Liquid purification or separation – With repair or assembling means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-05
2001-03-20
Lithgow, Thomas M. (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
With repair or assembling means
C210S238000, C210S282000, C210S323200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203697
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to water filtration apparatus, particularly multistage water filters adapted for use as residential or commercial countertop or undercounter water filters for producing potable water for suitable for human ingestion such as by drinking or cooking. More particularly, the present invention provides a multi-stage water filter apparatus which is modular to permit scale up or scale down filtration capacity.
A wide variety of water filtration devices are known in the art. Residential and office-type water filter devices are typically of the countertop variety which consist generally of vertically oriented cylinders which receive water from a diverter valve attached to a sink faucet and introduce tap water to the bottom of a charcoal stack, flow the water upward against gravity and dispense the filtered water from a spigot located at the top of the charcoal stack. The configuration of these units is bulky and requires that the filter units be inconveniently located adjacent the sink where they interfere with routine tasks such as washing dishes or food preparation. Moreover, the tubing interconnecting the diverter valve and the filtration apparatus is obtrusive and potentially dangerous to those people working near the sink. Accordingly, a need has existed for a water filtration apparatus which is easily used in conjunction with residential or office water distribution systems, which may be used only when it is necessary to provide a supply of drinking or cooking water, is unobtrusive and may otherwise be situated away from kitchen utility areas, and which is easily adaptable to increase or decrease its filtering capacity by addition or removal of modular housing units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a water filtration and purification apparatus which consists generally of a multi-stage, modular system which is well-adapted for countertop or below-counter applications in a residential or office kitchen, in connection with a kitchen sink faucet or faucet water supply plumbing line to filter tap water and dispense potable water. The basic modular unit of the inventive water filtration apparatus consists of a filter cartridge housing having a longitudinal chamber which receives a filtration cartridge containing a filtration medium for removing a desired component present in a particular water source. The filter cartridge housing is open at each end thereof. A pair of end cap members, an inlet end cap member and an outlet end cap member, engage and seal the open ends of the filter cartridge housing and permit fluid flow communication into and through the end cap members in order to provide a fluid inflow into the filter cartridge housing or a fluid outflow from the filter cartridge housing. The filter cartridge housing may be coupled to one or more of a plurality of additional filter cartridge housings using a coupling fitting associated with each of the plurality of filter cartridge housings. Each filter cartridge housing will operate when placed in either a horizontal or vertical orientation relative to a support surface upon which the filter cartridge housing resides.
It is therefore a principal objective of the present invention to provide a modular, multi-staged water filter apparatus suitable for use in undercounter or countertop, commercial or residential use to produce potable water.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a water filter apparatus which includes user removable and replaceable filter cartridges capable of permitting interchange ability of the filter medium used to filter water.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a water filter apparatus which is characterized by a longitudinally oriented housing which may be oriented either horizontally or vertically relative to a support surface, such as a countertop.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a modular, multistage water filter apparatus having user removable and replaceable cartridges containing filter media which are readily engaged into and removed from the longitudinally oriented housing.
It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide a modular, multi-staged water filter apparatus capable of utilizing multiple filter media cartridges to filter different and distinct types of water contaminants from the water supply.
These and other objects features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to, and better understood by, those skilled in the relevant art from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like features are identified by like reference numerals.
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Lithgow Thomas M.
Sonneschein Nath & Rosenthal
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