Drinking water filter with integral self-disinfecting delivery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656880-B2
Application number	US-201514845414-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2015
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention is generally directed toward an appliance that includes a water source inlet that receives intake water from a water source and a water outlet proximate a water dispensing location on a door of the appliance in fluid communication with one another via one or more water conduits spaced within the appliance. The appliance also includes a removable water filter and dispenser assembly configured to be removably engaged and disengaged with the water outlet of the appliance by hand without the use of tools. The removable water filter and dispenser assembly includes: (1) a housing that includes at least one water treatment media; and (2) a treated water dispensing outlet configured to deliver water treated by the at least one water treatment media for use or consumption.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An appliance comprising:
a water source inlet that receives intake water from a water source and a water outlet proximate a water dispensing location of the appliance in fluid communication with one another via one or more water conduits spaced within the appliance;
a removable water filter and dispenser assembly configured to be removably engaged and disengaged with the water outlet of the appliance by hand without the use of tools, the removable water filter and dispenser assembly including:
a housing having at least one side wall and a bottom defining an interior volume; and
a treated water dispensing outlet configured to deliver water treated by an at least one water treatment medium for use or consumption, wherein treated water leaving the removable water filter dispenser assembly is free of engagement with an additional appliance liquid-water conduit; and

a water outlet engagement system that fluidly engages the removable water filter and dispenser assembly and the water outlet in a fluid tight manner and configured to allow water received from the water outlet into engagement with the at least one water treatment medium disposed within the interior volume of the housing.

2. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the water dispensing location is on a door of the appliance and wherein the removable water filter and dispenser assembly is an integrated water filter and dispenser assembly.

3. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the treated water dispensing outlet of the appliance is connected with the water source inlet positioned on a top surface of the housing at the water outlet engagement system and wherein the water outlet engagement system is configured such that water leaving the treated water dispensing outlet does not travel through further appliance water conduits before being dispensed.

4. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises an upwardly extending collar circumferentially spaced about a water receiving aperture in the top of the housing wherein the collar is configured to sealingly engage the treated water dispensing outlet to the water outlet of the appliance.

5. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the at least one water treatment medium is one or more medium chosen from a group consisting of: activated carbon particles, an activated carbon particle with aluminosilicate bonded with titanium dioxide and nanoparticulate zinc oxide mesoporous activated carbon, carbon powder, particles sintered with a plastic binder, carbon particles coated with a silver containing material, a block of porous carbon, ion exchange material, resin beads, flat filtration membranes, fibrous filtration structures, zeolite particles or coatings, polyethylene, charged-modified glass webs, melt blown glass webs, microfiber glass webs, alumina, an aluminosilicate material, and a diatomaceous earth.

6. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the at least one water treatment medium is fully contained within the interior volume of the housing.

7. The appliance of claim 4 , wherein the upwardly extending collar has at least one O-ring engaged to a surface of the collar and wherein a fitting engages the surface of the collar proximate the at least one O-ring to fasten the collar to the treated water dispensing outlet of the appliance.

8. The appliance of claim 4 , wherein the water outlet of the appliance has threads on the water outlet of the appliance that matingly engage threads on a surface of the collar.

9. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the appliance further comprises a mounting bracket that is a separate component from the appliance and that is operably engaged to the appliance, wherein the mounting bracket includes a mechanism to engage the housing of the removable water filter and dispenser assembly via an internal or external threading defined within the mounting bracket that cooperates with a portion of the housing, and wherein the treated water dispensing outlet is defined within the bottom of the housing.

10. The appliance of claim 1 , wherein the water dispensing location is proximate an ice maker of the appliance.

11. A removable and integral water filter and dispenser assembly configured to be removably engaged and disengaged with a water outlet of an appliance by hand without the use of tools comprising:
a housing having at least one side wall and a bottom defining an interior volume; a water dispensing outlet engagement system that fluidly engages the removable integral water filter and dispenser assembly and a water dispensing outlet in a fluid tight manner and configured to allow water received from the water outlet of the appliance into engagement with at least one water treatment medium spaced at least partially within the interior volume of the housing; and
a downwardly extending treated water dispensing outlet integral with the bottom of the housing and configured to deliver water treated by the at least one water treatment medium for use or consumption, wherein water delivered from the downwardly extending treated water dispensing outlet is free of a further appliance liquid-water conduit.

12. The removable and integral water filter and dispenser assembly of claim 11 , wherein the at least one water treatment medium is fully contained in the interior volume of the housing.

13. The removable and integral water filter and dispenser assembly of claim 11 , wherein a peripheral edge of the at least one water treatment medium is pleated, and wherein when the water dispensing outlet engagement system fluidly engages the removable integral water filter and dispenser assembly and the water dispensing outlet in a fluid tight manner, the peripheral edge of the at least one water treatment medium extends at least partially into the water dispensing outlet.

14. The removable and integral water filter and dispenser assembly of claim 11 , wherein the housing is threadably engaged with the water dispensing outlet.

15. A method of filtering water being dispensed from an appliance and periodically replacing a water filter of the appliance and a water dispensing outlet of the appliance comprising steps of:
installing a first removable water filter and dispenser assembly into fluid engagement with a water outlet of the appliance proximate a water dispensing location of the appliance by hand without the use of tools comprising:
a housing having at least one side wall and a bottom defining an interior volume; a water outlet engagement system that fluidly engages the first removable water filter and dispenser assembly and the water outlet in a fluid tight manner and configured to allow water received from the water outlet into engagement with one or more water treatment medium disposed at least partially within the interior volume of the housing; and
a treated water dispensing outlet;

filtering and dispensing water of the appliance through the treated water dispensing outlet, and directly to a user for consumption, for a period of time using the first removable water filter and dispenser assembly, wherein water delivered from the treated water dispensing outlet is free of a further appliance liquid-water conduit;
disengaging the first removable water filter and dispenser assembly, which includes the treated water dispensing outlet, by hand and without the use of tools; and
installing a second removable water filter and dispenser assembly into fluid engagement with the water outlet of the appliance proximate the water dispensing location on a door of the appliance by hand without the use of tools wherein the second removable water filter and dispenser assembly comprises:
a second housing h

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Gooden Cory
• Kuehl Steven
• Senninger Mark

Classifications

• C02F9/20

  Portable or detachable small-scale multistage treatment devices, e.g. point of use or laboratory water purification systems · CPC title

• F25D2323/121

  the refrigerator is characterised by a water filter for the water/ice dispenser · CPC title

• C02F2307/12

  as part of household appliances such as dishwashers, laundry washing machines or vacuum cleaners · CPC title

• B01D35/02

  Filters adapted for location in special places, e.g. pipe-lines, pumps, stop-cocks, (B01D35/05 takes precedence; {water pipe system filters E03B3/18, E03B7/07; dirt catchers in sewers E03F; filters or strainers for pipe-lines in general B08B, E03F; object or dirt catching devices in sinks or the like E03C1/26; suction strainers or filters for pumps F04B53/005, F04D29/70}) · CPC title

• C02F1/283

  using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them · CPC title