Abstract:
A sprayer purifier cartridge system is disclosed. In one non-limiting embodiment, the sprayer purifier cartridge system includes a sprayer for spraying water and a purifier cartridge for purifying water. In this embodiment, the sprayer has a receiving structure for the purifier cartridge, and the cartridge is attachable to the receiving structure of the sprayer. In this embodiment, one of the sprayer and the purifier cartridge comprises a structure having at least one opening therein. This opening is at least partially surrounded by a material that has flexibility. The other of the sprayer and the purifier cartridge has at least one hollow protrusion that fits into the at least one opening to permit the water to flow in at least one direction between the sprayer and purifier cartridge. The cartridge is attachable to the sprayer to form a seal between the cartridge and the sprayer.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a sprayer purifier cartridge system. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Sprayers of various types are known. In some cases, sprayers have a filter or other type of purifier associated therewith. The search for improved systems for associating purifiers with sprayers has continued. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a sprayer purifier cartridge system. There are numerous non-limiting embodiments of the present invention. 
   In one non-limiting embodiment, the sprayer purifier cartridge system comprises a sprayer for spraying water and a purifier cartridge for purifying water. In this embodiment, the sprayer has a receiving structure for the purifier cartridge, and the cartridge is attachable to the receiving structure of the sprayer. In this embodiment, one of the sprayer and the purifier cartridge comprises a structure having at least one opening therein, which opening is at least partially surrounded by a material that has flexibility. The other of the sprayer and the purifier cartridge comprises at least one hollow protrusion that fits into the at least one opening to permit the water to flow in at least one direction between the sprayer and purifier cartridge. The cartridge is attachable to the sprayer and forms a seal between the cartridge and the sprayer. 
   Numerous other embodiments are also possible, including, but not limited to those described in the following detailed description. 
   The present invention will become more readily apparent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as forming the present invention, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of one non-limiting embodiment of a sprayer that may comprise the sprayer purifier cartridge system. 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the sprayer similar to  FIG. 1  which shows the door to the purifier cartridge compartment removed, and the purifier cartridge system in dashed line. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of one non-limiting embodiment of a purifier cartridge. 
       FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the sprayer shown in  FIG. 2  which shows the receiving structure for the purifier cartridge. 
       FIG. 5  is a fragmentary schematic side view which shows the seal formed between the purifier cartridge and the receiving structure for the same. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a sprayer purifier cartridge system. 
     FIG. 1  shows one embodiment of a sprayer  20  comprising the sprayer purifier cartridge system. This sprayer  20  is an ergonomically-designed, hand-held hose end sprayer. It should be understood that the sprayer  20  shown in  FIG. 1  has a unique configuration, and that the sprayer purifier cartridge system is not limited to use with a sprayer having such a configuration. The sprayer purifier cartridge system can be used with sprayers having any suitable configuration. 
   The sprayer  20  comprises a housing or structure  22 . Preferably, in the embodiment shown, water flows through the housing  22  when the sprayer  20  is connected to a hose  24  and is in use. The housing  22  has a generally centrally located opening  26  and a handle  28  for gripping by a user. The sprayer  20  further comprises at least one spray nozzle  30  that is operatively connected to the housing  22 , and a hose connection (or simply “connection”)  32  for the hose  24 . The sprayer  20  may also comprise an on/off switch  34 , a flow selector  36 , and a compartment  38  for a composition to be dispensed (such as a cleaning composition). 
     FIG. 2  shows that in this embodiment, the sprayer purifier cartridge system  40  comprises a compartment  42  in the sprayer  20  for a purifier, and a purifier, such as purifier cartridge  44 . The sprayer purifier cartridge system  40  also comprises a receiving structure  46  for the purifier cartridge  44 . The sprayer  20  may also comprise a door  48  for the compartment  42  for the purifier. The door  48  may have a clip on one end and a snap closure on the other end to permit easy access to the purifier cartridge  44 . It should be understood, however, that in other embodiments the sprayer purifier cartridge system  40  need not include a compartment  42  in the sprayer for the purifier cartridge  44 . In such other embodiments, the purifier cartridge  44  may reside at least partially, or entirely, outside of the sprayer  20 . 
     FIG. 3  shows one non-limiting embodiment of a purifier cartridge  44 . The purifier cartridge  44  can be in any suitable configuration. The purifier cartridge  44  has two ends comprising an upper end  44 A and a lower end  44 B. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the upper end  44 A is the uppermost portion of the purifier cartridge  44  when the purifier cartridge  44  is inserted into the sprayer  20 . The purifier cartridge  44  in the embodiment shown in the drawings is generally comprised of two side-by-side compartments. The compartments comprise cylindrical portions, and the cartridge  44  is more specifically is in the form of a structure comprised of two cylindrical portions  50  and  52  that are joined together along their axes to form a compound cylindrical structure with a cross-section that resembles the figure “8”. The diameters of the cross-sections of these two cylindrical portions can be the same, or different. 
   The purifier cartridge  44  shown in  FIG. 3  has an inlet, such as inlet opening  54  and an outlet, such as outlet opening  56 . The inlet opening  54  and the outlet opening  56  can be located on opposite ends of the purifier cartridge, or on the same end of the purifier cartridge. In this particular embodiment, the inlet and outlet openings  54  and  56  are both located on the same end of the purifier cartridge, the upper end  44 A. When the purifier cartridge  44  is in use, water flows in the inlet opening  54  into first cylindrical portion  50 . Water then flows from the first cylindrical portion  50  through a channel  66  connecting the first and second cylindrical portions, to the second cylindrical portion  52 . Water exits the purifier cartridge  44  at the outlet opening  56 . The inlet and outlet openings can be of any suitable size and shape, and when they are located on the same end of the purifier cartridge  44 , they can be spaced any suitable distance apart. In this particular embodiment, the inlet and outlet  54  and  56  comprise circular openings that have a diameter of about 5/16 inch (about 9 mm). The centers of the inlet and outlet openings  54  and  56  are spaced about 1:5 inches (about 38 mm) apart. 
   The portion of the purifier cartridge  44  that defines the inlet and outlet openings  54  and  56  further comprises raised rings  58  that at least partially surround the inlet and outlet openings  54  and  56 . The raised rings  58 , in the embodiment shown, are in the configuration of truncated cones.  FIG. 5  shows the configuration of one of the openings, such as the inlet opening  54 , in greater detail. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the portion of the purifier cartridge  44  that defines the inlet and outlet openings  54  and  56  also comprises a material or portion  60  thereof that has flexibility when it is contacted by the cylindrical exterior walls  76 A of a protrusion  76  on the mating receiving structure  70  shown in  FIG. 4 . 
   In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 , the flexible material  60  comprises a portion of the purifier cartridge  44  shell or housing that at least partially surrounds the inlet opening  54 . In this embodiment, this portion of the cartridge  44  shell that is flexible is thinner than the portions of the cartridge shell that are outboard (spaced further away from the inlet opening  54 ) of the flexible portion  60 . This flexible portion  60  is also angled downwardly and inwardly toward the center of the inlet opening  54 . The flexible material  60  can surround any suitable portion of the inlet opening  54 . In certain embodiments, the flexible material  60  completely surrounds the inlet opening  54 . This will allow the flexible material  60  to form a leak-proof seal with the walls  76 A of the protrusion  76  of the mating receiving structure  70 . Forming the flexible portion  60  out of a portion of the cartridge  44  shell provides the advantage that a seal can be formed without adding a separate gasket to the cartridge  44 . Another way to form the flexible portion  60  would be to use a two (or more) “shot” molding process in which one material is used to mold the cartridge shell, and a material that is more flexible after molding is used in a second step of the molding process to form the flexible portion  60 . Of course, in other embodiments, a gasket can be used to form this seal. All of the same features can be applied to the outlet opening  56 . 
   The purifier cartridge  44  can also comprise an insertion aid to ensure that the cartridge  44  is properly inserted into the receiving structure of the sprayer  20 . An insertion aid may be particularly desirable when the cartridge is symmetrical, and a user could inadvertently insert it incorrectly into the receiving structure. Any suitable type of insertion aid can be used for this purpose. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the insertion aid comprises a hole  62  in a portion of the cartridge  44 . More specifically, in this embodiment, the insertion aid comprises a hole in the web  64  that connects the two cylindrical portions  50  and  52  of the cartridge  44 . This hole  62  can slip over a post  82  on the sprayer  20 , such as that shown in  FIG. 4  on the receiving structure  70  of the sprayer. 
   The purifier cartridge  44  can be permanent or replaceable. The purifier cartridge  44  can be inserted into and removed from the sprayer housing  22  through the opening  42  in the lower portion of the sprayer  20 . The purifier cartridge  44  can comprise any suitable type of purifying material. In one non-limiting embodiment, the purifier cartridge  44  comprises an ion exchange resin medium. The ion exchange resin medium may have any of the properties described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,562,142 B2 issued to Barger, et al. 
     FIG. 4  shows the receiving structure  70  for the purifier cartridge  44 . The receiving structure  70  can comprise any suitable structure that is capable of receiving the purifier cartridge  44  and having the purifier cartridge  44  connect to the receiving structure. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the receiving structure  70  comprises a base, such as a base plate  72 , optional side walls  74 , a hollow inlet protrusion  76 , and a hollow outlet protrusion  78 . The inlet protrusion  76  may have a cover  80  on the same to deflect water so that water does not inadvertently spray out of the inlet protrusion  76 . The receiving structure  70  may also comprise a post  82  for engaging the hole  62  in the cartridge  44  to ensure that it is inserted properly. The components of the receiving structure  70  can be formed out of a single piece of material, or of more than one piece of material. In one embodiment, the components of the receiving structure  70  are formed of a single molded piece of plastic. 
   To use the sprayer  20 , the door  48  is removed from the sprayer housing, and the upper end  44 A of the purifier cartridge  44  is inserted into the receiving structure  70  so that the hole  62  in the web on the cartridge slips over the post  82  on the receiving structure  70 . When the purifier cartridge  44  is inserted in this manner, the inlet opening and the outlet opening,  54  and  56  will fit over the hollow inlet post and outlet post,  76  and  78 , respectively, and will form a water-tight seal with the exteriors walls thereof as shown in  FIG. 5 . The door  48  to the purifier cartridge compartment is then replaced, and the sprayer can be used to spray: water, a mixture of water and a cleaning composition, or purified water. After the ion exchange resin in the purifier cartridge is exhausted, the door  48  to the cartridge compartment is opened, and the cartridge  44  is removed and replaced with a new cartridge. 
   Numerous other embodiments are possible. A few of these are as follows. In other embodiments, for example, the positions of the hollow protrusions and the openings on the system could be reversed so that the protrusions would be on the cartridge  44  and the openings could be in the receiving structure on the sprayer. In addition, the positions of the components of the insertion aid could be reversed so that the post is on the cartridge  44  and the hole for the same is in the receiving structure on the sprayer. 
   In these or other embodiments, a different mechanism could be used as an insertion aid. In one other embodiment, for instance, a combination of longitudinally-oriented ribs and grooves could be provided on any combination of the exterior of the cartridge  44  and the interior of the sprayer to ensure that the cartridge  44  is properly inserted into the receiving structure of the sprayer  20 . In these or other embodiments, the cartridge  44  could be held in place by some mechanism other than the door  48 . In one other embodiment, for instance, the cartridge  44  can be held in place by one or more latches. Such latch(es) could be located at any suitable location, including, but not limited to at the bottom end  44 B of the cartridge  44 , or at the top end  44 A of the cartridge. The latch(es) at the top end  44 A of the cartridge  44  could, for example engage with the web  64  that connects the two cylindrical portions  50  and  52  of the cartridge  44 . 
   The disclosure of all patents, patent applications (and any patents which issue thereon, as well as any corresponding published foreign patent applications), and publications mentioned throughout this description are hereby incorporated by reference herein. It is expressly not admitted, however, that any of the documents incorporated by reference herein teach or disclose the present invention. 
   While particular embodiments of the subject invention have been described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications of the subject invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, while the present invention has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims which should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.