Patent Publication Number: US-2019184315-A1

Title: Inside-out water purification system

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to a water purification system and, in particular, to an inside-out water purification system utilized when the water source is placed above the water purification system. 
     Water purification systems, also known as water purifiers, are utilized in various applications to remove impurities and/or odors from water within water systems. On large passenger vehicles, such as aircraft, at least one water purifier within the water system is utilized to purify the water as the water flows from a water source, such as a tank, to a water faucet or other water dispensing unit. When the aircraft is not in use for an extended period of time, or when the aircraft will be or is parked in below-freezing conditions, it is necessary to fully drain the water from the water system (including the water purifier) to maintain sanitary conditions and prevent components from damage caused by the freezing of the water. Thus, it is important that all water is drained from the purifier. Current water treatment units; such as water purifiers, water filters, and ultraviolet sterilizers; use drain lines to drain the water out of areas of the water purifier that are below the outlet, where water is able to sit/pool in low lying areas and is unable to flow through an outlet of the water purifier through gravity alone. However, these drain lines increase the weight of the system, which decreases the efficiency of the vehicle. Further, the drain lines increase the complexity and the number of components, resulting in a system that is more likely to break down. Thus, a water purifier that is configured to allow water to drain from the system without the need for drain lines is advantageous. 
     SUMMARY 
     An inside-out liquid purification/filtration system includes a housing and a cartridge. The housing defines an interior space and includes an inlet at a top side of the housing, a fitting at the top side of the housing and inboard of the inlet, and an outlet at a bottom side of the housing. The cartridge is disposed within the interior space and includes a top cap having an orifice and configured to interlock with the fitting to suspend the cartridge within the interior, a bottom cap adjacent to and suspended above the bottom side of the housing, and a filter having an annular shape and extending between the top cap and the bottom cap with the filter defining a hollow vertical column aligned with the orifice such that liquid enters the cartridge vertically through the orifice and exits the cartridge at least partially radially through the filter. 
     A water purification/filtration system includes a housing defining an interior space with an inlet and an outlet and a cartridge within the interior space of the housing with the cartridge having top cap, a bottom cap, and a filter extending between the top cap and the bottom cap with the top cap interlocking with the housing near the inlet to suspend the cartridge within the interior space. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional side view of a water purification system. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional top view of the water purification system in  FIG. 1  taken along line  2 - 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An inside-out liquid purification system is disclosed herein that includes a housing to contain the system and a cartridge within the housing to filter/purify the liquid flowing through the purification system. When discussing the liquid purification system, the liquid is often times water, but the disclosed configuration can be utilized to purify other liquids. Thus, the use of water and liquid in this description should be taken as being interchangeable with one another. Further, when describing the inside-out liquid purification system, the disclosure may also refer to this system as a water purifier and/or a liquid purifier. The purification system is classified as an inside-out system because unfiltered water enters a hollow column at a center of a filter within the water purifier (an “inside” of the filter) and flows outward through the filter to become purified (“out” of the filter) before exiting the housing through an outlet. 
     While water filtration and purification require different means to remove impurities from the water and are aimed at removing different and/or additional types of impurities, this disclosure uses the two terms interchangeably as the water filtration/purification system described herein can be utilized for either purpose (or both purposes simultaneously depending on the filter used). Thus, while the disclosure and claims describe a “purification” system, it should be understood to also include a “filtration” system, and while the disclosure and claims describe the use of a “filter,” it should be understood that a different component can be used in place of the filter to purify the water. 
     The cartridge, which includes the filter, is attached to the housing at a top such that the cartridge is suspended within the interior space of the housing. Thus, the bottom of the cartridge, which includes a bottom cap at a bottom of the filter, is adjacent to but not abutting a bottom side of the housing, allowing water to flow freely downward after the water has passed through the filter. With the cartridge being suspended above the bottom side of the housing and the bottom side of the housing including no features to prevent the filtered/purified water from flowing out of the housing through the outlet (due to gravity), no amount of water is blocked from exiting the water purifier after the water is no longer provided to the water purifier (i.e., the water system has been shut off). 
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional side view of water purification system  10  (also referred to as a water purifier or a liquid purifier), while  FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional top view of water purification system  10  taken along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 . Water purification system  10  includes housing  12  and cartridge  14 . Housing  12  forms interior space  16  and includes inlet  18  at top side  20 , fitting  22 , and outlet  24  at bottom side  26 . Cartridge  14  includes top cap  28  with orifice  30  and port  32 , filter  34  with column  36 , and bottom cap  38 . Between fitting  22  and port  32  are sealing rings  40 . Connected to housing  12  at inlet  18  is inlet hose  42 , and connected to housing  12  at outlet  24  is outlet hose  44 . Flow path F shows a path water takes through water purification system  10 . 
     Housing  12  is the primary structural component of water purification system  10  and provides interior space  16  within which cartridge  14  is located and through which any water intending to be filtered/purified can flow. Housing  12  can be substantially cylindrical in shape with a conically shaped top side  20  and conically shaped bottom side  26 . While shown as substantially cylindrical, housing  12  can have any shape suitable to contain cartridge  14  (and water) and provide interior space  16 . Housing  12  can be configured to be separable into at least two pieces, such as a top portion and a bottom portion, to allow access to interior space  16  to allow for the installation and removal of cartridge  14 . The point at which housing  12  separates can be anywhere along housing  12 , such as at a vertical middle as shown in  FIG. 1 , closer to top side  20 , or closer to bottom side  26 . Additionally, housing  12  can be permanently sealed shut such that replacement of cartridge  14  entails replacement of water purification system  10 . Housing  12  can be constructed from a variety of materials, including a metal, plastic, or a composite material. 
     Housing  12  further includes inlet  18  in top side  20  that is connectable to inlet hose  42 , which in turn is connected to a water source for providing unpurified/unfiltered water to water purification system  10 . Inlet  18  can be located at a radial center of top side  20  or another location, such as closer to or at a side of housing  12 . Also at top side  20  inboard of inlet  18  is fitting  22 , which is configured to interlock with port  32  of top cap  28  to suspend cartridge  14  within interior space  16 . Fitting  22  can be vertically/axially aligned (i.e., coaxial) with inlet  18 , and can be a downwardly extending (i.e., extending into interior space  16 ) annular member. Fitting  22  can include a variety of features that allow fitting  22  and port  32  of top cap  28  to interlock and seal, including a threaded feature on both components, tabs with a quarter-turn fastener, and/or one or multiple sealing rings  40 . Fitting  22  and port  32  can be configured such that fitting  22  is within port  32  or, as shown in  FIG. 1 , fitting  22  is outward of port  32 . 
     At bottom side  26  is outlet  24 , which is connectable to outlet hose  44 . Outlet  24  allows purified/filtered water to exit interior space  16  and flow through outlet hose  44  to a faucet or other water dispensing unit. Bottom side  26  of housing  12  can have any shape, but a conical configuration that utilizes gravity to aid the flow of purified/filtered water out of interior space  16  is shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Cartridge  14  is within interior space  16  of housing  12 , but can be configured to be removed and replaced when needed. As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , cartridge  14  is cylindrical in shape to fit within the corresponding cylindrical interior space  16  of housing  12 . However, cartridge  14  can be configured to have another shape. Cartridge  14  can be held in place within interior space  16  only at port  32  of top cap  28  by fitting  22  of housing  12 . As will be described below, this configuration allows bottom cap  38  to be suspended above bottom side  26  of housing  12 , allowing water to easily flow out of housing  12  when water purification system  10  is drained and providing no volume within housing  12  where water can pool/sit. 
     Top cap  28  is an annular disk having orifice  30  at a center, and is configured to interlock with fitting  22  through the use of port  32 . Port  32  can be an upwardly extending annular member (with orifice  30  therethrough) that interlocks within fitting  22  through the use of various means, such as a threaded connection. Port  32  can include other features that allow top cap  28  to attach to and seal to fitting  22 , such as one or multiple sealing rings  40 . Port  32  and fitting  22  can be configured to allow port  32  to be installed and removed from fitting  22  in order to remove and replace cartridge  14 . Orifice  30  in top cap  28  allows unpurified/unfiltered water that enters inlet  18  to flow into column  36 , where the water then flows through filter  34 . Orifice  30  can have any suitable size and/or shape, and does not necessarily have to be located at a center of top cap  28  (i.e., orifice  30  does not necessarily have to be vertically aligned with the center of top cap  28 ), and orifice  30  can be off-center from the center of top cap  28 . 
     Between top cap  28  and bottom cap  38  is filter  34 , which is cylindrical in shape and includes column  36  at a center. Filter  34  is made up of a filter medium, which can be a pleated media that has an annular fan-like configuration constructed from any known water filtering/purifying medium (as shown in  FIG. 2 ). Additionally, the filter medium forming filter  34  can be a particulate medium or some other configuration, such as with a carbon particle filter. While filter  34  is shown as a pleated media that has a fan-like configuration, filter  34  can be configured as a spiral or have concentric rings. 
     Column  36  is a hollow vertical cylindrically-shaped void at the center of filter  34  that allows unfiltered/unpurified water to enter an inside of filter  34  and flow at least partially radially outward through filter  34  to be filtered/purified (i.e., an inside-out filtration/purification configuration). After flowing through filter  34 , the filtered/purified water then flows out of housing  12  through outlet  24 . An inside-out filtration/purification configuration may be advantageous when/if cartridge  14  needs to be replaced as the impurities filtered out by filter  34  are contained on the inside of cartridge  14  near column  36 . With the impurities contained within cartridge  14 , maintenance and other personnel are not exposed to those impurities when replacing filter  34 . While filter  34  is shown having a cylindrical shape with column  36  at the center, filter  34  can have other configurations. While filter  34  is described as a fluid filter, the disclosed configuration could include a purification medium instead of a filter or in addition to a filter medium. 
     Bottom cap  38  is shown as a disk forming a bottom of cartridge  14  at a bottom of filter  34 . However, bottom cap  38  can have other shapes and features that extend radially outward to contact walls of housing  12  to provide support to cartridge  14  against movement, such as vibration. These shapes and features can include outward extending teeth and/or scallops, a wavy or notched configuration, of other types of stabilizing features. Bottom cap  38  prevents unfiltered/unpurified water from flowing out of cartridge  14  any other way besides through filter  34 . While bottom cap  38  is shown as a cylindrical end cap that extends outward to or passed filter  34 , bottom cap  38  can have other configurations, such as a configuration that only covers the bottom of column  36 . If filter  34  is a pleated media having a fan-like configuration, bottom cap  38  should extend to or past filter  34  to prevent unfiltered water from slipping past filter  34  without being sufficiently filtered/purified. However, if filter  34  is a solid material, such as a foam or particles bonded together, bottom cap  38  may be configured to only cover the bottom of column  36 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , cartridge  14  is suspended above bottom side  26  of housing  12  such that bottom cap  38  is adjacent to but not abutting bottom side  26 . Cartridge  14  is suspended through the interlocking of fitting  22  in housing  12  and port  32  in top cap  28 . While bottom cap  38  is suspended above bottom side  26  of housing  12 , bottom cap  38  can be in contact with the walls of housing  12  to provide radial support to cartridge  14  to minimize movement of cartridge  14  relative to housing  12 , which can be caused by vibration of water purification system  10 . 
     With cartridge  14  being suspended above bottom side  26 , and bottom side  26  including no upward extending features to prevent the filtered/purified water from flowing out of housing  12  through outlet  24 , no amount of filtered/purified water is blocked from exiting housing  12  (after passing through filter  34 ). Therefore, water purification system  10  provides an inside-out purification configuration that also allows the water to drain out of the system (due to gravity) when the water is no longer provided to water purification system  10 , ensuring water purification system  10  remains sanitary, functional, and undamaged because water is not present within water purification system  10 . 
     Discussion of Possible Embodiments 
     The following are non-exclusive descriptions of possible embodiments of the present invention. 
     An inside-out liquid purification system includes a housing and a cartridge. The housing defines an interior space and includes an inlet at a top side of the housing, a fitting at the top side of the housing and inboard of the inlet, and an outlet at a bottom side of the housing. The cartridge is disposed within the interior space and includes a top cap having an orifice and configured to interlock with the fitting to suspend the cartridge within the interior space, a bottom cap adjacent to and suspended above the bottom side of the housing, and a filter having an annular shape and extending between the top cap and the bottom cap with the filter defining a hollow vertical column aligned with the orifice such that liquid enters the cartridge vertically through the orifice and exits the cartridge at least partially radially through the filter. 
     The inside-out liquid purification system of the preceding paragraph can optionally include, additionally and/or alternatively, any one or more of the following features, configurations, steps, and/or additional components: 
     A further embodiment of the foregoing inside-out liquid purification system, wherein an inlet hose is extending between a liquid source and the inlet in the housing. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing inside-out liquid purification systems, wherein an outlet hose connected to the outlet in the housing. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing inside-out liquid purification systems, wherein the fitting of the housing is centered about the inlet, the orifice in the top cap is aligned with the inlet, and the top cap of the cartridge includes a port that is centered about the orifice and extends upward to be within and interlock with the fitting. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing inside-out liquid purification systems, wherein the fitting in the housing and the port in the top cap are cylindrical. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing inside-out liquid purification systems, wherein at least one sealing ring is between an outside of the port and an inside of the fitting. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing inside-out liquid purification systems, wherein the housing is separable into at least two pieces to allow access to the interior space of the housing to allow for the cartridge to be installed within the interior space of the housing. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing inside-out liquid purification systems, wherein the top cap is an annular disk with the orifice at a center and the bottom cap is a circular disk. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing inside-out liquid purification systems, wherein the interlock between the fitting and the top cap uses tabs with a quarter-turn fastener or a threated connection. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing inside-out liquid purification systems, wherein the inlet is vertically aligned with the outlet. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing inside-out liquid purification systems, wherein the filter has an annular fan-like configuration. 
     A water purification system includes a housing defining an interior space with an inlet and an outlet and a cartridge within the interior space of the housing with the cartridge having top cap, a bottom cap, and a filter extending between the top cap and the bottom cap with the top cap interlocking with the housing near the inlet to suspend the cartridge within the interior space. 
     The water purification system of the preceding paragraph can optionally include, additionally and/or alternatively, any one or more of the following features, configurations, steps, and/or additional components: 
     A further embodiment of the foregoing water purification system, wherein the bottom cap is not in contact with the housing. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing water purification systems, wherein an outlet hose connected to the outlet in the housing. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing water purification systems, wherein the interlocking between the top cap and the housing includes a threaded configuration in which an upwardly-extending portion of the top cap is within a downwardly-extending portion of the housing adjacent the inlet. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing water purification systems, wherein the housing includes a downward extending fitting that interlocks with an upward extending portion of the top cap of the cartridge. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing water purification systems, wherein the top cap interlocks with the housing at the inlet to allow water to flow through the inlet and directly into the cartridge. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing water purification systems, wherein the top cap includes an orifice at a center where the top cap interlocks with the housing to allow water to flow from the inlet into the filter. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing water purification systems, wherein at least one sealing ring is between the top cap and the housing. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing water purification systems, wherein the housing is substantially cylindrical and the cartridge is cylindrical. 
     A further embodiment of any of the foregoing water purification systems, wherein the housing is separable into at least two pieces to allow access to the interior space of the housing to allow for the cartridge to be installed within the interior space of the housing. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment(s), it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.