Truncated filter capsule

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10350522-B2
Application number	US-201615291109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2016
Priority date	Oct 31, 2015
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

Filter capsules for showers and sinks used in surgical settings, clean rooms and other contaminant-sensitive settings having modified outlets for improved splash control. Flat, concave, convex, asymmetric concave and asymmetric convex outlet inserts have pluralities of fluid bores with varying orientations to permit enhanced fluid flow control out of the filter capsules including divergent, convergent and mixed divergent/convergent fluid flows. An inlet with an axis offset at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the filter capsule body permits user control over the fluid flow strike point in a sink or shower stall via rotation of the capsule about the inlet connection point. A recessed outlet improves the prevention of contaminant dispersal by recessing the outlet away from contact points and potential contaminant sources. A filter cartridge top cap includes a downwardly extending extension with a concave bottom end to redirect fluids undesirably entering the filter capsule from the outlet away from the enclosed filter media and out the outlet.

First claim

What I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A filter capsule comprising:
an integral filter capsule body and filter capsule top having a capsule body wall with a bottom edge and a capsule top end, wherein the integral filter capsule body and filter capsule top end has a longitudinal axis and partially defines a filter capsule chamber;
an inlet port extending upwardly from, and formed integral with, the integral filter capsule body and filter capsule top and having a fixed axis angularly offset from the longitudinal axis of the integral filter capsule body and filter capsule top;
a filter cartridge secured in the filter capsule chamber comprising an outer filter cartridge wall having a top edge and a bottom edge, an inner filter cartridge wall having a top edge and a bottom edge and spaced radially inwardly from the outer cartridge wall, and a filter cartridge top secured to the top edges of the filter cartridge outer and inner walls, wherein the filter cartridge walls are substantially concentrically arranged, wherein the inner filter cartridge wall defines a filter cartridge core, and wherein the filter cartridge top is formed with a cylindrical filter cartridge extension that extends downwardly into the filter cartridge core, wherein a bottom end of the filter cartridge extension is formed with a concave surface facing toward a bottom end of the filter capsule;
filter media secured in the filter cartridge; and,
a combination filter capsule body bottom end cap and filter cartridge bottom end cap secured to the capsule body wall bottom edge and secured to the bottom edges of the filter cartridge outer and inner walls, wherein the combination filter capsule body bottom end cap and filter cartridge bottom end cap forms an outlet.

2. The filter capsule of claim 1 wherein the recessed outlet further comprises a second cylindrical extension extending downwardly from the flange surface.

3. The filter capsule of claim 2 wherein the second cylindrical extension is formed with a plurality of apertures at a distal end to permit fluid egress from the filter capsule.

4. The filter capsule of claim 2 wherein the outlet extension is formed with a plurality of apertures at an end distal from the flanged surface.

5. The filter capsule of claim 1 wherein in the inlet port further comprises at least one annular O-ring channel formed in a port outer wall, the filter capsule further comprising an O-ring secured in the at least one O-ring channel.

6. The filter capsule of claim 1 wherein the filter media is selected from the group consisting of toroidal-shaped, disc-shaped and loose filter media, filter membranes and combinations thereof.

7. The filter capsule of claim 1 wherein the inlet port axis is angularly offset from the integral filter capsule body and filter capsule top longitudinal axis from about 1° to about 50°.

8. The filter capsule of claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional diameter of the filter cartridge and filter cartridge cap is less than the cross-sectional diameter of the capsule chamber, wherein an annular gap is defined between an inner surface of the capsule body wall and an outer surface of the filter cartridge, wherein the annular gap is in fluid communication with the inlet port and the filter media.

9. The filter capsule of claim 8 , wherein an upper gap in the capsule chamber is defined between a top surface of the filter cartridge cap and a bottom surface of the integral filter capsule body and filter capsule top end, wherein the upper gap is in fluid communication with the inlet port and the annular gap.

10. The filter capsule of claim 9 , wherein the filter cartridge walls are formed with a plurality of gaps or passages, wherein the gaps in the outer filter cartridge wall permit fluid communication between the annular gap and the filter media, and wherein the gaps in the inner filter cartridge wall permit fluid communication between the filter media and the filter cartridge core.

11. The filter capsule of claim 1 wherein the outlet is a recessed outlet having a flange surface secured to a bottom end of the integral filter capsule body and filter capsule top and a cylindrical outlet extension extending upwardly from the flanged surface partially into the filter cartridge core and spaced from the concave surface of the filter cartridge extension.

Assignees

• Saint Gobain Performance Plastics Corp

Inventors

• Lin Zhenwu
• Shen Hong

Classifications

• E03C1/086

  Jet regulators or jet guides, easily mountable on the outlet of taps · CPC title

• E03C2001/0414

  allowing different orientations of the spout or the outlet nozzle · CPC title

• C02F2303/04

  Disinfection · CPC title

• B01D35/04

  Plug, tap, or cock filters {filtering elements mounted in or on a faucet} · CPC title

• C02F2307/06

  Mounted on or being part of a faucet, shower handle or showerhead · CPC title