Abstract:
For use in a pool or spa, the combination comprising, filter structure in the path of pool or spa water flow, substance in direct contact with a surface or surfaces of said filter structure, to contact said flow, said substance characterized as being one of the following: i) bacteria inhibiting ii) an algaecide iii) an algaestat iv) a sanitizer. v) a bacteriostat

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention concerns use of an active biological algaecide, algaestat, bacteriostat or sanitizer in the embodiment of a filter, for example, a filter designed primarily for use in pool and spa applications, however, it&#39;s application extends to any body of water in which active control of sanitizers or bacteria/algae control is desired.  
         [0002]     The construction of the filter utilizes materials and or natural elements that are either designed to or naturally contain chemicals, materials or natural properties that are employed or actively engage in either sanitizing, oxidizing, aid in sanitizing and oxidizing, inhibit the growth or formation of algae or bacteria or prevent the growth or formation of algae or bacteria.  
         [0003]     The invention uses said materials either within its main construction, or as part of the screening material of the embodiment itself.  
         [0004]     Currently, pool and spa filters are manufactured out of a media of some sort and a structure designed solely to support the filter media, afford attachment to the unit, and to allow water to flow freely through the filter.  
         [0005]     Algaecides and algaestats are used in the pool and spa industry to aid sanitizers in the growth inhibition, killing and curtailing of future growth of algae. These chemicals, compounds and elements are manufactured and constructed into shapes allowing maximum surface area. These pieces are then placed into vessels to provide treatment packages that are inserted into a filter or filter housing, allowing the water to flow through the vessels and contact the materials while flowing through the filter.  
         [0000]     Definitions of Treatment Materials:  
         [0006]     Algae: A single-celled plant. Of the thousand of varieties, the most common in spas and pools are: blue-green, yellow mustard or black. Algae commonly known as “Pink” algae is actually a bacteria and is usually present as a slime. Algae can transpose itself over very broad areas or in individual spots or areas. A condition with a low sanitizer level is conducive for algae growth.  
         [0007]     Algaecide: A chemical that kills algae. They are commonly available in a variety of chemical types: quaternary ammonium compounds, copper, silver or polymer (poly quat). Chlorine and bromine function as algaecides. Different types show varying effects against different strains of algae (i.e. some are better than others at killing certain strains of algae).  
         [0008]     Algaestat: A chemical or element that inhibits or retards algae growth, however, it does not necessarily kill the algae. Zinc is a common example of an algaestat.  
         [0009]     Such treatment packages are not part of the filter or system itself. In such situations the material status and usefulness cannot easily be monitored or replaced. Additionally, replacement of the material or unit requires extensive and cumbersome procedures.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     The present invention allows the treatment materials to be manufactured into the filter or sanitizing media embodiment itself, allowing both monitoring when the filter or equipment is serviced, and/or replacement when the filter or other such equipment is replaced, as scheduled and required. As will be seen, when the water flows around or through the material, the properties of the material are either added to the composition of the water, or the act of contacting the water allows the material being utilized to chemically affect the water as it comes into contact with the material itself. In this regard, extensive distribution and effect of the treating material is made possible by its extensive use on filter surfaces, as opposed to a single spot use of treatment material, in a local added package. There are situations where water flow through or by the material is beneficial, as well as situations where just the presence of said materials in the body of water will afford the desired chemical or sanitizing results. In either case, including the material in the embodiment of the filter or filter housing itself satisfies both circumstances.  
         [0011]     Accordingly, invention utilizes the materials, mainly algaecides and algaestats, as materials of construction for the filter itself. No longer will the filter and algaecide/algaestat be used as separate pieces. The chemicals and compounds that are the algaecide and algaestat are the materials used to construct the filter structure itself. This will afford the support of the filter media, afford attachment to the unit as well as allowing water to flow freely through the filter, all the while accomplishing the desired contact of the flowing water with the algaecide or algaestat.  
         [0012]     An additional benefit of utilizing the algaestat zinc is the fact that zinc will act as a sacrificial anode in the water, thus helping to prevent the corrosion of any metal parts in the pool or spa. This is similar to the concept of using a zinc bar in a hot water heater—the corrosion occurs to the zinc bar, not the hot water heater.  
         [0013]     The central support of the filter, referred to as the center core is the component most likely to be manufactured out of an algaecide or algaestat. Other configurations include, but are not limited to utilizing strands or threads of algaecide or algaestat in the construction of the media itself, or building an inner or outer screen out of the algaecide or algaestat.  
         [0014]     Accordingly, it is a major object of the invention to provide, for use in a pool or spa, or other body of water, a combination that includes:  
         [0015]     a) filter structure in the path of pool or spa water flow,  
         [0016]     b) substance on a surface or surfaces of said filter structure, to contact said flow,  
         [0017]     c) said substance characterized as being one of the following: 
        i) bacteria inhibiting     ii) an algaecide     iii) an algaestat     iv) a sanitizer     v) bacteriostat        
 
         [0023]     As will be seen, the substance typically has the form of a coating on said filter structure surface or surfaces or as the material of manufacture of the filter internals. The filter unit or structure typically includes a pleated filter element or wall facing element, on which said substance is coated; or the filter structure typically includes a perforate tube in the filter structure interior to receive and pass filtered water, and on which said substance is coated, or the substance may be widely spaced on many filter surfaces exposed to water flow, or processed into the filter structure, as produced.  
         [0024]     Another object includes provision of the water treating substance plated or adhered to one or more of such elements, or the element itself may be at least partly formed by that substance, which is typically metallic, consisting of one or more of the following:  
         [0025]     i) tin  
         [0026]     ii) copper  
         [0027]     iii) zinc  
         [0028]     iv) silver  
         [0029]     v) silver plated on copper  
         [0030]     vi) oxides of the above.  
         [0031]     As the filter unit is replaced, the water treating substance is automatically replaced, and need not be separated from the filter or separately inserted into the replacement filter; saving time and energy, as well as avoiding the problem of inadvertent non-placement of water treating substance into the filter.  
         [0032]     These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more understood from the following specification and drawings, in which: 
     
    
     DRAWING DESCRIPTION  
       [0033]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a spa or pool apparatus into which the filter unit is integrated;  
         [0034]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged elevational view of one filter unit;  
         [0035]      FIG. 3  is an end view taken on lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0036]      FIGS. 4 and 4   a  are side views showing two modes of water flow into and out of the filter unit;  
         [0037]      FIG. 5  is a schematic view of water flow into and out of a filter unit;  
         [0038]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged elevation, taken in cut-away section, through a filter unit, showing a center section;  
         [0039]      FIG. 7  is an endwise axial view taken on line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0040]      FIG. 8  is a cut-away elevation similar to  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0041]      FIG. 9  is an endwise axial view taken on lines  9 - 9  of  FIG. 8 ;  
         [0042]      FIG. 10  is a schematic side view of a modified filter incorporating the invention;  
         [0043]      FIG. 11  is an end view taken on lines  11 - 11  of  FIG. 10 ;  
         [0044]      FIG. 12  is a schematic enlarged plan view of a texture water treating filter media incorporating the invention;  
         [0045]      FIG. 13  is a view like  FIG. 10  showing a modification;  
         [0046]      FIG. 14  is an end view taken on lines  14 - 14  of  FIG. 13 ; and  
         [0047]      FIG. 15  is a schematic enlarged view of external textured, water treating structure on the  FIG. 13  filter. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0048]     The present invention is particularly applicable to a filter unit or structure  18 , as seen in  FIGS. 1-9 .  
         [0049]     In  FIG. 1 , a pool or spa unit  10  includes an annular upright side wall  11  and a bottom wall  12 . The side wall may consist of multiple sections  11   a.  The self-supporting side wall may consist of plastic material, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,745,934 and 5,749,107. The side wall is shown to contain upper ducting  14  to supply water under pressure to jets at  14   a  that supply water to the interior of unit  10 . Lower ducting  15  receives water from the body of contained water in the pool or spa, as under suction exerted by a pump indicated at  16 . The pump re-supplies water to ducting  14 , under pressure.  
         [0050]     As seen in  FIG. 4 , suction is exerted via a side opening  17  in side wall  11  to the interior of a filter unit  18 , for flowing pool or spa water through the cylindrical, porous filter element  19  of unit  18 , via side opening  17  to duct  15 . Unit  18  is easily replaceable, or connectible to wall  11 , as via sleeve  100 .  FIG. 4   a  shows the pump  16   a  displacing water at  101  into the filter unit  18  via the connector  100 , to flow into the pool at  102 .  
         [0051]      FIG. 5  shows a filter unit  39  in which water flow  40  enters sidewardly the filter unit, and exits endwise at  40   a.  Such flow passes through filter media pleats  41  and then through opening  42  in internal tube  43 . The water then flows endwise in tube  43  to exit at  40   a.  Water treating material may extend over, for example be coated on, all or part of the tube, walls  44 , end caps  49  and  50 , and pleats, for controlled exposure to pool or spa water, to control water treatment. See coatings  61  and  62  on end walls or caps  49  and  50 , coatings  63  on pleats, and coating  64  on the tube. Water flows axially and radially, and turbulently adjacent extended surfaces of the material.  
         [0052]     The coating typically consists of one or more of the following:  
         [0053]     i) bacterial inhibiting  
         [0054]     ii) an algaecide  
         [0055]     iii) an algaestat  
         [0056]     iv) a sanitizer  
         [0057]     v) a bacteriostat 
        Examples of i) are: Iodine, chlorine, bromine, copper, silver and several polymers     Examples of ii) are: copper, silver, polyquats and quats     Examples of iii) are: silver, copper and several polymers     Examples of iv) are: chlorine, bromine, biguanides and iodine     Examples of v) are: benzyl alcohol, chloramines B, chloramines T and several polymer        
 
         [0063]     Other examples are bacteriostats and algaestats utilized in the medical and plastics industries, as for heart valves, replacement bone parts and items easily contaminated in public areas such as handles, knobs and other commonly touched devices.  
         [0064]     See also the generalized filter unit or structure  70  in  FIGS. 10-12 , with the water treating substance extensively coated at  71 - 73  on the perforated tube  74 , (or tube  74  manufactured out of such substance) and/or the end walls  75  and  75   a,  and/or at  76  on the filter media pleats  77 . Such pleats spaced about the tube between walls  75  and  75   a  may have a textured open weave (to pass water) woven construction, as shown in  FIG. 12 , with warp and woof strands  77   a  and  77   b  consisting of thin ribbons of the water treating substance (as for example metal), and strands  78   a  and  78   b  consisting of other material (plastic for example). It is understood that the water treating material may extend over all or part of the tube, walls and pleats, with controlled exposure to pool or spa water, by filter position (for example), thereby to control water treatment.  
         [0065]     The modified generalized filter unit or structure  80  in  FIGS. 13-15  incorporates perforated tube  81 , end walls  82 , and filter media pleats  83 , as in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , for maximum contact with water flow through the filter. A perforate wall such as a cage  84  extends about the pleats and may have a textured configuration as shown in  FIG. 15 , with open weave water passing configuration. The cage consists of parallel strands  86  intersecting parallel strands or ribbons  87  of water treating substance, such as metallic ribbons, and support strands  88  of other material such as plastic.  
         [0066]     In the above, the water treating bactericide or algaecide, may consist essentially of one or more of the following materials:  
         [0067]     i) tin  
         [0068]     ii) copper  
         [0069]     iii) zinc  
         [0070]     iv) silver  
         [0071]     v) silver plated on copper  
         [0072]     vi) oxides of i), ii), iii), iv), and v).  
         [0073]     The treating substance may be layered or coated onto the filter structure, or may be integral with the filter structure.  
         [0074]      FIGS. 6 and 7  show a filter unit as at  39  in  FIG. 5 , wherein the center section, such as tube  43 , is itself constructed or manufactured of a sanitizing, algaecide, algaestat, bacteria inhibiting material, indicated at  54 .  
         [0075]      FIGS. 8 and 9  show a filter unit, as at  39  in  FIG. 5  wherein end caps  50  and  51  are themselves constructed or manufactured of a combination sanitizing, algaecide, algaestat, bacteria inhibiting material, indicated at  52 .  
         [0076]     As respects  FIGS. 1-15 , the invention also provides, in combination:  
         [0077]     a) a tub having a sidewall to extend about a water receiving zone,  
         [0078]     b) and a filter unit in said zone and having connection to support structure at the tub sidewall, such that the treating substance or coating, or manufactured element, is spaced from the tub sidewall and is exposed to water flow proximate the tub side wall, enabling ready removal and replacement with the filter unit.