Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20080223775?dq=5958006
Timestamp: 2014-12-25 23:49:43
Document Index: 88229600

Matched Legal Cases: ['art. 9', 'Application No. 2007', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 101', 'art 211', 'art 211', 'art 211', 'art 221', 'art 211', 'art 221', 'art 221', 'art 211', 'art 221', 'art 211', 'art 221', 'art 101', 'art 221', 'art 101', 'art 221', 'art 221', 'art 101', 'art 241', 'art 242', 'art 241', 'art 242', 'art 242', 'art 243', 'art 241', 'art 241', 'art 242', 'art 242', 'art 242', 'art 241', 'art 241', 'art 225', 'art 225', 'art 225']

Patent US20080223775 - Water purifying device - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA water purifying device includes a filter unit that can be easily coupled and separated. The water purifying device includes a filter unit to filter out impurities from water passing therethrough and a connection unit connected to the filter unit to transmit water from the outside to the filter unit...http://www.google.com/patents/US20080223775?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20080223775 - Water purifying deviceAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS20080223775 A1Publication typeApplicationApplication numberUS 11/984,809Publication dateSep 18, 2008Filing dateNov 21, 2007Priority dateMar 13, 2007Also published asEP1970113A1Publication number11984809, 984809, US 2008/0223775 A1, US 2008/223775 A1, US 20080223775 A1, US 20080223775A1, US 2008223775 A1, US 2008223775A1, US-A1-20080223775, US-A1-2008223775, US2008/0223775A1, US2008/223775A1, US20080223775 A1, US20080223775A1, US2008223775 A1, US2008223775A1InventorsJae Koog AnOriginal AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManReferenced by (6), Classifications (12), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetWater purifying deviceUS 20080223775 A1Abstract A water purifying device includes a filter unit that can be easily coupled and separated. The water purifying device includes a filter unit to filter out impurities from water passing therethrough and a connection unit connected to the filter unit to transmit water from the outside to the filter unit and to transmit the water purified by the filter unit to the outside. The connection unit includes an external case having an introduction port through which water is introduced from the outside and a discharge port through which purified water is discharged to the outside, an internal case rotatably mounted in the external case, the internal case having a first communication hole selectively communicating with the introduction port and a second communication hole selectively communicating with the discharge port, and an opening and closing valve to selectively open and close the first communication hole depending upon whether the filter unit is coupled or not to the connection unit. The first communication hole is opened and closed by the opening and closing valve. As a result, it is possible to omit a sealing member to sealing a region adjacent to the first communication hole, whereby the rotation of the filter unit is more easily accomplished. Consequently, the process for coupling the filter unit to the connection unit or separating the filter unit from the connection unit is more conveniently accomplished.
1. A water purifying device having a filter unit to filter out impurities from water passing therethrough and a connection unit connected to the filter unit to transmit water from outside to the filter unit and to transmit the water purified by the filter unit to the outside, the connection unit comprising:
an external case having an introduction port through which water is introduced from the outside and a discharge port through which purified water is discharged to the outside; an internal case rotatably mounted in the external case, the internal case having a first communication hole selectively communicating with the introduction port and a second communication hole selectively communicating with the discharge port; and an opening and closing valve to selectively open and close the first communication hole depending upon whether the filter unit is coupled or not coupled to the connection unit. 2. The water purifying device according to claim 1,
wherein the introduction port is formed on a central axis of the external case, and the discharge port is formed eccentrically with respect to the introduction port, and wherein the first communication hole is formed on the central axis of the internal case such that the first communication hole corresponds to the introduction port, and the second communication hole is formed eccentrically with respect to the first communication hole such that the second communication hole corresponds to the discharge port, whereby the second communication hole and the discharge port selectively communicate with each other depending upon the rotation angle of the internal case. 3. The water purifying device according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing valve comprises:
a valve part elastically supported in the first communication hole by an elastic member to open and close the first communication hole; an elastically supporting part having a diameter less than that of the valve part such that the elastic member is mounted on the elastically supporting part; and a compression part extending through the first communication hole such that the compression part protrudes into the internal case, the compression part being compressed by the filter unit fitted in the internal case. 4. The water purifying device according to claim 3, wherein the valve part is provided at an outer circumference thereof with a valve sealing member formed in an annular shape to accomplish stable closing of the first communication hole.
7. The water purifying device according to claim 1, wherein
the external case includes an external installation part formed in a shape of a cylinder opened at opposite sides thereof and an external cover formed in a shape of a hemisphere to close one side of the external installation part, the internal case includes an internal installation part formed in a shape of a cylinder opened at opposite sides thereof and mounted in the external installation part and an internal cover formed in a shape of a hemisphere to close one side of the internal installation part, the internal cover being disposed inside the external cover, and the connection unit further includes a first sealing member disposed between the external installation part and the internal installation part to prevent leakage of water through a gap defined between the external installation part and the internal installation part, the first sealing member being formed in an annular shape. 8. The water purifying device according to claim 1, wherein
the filter unit includes a connection part disposed at a top thereof such that the connection part is mounted in the internal case, the connection part having an inlet port and outlet ports, and the connection unit further includes a second sealing member disposed between an inner surface of the internal case and an outer surface of the connection part to prevent leakage of water through a gap defined between an inner surface of the internal case and the outer surface of the connection part. 9. The water purifying device according to claim 8,
wherein the filter unit further includes a first connection pipe which protrudes from the connection part and in which the inlet port is formed, and the internal case is provided with a second connection pipe which extends inward such that the first connection pipe is fitted in the second connection pipe, and wherein the connection unit further includes a third sealing member disposed between the outer surface of the first connection pipe and the inner surface of the second connection pipe to prevent leakage of water through a gap defined between the outer surface of the first connection pipe and the inner surface of the second connection pipe. 10. The water purifying device according to claim 2, wherein the connection unit further includes a fourth sealing member formed around the second communication hole of the internal case in an annular shape to partition a space defined between the inner surface of the external case and the outer surface of the internal case from the second communication hole.
14. A water purifying device having a filter unit to filter out impurities from water passing therethrough and a connection unit connected to the filter unit to transmit water from outside to the filter unit and to transmit the water purified by the filter unit to the outside, the connection unit comprising:
an external case having an introduction port disposed on a central axis thereof to allow water to be introduced from the outside therethrough and a discharge port disposed eccentrically with respect to the introduction port to allow water to be discharged to the outside; an internal case rotatably mounted in the external case, the internal case having a first communication hole disposed on the central axis thereof to selectively communicate with the introduction port and a second communication hole disposed eccentrically with respect to the first communication hole to selectively communicate with the discharge port depending upon the rotation angle thereof; and an opening and closing valve to selectively open and close the first communication hole depending upon whether the filter unit is coupled or not coupled to the connection unit. 15. The water purifying device according to claim 14, wherein the opening and closing valve includes a valve part elastically supported in the first communication hole by an elastic member to open and close the first communication hole, an elastically supporting part having a diameter less than that of the valve part such that the elastic member is mounted on the elastically supporting part, and a compression part extending through the first communication hole such that the compression part protrudes into the internal case, the compression part being compressed by the filter unit fitted in the internal case.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2007-24727, filed on Mar. 13, 2007 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
SUMMARY One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a water purifying device having a reduced number of sealing members, thereby more easily accomplishing the coupling or separation of a filter unit to or from a connection unit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
The filter unit 10 is constructed in a cylindrical structure in which a filter is disposed in the filter unit 10 such that water is purified by the filter as the water passes through the filter. The filter unit 10 is provided at the top thereof with a connection part 101, which is fitted in the connection unit 20 in such a manner that the connection part 101 is connected to the connection unit 20. In the center of the top of the connection part 101 is formed an inlet port 10 a through which water is transmitted from the outside, i.e., unfiltered water. Around the inlet port 10 a are formed outlet ports 10 b through which the water purified by the filter unit 10 is discharged. In an embodiment, the connection part 101 includes, for example, a first connection pipe 102 that protrudes upward and in which the inlet port 10 a is formed. The outlet ports 10 b are formed in the top of the connection part 101 adjacent to the first connection pipe 102.
The connection unit 20 includes, for example, an external case 21 having an introduction port 21 a through which water is introduced from the outside and a discharge port 21 b through which purified water is discharged to the outside, an internal case 22 rotatably mounted in the external case 21 such that the internal case 22 rotates together with the filter unit when a force is applied from the filter unit 10 to the internal case 22, the internal case 22 being constructed such that the outlet ports 10 b of the filter unit 10 selectively communicate with the discharge port 21 b of the external case 21 via the internal case 22 depending upon the rotation angle of the internal case 22 with respect to the external case 21, and a connection member 23 to allow the internal case 22 to be rotatably mounted in the external case and to maintain the filter unit 10 mounted in the internal case 22. Here, the internal case 22 has a first communication hole 22 a through which the introduction port 21 a and the inlet port 10 a selectively communicate with each other and a second communication hole 22 b through which the outlet ports 10 b selectively communicate with the discharge port 21 b, depending upon the rotation angle of the internal case 22.
The external case 21 includes an external installation part 211 formed in the shape of a cylinder opened at opposite sides thereof and coupled to the connection member 23 and an external cover 212 formed in the shape of a hemisphere to close one side of the external installation part 211. The introduction port 21 a and the discharge port 21 b are formed in the external cover 212. The introduction port 21 a is disposed on the central axis of the external installation part 211, and the discharge port 21 b is disposed eccentrically with respect to the introduction port 21 a. The internal case 22 includes an internal installation part 221 formed in the shape of a cylinder opened at opposite sides thereof and mounted inside the external installation part 211 and an internal cover 222 formed in the shape of a hemisphere to close one side of the internal installation part 221, the internal cover 222 being rotatably mounted in the external cover 212. The first communication hole 22 a and the second communication hole 22 b are formed in the internal cover 222. The first communication hole 22 a is disposed on the central axis of the internal installation part 221 such that the first communication hole 22 a is formed in a position corresponding to the introduction port 21 a. The second communication hole 22 b is formed eccentrically with respect to the first communication hole 22 a such that the second communication hole 22 b is disposed at a position corresponding to the discharge port 21 b, depending upon the rotation angle of the internal case 22. Here, the internal case 22 includes a second connection pipe 223, which extends inward from a position adjacent to the first communication hole 22 a such that the first connection pipe 102 is fitted in the second connection pipe 223. Consequently, the introduction port 21 a and the first communication hole 22 a are maintained disposed at positions corresponding to each other irrespective of the rotation angle of the internal case 22, and the discharge port 21 b and the second communication hole 22 b are selectively disposed at positions corresponding to each other depending upon the rotation angle of the internal case 22, whereby the outlet ports 10 b selectively communicate with the discharge port 21 b depending upon the rotation angle of the internal case 22.
Between the external installation part 211 of the external case 21 and the internal installation part 221 of the internal case 22 is mounted a first sealing member S1 to prevent the leakage of water through a gap defined between the external installation part 211 and the internal installation part 221. Between the connection part 101 of the filter unit 10 and the internal installation part 221 of the internal case 22 is mounted a second sealing member S2 to prevent the leakage of water through a gap defined between the connection part 101 and the internal installation part 221. Between the outer surface of the first connection pipe 102 and the inner surface of the second connection pipe 223 is mounted a third sealing member S3 to prevent the leakage of water through a gap defined between the outer surface of the first connection pipe 102 and the inner surface of the second connection pipe 223. At the outer surface of the internal cover 222 of the internal case 22 is mounted a fourth sealing member S4 which is formed around the second communication hole 22 b in an annular shape to partition a space defined between the external case 21 and the internal case 22 from the second communication hole 22 b to prevent water introduced into the gap between the external case 21 and the internal case 22 from leaking through the second communication hole 22 b and to allow water discharged from the outlet ports 10 b to be discharged through only the discharge port 21 b. A first sealing installation groove 221 a, in which the first sealing member S1 is mounted, is formed concavely at the outer circumference of the inner installation part 221 of the internal case 22, e.g., in an annular shape. A second sealing installation groove 101 a, in which the second sealing member S2 is mounted, is formed concavely at the outer circumference of the connection part 101 of the filter unit 10, e.g., in an annular shape. A third sealing installation groove 102 a, in which the third sealing member S3 is mounted, is formed concavely at the outer circumference of the second connection pipe 223 of the filter unit 10, e.g., in an annular shape. A fourth sealing installation groove 222 a, in which the fourth sealing member S4 is mounted, is formed concavely at the outer surface of the internal cover 222 of the internal case 22 adjacent to the second communication hole 22 b, e.g., in an annular shape.
The water purifying device according to the present invention further includes an opening and closing valve 24 mounted in the first communication hole 22 a, such that the opening and closing valve 24 is moved forward and rearward in the first communication hole 22 a, to open the first communication hole 22 a when the filter unit 10 is coupled to the connection unit 20. Consequently, the first communication hole 22 a of the internal case 22 is open only while the filter unit 10 is coupled to the connection unit 20. The opening and closing valve 24 is moved forward and rearward in the first communication hole 22 a by an elastic member 25, such as a coil spring. The opening and closing valve 24 includes a valve part 241 to open and close the first communication hole 22 a, a compression part 242 extending downward from the valve part 241 such that the compression part 242 protrudes into the second connection pipe 223, the compression part 242 being compressed by the first connection pipe 102 of the filter unit 10, which is fitted in the second connection pipe 223, to move the opening and closing valve 24 upward, and an elastically supporting part 243 extending upward from the valve part 241, while having a diameter less than that of the valve part 241, such that the opening and closing valve 24 is elastically supported by the elastic member 25. The compression part 242 of the opening and closing valve 24 is formed in the section shape of a cross such that water passes through the compression part 242 while the force from the first connection pipe 102 is transmitted to the compression part 242. In the first communication hole 22 a is disposed a seat 224. The seat 224 tilted such that the seat 224 has a gradually decreasing diameter, the seat 224 being opened and closed by the valve part 241. At the outer circumference of the valve part 241 is formed a valve sealing member 244, e.g., in an annular shape. The valve sealing member 244 is in tight contact with the seat 224, while the first communication hole 22 a is closed by the opening and closing valve 24 to accomplish the stable closing of the first communication hole 22 a. At the internal case 22 adjacent to the introduction port 21 a is formed a valve installation part 225, e.g., in an annular shape. The valve installation part 225 extends upward such that the opening and closing valve 24 and the elastic member 25 are mounted in the valve installation part 225.
Consequently, when the filter unit 10 is rotated in one direction such that the filter unit 10 is coupled to the connection unit 20, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the opening and closing valve 24 is compressed by the first connection pipe 102 of the filter unit 10, whereby the opening and closing valve 24 is moved upward. As a result, the first communication hole 22 a is opened, and therefore, the introduction port 21 a and the inlet port 10 a communicate with each other via the first communication hole 22 a. Consequently, water transmitted from the outside through the introduction port 21 a is supplied to the inlet port 10 a of the filter unit 10. At the same time, the internal case 22 rotates together with the filter unit 10 in one direction, whereby the second communication hole 22 b is moved to a position corresponding to the discharge port 21 b. As a result, the outlet ports 10 b communicate with the discharge port 21 b via the second communication hole 22 b. Consequently, water purified by the filter unit 10 is transmitted from the outlet ports 10 b to the discharge port 21 b. At this time, the fourth annular sealing member S4, which is disposed adjacent to the second communication hole 22 b, is brought into tight contact with the outside of the discharge port 21 b in the internal case 22. Consequently, water discharged through the outlet ports 10 b is transmitted to the discharge port 21 b; however, water introduced into the gap between the external case 21 and the internal case 22 is typically not transmitted to the discharge port 21 b. On the other hand, when the filter unit 10 is rotated in the reverse direction such that the filter unit 10 is separated from the connection unit 20, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the opening and closing valve 24 is returned to its original position by the elastic restoring force of the elastic member 25, whereby the opening and closing valve 24 is moved downward. As a result, the first communication hole 22 a is closed, and therefore, the communication between the introduction port 21 a and the inlet port 10 a is interrupted by the first communication hole 22 a. The internal case 22 rotates together with the filter unit 10 in the reverse direction, whereby the second communication hole 22 b is moved away from the discharge port 21 b. As a result, the communication between the outlet ports 10 b and the discharge port 21 b is interrupted by the internal case 22. Consequently, water does not flow. At this time, the fourth annular sealing member S4 is brought into tight contact with the inner surface of the internal case 22 away from the discharge port 21 b. Consequently, water discharged through the outlet ports 10 b is typically not transmitted to the discharge port 21 b; however, water introduced into the gap between the external case 21 and the internal case 22 is transmitted to the discharge port 21 b. As apparent from the above description, the water purifying device according to one or more embodiments of the present invention includes an opening and closing valve to open and close a first communication hole formed in an internal case when a filter unit is coupled to a connection unit. The first communication hole is opened and closed by the opening and closing valve. As a result, it is possible to omit a sealing member sealing a region adjacent to the first communication hole, whereby the rotation of the filter unit is more easily accomplished. Consequently, the process for coupling the filter unit to the connection unit or separating the filter unit from the connection unit is more conveniently accomplished.
Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS8356716Feb 10, 2012Jan 22, 2013Whirlpool CorporationFilter unitUS8398853 *Dec 29, 2009Mar 19, 2013Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Filter assembly, valve assembly, and water purifying system having the sameUS8413818Sep 15, 2011Apr 9, 2013Whirlpool CorporationFilter unitUS8580109Sep 15, 2011Nov 12, 2013Whirlpool CorporationElectronic interface for water filter systemUS8591736Sep 15, 2011Nov 26, 2013Whirlpool CorporationWater filter unitUS20100170841 *Dec 29, 2009Jul 8, 2010Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Filter assembly, valve assembly, and water purifying system having the same* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification210/234, 210/235, 210/444International ClassificationB01D35/157, B01D35/153Cooperative ClassificationB01D2201/302, B01D35/153, C02F9/005, C02F2201/006, B01D2201/4015European ClassificationC02F9/00B, B01D35/153Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionNov 21, 2007ASAssignmentOwner name: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLIC OFFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:AN, JAE KOOG;REEL/FRAME:020194/0177Effective date: 20071116RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google