Liquid purification or separation – Flow – fluid pressure or material level – responsive – Diverse sensing means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-03
2001-12-11
Drodge, Joseph W. (Department: 1723)
Liquid purification or separation
Flow, fluid pressure or material level, responsive
Diverse sensing means
C210S086000, C210S258000, C210S257100, C210S534000, C004S661000, C004S663000, C004S665000, C004SDIG001, C137S398000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328882
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of recycling waste water from the shower, bath and lavatory of a home by conveying the waste water to a receiving tank connected to the toilets of the house for supplying recycled waste water to the toilets to substantially meet the water requirements for toilet flushing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Studies of all residential water consumption uses suggest that approximately 40% of the total potable water supplied to a residential household is used for toilet flushing. Another 40% is used for bathing. Only ten percent has any real public health need of meeting potability quality criteria (i.e., used for direct drinking, food preparation, and food preparation materials washing).
The unique coincidence of these two magnitudes suggests that bathing water might well be adequate to serve the toilet flushing function, with no need of its retaining potable qualities. In addition, unlike kitchen waste water (which contains food residues, oils, etc.), or laundry waste water (which contains fabric lint and other particulates), bath water is only likely to contain small amounts of soap wastes and perhaps minor amounts of body oils. The same observation can be made of waste water from lavatories. By limiting the waste water to be recycled for toilet flushing purposes to only these two sources, their combined volumes approximate the amount of water volume needed to provide all toilet flushing quantities needed to supply the toilet flushing demands of the same number of household residents as generate the bath water and lavatory waste water volumes.
Concepts for reuse of sub-potable water have been extensively reported in the literature. Among them, systems involving residential recycling, generally referred to as “gray” water systems, make use of those portions of residential waste water which do not contain waste streams containing human body wastes (so-called “black” water). “Gray” water has been recycled for reuse for a variety of purposes for which potability is not required (i.e., lawn watering, car washing, etc.), but in all such applications, the “gray” water does not re-enter the building.
In the mixture of “gray” water, in addition to waste water from showers, lavatories, and bath tubs, the waste streams from the kitchen contain food wastes collected in the kitchen sink, dish washer, and garbage disposal (if present), and waste streams from laundry trays and clothes washers containing lint and materials collected on the clothes being washed, plus waste water resulting from floor mopping containing miscellaneous particulates, have been included. All such foreign materials mitigate against reuse of gray water within the household.
Distribution of sub-potable water on a community wide basis has also been proposed, but has generally been rejected on the basis of cost of constructing a second water distribution system. Also, there is a perceived risk of the possibility of connection to the wrong water main when potable water use is required.
Concurrently, in response to a growing recognition of developing shortages in potable water supply systems, efforts have been launched to further minimize demand for potable water being supplied to residential buildings by imposing maximum flow rates on faucets and shower heads, and maximum permissible volume per flush on the sizing of flush tanks and flush valves on urinals and water is closets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention proposes to segregate the waste water from the bathroom fixtures which provide means for body washing alone, i.e., the lavatory, shower, and bath tub. This cleaner fraction of “gray” water contains nothing other than soap residues and perhaps some amount of body oils. All this waste stream originates in the bathrooms and will be recycled back to the bathrooms.
To assure the distinction between this selected fraction of “gray” water, and what has previously been done in efforts to recycle “gray” water, a new term for this fraction, “shobala” water (shower, bath, and lavatory) has been coined to assure no mistaking what is being recycled in the present invention from what may have been involved in previous residential water recycling efforts. The difference may very well identify all the things in previous “gray” water systems that mitigated against its being recycled within the residence.
The residential water recycler system of the present invention isolates specific sources of residential waste water possessing the most desirable properties of minimum pollution content and acceptable appearance, which. is available in sufficient quantity to achieve the specific purpose of supplying toilet flushing demand; acceptable in terms of appearance; and in an arrangement avoiding such public health risks of accidental cross-connections as have been identified in previous sub-potable water re-use concepts, together with means of improving acceptability of the quality of the delivered sub-potable recycled product water to effectively eliminate all demand for potable water to be used as flush water in urinals and water-closets in residential installations.
A principal health concern, in all piping systems involving the co-mingling in close proximity of non-potable flows with potable water distribution systems, has been avoidance of the risk of accidental cross-connection of a sub-potable fluid flow with one intended to provide potable water on demand. To obviate that concern, at least three features of the system of the present invention assure protection from accidental cross-connections: (1) the typical water distribution piping employed in single family residential construction uses ¾ inch pipe for the fresh water distribution system, the recycled toilet flushing supply uses ½ inch pipe; (2) the recycled water distribution piping system is of a different color from the fresh water distribution system; and (3) the only point at which fresh water is co-mingled with sub-potable water occurs in the waste water receiving tank where fresh water make-up is supplied across an air gap separation to assure no back-siphoning opportunity for the sub-potable supply to enter the fresh water system.
The residential water recycler system of the present invention consists of an assembly of a “shobala” water receiving tank supplied with waste water drained from tubs, showers, and lavatories (only) by segregated conduit means; a recycling pump and hydro-pneumatic tank to pump water from the receiving tank and deliver it under pressure to the flush water intake connections to toilet flush tanks or directly to pressure operated flush valves by conduit means; and ancillary to those basic components, may be equipped with a make-up water supply from the fresh water distribution system by conduit means to assure availability of flushing water at such times when the concurrence of daily accumulation of toilet flushing demands may exceed the amount of waste water received and stored during those far more time-specific discrete periods when showering and bathing occurs (generally evenings or mornings). An additional optional component consists of adding a pressurized chamber in the flush water return line from the system to permit installing any of a variety of filters and/or chemical additives to the flush water en route to the flushing supply to the toilet fixtures for the purpose of disinfection, deodorizing, and/or toilet bowl cleaning to make the recycled water both more acceptable to the user and to further add a colorant to the recycled water to further assure its not being mistaken for potable water by members of the household.
As described herein below, “shobala” water from lavatories, tubs, and showers supplying the flow to the receiving tank to be recycled, is supplied by gravity flow occurring in drains from the selected fixtures. In building possessing cellars or having other space below the finished first floor level, gravity flow will be received by the unit when it is located below that first floor level. In instances where location of the unit must b
Cecil Terry K.
Drodge Joseph W.
Jacobson & Holman PLLC
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