Liquid purification or separation – With repair or assembling means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-25
2001-11-27
Drodge, Joseph W. (Department: 1723)
Liquid purification or separation
With repair or assembling means
C210S456000, C210S449000, C210S446000, C210S450000, C210S094000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322696
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to filters. More specifically, the present invention is an inlet filter for a high pressure sprayer.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a wide variety of mechanical devices that require a constant fluid input from a bulk supply. For example, high pressure sprayers are used for many applications. Such sprayers take water (usually) from a low pressure source and pass it through a pump, where a dramatic increase in fluid pressure is achieved. Subsequently, the pressurized water is controllably and selectively dispensed from an appropriate wand or nozzle.
The various components of these sprayers are generally manufactured to high tolerances from a durable material. In use, various valves and connectors are actuated to initiate and then cease the flow of high pressure fluid. This cycling in and of itself produces significant stress on the components of the sprayer and the pump.
Two competing interests exist when designing high pressure sprayers. The components must be strong enough to endure the stresses imposed during use. In addition, the components must be manufactured to interact with one another with a great degree of precision. Often these interacting components are fairly small and intricate. Even the larger components will only have a small margin of acceptable error.
Many manufactures have successfully designed sprayers that will work properly under such conditions. The complicating factor during the actual use of these sprayers is that the water supply is normally unfiltered. For example, in many home and light commercial applications, a garden hose is connected to the inlet of the sprayer. Thus, the water entering the sprayer can be contaminated with varying amounts of dirt or other particles. These contaminates can either be introduced through contamination of the garden hose during other applications, or they are introduced to the water at its source (or through the interconnecting piping) and carried throughout. In any event, a fair amount of contaminates are expected to be introduced to the sprayer and the pump from the water.
As discussed above, with the high levels of pressure involved, the movement of the components, and the required degree of precision in their interaction, it should be readily apparent why the introduction of particulate matter into this system could be destructive. At a minimum, debris may simply clog a nozzle, a port or other orifice. While not necessarily damaging, the system will have to be cleaned, requiring a certain amount of disassembly and down time. More seriously, debris may enter and damage various components in the pump or unloader. Once damaged, these parts will have to be replaced and could be very costly. More specifically, debris in the system can hold open regulation valves in the unloader or regulator or valves within the pump itself. This can cause the system to stop working altogether or it could simply cause it to perform poorly. In addition, such debris will cause these valves and other components to wear prematurely.
In order to avoid the damage caused by contaminates, it has become standard practice to place a filtering device on the inlet side of the pump. Water being introduced into the system is first filtered, removing any particulate material that could otherwise cause damage to the various components. This is, of course, an elegantly simple solution to the above problem. The one drawback is that any given filter will have a limited useful life span. As the filter becomes clogged with particulate matter, it will reduce the volume of water passing through it. If the volume per unit of time becomes too low, it will adversely affect the performance of the pressure sprayer.
To overcome this problem, the filtering element must be periodically inspected and replaced. Generally, the filtering element will be occluded from view; hence, the entire filter must be detached and taken apart to expose the filtering element. Since variations in the quality of the water will occur as well as variations in the frequency of use, it becomes difficult to predict or estimate when the filter element should be checked and/or replaced. Many times the filter is not inspected until a loss in performance is seen, as some operators do not realize the importance of proper filtration. By this time, damage may have occurred to the pump due to cavitation caused by the lack of adequate flow into the pump. Thus, fairly frequent and time consuming inspections must be performed.
Therefore, there exist a need to provide an inlet filter for a pressure sprayer that can provide a readily apparent indication that the filtering element is in need of replacing, without requiring detachment and disassembly of the filter for inspection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a multi-piece inlet filter having a clear, non-load bearing cover. A screen is used as a filtering element and is visible through the clear cover. The durability of the cover is maintained because the cover is a non-load-bearing element. In order to provide an integrated cover that is non-load bearing, the various internal components must provide structural integrity for the whole filter.
In a preferred embodiment, the filter includes a body and a cap, securely inter-connectable to one another. The body includes a threaded portion that is coupleable to the inlet of a sprayer. At an opposite end, the body has a female coupling adapted to receive a male coupling provided on the cap. One or more inlet ports are located on the female coupling and provide access to a fluid passageway within the body. The fluid passageway terminates in an outlet passageway that is ultimately coupled to the inlet of the sprayer. Similarly, the male coupling of the cap is provided with one or more outlet ports that provide access to a fluid passageway within the cap. This fluid passageway runs through a fitting on the cap. The fitting is adapted to receive various common types of water supply fixtures, such as a garden hose.
The screen or filter is slid over the female coupling of the body and entirely covers the various inlet ports. Subsequently, the male coupling of the cap is engaged with the female coupling of the body. The clear cover is disposed between the body and the cap, and is effectively “sandwiched” between them. Appropriate seals are provided so that a fluid tight seal is formed between the cover and the cap and body, respectively. While a fluid tight seal is provided, the cover is a non-load bearing element. As defined herein, non-load bearing means that the cover is not relied on to couple the cap to the body and that the actual coupling of the cap to the body is completely independent of the cover. The cover will be required to withstand any pressure generated from the flow of fluid though it and must do so in a fluid tight manner.
Once properly assembled, a complete fluid passageway is formed. Water is directed into an inlet passageway through the fitting of the cap from a common water supply, such as a garden hose. Water passes through the cap and out of the outlet ports disposed on the male coupling of the cap. At this point, the water is contained within the cover due to the fluid tight seal generated between it and the cap and body. The water is then forced to travel through the screen and then through the inlet ports located on the female coupling of the body. Subsequently, the water passes unencumbered through the body and out of the outlet passageway where it is introduced into the pressure sprayer.
The screen is configured so that the openings in the mesh are smaller than particles that may adversely affect the performance of the sprayer. Thus, as fluid flows from the cap to the body, particulate matter larger than a predetermined size will be precluded from passing through the screen and into the pressure sprayer. Through continued use, the screen will eventually begin to clog. This will be readily apparent by directly viewing the screen through the transparent cover.
Kirschenman Mark B.
McKee Sheila S.
Cecil Terry K.
Drodge Joseph W.
GP Companies, Inc.
Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP
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