module and any, all, or none of the remaining water treatment modules connected together to match water problems identified from the water testing step.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
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Jarocki George J.
Sudolcan Paul S.
Cintins Ivars
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
The Coca-Cola Company
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