Water filter

A water treatment or filtration unit is in two parts, a base and a cartridge. The base includes three ports, one of which may be selectively plugged or otherwise disabled. The cartridge contains the water treating material and is screwed into a socket in the base. Openings in the cartridge are then aligned with openings in the base to allow water to pass therethrough. Cartridges may be readily exchanged by simply unscrewing from, and screwing into, the base.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to water treating apparatus. More particularly, it 
relates to a water treating cartridge which is easily replaced and 
discarded at the end of its useful life and which is adapted for use in 
several configurations. 
BACKGROUND ART 
Conventional water filters of the type employed domestically have 
filtration units that are difficult and messy to replace. They often 
require the removal of hoses and water is readily spilled. Accordingly, it 
is a primary object of the present invention to provide a unit which has a 
filter which is readily changeable without spillage. Other objects, 
features and advantages will become apparent from the following 
description and appended claims. 
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
The invention comprises a cartridge which encloses a water treating 
material such as a filter and a base which receives the cartridge. The 
base includes three water passages which are connectable to water 
supplying and water dispensing devices. The base is designed in such a 
manner that one of the three passages may be plugged. The cartridge is 
designed to receive water from one of the unplugged passages and supply it 
after treatment to the other unplugged passage. The cartridge is easily 
inserted and retained in the base and is also readily removable for 
disposal.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
With particular reference to FIGS. 1-7 there is illustrated a water 
treatment unit comprising a base 10 and a cartridge 12. 
Base 
Base 10 may be of a plastic material such as polypropylene and may best be 
seen in FIG. 6. It includes a generally cylindrical housing 14 having a 
raised boss 16 along one side. The housing 14 includes a vertical socket 
18 extending partially into the housing and then continuing further as a 
smaller diameter receptacle 20 terminating in a threaded portion 22. A 
radial first passage 24 extends from the boss 16 and through the wall of 
the housing 14. It connects to a threaded port 26 at the surface of the 
boss. Directly below the port 26 is a second port 28 which connects to a 
second radial passage 30 which extends into the receptacle 20 portion of 
the socket 18. As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, the second passage 30 
is blocked by a threaded plug 32. On the opposite side of the housing 14, 
and diametrically aligned with the second passage 30, is a third passage 
34. The third passage 34 terminates in a similar third port 36 into which 
may be screwed a standard fitting 38 having a spout 40 (FIG. 2). 
In order to enable the base 10 to sit upon a countertop or sink surface, a 
plastic base ring 42 is provided. The base ring 42 is connected to the 
base 10 by a friction fit so that it may be readily removed. Also provided 
in the lower surface of base 10, as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6 are four 
threaded mounting holes 44, two of which are illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6. 
Their purpose will be described infra. 
Cartridge 
The cartridge is best described by reference to FIG. 7. It too may be made 
of a plastic such as polypropylene. It comprises a substantially 
cylindrical housing having a sidewall 46, the lower portion 48 being 
slightly flared to fit the socket 18 of the base 10. The lower end is 
closed by a base wall 50 from which extends a stud 52 having a thread 54 
on its lower end. The lower end also includes an internally threaded port 
56 leading to an axial passageway 58 which exits into the interior of the 
hollow cartridge through a short tube 60. A circumferential groove 62 
encircles the stud 52 and a diametrical channel 64 extends between 
opposite sides of the groove 62 and across the passageway 58. Just above 
the groove 62 another circumferential groove retains an O-ring 66. The 
lower portion 48 of the cartridge 12 also carries a circumferential groove 
68. A pair of aligned radial passages 70, 72 extend from opposite sides of 
the groove 68 and through the wall 46. 
The interior surface of the wall 46 carries a plurality of vertical fibs 74 
(FIG. 5). These need not be continuous ribs as their function is to space 
the exterior surface of a hollow cylindrical filter 76 from the interior 
surface of the wall 46. The filter 76 my be a porous solid activated 
carbon filter of the type described in Koslow U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,331,037; 
5,189,092; and 5,249,948. The present invention, however, is not limited 
to the use of any particular type of filter, or even to a filter, as the 
cartridge 12 may contain any type of water treating material. As will be 
clear from FIG. 7, the filter 76 which is illustrated a central 
longitudinal passage 78 which, at its lower end, receives the robe 60. The 
tube 60 together with the ribs 74 serve to maintain the filter 76 in its 
correct position within the cartridge 12. The top end of the filter 76 is 
closed by a disk 80 which, in the illustrated embodiment, has a central 
protrusion 82 which extends into the passage 78 for purposes of alignment. 
However, as the function of the disk 80 is merely to prevent water from 
passing axially into the end of the filter 76, any means may be used which 
will perform this function. 
In addition to the O-ring 66 on the stud 52, a second O-ring 67 is mounted 
on a groove above the passages 70, 72. The top end of the cartridge 12 is 
closed by a cap 84. The cap 84 is welded to the top of the sidewall 46 and 
includes a plurality of radial ribs 86 (FIG. 4) which bear downwardly 
against the top of the disk 80 and filter 76. 
Operation 
The cartridge 12 is inserted into the base 10 and the threads 54 on the 
cartridge are threaded into the threads 22 of the base. The O-rings 66, 84 
seal against the inner surfaces of the base 10 thereby preventing leakage. 
FIGS. 1 and 2 represent one mode of operation wherein the plug 32 is in 
the lowermost opening in boss 16 and the fitting 38 of spout 40 (both 
conventional) is connected into the third port 36 of the base 10. In this 
configuration water, as from a sink faucet, enters the unit through the 
first passage 24. Because the cartridge 12 has a circumferential groove 68 
to receive the water from the first passage 24, the location of its radial 
passages 70, 72 relative to the first passage 24 in the base is 
irrelevant. 
Water enters the cartridge 12 in the space 88 between the sidewall 46 and 
the filter 76. Because the upper end of the passage 78 through the filter 
is blocked, water is forced to flow radially through the porous filter and 
down its central passage 78 where it enters the passageway 58 at the 
bottom of the filter cartridge. It there flows radially outwardly through 
the channel 64 and the groove 62 to enter the third passage 34 in the base 
10. It is prevented from passing through the second passage 30 by virtue 
of the plug 32. The filtered, or otherwise treated, water then passes 
through the fitting 38 and out the spout 40. 
As previously explained, the water treatment unit of this invention is 
extremely versatile. This is illustrated by the versions illustrated in 
FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 illustrates a version wherein the base ring 42 has 
been removed from the base and the latter is mounted inverted to a 
mounting surface 90 which might be, for example, the undersurface of a 
counter. In this modification, plug 32 has been moved from the inlet to 
second passage 30 to the inlet to third passage 34. In other respects, the 
arrangement of parts is the same. Water now flows into the unit as 
previously through the first passage 24 and exits from the second passage 
30. 
Finally, as illustrated in FIG. 9 the cartridge 12 may be employed as a 
conventional in-line filter. In this arrangement, the radial ports 70, 72 
and 64 are plugged or otherwise eliminated. The end cap 84 is replaced by 
an end cap 92 which has a threaded female opening 94 to which a water line 
96 is engaged. At the opposite end, a water line 98 connects to the 
threads 56 in the end of the stud 52. A frusto-conical housing 100 may be 
employed for cosmetic purposes. 
It is believed that the many advantages of this invention will now be 
apparent to those skilled in the art. It will also be apparent that a 
number of variations and modifications may be made therein without 
departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the foregoing 
description is to be construed as illustrative only, rather than limiting. 
This invention is limited only by the scope of the following claims.