Abstract:
An apparatus for purifying water that uses a synchronous combination of a worm gear and spring assembly that delivers constant mechanical energy for sustaining continuous filtration operations without the concomitant repetitious cranking that has been commonly prerequisite in the art. A simple means for storing energy as a ready reservoir for pressure-driving an aqueous solution through semipermeable membranes to produce purified water. An electric motor may be provided particularly to support mass production of fresh water from salt water. The electric motor is preferably applied intermittently to engender sufficient energy storage to sustain continuous filtration.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority based upon pending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/147,734 filed Aug. 6, 1999. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to water purification, and more particularly relates to purification of water using reverse osmosis purification apparatus and methodology. 
     As is well known by those skilled in the art, the phenomenon of osmosis may be used to purify water. Generally, reverse osmosis purification apparatus use a pump to develop sufficient pressure to force water through a membrane configured to separate impurities and the like from the water. It is evident that, to sustain such conventional water purification operations using reverse osmosis, constant energy must be applied to the mechanically-driven apparatus. 
     An illustration of this prior art is a hand-held osmosis apparatus that requires constant cranking effort to provide the energy prerequisite for effectuating the intended water filtration and purification. Thus, Miers discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,887 a manually-operated reverse osmosis desalination system using semipermeable membranes to selectively purify an aqueous feed solution. A reciprocating piston or diaphragm pump provides the pressure to drive the solution through the membrane thereby continuously flush the membrane surface. Another example of the application of reverse osmosis technology known in the art is disclosed by Tempest&#39;s water purification system in U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,416 wherein a booster pump is used to enable the removal of salt and finely divided particles. 
     Other developments in the reverse osmosis art have been disclosed by Keefer in U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,326 and Pat. No. Re. 32,144. Keefer&#39;s apparatus effectuate water desalination using a combination of pump action and a low-speed rotary shaft to selectively permeate purified water from a pressurized feed solution through a semipermeable membrane. The piston means taught by Keefer includes spring-loading means to afford double-acting and reciprocal piston action. 
     Notwithstanding these and related developments in the art, there appears to be no apparatus which provides an efficient means for both storing and utilizing energy to provide a pump-free driving force prerequisite for sustaining reverse osmosis apparatus and methodology for water purification purposes. 
     Accordingly, the limitations and disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the present invention, and improved means and techniques are provided which are useful for effectuating water purification via the application of reverse osmosis but without the necessity of using pump means or for constantly providing mechanical energy to the water purification apparatus. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a reverse osmosis apparatus for purifying aqueous solutions or contaminated water that uses a synchronous combination of a worm gear and spring assembly that delivers constant mechanical energy for sustaining continuous filtration operations without the concomitant repetitious cranking and the like that has been commonly prerequisite in the art. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention afford a simple and pump-free means for storing energy as a ready reservoir for driving an aqueous solution through semipermeable membranes or the like. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, an electric motor is provided particularly to support mass production of fresh water from salt water and the like. The electric motor is preferably applied to the apparatus taught by the present invention intermittently to engender sufficient energy storage to sustain continuous filtration of particulate impurities and contaminants. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a pump-free apparatus for purifying aqueous solutions via reverse osmosis. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for purifying aqueous solutions using reverse osmosis achieved via a Linear configuration of a synchronized drive screw and piston actuated through the rotational motion of a shaft. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for purifying aqueous solutions using reverse osmosis by forcing the solution through a semipermeable membrane under high pressures heretofore unknown in the art. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for purifying aqueous solutions using reverse osmosis by affording a high mechanical advantage between the pump-free means and synchronized piston means for driving the solution through a semipermeable membrane. 
     These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, wherein reference is made to the figures in the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to like components. 
    
    
     IN THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 depicts a frontal partial cut-away view of an embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Now referring to FIG. 1, there is seen a frontal cut-away view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the apparatus depicted in FIG. 1 is preferably constructed with a circular cross-section so as to emulate conventional vehicles for accommodating flowing fluid such as pipes and tubes. Reverse osmosis purifier apparatus  100  is depicted with filter membrane means  1  fixedly disposed and attached at one end thereof. More particularly, membrane means  1  is attached at the end portion of cylindrical housing  13  via water outlet port cap means  15 . Water outlet cap means  15  is preferably screwably attached to cylindrical housing  13 . In a manner well known in the art, cylindrical housing  13  and water outlet cap means  15  are preferably sealed with O-ring  3  when cap means  15  is preferably screwably affixed to housing  13 . This sealing point is depicted by numeral A. It will, of course, be understood that use of O-ring  3  or the like assures that the high pressures engendered during operation of the apparatus of the present invention is routinely accommodated. 
     As will be hereinafter described, the high pressure is manifest within liquid chamber or reservoir  50 , disposed generally between piston means  6  and membrane means  1 . Piston means  6  is preferably driven by worm gear assembly W that is disposed longitudinally in cylindrical housing  13 . Worm gear assembly W comprises shaft B disposed parallel to longitudinal axis of housing  13 , synchronizing nut means  2 , retainer means S, crank  45  with handle  40 , worm gear means  30  circumferentially affixed to shaft B, and spring means M. To minimize friction generated during the conventional manual operation of crank  45  by rotating crank handle  40 , to cause rotation of shaft B, cylindrical rear cap means C is preferably constructed with thrust bearing means L. Thrust bearing means L is affixed to shaft B via dowel pin means R. It should be clear that rear cap means C is screwably attached to housing  13  and disposed at the opposite end thereof from cap means  15 . It should be evident that air space  55  surrounds the portion of worm gear assembly W contained within housing means  13  but not within aqueous solution reservoir  50 . 
     It will be appreciated that, under the teachings of the present invention, as shaft B is caused to rotate, spring actuator nut means  2  travels along worm gear shaft B as it is caused to turn under the action of crank  45 . Spring actuator nut  2  thus advances along corresponding conventional plurality of spiral teeth configured on worm gear means  30 . Spring means M is configured in a communication relationship with worm gear means  30  so that the spring means absorbs and stores the mechanical energy as potential energy that is generated via the rotational action of worm gear means  30 . 
     Thus, after liquid chamber  50 , disposed between semipermeable membrane means  1  and piston means  6 , becomes filled with an aqueous solution contemplated by the present invention, piston  6  under the influence of spring means S is caused to travel synchronously with shaft means B. Since the aqueous solution contained within liquid chamber  50  is incompressible and provides resistance to the penetration of piston means  6  thereinto, piston means  6  inherently travels at a slower speed than the resultant crank speed of shaft B. Salt particles and other particulate impurities are trapped in membrane means  1  and purified water exits through outlet  15  in a manner well known in the reverse osmosis art. 
     As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, when the pores of semipermeable membrane means  1  become clogged with extracted particulate wherein extraction of particles and concomitant raffinate water flow is sufficiently inhibited, outflow cap means  15  may be removed and the clogged membrane reversed. Then, after filling chamber  50  with previously purified water, the apparatus of the present invention may be operated wherein the particles captured in the membrane pores may be forcibly removed therefrom under the influence of rapidly-flowing, under-pressure purified exiting water. Then, to resume reverse osmosis water purification with the now cleaned semipermeable membrane, the end cap is removed and the membrane is returned to its normal disposition. 
     Retainer means S holds worm gear nut means  2  and spring assembly M within piston sleeve means P. It will be understood that during cranking operation, spring actuator nut  2  is caused to push against retainer S which is screwably attached to piston sleeve P. This action, in turn, causes piston means  6  to reset the instant apparatus when spring actuator nut  2  draws against retainer S. 
     Cell cap  19  sealably attached to the front, open portion of piston  6  provides a channel means for additional longitudinal travel of worm gear means  30  to enable piston  6  to achieve maximal penetration into liquid chamber  50 . It will be appreciated that this additional penetration promotes the forced feeding of the aqueous solution into semipermeable membrane  1  under the influence of piston means  6 . 
     Also depicted are front sealing O-ring  17 A and corresponding rear sealing O-ring  17 B that are affixed to piston means  6 . It will be understood that this O-ring pair or the like prevent solution from backing up into air chamber  55 . The aqueous salt water solution or the like enters chamber  50  through intake port means  21 . Intake port  21  is closed by cap means  22  and sealed with corresponding O-ring  23 . 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the efficient, linear synchronous configuration of the worm gear assembly of the present invention enables reverse osmosis to be effectuated under high pressures heretofore unknown in the art. In particular, while the prior art typically achieves pressures on the order of 1200 to 1800 psi obtained using pump means, the present invention is capable of achieving pressures as high as 20,000 psi under a pump-free environment. 
     It will also be understood that, instead of an embodiment using a manual driver such as a crank means to actuate the worm gear assembly taught by the present invention, an electrical motor or the like may be used to accommodate to sustain mass production operations or the like. Similar to the hand-operated embodiment hereinbefore described in detail, this electrically-driven embodiment would only be operated intermittently, providing sufficient energy to compress the spring means so that aqueous solution contained within the liquid chamber may be effectively moved through the semipermeable membrane as contemplated hereunder. 
     It will also be understood that the action of the worm gear assembly disclosed herein may be may be selected as appropriate for different applications based upon the separation of the threads affixed thereon and the angulation of these threads. Thus, to achieve greater travel of the actuator nut along the longitudinal shaft in relation to the rotation of the shaft, the threads would be preferably configured to be farther apart and the threads would preferably be configured with greater angles relative to the vertical axis thereof. 
     Other variations and modifications will, of course, become apparent from a consideration of the structures and techniques hereinbefore described and depicted. Accordingly, it should be clearly understood that the present invention is not intended to be limited by the particular features and structures hereinbefore described and depicted in the accompanying drawings, but that the present invention is to be measured by the scope of the appended claims herein.