Water treatment cartridge

Abstract

A water treatment cartridge includes a base having a recess therein. One outlet is located in the recess in the base and at least one further outlet is located away from the recess in the base. The outlet located in the recess in the base may be surrounded by an annular wall which projects away from the base of the water treatment cartridge to cooperate with a hopper in which the cartridge is fitted. The outlets can be designed to restrict the flow of water through the cartridge independently of any hopper in which the cartridge is mounted.

Claims

1. A water treatment cartridge, comprising: a first outlet and at least one second outlet each arranged to exhaust water to the exterior of the cartridge; a body comprising a sealing rim arranged in use to provide a sealing arrangement with a hopper that the water treatment cartridge is inserted into, and wherein the first outlet and the at least one second outlet are provided below the sealing rim, the body having side walls and a base together defining a water treatment chamber therein, the base forming an external wall at a bottom of the cartridge, the external wall comprising a lower base wall and a recess disposed in the base extending from the lower base wall and into the water treatment chamber to define an upper base wall in the external wall at the bottom of the cartridge at a level above the lower base wall, the recess having the first outlet located in the upper base wall and below the sealing rim, and the base further including the at least one second outlet located in the lower base wall and away from the recess; and a water treatment medium disposed within the body in the water treatment chamber, the water treatment medium including one or more of ion exchange particles, an ionic exchange medium, activated carbon, or charcoal particles.

2. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first outlet located in the upper base wall is surrounded by an annular wall which projects away from the upper base wall of the water treatment cartridge.

3. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 1, comprising two second outlets located in the lower base wall and away from the recess in the base.

4. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first outlet in the recess and/or the second outlet(s) away from the recess comprise a restricted outlet having a size such as to control the flow of water through the cartridge.

5. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second outlets comprise circular holes.

6. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first and second circular outlet holes are between 1.8 mm and 2.6 mm in diameter.

7. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 1, comprising a grille or mesh extending across the outlets arranged to retain particles away from the first and second outlets.

8. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 7, wherein the grille or mesh is spaced internally from the corresponding first or second outlet(s).

9. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cartridge is cylindrical with an oval shaped base.

10. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 1, comprising one or more inlets in an upper surface of the cartridge, wherein the inlets and the first and second outlets are arranged so that the flow rate of untreated water into the water treatment cartridge through the inlets is greater than the flow of treated water through the first and second outlets.

11. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the water treatment cartridge comprises an attachment arranged to cooperate with a hopper to allow the cartridge to be secured so as to depend downwardly from an outlet opening of the hopper.

12. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 11, wherein the attachment is located on an upper portion of the cartridge.

13. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 11, wherein the attachment comprises a bayonet fitting.

14. A water treatment cartridge, comprising: a body having side walls and a base together defining a water treatment chamber therein, wherein the base comprises a lower base wall and a recess, the recess comprising an upper part and a further wall extending from the lower base wall into the body to the upper part, the further wall being independent of and spaced from the side walls of the body such that the side walls surround the recess; an outlet located in the upper part of the recess; and at least one further outlet located away from the recess.

15. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 14, wherein the outlet located in the upper part of the recess is surrounded by an annular wall which projects away from the upper part of the recess.

16. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 14, comprising two further outlets located in the lower base wall and away from the recess.

17. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 14, wherein the outlet in the recess and/or the at least one further outlet(s) away from the recess comprise a restricted outlet having a size such as to control the flow of water through the cartridge.

18. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 14, wherein the outlet and at least one further outlet comprise circular holes.

19. The water treatment cartridge as claimed in claim 14, wherein the body comprises a sealing rim around the side walls at a level above the upper part of the recess.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Certain preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIGS. 1 and 2 show isometric views of a water treatment cartridge in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

(3) FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of the cartridge installed in a typical hopper; and

(4) FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of a water treatment cartridge in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) FIGS. 1 and 2 show isometric views of a water treatment cartridge 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The cartridge 1 comprises a body 2 which is filled with filter material, e.g. activated carbon and an ionic exchange medium. The upper surface 4 of the body 2 has inlets 6 in it to allow water to flow into the cartridge 1, the inlets 6 comprising a grille and mesh which prevents foreign bodies passing into the cartridge 1 and retains the filter material within the body 2 of the cartridge 1. The base 8 of the cartridge 1 includes a recess 10 which contains a projecting annular spigot 13 which surrounds an outlet hole 12 (hidden within the spigot). Two further outlet holes 14 are provided in the base 8 of the cartridge 1. The outlet holes 12, 14 allow treated water to flow out of the cartridge 1, i.e. each outlet 12, 14 exhausts water to the exterior of the cartridge.

(6) The body 2 of the cartridge 1 further comprises a sealing rim 16 mounted between the upper surface 4 and the base 8 to provide a water tight seal when the cartridge 1 is installed into a hopper of a water treatment appliance (see FIG. 3 for more details). Bayonet mounting lugs 18 are also provided on the body 2 of the cartridge 1, just below the upper surface 4, so that the cartridge 1 can be installed into a hopper which has this type of attachment mechanism.

(7) FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the water treatment cartridge 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when installed in a typical hopper 20 of a water treatment appliance, e.g. a water filter jug.

(8) The hopper 20 comprises a lower portion 22 with slightly tapering walls into which the cartridge 1 is inserted, and an upper concave portion 24 into which water is poured, so that it can be filtered by passing through the cartridge 1 and the filter material that it contains. The base 26 of the lower portion 22 of the hopper 20 comprises an outlet 28. The outlet 28 comprises a valve 30 within an inwardly projecting protrusion 32.

(9) The valve 30 includes a tiltable valve member 34 which has to be opened to allow water to flow out of the hopper 20 through the outlet 28. The recess 10 and the annular spigot 13 on the base 8 of the cartridge 1 are shaped to accommodate the inward protrusion 32 of the hopper outlet 28.

(10) In the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 3, it can be seen that the outlet holes 12, 14 of the cartridge 1 are covered with disc-shaped meshes 36 which act to retain the filter material within the body 2 of the cartridge 1 to prevent it blocking the outlet holes 12, 14.

(11) As can also be seen in FIG. 3, the outlet hole 12 (i.e., the first outlet) and the outlet holes 14 (i.e., the at least one second outlet) are provided below the sealing rim 16. The recess 10 is disposed in the base 8 and extends from a lower base wall 38 and into the water treatment chamber 40 to define an upper base wall 42 in the external wall at the bottom of the cartridge 1 at a level above the lower base wall 38. Further, the recess 10 has the outlet hole 12, i.e. the first outlet, located in the upper base wall 42 and below the sealing rim 16. As is apparent from FIG. 3, the recess 10 comprises an upper part, i.e. the upper base wall 42, and a further wall 44 extending from the lower base wall 38 into the body 2 to the upper part, the further wall 44 being independent of and spaced from the side walls 46 of the body 2 such that the side walls 46 surround the recess 10.

(12) In the further embodiment seen in FIG. 4 the cartridge 1 is essentially the same as described with respect to FIGS. 1-3, except the upper surface 4 of the body 2 is substantially flat rather than being crowned (as seen in FIG. 1). The inlets 6 are still spaced the same distance from the base 8 of the cartridge 1 due to the thickness of the cap providing the upper surface 4.

(13) In operation the water treatment cartridge 1 is inserted into the lower portion 22 of the hopper 20, into the position shown in FIG. 3. The sealing rim 16 of the cartridge 1 engages with the inner wall of the lower portion 22 of the hopper 20 to create a water tight seal between the hopper 20 and the cartridge 1, thereby ensuring that all the water poured into the upper portion 24 of the hopper 20 passes through the cartridge 1. The dimensions of the sealing rim are designed to control the depth to which the cartridge 1 can be inserted into the lower portion 22 since the latter has tapering walls.

(14) Also when the cartridge 1 is inserted into hopper 20, the spigot 13 contacts the sloping shoulder at the top of the valve member 34 to tilt it away from its resting position, thereby allowing water to flow out of the hopper 20. Apart from the sealing rim 16, this is the only point of contact between the cartridge 10 and the hopper 20.

(15) Once the cartridge 1 has been installed into the hopper 20, untreated water can be poured into the upper portion 24 of the hopper 20. From here it flows into the cartridge through the inlets 6 in the upper surface 4 of the cartridge 1, and percolates through the filter material. The treated water then flows out of the outlets 12, 14 of the cartridge.

(16) Water flowing out of the central outlet hole 12 within the spigot 13 in the recess 10 in the cartridge 1 bypasses the lower portion 22 of the hopper 20, i.e. the hole at the top of the inwardly projecting protrusion 32, and therefore only has to flow through the outlet 28 by the valve 30 in the bottom of the hopper 20 to then be collected in the water treatment appliance for further use.

(17) Water flowing out of the other outlet holes 14 in the base 8 of the cartridge 1 is first collected in the lower portion 22 of the hopper 20 from where it then flows along the annular gap between the inwardly projecting protrusion 32 of the hopper 20 and the recess 10 in the base 8 of the cartridge 1 to allow it to pass first through the hole in the top of the inwardly projecting protrusion 32 and then through the outlet 28 by the valve 30 in the bottom of the hopper 20 to again be collected in the water treatment appliance for further use.

(18) The cartridge 1 seen in FIG. 4 may be mounted in the hopper 20 in the same way as described above.

(19) It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many variations and modifications to the embodiments described above may be made within the scope of the various aspects of the invention set out herein. For example any number of additional outlets in the body of the cartridge below the sealing rim could be provided, e.g. in the side walls.