Method for sterilizing water treatment apparatus having plurality of tanks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016303621-A1
Application number	US-201615196788-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 29, 2016
Priority date	May 31, 2011
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a method for sterilizing a water treatment apparatus having a plurality of tanks. The method includes, performing a sterilization preparation process to drain purified water from the first tank until a first amount of purified water is left, performing a sterilizing process to sterilize the first tank by supplying the sterilized water supplied from the sterilizing module, to drain water from the first tank through a first water outlet pipe until a second amount of water is left in the first tank, and to drain the second amount of water remaining in the first tank into the second tank through a second water outlet pipe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for sterilizing a water treatment apparatus including a sterilizing module, which generates or receives sterilized water and supplies the sterilized water, a first tank, a second tank, and an intermediate device, the method comprising:
performing a sterilization preparation process to drain purified water from the first tank into the second tank until a first amount of purified water is left in the first tank, and to drain purified water from the second tank until a second amount of purified water is left in the second tank; performing a first sterilizing process to sterilize the first tank by supplying sterilized water supplied from the sterilizing module thereto, and to drain water from the first tank into the second tank until a third amount of water is left in the first tank; performing a second sterilizing process to drain sterilized water from the second tank into the intermediate device until a fourth amount of sterilized water is left in the second tank; performing a third sterilizing process to drain the second amount of water remaining in the first tank into the second tank; performing a fourth sterilizing process to drain the sterilized water stored in the second tank; and performing a cleaning process to clean the first tank by supplying purified water to the first tank, and to drain the purified water used to clean the first tank into the second tank.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sterilization preparation process comprises:
supplying a preset volume of purified water to the first tank; draining the purified water stored in the first tank to the second tank during a first draining period; and draining the purified water stored in the second tank during a second draining period, the first draining period being a period of time taken to drain an amount of water corresponding to a difference between the preset volume and the first amount of water, the second draining period being a period of time taken to drain an amount of water corresponding to a result of a subtraction of the first amount of water and the second amount of water from the preset volume.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sterilizing process comprises:
sterilizing the first tank by supplying a preset volume of the sterilized water supplied from the sterilizing module to the first tank; and draining the sterilized water stored in the first tank into the second tank during a third draining period, the third draining period being a period of time taken to drain an amount of water corresponding to a difference between the preset volume and the third amount of water.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in the second sterilizing process, the sterilized water is drained from the second tank during a fourth draining period, the fourth draining period being a period of time taken to drain the fourth amount of water from the second tank.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning process comprises:
cleaning the first tank by supplying a preset volume of purified water to the first tank; draining the supplied purified water stored in the first tank into the second tank; draining some of the purified water from the second tank into the intermediate device; and draining the rest of the purified water from the second tank.

6 . A method for sterilizing a water treatment apparatus including a sterilizing module, which generates or receives sterilized water and supplies the sterilized water, a first tank, a second tank, and an intermediate device, the method comprising:
performing a sterilization preparation process to drain purified water from the first tank into the second tank until a first amount of purified water is left in the first tank, and to drain purified water from the second tank until a second amount of water is left in the second tank; performing a first sterilizing process to sterilize the first tank by supplying sterilized water supplied from the sterilizing module thereto, and to drain water from the first tank into the second tank until a third amount of water is left in the first tank; performing a second sterilizing process to drain sterilized water from the second tank to the intermediate device until a fourth amount of sterilized water is left in the second tank; performing a third sterilizing process to drain the second amount of water remaining in the first tank into the intermediate device; performing a first cleaning process to clean the first tank by supplying purified water to the first tank, to drain some of the purified water used to clean the first tank into the intermediate device, and to drain the rest of the purified water into the second tank; and performing a second cleaning process to drain some of the purified water from the second tank, and to drain the rest of the purified water from the second tank.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein in the sterilizing process, when water of the first tank is drained into the second tank until the third amount of water is left in the first tank during the first sterilizing process, the second amount of water remaining in the first tank is drained into the intermediate device during the third sterilizing process, and a fourth amount of the sterilized water stored in the second tank is drained to the intermediate device during the second sterilizing process.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein in the sterilizing process, when the first tank is sterilized by supplying the sterilized water supplied from the sterilizing module thereto, water of the first tank is drained into the intermediate device until the third amount of water is left in the first tank, the second amount of water remaining in the first tank is drained into the second tank, and a fourth amount of the sterilized water stored in the second tank is drained into the intermediate device.

9 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising a fourth sterilizing process to drain the sterilized water stored in the second tank after the third sterilizing process.

10 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the intermediate device is any one of a third tank, an ice maker, a carbonated water maker, and a syrup addition device.

11 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the sterilization preparation process comprises:
supplying a preset volume of purified water to the first tank; draining the purified water stored in the first tank into the second tank during a first draining period; and draining the purified water stored in the second tank during a second draining period, the first draining period being a period of time taken to drain an amount of water corresponding to a difference between the preset volume and the first amount of water, the second draining period being a period of time taken to drain an amount of water corresponding to a result of a subtraction of the first amount of water and the second amount of water from the preset volume.

12 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the first sterilizing process comprises:
sterilizing the first tank by supplying a preset volume of the sterilized water supplied from the sterilizing module to the first tank; and draining the sterilized water stored in the first tank into the second tank during a third draining period, the third draining period being a period of time taken to drain an amount of water corresponding to a difference between the preset volume and the third amount of water.

13 . The method of claim 6 , wherein in the second sterilizing process, the sterilized water is drained from the second tank during a fourth draining period, the fourth draining period being a period of time taken to drain the fourth amount of w

Assignees

• Coway Co Ltd

Inventors

• Joung Jin-Kyu
• Kim Ki-Chul
• Kim You-Shin

Classifications

• A61L2103/23

  Containers other than laboratory or medical, e.g. bottles or mail · CPC title

• C02F1/4672 Primary

  by electrooxydation · CPC title

• B01D35/147

  Bypass or safety valves · CPC title

• C02F1/50

  by addition or application of a germicide or by oligodynamic treatment {(C02F1/4606, C02F1/467, C02F1/76 take precedence)} · CPC title

• A61L2/035 Primary

  Electrolysis · CPC title