Abstract:
A method is disclosed. The method provides an assembly comprising a first core disposed within a housing, and replaces the first core with a second core.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to the field of water/liquid filters and more specifically to the field of remanufacturing such water/liquid filters. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Most people install water filter assemblies  10  shown in  FIG. 1   a  to remove impurities, harmful chemical materials, and toxic metals from water as well as to give water a good taste and look. To clean/purify the water, water filter assemblies  10  may be used with kitchen sinks, refrigerators, beverage dispensing machines, and/or any filtration system like, for example, fish tanks. 
         [0003]    Referring to  FIG. 1   b , as known in the art, the water filter assembly  10  may comprise a core/filter  20 , a housing  30  configured to at least partially accommodate the core/filter  20 , and a cap/cover/lid  40  configured to seal the core/filter  20  within the housing  30 . The water filter assembly  10  may also comprise at least one end cap  45 . The core/filter  20  may be used to remove impurities, chlorine, toxic metals and harmful chemical materials from drinking water. The core/filter  20  may be a carbon block made out of extruded carbon powder with a binding polymer. The core/filter  20  may, for example, comprise carbon, fiber, a combination of carbon and fiber and/or other material able to remove impurities and/or chemicals and/or harmful chemicals and/or metals and/or toxic metals from water. The carbon used for the core/filter  20  may be granular carbon. The housing  30  and/or cap/lid/cover  40  may, for example, comprise plastic and or metal. 
         [0004]    Although the core/filter  20  is depicted as having a rounded bottom edge, it is known in the art that the other core/filters  21 ,  22  and  23 , shown in  FIGS. 1   d - f , may have flat top edge and flat bottom edge. 
         [0005]    According to the prior art, the end cap  45  may be glued or pressure fitted to the core/filter  20  as shown in  FIGS. 1   c  and  1   e  and may be used to keep the core/filter  20  stationary within the filter assembly  10 . According to the prior art, the water filter assembly  10  may also comprise another end cap  46  as shown in  FIG. 1   d . The end cap  46  may be also be glued or pressure fitted to the core/filter  20  as shown in  FIG. 1   d  and may be used to keep the core/filter  20  stationary within the filter assembly  10 . 
         [0006]    Referring to  FIGS. 1   a - b , when the core/filter  20  is sealed within the housing  30  by the cap/lid/cover  40 , the unfiltered water may, for example, enter the water filter assembly  10  through an opening  50  defined by the protrusion  65  and exit through the opening  60  defined by the protrusion  65  after passing though the core/filter  20  that removes the impurities and/or harmful chemical materials. 
         [0007]    Because core/filter  20  is used to remove impurities, chlorine, toxic metals and harmful chemical materials from drinking water, the water filtration efficiency and the water pressure of the filter assembly  10  is reduced over time due to blockage of the porous surface of the core/filter  20  by the impurities absorbed from the water. Due to reduction in water filtration efficiency and the water pressure, the core/filter  20  has a limited life cycle and the water filter assembly  10  needs to be replaced on a regular basis. While the core/filter  20  may have a limited life cycle, the housing  30 , the lid/cap/cover  40  and/or the end caps  45 ,  46  typically do not degrade and/or wear out and may be re-used. To reduce waste, a need exists for a process and associated apparatus by which the core/filter  20  is replaced with a new core/filter and the housing  30 , the lid/cap/cover  40  and/or the end caps  45 ,  46  are reused or replaced with the new core/filter. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    According to a first aspect, a method is disclosed, comprising: providing a liquid filtration assembly comprising a first core disposed within a housing; and replacing the first core with a second core. 
         [0009]    According to a second aspect, a method is disclosed, comprising: providing a liquid filtration assembly comprising a first core disposed within a housing; separating the liquid filtration assembly into a first section and a second section; and removing the first core. 
         [0010]    According to a third aspect, a method is disclosed, comprising: providing at least a first section and a second section of a liquid filtration assembly; positioning at least a portion of a core in either the first section or the second section of the liquid filtration assembly; and coupling the first section and the second section 
         [0011]    According to a fourth aspect, a liquid filtration assembly is disclosed, comprising: a cover; a housing associated with the cover; and a core at least partially disposed within the housing, wherein the housing and the cover are recycled after being associated with another core. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0012]      FIG. 1   a  depicts a water filter assembly as known in the art. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1   b  depicts an expended view of the water filter assembly shown in  FIG. 1   a.    
           [0014]      FIGS. 1   c - f  depict exemplary cores/filters as known in the art. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  depicts an exemplary embodiment of a water filter assembly. 
           [0016]      FIGS. 3   a - b  depict exemplary embodiments for disassembling a water filter assembly. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  depicts another exemplary embodiment for disassembling a water filter assembly. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 5   a - b  depict additional exemplary embodiments for disassembling a water filter assembly. 
           [0019]      FIGS. 6   a - d  depict exemplary embodiments for assembling a water filter assembly. 
           [0020]      FIGS. 7   a - c  depict another exemplary embodiment for assembling a water filter assembly. 
           [0021]      FIGS. 8   a - b  depict additional exemplary embodiment for assembling a water filter assembly. 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  depicts another exemplary embodiment for assembling a water filter assembly. 
           [0023]      FIGS. 10   a - b  depict another exemplary embodiment for disassembling a water filter assembly. 
           [0024]      FIGS. 11-12  depict additional exemplary embodiment for disassembling a water filter assembly. 
           [0025]      FIG. 13  depicts another water filter assembly as known in the art. 
           [0026]      FIG. 14  depicts another water filter assembly as known in the art. 
       
    
    
       [0027]    In the following description, like reference numbers are used to identify like elements. Furthermore, the drawings are intended to illustrate major features of exemplary embodiments in a diagrammatic manner. The drawings are not intended to depict every feature of every implementation nor relative dimensions of the depicted elements, and are not drawn to scale. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]    In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to clearly describe various specific embodiments disclosed herein. One skilled in the art, however, will understand that the presently claimed invention may be practiced without all of the specific details discussed below. In other instances, well known features have not been described so as not to obscure the invention. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIGS. 1   a - b , as known in the art, to accommodate water pressure and/or to prevent users from accessing the core/filter  20 , manufacturers of the water filter assemblies  10  securely couple the cap/cover/lid  40  to the housing  30 . The cap/cover/lid  40  may be securely coupled to the housing  30  using different welding techniques known in the art; using different adhesives known in the art; the cap/cover/lid  40  may be coupled to the housing  30  using regular thread techniques; the cap/cover/lid  40  may be coupled to the housing  30  using reverse thread and/or pressure fit techniques; the cap/cover/lid  40  may be heat sealed with/to the housing  30 ; and/or the cap/cover/lid  40  may be coupled to the housing  30  using any combination of the above mentioned techniques. 
         [0030]    In an effort to re-use/recycle the cap/cover/lid  40 , the housing  30 , and/or the end caps  45 ,  46 , there should be sufficient access to the original water filter assembly  10  to allow the replacement of the old/used core/filter  20  (shown in  FIG. 1   b ) with the new core/filter  25  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) to provide a remanufactured water filter assembly  11  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). In one exemplary embodiment, the removed old/used core/filter  20  may also be remanufactured and or recycled for other uses. For example, the removed old/used core/filter  20  may be reused as filler for coating applications such as, for example, paint or filler for plastic applications. 
         [0031]    Because the original water filter assembly  10  may still contain moisture/water inside the housing  30 , in one exemplary embodiment according to the present disclosure the original water filter assembly  10  may go through a water removing process prior to removal of the old/used core/filter  20 . In one exemplary embodiment, the original water filter assembly  10  may be placed in a centrifuge and spun until any remaining water/moisture is forced out through the opening  50  and/or  60 . In another exemplary embodiment, any remaining water/moisture in the water filter assembly  10  may be removed by blowing air through the opening  50  and/or  60 . 
         [0032]    Once the original water filter assembly  10  is ready for remanufacturing the old/used core/filter  20  is replaced with a new core/filter  25  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The core/filter  25  may be a carbon block made out of extruded carbon powder with a binding polymer. The core/filter  25  may, for example, comprise carbon, fiber, a combination of carbon and fiber and/or other material able to remove impurities and/or chemicals and/or harmful chemicals and/or metals and/or toxic metals from water. The carbon used for the core/filter  25  may be granular carbon. 
         [0033]    If the cap/cover/lid  40  is glued to the housing  30 , in one exemplary embodiment according to the present application, the old/used core/filter  20  may be removed by heating up the area around the cap/cover/lid  40  until the adhesive coupling the cap/cover/lid  40  and the housing  30  has sufficiently melted/loosened to allow the removal of the cap/cover/lid  40  from the housing  30 . The heating process may be accomplished by either applying direct heat using, for example, a heating fan  51  (shown in  FIG. 3   a ) or a flame torch  251  (shown in  FIG. 3   b ) to the area around the cap/cover/lid  40  (shown in  FIGS. 3   a - b ) or by placing the entire water filter assembly  10  into an oven/microwave  52  as shown in  FIG. 4 . Once the housing  30  is removed from the cap/cover/lid  40 , the old/used core/filter  20  is replaced with a new core/filter  25  and the housing  30  and the cap/cover/lid  40  may be coupled with/to each other using an adhesive capable of holding both pieces even during the filtration of the water. 
         [0034]    In another exemplary embodiment according to the present application, the old/used core/filter  20  may be removed by cutting the housing  30  into sections  30   a  and  30   b  as shown in  FIG. 5   a . The cutting process may be accomplished by using a pipe cutter  71  as shown in  FIG. 5   b , a saw machine (not shown), a laser-cutting machine (not shown), a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine (not shown), and/or an ultrasonic blade machine (not shown). 
         [0035]    In one exemplary embodiment, once the housing sections  30   a  and  30   b  are separated as shown in  FIG. 5   a , the end cap  45  (shown in  FIG. 5   a ) and/or  46  (shown in  FIG. 1   d ) may also be recycled/reused once the old/used core/filter  20  (shown in  FIG. 1   c ) or the old/used core/filter  21  (shown in  FIG. 1   d ) are removed from the housing  30 . In one exemplary embodiment, this may be accomplished by applying sufficient force to break the connection between the old/used core/filter  20  and the end cap  45 . In another exemplary embodiment, the end cap  45  be removed by heating up the area around the end cap  45  until the adhesive coupling between the end cap  45  and the core/filter  20  has sufficiently melted/loosened to allow the removal of the end cap  45  from the core/filter  20 . In one exemplary embodiment, the adhesive coupling between the end cap  45  and the core/filter  20  may be melted/loosened by applying heat at, for example, 200 F for about 10-20 minutes. In another exemplary embodiment, the end cap  45  and the core/filter  20  may be frozen to the point at which the adhesive becomes brittle and will break when a force is applied to separate the end cap  45  from the core/filter  20 . In another exemplary, the end cap  45  and the core/filter  20  may be frozen followed by application of heat to cause thermal shock that would cause the adhesive to release the end cap  45  from the core/filter  20 . 
         [0036]    Once the end cap  45  is removed from the core/filter  20 , the end cap  45  may be coupled to the new core/filter  25  before the new core/filter  25  is sealed within the reused housing  30 . The end cap  45  may be coupled to the new core/filter  25  using the adhesive  82  described presently and shown in  FIG. 9 . In one exemplary embodiment, the end cap  45  may be coupled to the new core/filter  25  using, for example, hotmelt process, a polypropylene plastic adhesive or any other adhesive that does not contain hazardous ingredients that may be toxic to human consumption. 
         [0037]    In one exemplary embodiment, prior to coupling the end cap  45  to the new core/filter  25 , the end cap  45  may be cleaned by removing any residue adhesive and/or carbon that may remain after the end cap  45  is removed from the core/filter  20 . It is to be understood, that the process of removing, cleaning, and/or reusing the end cap  45  may similarly be applied to removal, cleaning, and/or reusing of the end cap  46 . 
         [0038]    In one exemplary embodiment, once the housing sections  30   a  and  30   b  are separated as shown in  FIG. 5   a , the sections  30   a  and  30   b  may be washed, dried and sanitized to remove any, bacteria, viruses, impurities, chlorine, toxic metals and/or harmful chemical materials that may have been deposited during the previous use of the water filter assembly  10 . In one exemplary embodiment, a dishwasher may be used to clean the sections  30   a  and  30   b . In one exemplary embodiment, a sanitation machine may be used to disinfect the sections  30   a  and  30   b.    
         [0039]    In one exemplary embodiment, once the housing sections  30   a  and  30   b  are separated as shown in  FIG. 5   a  and the old/used core/filter  20  is replaced with a new core/filter  25  as shown in  FIG. 6   a , the housing sections  30   a  and  30   b  may be joined together to create a remanufactured water filter assembly  11  as shown in  FIG. 6   a . If the housing  30  is split/cut into sections  30   a  and  30   b  as shown in  FIG. 5   a  using a saw machine (not shown), a portion of the material from the housing  30  may be lost. In one exemplary embodiment, energy director material  75 , shown in  FIG. 6   a , may be used to join the sections  30   a  and  30   b  and to return the remanufactured water filter assembly  11  to original equipment specifications or as close to possible to original equipment specifications. It has been found that by using material that is the same as the material of the housing  30 , and placing this material between the sections  30   a  and  30   b  prior to ultrasonic welding, this material may function as an energy director during the ultrasonic welding process. It may also function to replace material that has been lost due to the cutting in the disassembly process. The energy director material  75  may be available, for example, from Shoon Industries, and it may be available in sizes and thicknesses made to order for the particular application at hand. 
         [0040]    As will be appreciated, the type of material used, shapes and dimensions of the energy director material  75  may be varied according to the material of the housing  30  and the degree and location of the original housing  30  material lost during the disassembly process. Typically the housing  30 , as well as the energy director material  75  may be made from food grade thermoplastic polymer such as, for example, Poly Ethylene and/or Poly Propylene. The height of an energy director material  75  may be dictated by the amount of material lost when sawing or otherwise separating the housing  30  into section  30   a  and  30   b . Varying the height or thickness of the energy director material  75  in this way enables the remanufactured water filter assembly  11  to be brought back to the original specification of the housing  30  prior to disassembly. Thus, the resulting remanufactured water filter assembly  11  provides for a quality water filtration as close as possible to that of the water filter assembly  10 . 
         [0041]    Once the energy director material  75  is placed between the sections  30   a  and  30   b , an ultrasonic welding machine (not shown) may be used to transmit vibrations at an ultrasonic frequency and pressure large enough to melt the energy director material  75  and to fuse or weld together the sections  30   a  and  30   b , thereby sealing the new core/filter  25  in the remanufactured water filter assembly  11 . The welding may take a few seconds, depending on the type and thickness of the energy director material  75  and depending on the type and thickness of the housing  30 . 
         [0042]    In another exemplary embodiment, the sections  30   a  and  30   b  may be welded using an ultrasonic welding machine without the energy director material  75 . The ultrasonic welding machine (not shown) may transmit vibrations at an ultrasonic frequency and pressure large enough to fuse or weld together the sections  30   a  and  30   b  without the energy director material  75  thereby sealing the new core/filter  25  in the remanufactured water filter assembly  11 . 
         [0043]    In another exemplary embodiment, once the housing sections  30   a  and  30   b  are separated as shown in  FIG. 5   a  and the old/used core/filter  20  is replaced with a new core/filter  25 , the housing sections  30   a  and  30   b  may be joined together to create a remanufactured water filter assembly  11  as shown in  FIGS. 6   b - c . Before coupling the section  30   a  to section  30   b , in one exemplary embodiment, the edge  31  of section  30   a  and edge  32  of section  30   b  may be chamfered/beveled to create a grove/channel  33  once the sections  30   a  and  30   b  are in contact with each other as shown in  FIG. 6   c . The edges  31  and  32  may be chamfered/beveled using, for example, a cutting lathe, a grinder machine, and/or sanding machine. Once the edges  31  and  32  are chamfered/beveled, the sections  30   a  and  30   b  may be welded together as shown in  FIG. 6   d . Welding may be performed using, for example, a plastic welding gun as shown in  FIG. 6   d . In one exemplary embodiment, a welding gun  211  (shown in  FIG. 6   d ) may be used to join sections  30   a  and  30   b . The welding gun  211  may, for example, be HeJet500sH welding gun. 
         [0044]    In another exemplary embodiment, the housing sections  30   a  and  30   b  may be joined together using spin welding. The sections  30   a  and  30   b  are spun in the opposite directions as they are being pressed together until the sections are fused together. A spin welder Branson SW300 may, for example, be used to join sections  30   a  and  30   b.    
         [0045]    Referring to  FIGS. 7   a - c , in another exemplary embodiment according to the present application, the sections  30   a  and  30   b  may be coupled together using a sleeve  80  comprising an external thread  92  as shown in  FIG. 7   a . Sections  30   a  and  30   b  may be screwed onto the sleeve  80  as shown by the arrows  215  and  216  until sections  30   a  and  30   b  are sufficiently close to each other to allow the water to be filtered by the new core/filter  25  without leaking through the housing  30  as shown in  FIG. 7   b - c . The sleeve  80  may be made out of plastic, metal or any other material sufficient to keep the water from leaking from the housing  30 . In one exemplary embodiment, a sealant (not shown) and/or adhesive (not shown) may also be used to prevent any possible leakage when sections  30   a  and  30   b  are joined using sleeve  80 . 
         [0046]    Referring to  FIGS. 8   a - b , in another exemplary embodiment according to the present application, the sections  30   a  and  30   b  may be coupled together using a sleeve  81  comprising an internal thread  93  as shown in  FIG. 8   a . Sections  30   a  and  30   b  may be screwed into the sleeve  81  as shown by the arrow  217  and  218  until sections  30   a  and  30   b  are sufficiently close to each other to allow the water to be filtered by the new core/filter  25  without leaking through the housing  30  as shown in  FIG. 8   b . The sleeve  81  may be made out of plastic, metal or any other material sufficient to keep the water from leaking from the housing  30 . In one exemplary embodiment, a sealant (not shown) and/or adhesive (not shown) may also be used to prevent any possible leakage when sections  30   a  and  30   b  are joined using sleeve  81 . 
         [0047]    In another exemplary embodiment according to the present application, sections  30   a  and  30   b  may be coupled using an adhesive  82  as shown in  FIG. 9  capable of coupling sections  30   a  and  30   b  and configured to prevent water leakage from the housing  30 . 
         [0048]    In another exemplary embodiment according to the present application, the old/used core/filter  20  may be removed by cutting the cap/cover/lid  40  into sections  40   a  and  40   b  as shown in  FIGS. 10   a - b . The cutting process may be accomplished by using either a pipe cutting machine  271  (shown in  FIGS. 10   a - b ), a saw machine (not shown), a laser-cutting machine (not shown), a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine (not shown), and/or an ultrasonic blade machine (not shown). After the used core/filter  20  is replaced with a new core/filter  25 , in one exemplary embodiment according to the present disclosure, the sections  40   a  and  40   b  may be fused or welded together using an ultrasonic welding machine or spin welding as described above. In another exemplary embodiment, the sections  40   a  and  40   b  may be fused or welded together using an ultrasonic welding machine and the energy director material  75  as described above. In another exemplary embodiment, the sections  40   a  and  40   b  may be coupled using the sleeve  80 , the sleeve  81 , or the adhesive  82  as described above. 
         [0049]    In one exemplary embodiment, the adhesive and/or welding techniques used to couple the sections  30   a  and  30   b  as well as sections  40   a  and  40   b , as described above, may be sufficient to: 
         [0050]    (i) withstand city line water pressure that may be rated at 30-120 psi; 
         [0051]    (ii) withstand degradation due to exposure to substances, impurities and/or chemicals that are being filtered out of the water; 
         [0052]    (iii) withstand a shock of being dropped and/or vibrations that may be caused by dropping the filter assembly  11  down to the ground during installation and/or during transportation/delivery/shipping; and/or 
         [0053]    (iv) prevent any water leaks that may cause damage to nearby equipment and/or structure. 
         [0054]    In another exemplary embodiment, the adhesive  82  used in any of the presently listed techniques may be made of food grade materials. In one exemplary embodiment, the adhesive  82  may be a polypropylene plastic, such as, for example, Bassell Pro-fax 7523. In another exemplary embodiment, the adhesive  82  may be an Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) based hot-melt adhesive that contains no hazardous ingredients as per 29 CFR 1910.1200. 
         [0055]    In another exemplary embodiment according to the present application, if the cap/cover/lid  40  is screwed to the housing  30 , the old/used core/filter  20  may be removed by unscrewing the housing  30  from the cap/cover/lid  40  as shown in  FIG. 1   b . Once the housing  30  is released from the cap/cover/lid  40 , the old/used core/filter  20  is replaced with a new core/filter  25  and the housing  30  and the cap/cover/lid  40  may be screwed back with/to each other. In one exemplary embodiment, the adhesive  82  may also be applied to the threads of the housing  30  before the housing  30  and the cap/cover/lid  40  are screwed back with/to each other. 
         [0056]    In another exemplary embodiment according to the present application, if the cap/cover/lid  40  is screwed and glued to the housing  30 , the old/used core/filter  20  may be removed by heating up the area around the adhesive followed by unscrewing and/or releasing the pressure fit of the housing  30  from the cap/cover/lid  40 . Once the housing  30  is released from the cap/cover/lid  40 , the old/used core/filter  20  is replaced with a new core/filter  25  and the housing  30  and the cap/cover/lid  40  may be screwed and glued back with/to each other using, for example, the adhesive  82 . 
         [0057]    In another exemplary embodiment according to the present application, if the cap/cover/lid  40  is screwed to the housing  30  using, for example, self-locking teeth  70  as shown in  FIG. 11 , the old/used core/filter  20  may be removed by applying force to the housing  30  and/or cap/cover/lid  40  until the self-locking teeth  70  either break or are forced to release the housing  30  from the cap/cover/lid  40  as shown in  FIG. 12 . Once the housing  30  is forcibly separated from the cap/cover/lid  40 , the old/used core/filter  20  is replaced with a new core/filter  25  and the housing  30  and the cap/cover/lid  40  may be screwed and/or glued back with/to each other. 
         [0058]    In one exemplary embodiment, once the water filter assembly  11  is assembled, the water filter assembly  11  may be tested for leaks. Testing for leaks may be performed by either applying air or water through opening  50  and/or  60 . After testing of leaks is completed, in one exemplary embodiment, buffing and/or grinding may be used to remove any residue on the surface of the water filter assembly  11 . In one exemplary embodiment, the surface of the water filter assembly  11  may be further covered by a label to cover any seams created during the assembly of the water filter assembly  11 . 
         [0059]    In one exemplary embodiment, during the remanufacturing process of the water filter assemblies  11 , different inspection processes may be performed to try to monitor the quality of the remanufactured water filter assemblies  11 . A random check process may be used, for example, to randomly test the quality of the water filter assemblies  11 . In one exemplary embodiment, a water filter assembly  11  may be dropped, pressure tested, and/or dimensions verified during the random check process to confirm that the water filter assembly  11  complies with the required standards. A sanitary inspection process may be used to verify that the sections  30   a  and  30   b  are properly sanitized prior to assembly of the water filter assembly  11 . 
         [0060]    In one exemplary embodiment, the end caps  45  and/or  46  are not recycled/reused. In this embodiment, the end caps  45  and/or  46  removed from the water filter assembly  10  are replaced with new end caps (not shown) when assembling the water filter assembly  11 . 
         [0061]    Although  FIGS. 1   a - b  depict the water filtration assembly  10  with protrusion  65  as being part of the cap/lid/cover  40 , it is to be understood that the processes described in the present disclosure may be applied to a water filtration assembly  12  shown in  FIG. 13  wherein the protrusion  65  may be part of the housing  130 . 
         [0062]    It is also to be understood that the processes described in the present disclosure may be applied to a water filtration assembly  15  having protrusions  65   a  and  65   b  in the housing  131  and cap/lid/cover  141  respectfully as shown in  FIG. 14 . In this embodiment, the unfiltered water may, for example, enter the water filter assembly  15  though an opening  50  defined by the protrusion  65   a  and exit through the opening  60  defined by the protrusion  65   b  after passing though the core/filter (not shown) that removes the impurities and/or chemical and/or toxic metals. 
         [0063]    Although present application discloses remanufacturing water filtration assemblies, it is to be understood that the embodiments disclosed above may also be used to remanufacture other liquid filtration assemblies. 
         [0064]    The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that additions, subtractions, deletions, and other modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. 
         [0065]    While several illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, numerous variations and alternative embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Such variations and alternative embodiments are contemplated, and can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 
         [0066]    As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. The term “plurality” includes two or more referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosure pertains. 
         [0067]    The foregoing detailed description of exemplary and preferred embodiments is presented for purposes of illustration and disclosure in accordance with the requirements of the law. It is not intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the invention to the precise form(s) described, but only to enable others skilled in the art to understand how the invention may be suited for a particular use or implementation. The possibility of modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. No limitation is intended by the description of exemplary embodiments which may have included tolerances, feature dimensions, specific operating conditions, engineering specifications, or the like, and which may vary between implementations or with changes to the state of the art, and no limitation should be implied therefrom. Applicant has made this disclosure with respect to the current state of the art, but also contemplates advancements and that adaptations in the future may take into consideration of those advancements, namely in accordance with the then current state of the art. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims as written and equivalents as applicable. Reference to a claim element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated. Moreover, no element, component, nor method or process step in this disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for . . . ” and no method or process step herein is to be construed under those provisions unless the step, or steps, are expressly recited using the phrase “step(s) for . . . .”