Water container with filter cartridge

Details Water container with filter cartridge Water container with filter cartridge

2000-07-18

2002-05-07

Smith, Duane (Department: 1724)

Liquid purification or separation

Structural installation

Separator ancillary to storage tank

C210S232000, C210S238000, C210S282000, C210S288000, C210S416300, C222S189060

Reexamination Certificate

active

06383375

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a water tank with a filter cartridge.
In beverage vending machines, especially in coffee and tea machines, water treatment is frequently provided using a water filter. An integrated mixture of activated charcoal and ion exchanger is provided in a filter cartridge, said mixture removing odor and taste, heavy metals, organic impurities, and suspended materials (particles), and possibly reducing the hardness of the water.
Known beverage vending machines use replaceable filter cartridges located in the preparation process for beverages outside the water tank. A device suitable for this purpose is described by British Patent 1 159 078-B. The disadvantage of this device is the high cost of replacing the cartridges, especially loosening and restoring the water-conducting connection, with the risk of a leak or the large amount of space taken up by the housing and connections. There is an increased risk of contamination due to the plurality of sealing and screwing connections as well as gaps in the housing.
In addition, filter cartridges for water filter cans are described in DE 35 22 966.7. These cans as a rule consist of an untreated water tank with an outlet at the bottom for filter cartridges, the filter cartridge itself, as well as the treated water tank. These devices however are impractical because of the separate water treatment step, the filter bed can dry out, and because of the operation involving downward flow, there is the danger of compaction of the bed and formation of channels in the filter bed. The filter cartridges cannot be inserted directly in the water tank of a beverage vending machine.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4 814 078 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4 147 631, filter inserts are proposed for connection to a closed liquid circuit. In automatic beverage vending machines with a water tank, such filter cartridges can therefore be inserted only outside the water tank, for which reason the water circuit must be opened to change the cartridge.
The invention on the other hand has the goal of proposing a water tank with a filter cartridge in which simple installation of the filter is possible.
The measures described herein make advantageous embodiments and improvements on the invention possible.
Accordingly, a water tank according to the invention is provided with a filter cartridge inside the water tank, with a water inlet opening for the filter cartridges located at the bottom and a passageway for the water moving upward through the filter cartridge, is provided. In addition, a descending drop line to guide the water to a drain connection located at the bottom of the water tank is provided. As a result, the water flows through the filter cartridge in a so-called upward flow principle. The filter mixture, which consists in known fashion of activated charcoal and ion exchangers; is suspended during operation, preventing compaction of the filter bed.
By virtue of its location inside the tank, the risk of a leak is minor so that simple sealing means can be used. With the aid of the drop line that terminates at the bottom of the filter cartridge, the connection to the drain line of the tank can be created in simple fashion.
Because the lower water inlet opening is open to the outside when the filter cartridge is connected, the cartridge does not have to be connected when the filter cartridge is placed in the water tank. This considerably simplifies the installation of the filter cartridge since only the connection on the outflow side need be made.
Advantageously, the descending drop line is located inside the filter cartridge. Thus, the bottom connection of the filter cartridge can be made centrally with the inlet openings to the filter cartridge in any position being made further outward, preferably annularly, and distributed.
In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, retaining elements project upward from the bottom of the tank to hold the filter cartridge. The filter cartridge can be mounted on such retaining elements with no depressions in the bottom at all, in which depressions stagnant water can collect even when the tank has been drained.
Locking elements of the filter cartridge can engage such retaining elements so that the filter cartridge is held in the water tank by a shapewise fit. By attaching the filter cartridge to the bottom of the water tank in the immediate vicinity of the drain connection, other holding devices, for example those mounted laterally on the water tank, can be eliminated. When the filter cartridge is removed, the water tank is freely accessible for cleaning or other activities.
In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the retaining elements on the bottom of the water tank have holes. This allows the water to be drawn off even without a filter cartridge, with water entering directly into the drain of the tank bottom through these holes. Accordingly, the holes in the retaining elements on the tank bottom should be located as close as possible to the bottom level in order to permit draining the water tank as completely as possible during operation without filter cartridges.
In one improvement on the invention, the retaining elements are made in the form of an annular plug base. This plug base can be made for example in the form of an annular rib with matching bottom holes or in the form of annular pins. A likewise annular internal collar of the filter cartridge is preferably inserted into this annular arrangement. With the aid of this internal collar which is advantageously provided with a seal as well, the hole intended for filter-free operation and leading to the tank drain can be closed and sealed within the plug-in base during filter operation.
This seal is designed in another advantageous embodiment of the invention as an axial seal that seals off the inner collar from the tank bottom.
If an additional screen to hold back particles, and made of filter material for example in the drain area of the drop line in a special embodiment, this can be secured for example by a matching disk-shaped collar projecting inward between this axial seal and the tank bottom and held in place by pushing the filter cartridge over the inner collar and the axial seal on the tank bottom.
In an improvement on the invention, an outer annular external collar is also provided on the filter cartridge that externally surrounds the plug base. As a result, it is possible that the actual filter bed begins in the radial direction, projecting over the plug base above the plug base, ensuring that the suction height of the water is deep. A deep suction height is necessary in order to drain the water tank as completely as possible during filter operation.
For this purpose, the outer collar can have for example matching holes near the bottom or can terminate at a certain distance from the tank bottom. In the latter case, a suction gap is left open along the entire circumference of the external collar through which gap the tank is drained during filter operation.
For a specific adjustment of this suction gap, it is recommended to provide a stop to limit the insertion depth of the filter cartridge onto the plug base. This stop for example can be in the form of a projection extending radially from the inner collar and striking the plug base.
The outer collar can also be provided with clamping elements by means of which it can be locked to the plug base. Such clamping elements can be made for example in the form of clamping ribs so that the water drawn in can reach the filter bed between the clamping ribs.
As mentioned above, a filter mixture of activated charcoal and possibly ion exchange resin is preferably used. In order to hold this filter mixture in the area provided for it in the filter cartridge, a barrier made of porous filter layers, for example porous polyethylene, is preferably provided. However, other mechanical retaining systems, matching screen inserts for example, can be used.
In one particular improvement on the invention, water tanks of different heights can be provided for length compensation when using

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