Water filtering apparatus

A water filtering apparatus includes a filter unit, a container and a support member. The filter unit includes three filters which perform different filtering functions. One of the filters, which includes a filter membrane, has a flow control valve at the bottom thereof. The container has a connecting member which permits the filter unit to be connected to the container and an open and close member which is closed only when the container is separated from the remainder of the apparatus for purposes of transportation.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention pertains to a filtering apparatus for filtering tap 
water supplied from a faucet. More particularly, the present invention 
relates to a filtering apparatus that includes a filter unit for treating 
and purifying tap water with a reverse osmosis process and a separable 
container for storing the treated and purified water. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
As a result of pollution brought about by industrial development, the 
contamination of water sources has reached a very serious level. Even 
though tap water supplied to homes is usually sterilized and filtered at a 
main water supply area, the tap water from the faucet can still contain a 
significant amount of contaminants. Thus, it is oftentimes undesirable to 
use the tap water directly from the faucet. It can be appreciated, 
therefore, that a need exists for improving the quality and cleanliness of 
tap water. 
Moreover, due to the water pollution found in many rivers, it can be 
difficult to obtain purified water out in the field. Thus, there also 
exists a need for obtaining purified water out in the field. 
To address the foregoing needs, a filtering apparatus was developed to 
produce purified water at home or in the field. Such a typical filtering 
apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,253. The filtering apparatus 
disclosed therein includes a reservoir for storing untreated water and a 
container including a pump for pumping water from the bottom of the 
reservoir. An outlet is provided and is connected to the inlet of a filter 
device located within the container. A filter device having an integral 
outlet spout for discharging the filtered water over the upper edge of the 
container is also provided. The filter device has two different charcoal 
filters disposed therein. 
Such an apparatus is disadvantageous in that power must always be applied 
to the pump in order to pump untreated water into the filter device. 
Moreover, the volume of the apparatus is restricted when the apparatus is 
used with the pump in the field. Further, the aforementioned apparatus is 
problematic in that it is difficult to filter out microscopic bacteria and 
virus when only charcoal is employed in the filter device. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
One of the objects of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a 
filtering apparatus for solving the aforementioned problems. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a filtering apparatus 
which can be connected to the faucet and which is able to filter sediment 
through the use of the faucet pressure and without the need for any other 
particular power. 
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a filtering 
apparatus that includes a filter unit which is capable of producing a 
large amount of purified water and a portable container for receiving 
purified water from the filter unit, wherein the filter unit and the 
container are separable from each other. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a filtering apparatus 
that combines a membrane filter with a filter that functions through 
reverse osmosis, thereby helping to ensure that virus and bacteria are 
filtered out while at the same time allowing sufficient filtered water to 
be obtained. 
To achieve at least the foregoing objects, the present invention includes a 
filter unit for treating faucet water fed through a faucet by faucet 
pressure, a container for storing water filtered by the filter unit and a 
support member for supporting the filter unit and the container. 
According to one aspect of the present invention, the filter unit includes 
at least three filters that are generally columnar in shape and vertically 
arranged. The filters are located in a column and each of the filters 
performs an individual filtering function. The filter unit is able to 
filter minute sediments in the tap water, particularly virus and bacteria, 
by use of a membrane filter and a reverse osmosis process. 
According to another aspect of the present invention, the container 
includes a connecting member at the upper end portion thereof. The 
connecting member is inserted into a packing having a supply hose which 
supplies tap water and a discharge hose which discharges overflow water 
from the container. The container also includes an opening and closing 
member at the bottom end portion thereof. The opening and closing member 
is opened when discharging purified water from the container and is closed 
when the container is being transported. Thus, purified water can be 
emptied from the container after being transported only by providing a 
water-supply member that cooperates with the opening and closing member. 
The support member includes a water-supply valve mounted at the front upper 
portion thereof. The water-supply valve is adapted to selectively permit 
and prevent purified water from flowing therethrough when the container is 
connected to the upper surface of the support member. 
The present invention is able to provide sufficient filterability through 
use of the filter unit functioning under faucet pressure. Thus, there is 
no need for an additional power source to operate the filtering apparatus. 
Also, the container is readily portable and can be carried away to where 
purified water is needed. Further, it is possible to separate the 
container from the filter unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Turning initially to FIG. 1, the features of the water filtering apparatus 
1 according to a preferred embodiment for treating water from a faucet and 
for storing purified water will be described. 
The water filtering apparatus 1 includes a filter unit 2 for treating 
untreated water. Preferably, the water flows into the filter unit 2 
directly from a faucet (not shown). The apparatus 1 also includes a 
container 3 for storing water purified by the filter unit 2, and a support 
member 4 for supporting the filter unit 2 and the container 3 which are 
coupled to one another. 
The filter unit 2 includes a bracket member 6 (see FIGS. 1-3), which is 
contained within an integrally formed body 2A of the filter unit 2, and 
three purification filters 7, 7A, 7B which can be fastened and unfastened 
individually or as a unit to a single bracket member 6. 
The bracket member is provided with a cover 6A which is individually 
connected to the purification filters 7A, 7B, 7C. The cover 6A has inlet 
openings 5A, 5C, 5E and outlet openings, 5B, 5D, 5F in the upper portion 
thereof. 
A water passage 5 is provided for connecting outlet opening 5B to inlet 
opening 5C and for connecting outlet opening 5D to inlet opening 5F. 
The inlet opening 5A is positioned adjacent an inlet hose 8 which receives 
untreated water through a supply hose 10 of a faucet. The outlet opening 
5F is positioned adjacent an outlet hose 9 which discharges water that has 
been treated by the purification filters 7, 7A, 7B. The bracket member 6 
is mounted on the sidewall 4A of the support member 4 (as will be 
described in more detail later) by bolt 6B. 
The purification filters 7, 7A, 7B are shaped as cylindrical columns with 
open tops and are closely coupled to the bottom part of the cover 6A. The 
first filter 7 is a ceramic filter acting as a sieve for filtering 
sediment and chlorine. The second filter 7A is a membrane filter 
comprising celluloid for filtering virus and bacteria by reverse osmosis. 
The third filter 7B is an active charcoal filter for removing odor. 
Additionally, at the lower portion of the second filter 7A a flow control 
valve 14 is provided. Impurities are accumulated little by little as water 
flows from one end of the membrane in the second filter 7A to the other 
end of the membrane in the second filter 7A. The accumulated impurities 
are then discharged outside the filtering apparatus by means of a 
discharge hose 15 connected to the flow control valve 14. As noted, the 
first filter 7 is disposed adjacent to the inlet hose 8, the third filter 
7B is positioned adjacent to the outlet hose 9, and the second filter 7A 
is positioned between the first filter 7 and the third filter 7B. Thus, 
the purification filters 7, 7A, 7B are successively and commonly arranged 
on the bracket member 6. 
The container 3 includes a water container portion 17 having a cover 16 for 
covering the upper open portion thereof, a connecting member 11 disposed 
on the rear upper portion of the water container 17, and an opening and 
closing member 18 which is fluidly connected to the valve 24 of the 
support member 4. The support member 4 will be described in more detail 
below. The opening and closing member 18 is disposed at a predetermined 
place on the lower portion of the water container 17. 
The details of the connecting member 11 can be seen with reference to FIG. 
4. The connecting member 11 includes a bolt 11A having a passage which 
receives a packing 12, and a nut 11B which threadably engages the bolt 
11A. The packing 12 is formed so as to permit a supply hose 13 and a 
discharge hose 19 to be inserted therein or removed therefrom. The supply 
hose 13 is connected to the outlet hose 9 at a generally central portion 
of the packing 12. The discharge hose 19 discharges overflowing water out 
of the water container 17 when a predetermined excess volume of water in 
the water container 17 is reached. The nut 11B is formed so as to permit 
the connecting member 11 to be placed on an indentation cut in the 
sidewall 4A. 
The features pertaining to the opening and closing member 18 can be seen 
with reference to FIG. 5. The opening and closing member 18 includes a 
coupling 21 fastened by a nut 20 to a bottom portion of the water 
container 17. The coupling 21 includes a valve 23 urged by a spring 22 
inside the coupling 21. When the container member 3 is positioned so as to 
be coupled to the filter member 2, the stem 23A which is integrally formed 
with the valve 23 contacts the support member 4 and thus, the valve 23 is 
urged upwardly. Consequently, the opening and closing member 18 is opened. 
When the container 3 is disassembled or separated from the support member 
4, the stem 23A moves downwardly as a result of the tension force of the 
spring 22 and thus, the valve 23 is moved into a lower portion 21A of the 
coupling 21, thereby closing the opening and closing member 18. 
Referring to FIG. 1 in which the support member 4 is shown, the support 
member 4 includes a valve 24 through which purified water from the water 
container 17 can be discharged at the front upper portion of the support 
member 4. The valve 24 is connected to a handle 25 which can be operated 
forwardly and backwardly to alternately prevent and permit water flow. 
The support member 4 is configured such that an upper front portion of the 
support member 4 contacts the circumferential region of the coupling 21 
provided on the opening and closing member 18 and contacts the bottom 
portion of the stem 23A. Also, at the base portion of the support member 4 
located under the valve 24, a relatively small ledge 26 is provided for 
catching water droplets. A plurality of through slots 27 which communicate 
with an underlying drawer 28 are provided on the ledge 26. 
A sidewall 4A forms a part of the front portion of the filter unit 2. The 
sidewall 4A extends integrally from the upper rear portion of the support 
member 4 adjacent the rear portion of container 3. The container member 3 
is separable from the filter unit 2. 
Additionally, a rounded indentation 4B is formed at the upper end of the 
side wall 4A. The connecting member 11 of the container 3 is placed onto 
or is pulled upwardly from the indentation 4B of the sidewall 4A and thus, 
the indentation 4B (FIG. 4) is formed to generally correspond to the shape 
of connecting member 11. 
The water filtering apparatus according to the present invention and 
including the above features operates as follows. 
Initially, the supply hose 10 of the filter unit 2 is coupled to an adaptor 
on a faucet (not shown). When the faucet is opened or turned on, untreated 
tap water flows into the inlet opening 5A in the bracket member 6 through 
the supply hose 10 and through the inlet hose 8 which is disposed closely 
adjacent the first filter 7. The tap water flows under tap water pressure 
into the inlet opening 5A and passes through the interior of the first 
filter 7 to filter out sediment and chlorine. Then, treated water from the 
first filter 7 flows out through the outlet opening 5B and passes into the 
second filter 7A through the inlet opening 5C. As the water flows along 
the outside of the membrane, virus and bacteria having a magnitude greater 
than the size of the pores in the membrane are filtered out by reverse 
osmosis. Then, treated water from the second filter 7A flows out through 
the outlet opening 5D and passes into the third filter 7B through the 
inlet opening 5E. The charcoal in the third filter 7B is adapted to remove 
odor. As a result, purified water is obtained. 
Purified water that has successively passed through the filters 7, 7A, 7B 
is fed to the discharge hose 9 which is formed at the end of the outlet 
opening 5F and then to the supply hose 13 which is connected to the 
discharge hose 9. Thus, the purified water is directed into and stored in 
the water container portion 17 of the container 3. 
Purified water stored in the water container portion 17 can be selectively 
discharged through the valve 24 which is opened through operation of the 
handle 25 positioned on the support member 4. 
As purified water is being discharged or emptied from the water container 
17, water is being fed from the membrane inlet in the second filter 7A to 
the membrane outlet in the second filter 7A, whereby impurities are 
collected and exhausted outside the filtering apparatus via the discharge 
hose 15. 
The container member 3 can be selectively detached from and attached to the 
filter unit 2 and the support member 4. That is, when the container 3 must 
be detached from the support member 4 for transportation or other 
purposes, the packing 12 inserted in the connecting member 11 is 
disassembled from the connecting member 11 and the opening formed in the 
connecting member 11 for receiving the packing 12 is covered with a cover 
member (not shown) having a shape similar to that of the packing 12. The 
container 3 can then be pulled upwards from the support member 4, thereby 
allowing the container 3 to be carried to where purified water is needed. 
To discharge water from the container 3 when the container 3 is detached 
from the support member 4, a faucet (not shown) having an adaptor (not 
shown) can be connected to the opening and closing member 18 in the 
container 3. Such an adaptor interacts with the opening and closing member 
18 to open the opening and closing member 18 and performs a function 
similar to the function performed by the valve 24 deposited on the support 
member 4. Purified water can then be discharged from the container 3 via 
the faucet which has such an adaptor. That is, the faucet having such an 
adaptor opens the opening and closing member 18 in the container 3 and 
controls the feed volume of the purified water. 
When it is necessary to mount the container 3 on the support member 4, the 
container 3 is placed on the top surface of the support member 4. Thus, as 
shown in FIG. 5, the stem 23A of the valve 23 contacts the top surface of 
the support member 4 and is moved upwardly, thereby opening the opening 
and closing member 18. 
Additionally, as seen in FIG. 4, the connecting member 11 is placed in an 
indentation cut in the side wall 4A and the connecting member 11 receives 
the packing 12. 
Purified water fed continuously into the container 3 can be discharged or 
emptied therefrom by the valve 24. When purified water is not being used, 
water which is filled up above a level of the connecting member 11 is 
exhausted through the exhaust hose 19 and to the outside of the filtering 
apparatus 1. The user can detect the overflow of water and can 
appropriately control the amount of water flowing out of the faucet. 
It can be seen, therefore, that the water filtering apparatus according to 
the present invention permits the water to be more effectively filtered as 
a result, at least in part, of the reverse osmosis. Thus, it is possible 
to obtain well purified water. Moreover, the separable and portable nature 
of the water container relative to the rest of the apparatus increases the 
convenience and usefulness of the water filtering apparatus according to 
the present invention. 
The principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present 
invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the 
invention which is intended to be protected is not to be construed as 
limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Further, the embodiments 
described herein are to be regarded as illustrative rather than 
restrictive. Variations, changes and equivalents may be made by others 
without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, 
it is expressly intended that all such variations, changes and equivalents 
which fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined 
in the claims, be embraced thereby.