Method of cleaning a drinking water supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10266437-B2
Application number	US-201514959157-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 11, 2014
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

A drinking water supply device may comprise a mineral water supply module comprising a mineral cartridge to store condensed minerals, a mineral supply pipe provided with a micro channel to supply minerals to a water supply pipe, a mineral cartridge receiver detachably coupled to the mineral cartridge and connected to the mineral supply pipe, a mineral supply valve to open and close the mineral supply pipe, and a discharge pipe to discharge filtered water or mineral water. A method of cleaning a drinking water supply device may comprise of discharging residual minerals using a mineral drainage unit including a drainage pipe connected to the mineral supply pipe and a drainage valve to open and close the drainage pipe, supplying cleaning water to a channel in which minerals or mineral water flow of the mineral water supply module, and supplying rinsing water to the channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of cleaning a drinking water supply device comprising a mineral water supply module comprising a mineral cartridge to store condensed minerals, a mineral supply pipe to supply minerals to a water supply pipe, a mineral cartridge receiver detachably coupled to the mineral cartridge and connected to the mineral supply pipe, a mineral supply valve to open and close the mineral supply pipe, a discharge pipe to discharge filtered water or mineral water, and a filter unit provided upstream of the discharge pipe, the method comprising:
discharging residual minerals using a mineral drainage unit including a drainage pipe connected to the mineral supply pipe and a drainage valve to open and close the drainage pipe;
separating the mineral cartridge from the mineral cartridge receiver and coupling a cleaning water cartridge that contains cleaning water to the mineral cartridge receiver;
supplying cleaning water to a channel that includes the mineral supply pipe and the discharge pipe in which minerals or mineral water flow; and
supplying rinsing water to the channel in which the minerals or the mineral water flow.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the discharging residual minerals includes closing the mineral supply valve and opening the drainage valve for a predetermined time to discharge minerals remaining in at least one of the mineral supply pipe, the mineral cartridge, and the mineral cartridge receiver through the drainage pipe.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the discharging residual minerals further includes informing a user after completion of the discharge of the residual minerals that the discharge of the residual minerals has been completed.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the channel in which the minerals or the mineral water flow includes:
a first channel provided by the mineral supply pipe,
a mineral water generation unit configured to connect to the mineral supply pipe; the water supply pipe, and the discharge pipe and configured to allow mixing of the minerals from the mineral supply pipe with the water in the water supply pipe, and
a second channel provided by the drainage pipe.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the supplying cleaning water includes:
opening the mineral supply valve and closing the drainage valve for a predetermined first time to supply the cleaning water to the first channel; and
closing the mineral supply valve and opening the drainage valve for a predetermined second time after the predetermined first time to supply the cleaning water to the second channel.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the supplying rinsing water includes:
filling the cleaning water cartridge with rinsing water;
coupling the cleaning water cartridge to the mineral cartridge receiver; and
supplying the rinsing water sequentially to the first channel and the second channel after the supplying cleaning water.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
separating the cleaning water cartridge from the mineral cartridge receiver and
coupling a new mineral cartridge to the mineral cartridge receiver after the supplying rinsing water is completed.

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising opening the mineral supply valve and closing the drainage valve to supply minerals from the new mineral cartridge to the first channel for a predetermined time after the coupling the new mineral cartridge.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the supplying minerals from the new mineral cartridge includes supplying filtered water to the water discharge pipe to discharge minerals remaining in the discharge pipe after supplying the minerals to the first channel.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Yoon Heesang
• Lee Myounghoon
• Woo Sangki

Classifications

• C02F1/008

  Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F · CPC title

• C02F1/686 Primary

  Devices for dosing liquid additives · CPC title

• C02F2303/14

  Maintenance of water treatment installations · CPC title

• B01F5/0471

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F2003/0896

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic