Abstract:
A waste water treatment apparatus includes a first reservoir for storing waste water interconnected to a second reservoir to receive and store treated water from the first reservoir upon activation of a pump. Operating the waste water treatment apparatus includes receiving waste water in the first reservoir, pumping the waste water from the first reservoir to the second reservoir, filtering the waste water from the first reservoir creating treated water prior to being received in the second reservoir, and using the treated water for cleansing.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    This disclosure is related to waste water treatment apparatuses, and particularly to those that treat wash water. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. As the environment becomes an increasing concern, regulations are becoming more stringent with respect to handling waste. In particular, municipal water treatment facilities are requiring industrial and other commercial facilities to treat wastewater, such as water used in cleaning floors or other surfaces, outside of the municipal water treatment facilities. Some industrial facilities have the capability to treat wastewater on-site but many do not. Therefore, the industrial facilities have the wastewater stored, removed, and treated off-site. This can be costly for the storage facilities as the storing and shipping of wastewater may occur as frequently as daily or weekly depending upon on-site storage capabilities. 
         [0003]    Typically, if a waste water treatment facility is a part of the facility, it is located in separate building. Therefore, it is necessary to transport the waste water to the facility when the water is no longer in use. This may be pumped to the facility or stored and delivered on regular intervals. Known facilities treat water to or near drinking water quality with a focus on removing all or nearly all contaminates from the water. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    A waste water treatment apparatus includes a first reservoir for storing waste water interconnected to a second reservoir to receive and store treated water from the first reservoir upon activation of a pump. Operating the waste water treatment apparatus includes receiving waste water in the first reservoir, pumping the waste water from the first reservoir to the second reservoir, filtering the waste water from the first reservoir creating treated water prior to being received in the second reservoir, and using the treated water for cleansing. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    One or more embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a transportable waste water treatment apparatus for treating waste water by separating desirable water and cleansing agents from undesirable dirt and oils in accordance with the present disclosure; and 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  depicts an exploded and partial sectional view of the waste water treatment apparatus in accordance with the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0008]    Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating certain exemplary embodiments only and not for the purpose of limiting the same,  FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a transportable waste water treatment apparatus  10  for treating waste water by separating desirable water and cleansing agents from undesirable dirt and oils. The waste water treatment apparatus  10  includes a waste water reservoir  12 , a first side  14 , a second side  16 , and a treated water reservoir  30 . The waste water reservoir  12  is a watertight storage tank created from the first side  14 , the second side  16 , a front  18 , a base  22 , and a back  20 . The waste water reservoir  12  additionally includes grating  24  interconnecting the first side  14 , the second side  16 , the front  18 , and the back while being distally spaced from the bottom  22 . The grating  24  allows water to pass into the waste water reservoir  12  while keeping large particulate from entering the waste water reservoir  12 . The grating  24  can be wholly or partially removable to provide access to the waste water reservoir  12 . It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that partially removable grating  24  includes a hinged or removable panel portion without varying from the scope of the invention. It will also be apparent that the waste water reservoir  12  can be a separately removable reservoir that is placed within a framework of the waste water treatment apparatus  10  without varying from the scope of the invention. 
         [0009]    The treated water reservoir  30  is generally an enclosed watertight storage tank created from the first side  14 , the second side  16 , a front  32 , a base  34 , a top  36 , and a back  38 . The top  36  includes an access door  39  for accessing the treated water reservoir  30  and a filter door  40  for accessing a filter compartment  42 . An outlet  44  is attached on or near the base  34  for providing a flow of treated water. The outlet  44  can provide treated water flow from a gravity feed and manual or electrically operated outlet pump by way of a transfer hose  46 . The transfer hose  46  includes an outlet  48  that can have a nozzle  49  attached thereto for controlling the flow of treated water. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the treated water reservoir  30  can be a separately removable reservoir that is placed within a framework of the waste water treatment apparatus  10  without varying from the scope of the invention. Watertight reservoirs means designed to prevent water from leaking from either waste water reservoir  12  or treated water reservoir  30 . The reservoirs  12  and  30  can be welded panels of coated steel, aluminum, or other metallic substance, can be produced with various types of molded plastic, and/or lined with rubber or plastic material such that water impermeability and corrosion resistance is assured. 
         [0010]    A control panel  50  is positioned for easy access by a user, e.g., on the first side  14 , second side  16 , front  32 , and a separate panel adjacent the front  32 . The control panel  50  can include a warning identifier  52 , such as a visual indicator or audible indicator, for creating a notification(s) related to the operation of the waste water treatment apparatus  10 . The control panel  50  can also include switchable controls  54  for independently activating various components of the waste water treatment apparatus  10  as will be detailed below. 
         [0011]      FIG. 2  depicts an exploded view of the waste water treatment apparatus  10 . The waste water reservoir  12  includes a transfer pump  26  for transferring water stored in the waste water reservoir  12  to the treated water reservoir  30 . The transfer pump  26  is actuated internally when a certain amount of waste water has been stored in the waste water reservoir  12  or actuated by one of the switchable controls  54  located on the control panel  50 . The transfer pump  26  includes an inlet  70  and an outlet  72 . The inlet  70  can include a screen  74  for preventing particulate matter capable of entering the waste water reservoir  12  through the grating  24  from entering the pump  26 . The outlet  72  directs water flow from the waste water reservoir  12  to the treated water reservoir  30  and particularly to the filter compartment  42 . 
         [0012]    The waste water storage tank  12  can include a plurality of baffles  28  to slow entering water flow from the front of the waste water storage tank  12  to the rear, and particularly, to the pump  26 . The pump  26  is surrounded by a low baffle  27  to prevent settled particulate from entering the pump when activated. Slowing entering water from the front assists in separating solid particulate from the waste water. The baffles  28  are a series of walls capable of slowing waste water flow down. A particulate separation panel  29  can be placed above the base  22 . The particulate separation panel  29  has a plurality of apertures to allow the solid particulate to precipitate out of the waste water. It will be appreciated that the baffles  28  and the separation panel  29  can be used individually or in combination. It will be recognized when the separation panel  29  is utilized, a clean-out panel can be fitted to facilitate the removal of the settled solid particulate. The waste water storage tank  12  includes a clean-out outlet  60  for facilitating waste water removal when necessary. The clean-out outlet  60  may be actuated by a manual valve or electrically operated valve actuated by one of the switchable controls  54  located on the control panel  50 . 
         [0013]    The treated water reservoir  30  includes the filter compartment  42  that houses a filter element  64 . The filter compartment  42  includes a low baffle wall  65  to permit water to exit the filter compartment  42  and into a holding tank  61 . The holding tank  61  includes a slightly taller baffled wall  66  to slow the filtered water flow down from the filter compartment  42  to the treated water reservoir  30 . The holding tank  61  assists in settling out any particulate matter that may have passed through the filter element  64 . 
         [0014]    The filter element  64  is generally cylindrical and positioned within the filter compartment  42  for filtering the waste water pumped from the waste water reservoir  12  before entering the treated water reservoir  30 . The filter element  64  can include different flow rates such as a high flow filter element, e.g., capable of filtering approximately 13.6 liters per minute, or a low flow filter element, e.g., capable of filtering approximately 2.3 liters per minute. The filter element  64  being the high flow element can have a filtering capacity of, e.g., 1, 3, or 5 microns, and the filter element  64  being the low flow element can have a filtering capacity of, e.g., 1 micron. The pump  26  also has a flow rate that can be tailored to the filter flow rates that can be selectable by one of the switchable controls  54  on the control panel  50  to match the filter element  64  being used. Alternatively, each waste water treatment apparatus  10  can be designed to operate in only one of high flow or low flow rates. 
         [0015]    The filter element  64  in either the high flow or low flow rate is capable of filtering waste water, such as water used for cleaning, i.e., having a composition of a desirable component, e.g., cleansing agents and water, and an undesirable component, e.g., dirt and oils. The filter element  64  is capable of filtering out the undesirable components from the desirable components. Upon filtering the undesirable components, e.g., dirt and oils from the desirable components, e.g., cleansing agents and water, are stored within the treated water reservoir  30  for later disbursement when cleaning is desired. 
         [0016]    The treated water reservoir  30  can include a plurality of baffles  62  to slow the water flow down from the filter compartment  42  to the outlet  44  to assist in separating solid particulate from the waste water. The baffles  62  are a series of walls capable of slowing waste water flow down. A particulate separation panel  63  above the base  34 . The particulate separation panel  63  has a plurality of apertures to allow any remaining solid particulate to precipitate out of the filtered water. It will be recognized when the separation panel  63  is utilized, a clean-out panel can be fitted to facilitate the removal of the settled solid particulate. It will be appreciated that the baffles  62  and the separation panel  63  can be used individually or in combination. It will be recognized when the separation panel  63  is utilized, a clean-out panel can be fitted to facilitate the removal of the settled solid particulate. 
         [0017]    The treated water reservoir  30  includes a treated water return  68 . The treated water return  68  permits a small amount of treated water to flow from the treated water reservoir  30  in to the waste water reservoir  12 . The flow can be automated, e.g., controlled by a mechanical or electrical timer to open a valve to allow flow during predetermined times, manually, e.g., operated by a switch  54  located on the control panel  50 , and controlled by pressure, e.g., upon a certain volume of water entering the treated water reservoir  30  the pressure valve opens allowing water to flow. A flow tube  69  can be attached thereto to provide a directed flow of water. The constant rotation of water prevents stagnation of water in both the waste water reservoir  12  and the clean water reservoir  30 . Preventing water from stagnating assists in maintaining acceptable storage of water. 
         [0018]    The waste water treatment apparatus  10  can be used in commercial facilities such as industrial complexes, factories, or retail establishments where space is at a premium. The waste water treatment apparatus  10  can be positioned in an unobtrusive way as to not interfere with other functions of the facility. The volume of water to be treated from one facility to the next can be variable. The exemplary waste water treatment apparatus  10  holds a similar volume of fluid for the waste water reservoir  12  and the treated water reservoir  30 , e.g., 662 liters, or can hold a differing amount of fluid, e.g., 549 and 662 liters respectively. A very large facility requiring additional fluid can have several waste water treatment apparatuses  10  next to each other, space them separately around the facility, or have larger capacity reservoirs attached thereto. 
         [0019]    In use, a facility is cleansed, i.e., cleansing agents are added to dispensed water for manual, e.g., a mop and bucket, or assisted, e.g., industrial scrubbing machines, cleaning. Upon completion of cleansing, the waste water includes desirable components of, e.g., water and cleansing agents combined with undesirable components of, e.g., dirt and oils. The waste water may then be deposited in the waste water reservoir  12 . Large particulate matter is filtered out by the grating  24  as the waste water passes through the grating  24  and into the waste water reservoir  12 . The provided baffling  28  slows the flow of the waste water allowing for particulate matter to precipitate out of the waste water and be deposited on the base  22 . The separation panel  29  maintains separation of the settled particulate matter from the waste water and prevents intake into the pump  26 . 
         [0020]    Upon reaching a certain level of waste water within the waste water reservoir  12 , the transfer pump  26  is automatically activated to pump the waste water to the filter compartment  42 . Alternatively, the transfer switch  54  can be activated by an operator to transfer the waste water in the waste water reservoir  12  to the filter compartment  42 . It will be appreciated that with a manual switch a timer can be included to automatically terminate the transfer pump  26  operation upon reaching a preset time limit. The waste water is passed through the filter element  64  for removing the undesirable components of the waste water. The remaining waste water desirable components are passed through the filter element  64  as treated water to be stored in the treated water reservoir  30 . Once the treated water reaches a certain level in the filter compartment  42 , the treated water flows over the low baffle wall  65  and into the holding tank  61 . The treated water reaches a predetermined volume in the holding tank  61  and passes over the slightly taller baffled wall  66  and into the waste water reservoir  30 . The baffling  62  slows the flow of the treated water to permit any additional particulate matter to further precipitate out of the desirable components of the treated water. 
         [0021]    When facility cleansing is again desired, treated water is transferred from the treated water reservoir  30  to a container for manual or assisted cleaning. The treated water is transferred by positioning the outlet  48  of the hose  46  to dispense the treated water into the manual or assisted cleaning containers. The treated water is transferred by either manually or by actuating one of the switchable controls  54 . If a nozzle  49  is used, the nozzle  49  can be actuated to dispense the treated water. No additional cleansing agents are required to be added to the treated water as the desirable components of cleansing agents and water are transferred to the container. 
         [0022]    The filter  42  is required to be changed based upon usage and can be dependant on time or volume of waste water treated. When the waste water treatment apparatus includes the warning identifier  52 , the warning identifier  52  sets a warning either optically, audibly, or both when a computer, flow rate monitor, or manual timer activates the warning identifier  52 . Otherwise, the filter  42  will be changed as identified by time, e.g., a number of days, and number of cycles the pump has been activated. 
         [0023]    Changing the filter requires the opening of the filter door  40  and replacing the used filter with a replacement filter element  64 . If the filter element  64  has a different flow rate characteristic, the appropriate pump flow rate can be selected by one of the switchable controls  54 . 
         [0024]    When the waste water treatment apparatus  10  is desired to be cleaned or the waste water is desired to be removed, a hose can be connected to the clean-out outlet  60 . After the hose is connected, a clean-out valve is opened, either manually or actuated by one of the switchable controls  54 , to dispense the waste water. Alternatively, the waste water may be removed by pumping out the waste water after removal of the grating  24  or opening the access panel. The treated water reservoir  30  may be emptied through outlet  44  or by being pumped out through access panel  62 . The water removed from the waste water treatment apparatus  10  is stored in transportable tanks for removal to off-site treatment facilities. Alternatively, if removable waste and treated water reservoirs  12  and  30 , respectively, are used for the waste water reservoir  12  and the treated water reservoir  30 , the waste and treated water reservoirs  12 ,  30  can be removed and replaced with empty reservoirs  12 ,  30 . 
         [0025]    The disclosure has described certain preferred embodiments and modifications thereto. Further modifications and alterations may occur to others upon reading and understanding the specification. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.