Patent Application
20100243583
The present invention is generally directed to fluid treatment devices and, more particularly, to fluid treatment devices and methods of their use that form fluid droplets.
Consumer interest in drinking water continues to rise. Sales of bottled water and water treatment devices, such as pitchers/carafes used to filter water are significant. For example, bottled water sales in the United States surpassed 8 billion gallons in 2006. Thus, suppliers of drinking water and water treatment devices work diligently to try to set their products apart from others in the industry.
Domestic water treatment devices include in-line devices (e.g., under the sink), terminal end devices (e.g., counter top or faucet mounted), and self-contained systems which process water in batches. Examples of batch devices are pitchers/carafes and larger reservoirs where treated water is poured, for example, from a spigot. Batch water treatment systems can also be incorporated into other devices, such as a coffee maker. These self-contained systems typically have upper and lower chambers separated by a filter cartridge and rely on gravity to force water from the upper chamber, through the cartridge, and into the lower chamber, thereby producing treated water.
In an embodiment, a fluid treatment device includes a housing having an upper portion including an upper reservoir for receiving unfiltered fluid, a lower portion including a lower reservoir for receiving filtered fluid and an intermediate portion including a rain-effect delivery system that receives fluid from the upper reservoir. The rain-effect delivery system including a plurality of droplet forming features arranged and configured for providing a plurality of discrete drop points for formation of individual droplets on a fluid delivery surface of the rain-effect delivery system.
In another embodiment, a method of providing filtered fluid using a fluid treatment device includes filling an upper reservoir of the fluid treatment device with unfiltered fluid. The unfiltered fluid is filtered thereby providing filtered fluid using a filter media. Individual filtered fluid droplets are formed using a rain-effect delivery system that receives filtered fluid from the filter media. The rain-effect delivery system includes a plurality of droplet forming features arranged and configured for providing a plurality of discrete drop points for formation of individual droplets on a fluid delivery surface of the rain-effect delivery system.
In another embodiment, a rain-effect delivery system for a fluid treatment device includes a plurality of droplet forming features arranged and configured for providing a plurality of discrete drop points for formation of individual droplets of filtered fluid on a fluid delivery surface.
The following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention can be best understood when read in conjunction with the drawings enclosed herewith.
The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative in nature and not intended to be limiting of the invention defined by the claims. Moreover, individual features of the drawings and invention will be more fully apparent and understood in view of the detailed description.
As used herein, a “droplet” or “drop” is a small volume of liquid, bounded completely or almost completely by free surfaces.
As used herein, “rain-effect” refers to multiple droplets falling from drop points (e.g., at least six drop points, such as between six and about 144 drop points) under the force of gravity through a given volume over time where the path of the multiple droplets intersect a horizontal plane at different locations spread-apart over a surface of the horizontal plane.
A “transparent” material or object refers to a material or object formed of such a material that transmits light through its substance so that bodies situated beyond or behind can be readily seen.
A “translucent” material or object refers to a material or object formed of such a material that transmits light but causes sufficient diffusion to prevent perception of distinct images through the translucent material.
An “opaque” material or object refers to a material or object formed of such a material that does not allow light to pass therethrough.
As used herein, “surface tension” is a phenomenon that results directly from intermolecular forces between molecules of liquids. In other words, molecules at the surface of a drop of liquid experience a net force drawing them to the interior, which creates a tension in the liquid surface. The surface tension of a liquid is measured in dynes/cm.
As used herein, “surface energy” quantifies the partial disruption of intermolecular bonds that occurs when a surface is created. For practical purposes, the surface energy of a solid substance is expressed in relation to dynes/cm and is sometimes referred to as surface tension of the surface of the solid substance.
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment, the reservoir housing 20 extends from a bottom 21 of the lower portion 14 to a top 23 of the upper portion 12. The pouring tray 22 may be removably insertable into the upper portion 12 through the top 23 and supported in the position illustrated by
An intermediate portion 38 is located between the upper portion 12 and the lower portion 14. The intermediate portion may be part of the reservoir housing 20. In another embodiment, the intermediate portion is part of the pouring tray 22. In yet another embodiment, the intermediate portion may be a separate component (e.g., a ring of material) that is connected to both the upper portion 12 and the lower portion 14 (e.g., by a hot-melt sealing process, creating a fluid-tight seam). The intermediate portion 38 may provide a visual indication to a user of a separation between the upper portion 12 and the lower portion 14. For example, the intermediate portion 38 may be a first color (e.g., blue), the upper portion 12 may be a second, different color (e.g., white or grey) and the lower portion 14 may be a third, different color, transparent or translucent. In some embodiments, the color scheme of the intermediate portion 38, the upper portion 12 and the lower portion 14 may be selected to provide a scenic representation to a user that is pleasing. For example, the intermediate portion 38 may be blue to represent a sky, the upper portion 12 may be white or grey to represent clouds and the lower portion 14 may be transparent or clear so that contents of the reservoir housing can be viewed from outside the fluid treatment device 10. In some embodiments, only a portion of the reservoir housing 20 may be transparent. For example, the reservoir housing 20 may have visual indicators printed or painted thereon, such as flowers, land, bodies of water, grass, animals, buildings, etc. In some embodiments, only one or more discrete portions of the reservoir housing 20 may be transparent, while the remaining portions are opaque or translucent.
A filter cartridge 40 may be provided that is in the form of a removable cartridge that is insertable into the pouring tray 22 (
As will be described in greater detail below, a droplet forming system, generally indicated by element 46, is provided between the upper portion 12 and the lower portion 14. The droplet forming system 46 forms individual droplets 48 of filtered fluid as the fluid passes from the intermediate portion 38 and into the filtered fluid reservoir 18. The droplets 48 collect within the filtered fluid reservoir 18 of the reservoir housing 20 forming a pool 50 of filtered water having a water surface that is in contact with an internal perimeter of the reservoir housing 20. As the droplets 48 collect within the reservoir housing 20, sounds 51 of the impact of the falling droplets can be heard from outside the fluid treatment device 10, creating somewhat of a soothing rain-like sound that may be pleasing to a listener. Material forming the fluid treatment device 10 may be selected to provide the rain-like sound. In some instances, the reservoir housing 20 and/or the pouring tray 22 may be acoustically shaped to enhance or amplify the rain-like sound, for example, using any suitable acoustical engineering techniques involving the generation, propagation and reception of mechanical waves and vibrations. In some embodiments, the fluid treatment device may include an amplifying device, such as a microphone and speaker.
The reservoir housing 20 may be formed of any suitable material, such as glass, metal or any suitable plastic material. In some embodiments, the reservoir housing 20 is formed of a transparent or translucent material. The pouring tray 22 may also be formed of any suitable materials, such as glass or any suitable plastic material. In some embodiments, the pouring tray 22 may be formed of an opaque or translucent material. The pouring tray 22 and reservoir housing 20 may be formed of the same or of different materials.
The droplet forming system 46 is shown mounted at the intermediate portion 38 of the fluid treatment device 10. Referring particularly to
A rain-effect delivery system 64 extends between opposite sides of a peripheral wall 66 of the droplet forming system 46. In some embodiments, the rain-effect delivery system 64 may be removably connected to the peripheral wall 66, for example using any suitable interlocking or fastener connection. Alternatively, the rain-effect delivery system 64 and the peripheral wall 66 may be bonded together through any suitable method such as welding, adhesive, etc. or formed integrally together such as using any suitable molding and/or machining process.
The rain-effect delivery system 64 includes an inner fluid receiving surface 70 and an outer fluid delivery surface 72 opposite the inner fluid delivery surface 70. A droplet forming region 73 is, in the illustrated embodiment, located on the inner fluid receiving surface 70 and the outer fluid delivery surface 72 and includes an array of droplet forming features 74 (e.g., dimples) that extend inwardly from the inner fluid receiving surface 70 and outwardly from the outer fluid delivery surface 72. Passageways 76 are provided by the droplet forming features 74 that provide fluid communication between the inner fluid receiving surface 70 and the outer fluid delivery surface 72.
The droplet forming features 74 and their associated passageways 76 are spread over the inner fluid receiving surface 70 and the outer fluid delivery surface 72 in both width-wise and length-wise directions. The passageways 76 extend all the way through the rain-effect delivery system 64 forming channels from the inner fluid receiving surface 70 to the outer fluid delivery surface 72. In one exemplary embodiment, the passageways 76 may be sized and arranged to provide a free open area from about 0.8 percent to about five percent of the total surface area of the inner fluid receiving surface 70 (or outer fluid delivery surface 72). In some embodiments, there may be less than 0.8 percent or greater than five percent free open area. In some embodiments, the rain-effect delivery system 64 may have the inner fluid receiving surface 70 (or outer fluid delivery surface 72) with a total surface area of about 15 square inches and may have from about six passageways 76 to about 144 passageways 76. Any other arrangement of passageways 76 suitable for forming a rain-effect may be utilized. Additionally, a single droplet forming feature 74 may include multiple passageways.
Referring to
Each passageway 76 has a width that is selected to provide individual droplets of water. In the embodiment of
Various materials provide differing surface energies. In one embodiment, a surface energy of less than pure water (i.e., about 72.8 dynes/cm), such as from about 20 dynes/cm to about 70 dynes/cm, such as from about 20 dynes/cm to about 60 dynes/cm, such as about 42 dynes/cm may be used to form the outer fluid delivery surface 72. Surface energy of a material may be determined by any suitable technique, such as using dyne solutions, measuring contact angle of a drop having a known surface tension, etc. Materials having higher surface energies, e.g., approaching the surface tension of water can be utilized to create larger droplet sizes. By contrast, materials having lower surface energies can be utilized to create smaller droplet sizes. In some embodiments, referring to
The passageways 76, in one illustrative embodiment, are in the shape of straight channels with circular cross sections. Any other suitable shape for the passageways 76 may be used such as rectangular channels, oval channels, etc. The channels need not be straight of at a right angle to the surfaces 70 and 72. In the embodiment of
Adjacent passageways 76 may be separated by a distance that is selected to provide discrete drop points. By a “discrete drop point”, it is meant that pendant drops formed at adjacent droplet forming features 74 do not collide and merge along the outer fluid delivery surface 72 under normal operating conditions (e.g., with the fluid treatment device 10 resting on a horizontal surface during a filtering operation). The shapes of the droplet forming features 74 may also aid in collecting and retaining the pendant drops to provide the discrete drop points. In some embodiments, adjacent passageways 76 may be spaced at least about two times the width of the passageways 76, such as from about 0.04 inch to about 0.1 inch. Any combination of suitable passageway separations may be utilized including greater or less separation distances. Additionally, the same or different separation distances may be used between the adjacent passageways 76.
While both droplet forming features 74a and 74b are illustrated as being the same shape in
It has been discovered that many consumers may prefer to keep their filtered water stored in the lower reservoir 58 separate from the filter cartridge 40, to the extent possible. To this end, the fluid treatment device 10, in some embodiments, is provided with a filter cartridge 40 having a flat, horizontal configuration (i.e., a flat cartridge). Thus, the filter media may be suitable for a flat cartridge configuration, while providing the desired filtering and flow rate.
Fluid contaminants, particularly contaminants in water, may include various elements and compositions such as heavy metals (e.g., lead), microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, viruses), acids (e.g., humic acids), or any contaminants listed in NSF/ANSI Standard No. 53. As used herein, the terms “microorganism”, “microbiological organisms”, “microbial agent”, and “pathogen” are used interchangeably. These terms, as used herein, refer to various types of microorganisms that can be characterized as bacteria, viruses, parasites, protozoa, and germs. In a variety of circumstances, these contaminants, as set forth above, should be removed or reduced to acceptable levels before the water can be used. Harmful contaminants should be removed from the water or reduced to acceptable levels before it is potable, i.e., fit to consume.
In some embodiments, the cartridge 40 may include an activated carbon filter, a fiber composite filter, a fluid filter comprising an activated carbon filter and a fiber composite filter, an activated carbon filter coated or blended with metals, polymers, oxides, or binders (e.g., silver, cationic polymers, amorphous titanium silicate, etc.) or combinations thereof to remove contaminants from a fluid. Exemplary filters that may be used in the cartridge 40 may include filters and filter systems shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,139,739, 6,290,848, 6,395,190, 6,630,016, 6,852,224, 7,316,323, U.S. Publication Nos. 2001/0032822, 2003/0217963, 2004/0164018, 2006/0260997, 2007/0080103 and 2008/0116146, U.S. Provisional Patent Ser. No. 61/079,323 and EP1694905 which are all herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The filter may be molded into a flat configuration, pleated, or formed into any other suitable structure. An exemplary fiber composite filter may comprise an alumina based composite filter (“alumina based filter”). The activated carbon filters or fiber composite filters may be pressed or molded into a suitable flat shape (e.g., a flat-shape block) and are operable to remove contaminants such as heavy metals, humic acids, and/or microorganisms from fluids, or may be used in tandem to remove such contaminants more effectively and/or at an increased level. The fluid path through the filter may be varied from vertical (e.g., have some partially horizontal path) to achieve sufficient filtration. The fluid filters may be used in industrial and commercial applications as well as personal consumer applications, e.g., household and personal use applications. The fluid filter is operable to be used with various fixtures, appliances, or components.
It is contemplated that the fluid filter may comprise various fiber composite filters that comprise fibers that are highly electropositive and may be distributed on fibers such as a glass fiber scaffolding. In one exemplary embodiment, the fluid filter may comprise an activated carbon filter combined with an alumina based filter to remove contaminants from fluids (e.g., water) such as heavy metals (e.g., lead), microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and viruses), and/or other contaminants from fluids (e.g., water). Specifically, the activated carbon filter may comprise various suitable compositions and structures.
An exemplary embodiment of a fluid filter may be operable to produce potable water by passing untreated water from a water source through both the activated carbon and the alumina based filters. The alumina based filter may be a separate and distinct filter from the activated carbon filter or the alumina based and activated carbon filters may be fabricated as a single, integral unit. In one exemplary embodiment, the activated carbon filter particles may be imbedded into the alumina based filter.
In another exemplary embodiment, the fluid filter may comprise an activated carbon filter and an alumina based filter that is positioned in series with and upstream from the activated carbon filter, wherein the fluid filter is operable to remove contaminants (e.g., heavy metals, microorganisms, and other contaminants) from fluids (e.g., water) to produce treated fluids (e.g., potable water). As such, the activated carbon filter may include various suitable compositions and structures operable to remove heavy metals, microorganisms, and/or other contaminants.
Referring to
It should be noted that flow rates and drops per second may change with changes in pressure in the upper reservoir. Thus, flow rates and drops per second may refer to an instantaneous flow rate, instantaneous drops per second value, average flow rate and/or average drops per second value.
Initially, the water droplets 100 impact the bottom 21 (
As noted above, it may be desirable to locate the droplet forming system 46 above the lower reservoir 18 and away from the filtered water. In some embodiments, referring briefly to
The area of droplet formation on the droplet forming system 46 can be varied depending on the shape of the droplet forming system 46 and the positioning of the droplet forming features 74 and passageways 76. While the fluid delivery surface 72 is illustrated as having a centrally located droplet forming region 73 (
As one example, a droplet forming system similar to that of
As another example, a droplet forming system similar to that of
It is noted that terms like “preferably,” “generally,” “commonly,” and “typically” are not utilized herein to limit the scope of the claimed embodiments or to imply that certain features are critical, essential, or even important to the structures or functions. Rather, these terms are merely intended to highlight alternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particular embodiment.
For the purposes of describing and defining the various embodiments it is additionally noted that the term “substantially” is utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. The term “substantially” is also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.
All documents cited in the Detailed Description are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art. To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this written document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to the term in this written document shall govern.
While particular embodiments have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/164,158, filed Mar. 27, 2009, the details of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61164158 | Mar 2009 | US |
