Liquid purification or separation – Flow – fluid pressure or material level – responsive – Fluid current controlled cyclic system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-22
2001-08-07
Cintins, Ivars (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
Flow, fluid pressure or material level, responsive
Fluid current controlled cyclic system
C210S104000, C210S143000, C210S195100, C210S196000, C210S202000, C210S257100, C210S258000, C210S259000, C210S416300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06270658
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for filling a drinking water installation, which has a fresh water supply pipe and a water tank receiving the drinking water, in which the water is filtered through a filter and is provided with silver ions by a silver ion admixing unit, as well as an apparatus for supplying drinking water from a drinking water tank with a supply pipe connectable to a fresh water source and which contains a filter and a silver ion admixing unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the case of mobile inhabitable units, such as ships, mobile homes and caravans, mobile drinking water installations are also provided. They have a water tank, which is filled at a stationary water source and then, during the movement of the unit and independently of stationary water sources, is available for drinking water supply purposes. For stabilizing the drinking water quality and in particular to avoid bacteria, it is known to add silver ions to the water. It is also-appropriate to filter the water supplied to the mobile tank, in order to remove pollutants before the water enters the tank.
It has now been found that such a filter with the residual water therein can be highly contaminated, even if silver ions are added to the water in the water tank. On refilling, said highly contaminated water is rinsed out of the filter into the water tank and cannot be restored to a satisfactory state even when provided with silver ions. It has in particular an extremely unpleasant smell. This deficiency has also not been eliminatable by an additional activated carbon filter. However, it is not recommended to carry out silver ion admixing prior to flowing through the filter, because to a significant extent the silver ions are filtered out in the filter and therefore greatly reduce the effectiveness of silver ion admixing with respect to the silver ions contained in the water in the tank, i.e. the efficiency of silver ion admixing is reduced.
Thus, whilst ensuring a high efficiency of silver ion admixing in a mobile drinking water supply installation, the problem of the invention is to prevent contamination of the water still in the supply pipe to the water tank and more particularly also in the filter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, this problem is solved with a method of the aforementioned type and which is characterized in that, after filling the tank with fresh water, the water is circulated at least over the filter. For solving the problem the invention also provides an apparatus of the aforementioned type, which is characterized by a three-way valve with an inlet connected to the fresh water intake, as well as a second inlet and a supply pipe leading to the tank, by a return pipe leading from the water tank to the second inlet of the three-way valve and by a circulating pump in the water cycle formed by the return pipe and the supply pipe.
Due to the fact that, after filling, the fresh water in the tank and provided with silver ions is again circulated through the entire pipe system and in particular also the filter, it is ensured that throughout the pipe system and in particular the filter water provided with silver ions is present and therefore in addition to the tank the entire pipe system, including the filter, is protected against contamination. Although in the case of the inventive design of the apparatus, the silver ion admixing unit could fundamentally be positioned upstream of the filter, in order to increase and secure the effectiveness of the silver ion admixing, it is generally positioned in the flow direction behind or downstream of the filter and preferably immediately in front or upstream of the tank, so that according to a preferred development of the inventive method, the circulated water is firstly pumped through the filter and then the silver ion admixing unit.
In preferred manner, the method is further developed in that the water of the water tank is passed by means of a three-way valve into the fresh water supply pipe and that a three-way valve located in the supply pipe, after filling the water tank, is switched by a connection connectable to the fresh water pipe to a circulating pipe leading from the water tank to the three-way valve and a circulating pump is put into operation.
Thus, after the filling of the tank and reaching a maximum filling level, an automatic circulation is brought about ensuring that always and in all cases following filling a circulation takes place, without any need for additional operating processes, which could be forgotten.
According to a further development of the apparatus according to the invention, the pump is located in the supply pipe. According to another preferred development, in the pipe containing the silver ion admixing unit is provided a flow meter, by means of which the silver ion delivery rate of the silver ion admixing unit can be controlled as a function of the flow rate. An overfilling of the tank or an emptying without prior warning can be prevented by providing the water tank with level sensors. On dropping below a predetermined minimum level, a corresponding level sensor can emit a warning signal. On reaching the maximum level an automatic separation of the inventive apparatus from the stationary water supply can take place, in that the inlet of the three-way valve to the stationary water supply is closed and optionally, simultaneously, there is a switching over to the return pipe, i.e. the opening of the three-way valve inlet connected thereto. In principle, filling can also be ended before reaching the maximum filling level. Here again the three-way valve is switched over for circulation purposes. In an extremely preferred development a control device is provided for switching over the three-way valve and optionally a subsequent connecting in of the pump on reaching the maximum filling level in the water tank. A very short time is adequate for circulation purposes, e.g. less than 60 seconds. As a result of the invention, the complete installation or water-carrying parts are filled with silver ion-treated water and water contamination is avoided.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4317733 (1982-03-01), Xhonneux
patent: 4328830 (1982-05-01), Greer
patent: 5873996 (1999-02-01), Rozelle et al.
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Cintins Ivars
Digmesa AG
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