Patent ID: 7210182

Claim:
A method for recovering and purifying a solvent used in an article cleaning appliance, the method comprising: passing solvent-based cleaning fluid from a wash basket through a coarse filter configured to remove relatively large particulates from the cleaning fluid; passing cleaning fluid from the coarse filter through a particulate filter configured to remove relatively line particulates from the cleaning fluid; separating an aqueous phase that may be present in the cleaning fluid by decanting and coalescing of fluid through a separator/filter assembly; passing the cleaning fluid through a regeneration cartridge for removing any water that may remain in the cleaning fluid, and for adsorbing organic contaminants that may be present in the cleaning fluid; and storing recovered solvent in a tank for subsequent use in a cleaning process performed by the appliance, wherein the cleaning, fluid is processed at a first flow rate selected to partially remove contaminants present therein while the appliance performs an ongoing operational cycle to be followed by a successive operational cycle, and wherein cleaning fluid is subsequently processed at a second flow rate selected to remove any remaining contaminants, wherein the first flow rate is sufficiently fast relative to f he second flow rate so that partially purified cleaning fluid may be available for any successive operational cycles of the appliance.