Patent Application
20140102968
The system for which I seek a process patent uses existing technologies in a configuration which is unique and which provides requisite flexibility for everyday use in the home, portable use away from home, and water purification during civil emergencies. Unlike bottled water which is processed in a controlled environment and then distributed in tamper evident packaging (and which may be unavailable during civil emergencies when most needed), municipally treated water is pumped through a complicated water distribution system in which there are numerous potential places for contamination and which are not under the direct control of the water supplier. Indeed, one study found that 30.3% of waterborne disease outbreaks in the United States could be traced to our treated water distribution systems (Craun & Calderon 2001). The “Pure-Sip” Point-of-Use process can essentially eliminate outbreaks related to distribution system contamination events. In addition to concerns with contamination of treated water within our distribution systems, there are trace amounts of human made chemicals, such as endocrine disrupting compounds, which are routinely detected in the treated water leaving our municipal drinking water plants. Until relatively recent advances in laboratory analysis capabilities the presence of trace amounts of these chemicals was not measurable. Dr. Joerg Drewes (formerly at Colorado School of Mines and now at the University of Munich) stated his concern about these chemicals as follows: “In addition to concerns about individual endocrine disrupting compounds, there is concern about the cocktail effect of numerous micropollutants and/or their metabolites” (lecture notes from ESGN 603 at Colorado School of Mines, Sep. 9, 2004). Indeed, there are over 83,000 chemicals currently in the TSCA inventory (testimony before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives by John Stephenson, Director Natural Resources and the Environment—GAO, Fe. 26, 2009, GAO-09-428T “Chemical Regulation, Options for Enhancing the Effectiveness of TSCA”). The regulatory community and municipal water industry are at a crossroads. At an enormous cost we can remove these trace contaminants using centralized municipal water treatment, but does it make sense to do so when less than 1% of our municipal water supply is ingested (Vickers 2001), and when we know that ⅓ of disease outbreaks attributable to our potable water systems can be traced to our water distribution systems?
There are numerous manufacturers of “Point-of-Use” water treatment systems. My unique “Pure Sip” Point-of-Use treatment system is a logical, economical, and effective, addition to the water industry's traditional “multiple barrier” treatment strategy. Although under counter systems are preferred from an aesthetic standpoint, they are “out of sight—out of mind” and their installation and maintenance will be perceived as problematic, or essentially impossible, by most utilities (please note however that my process allows for such installation by the use of commonly available quick disconnect couplings in the influent and effluent tanks for connection to the water supply line [or sink faucet] and to a dedicated faucet). To be successful in persuading the EPA, state and local Health Departments, and Utilities to embrace Point-of-Use, they need a free standing countertop design which eliminates the nebulous variables and costs related to under counter installations, is convenient for the citizen and the utility to swap out on a scheduled basis (generally every six months, but variable depending on water system quality), and which protects the user against microbiological, inorganic, and organic contaminants. Although reverse osmosis systems can provide a high degree of purity, healthful minerals are removed from the water and a liquid waste stream is generated which must be disposed of; the system I have designed will not remove these beneficial constituents nor will it generate a liquid waste stream.
One of the biggest drawbacks of systems which use carbon adsorption for organics (and chlorine) removal is that there is no method supplied with any system to determine the efficacy of the adsorption system. It is quite possible that subsequent to a serious distribution system event, that the homeowner would mistakenly believe that adsorption is occurring, when in fact the carbon's adsorption ability has been seriously compromised or exhausted. As such, a chlorine disinfectant residual test kit is included as part of the system (the vast majority of the time there will be a chlorine residual in the influent to the system and no residual in the effluent {which would indicate effective adsorption}).
The system is designed to produce potable water wherever there is a 12 volt power source (or other “safe” low voltage), and highly filtered water through the use of a syringe as a power source even in the event of the failure of the system's 12 volt UV portion as well as the 12 volt pump (note that as long as one of the 4 available filter cartridge slots employs a<0.45 μm filter, that pathogenic bacteria will be physically excluded).
Attached are Figures A & B, a detailed description of the “Pure-Sip” process as displayed in those Figures is as follows:
Figure “A” is a “Bird's eye” view of the system/process:
A1—influent water tank
A2—drain/supply which incorporates a quick disconnect to allow direct connection to the municipal water supply or for use as a syringe connection when B3, the system pump fails, or in emergency situations. Opening is engineered to ensure adequate contact time with NSF 55 ultraviolet disinfection system.
A3—First stage cartridge filtration at<50 μm to remove relatively large particles which can shield pathogens from ultraviolet disinfection supplied by B4. A3 is supplied by pump B3→Discharge from A3 is to ultraviolet contact chamber B5→discharge from B5 is to A4
A4-6: 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stage filtration/adsorption (and/or ionic bonding) followed by B6, a second round of NSF 55 primary UV disinfection.
A7—electrical connection/logic board/system controller
A8—removable lid to allow filling of influent tank
Figure “B” is a front elevation of the system/process:
B1—Influent tank
B2—Line from influent tank to B3 (pump)
B3—A 12 VDC (or other safe low voltage supply) powered centrifugal pump. Flow from B3 (pump) is to A3 (first stage cartridge filtration) to B5 (1st stage ultraviolet disinfection which is supplied by ultraviolet source B4)
B5—NSF 55 ultraviolet pre-disinfection→then to A4-6 (2nd, 3rd, and 4th stage filtration/adsorption).
B6—NSF 55 ultraviolet post-disinfection (subsequent to filtration/adsorption at A4-6)
B7—Supply line from ultraviolet post-disinfection to B8—effluent water tank (supplied with a quick disconnect fitting for those wishing to connect the system to a dedicated faucet at the sink). The effluent tank is bigger than the influent tank to avoid accidental spills.
B9—Electrical connection/logic board/system controller
B10—Easily removable cover to allow removal of effluent tank and/or service of components
B11—System support pads
Documentation of my efforts to gain acceptance for Point-of-Use technologies in the potable water industry's multiple barrier approach to public health includes the following national/international forums:
Please note that my understanding from reading material on the USPTO website is that I am only required to document those patents granted within the past 20 years which are, or may be, related to my system (so I did not include older patents).
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12576645 | Oct 2009 | US |
| Child | 13998189 | US |
