Patent Application
20190203449
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The disclosure and prior art relates to water storing devices and more particularly pertains to a new water storing device for storing water in a more efficient manner. Currently, water filtration systems utilize a single, large water tank. Water is supplied to the water tank as water is filtered since the filtration system cannot typically filter water fast enough in an on demand manner. Thus, the water tank stores water for later use as it is need. Water is held in the water tank and is forced out of the water tank by air pressure supplied to the water tank when a user opens a spout coupled to the water tank. However, these water tanks, which are typically placed below a sink, are large and bulky and prevent the area from under the sink from being used for storage purposes as intended.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a housing having a base wall and a perimeter wall is attached to and extending away from the base wall such that an interior is bounded by the perimeter wall. The housing has a first length dimension is less than 6.0 inches, a second length dimension is less than 16.0 inches and a third length dimension is less than 20.0 inches. A plurality of tanks is positioned within the housing and each tank includes a water connection. A water conduit positioned in the housing is fluidly coupled to each of the water connections. The water conduit extends through the perimeter wall and has a free end positioned outside of the housing. The free end is configured fluidly coupled to the water filtration system and a spout. The water connections receive filtered water from the water filtration system to fill the tanks with filtered water to be accessed by the spout.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The housing 12 has a first length dimension from an exterior surface of the base wall 14 to the outer surface 30 of the cover 24 that is less than 6.0 inches. The perimeter wall 16 includes a first lateral wall 32, a second lateral wall 34, a first end wall 36 and a second end wall 38. The housing 12 has an exterior width from the first lateral wall 32 to the second lateral wall 34 that is less than 16.0 inches to define a second length dimension and an exterior depth from the first end wall 36 to the second end wall 38 that is less than 20.0 inches to define a third length dimension. These dimensions allow the housing 12 to be positioned on the bottom of a cabinet 75 under a sink 74 as shown in
A plurality of tanks 40 is positioned within the housing 12. Each of the tanks 40 is elongated and has a first end 42, a second end 44 and a peripheral wall 46 extending between the first 42 and second 44 ends. The peripheral wall 46 of each of the tanks 40 may have a cylindrical shape. Each of the tanks 40 is positioned within the housing 12 such that each of the first ends 42 is aligned with each other. More particularly, each of the tanks 40 extends from the first end wall 36 to the second end wall 38. The plurality of tanks 40 is at least three tanks 40 and no more than six tanks.
A plurality of water connections 48 is provided and each of the first ends 42 of the tanks 40 has one of the water connections 48 fluidly coupled thereto. A water conduit 50 is fluidly coupled to each of the water connections 48. The water conduit 50 is positioned in the housing 12 and extends through the perimeter wall 18 or elsewhere outwardly through the housing 12 or cover 24. The water conduit 50 has a free end 52 positioned outside of the housing 12. The free end 52 is configured to be fluidly coupled to the water filtration system 76 and a spout 78. In this manner, the water connections 48 are configured to receive filtered water from the water filtration system 76 to fill the tanks 40 with filtered water. Water from the tanks 40 may then be supplied to the spout 78 as needed.
Each of tanks 40 has therein one of a plurality of air bladders 54. The air bladders 40 are expanded to force the filtered water of the tanks 40 and thus drive the filtered water to the spout 78 in a conventional manner. A plurality of air connections 56 is provided and each of the air bladders 58 has one of the air connections 56. An air conduit 57 is positioned in the housing 12 and is fluidly coupled to each of the air connections 56. The air conduit 57 extends through the perimeter wall 18, or elsewhere through the housing 12 or cover 24, and has an outer end 58 positioned outside of the housing 12. The outer end 58 is configured to be fluidly coupled to an air supply, not shown, such that the air supply selectively fills the bladders 54 with pressurized air to expand the air bladders 54 and force the filtered water out of the tanks 40. Typically, a compressor is fluidly coupled to the air conduit 57 to supply compressed air to the air bladders 40 as needed though a compressed air canister may also be utilized.
The base wall 14 has a plurality of base troughs 60 therein wherein each of the base troughs 60 receives one of the tanks 40. The cover 24 also has a plurality of cover troughs 62 therein and each of the cover troughs 62 is aligned with one of the base troughs 60 when the cover 24 is positioned on the housing 12 in a closed position. The cover troughs 62 engage the tanks 40 such that each of the tanks 40 are immobilized and abutted against one of the base troughs 60 and one of the cover troughs 62. The troughs 60, 62 may be a unitary structure with the base 14 and the cover 24 or may be mounted thereon. The troughs 60, 62 form oppositely positioned saddles for holding the tanks 40 in place to prevent damage to the water and air connections.
In use, the system 10 is used in a conventional manner of home water treatment systems wherein tap water is run through a filtration system 76 and then stored for later consumption. However, the tanks 40 have a size such that they fit within the housing 12 and the housing 12 has a first dimension, in particular, which allows it to maintain a low or shallow profile within a cabinet 75. Further, the housing 12 may be sized to fit within a wall adjacent to the cabinet 75.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded.
A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
