Patent ID: 7601256

Claim:
A reverse osmosis filtration system comprising, as a single assembly: a product water accumulation tank having a bladder therein for separating product water from squeeze water for pressurized dispensing of product water; upper and lower manifold plates; a plurality of filters in filter cartridges, including a reverse osmosis filter, each filter cartridge having a bayonet type connector at the top thereof mating with a complementary connector in a lower face of the lower manifold plate; the product water accumulation tank also having a bayonet type connector at the top thereof mating with a complementary connector in the lower face of the lower manifold plate; a control valve snapped onto the lower manifold plate, the upper manifold plate having openings through which access to the snaps is provided for release of the snaps if necessary for disassembly of the control valve from the system; the upper and lower manifold plates being joined along intermediate surfaces by welds to define a manifold assembly, the manifold assembly having ports for connecting to a water supply, a product water output and a waste water output, the manifold assembly functionally coupling the water supply, the filters, the product water accumulation tank, the control valve, the product water output and the waste water output for control by the control valve; the connections between the lower manifold plate and the filter cartridges, the product water accumulation tank and the control valve being sealed with 0-rings; the bayonet type connector at the top of each filter and the respective complementary connector in a lower face of the lower manifold plate for each filter being configured so that the connector and complementary connector begin to engage when the respective filter is being attached to the manifold assembly before the respective O-rings begin to engage both the filter and the lower manifold plate, the connector and complementary connector having a sufficient lead so that on rotation of the respective filter in a first direction with respect to the manifold assembly, the filter is drawn toward the lower manifold plate to engage the respective O-rings in sealing engagement with both the filter cartridge and the lower manifold plate before the filter reaches its maxim rotation in the first direction, and on rotation of each filter in a second direction opposite the first direction, the lead of the connector and complementary connector for the respective filter will cause the respective filter to move away from the lower manifold plate to a position wherein the respective O-rings no longer engage both the filter and the lower manifold plate.