Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02436390 2003-08-O1
Water Purifying Apparatus
Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water purifying apparatus.
Drinking fountains have widely been used in daily lives to purify water
and include several water-treating units such as a ceramic filtering unit, a
high
pressure active carbon unit, a magnetizing unit, and a mineralizing unit that
are
serially connected by conduits. The appearance of the dinking fountain is
adversely affected. To solve this problem, these treating units are enclosed
in a
casing. However, the overall drinking fountain including a casing is not
stable.
Further, a trend in this field is to provide water with natural minerals
("mineralized") or other elements and to magnetize the water to make the water
tinier and more stable, thereby possessing the characteristics of alignment,
good
dissolvability, and good permeability for complete contact with the minerals.
In
addition to the devices for magnetizing and mineralizing water, conventional
water magnetizing apparatuses are configured to force purified water to pass
through mineralizing layers such that the water molecules turn into magnetized
water of small molecular structure by the intensive magnetic fields
cooperating
with zigzag passageway for the water that lengthens the contact time between
the
water and the mineralizing layers and biochemical ceramic particles. The water
is
thus "energized."
However, in the conventional water magnetizing apparatuses mentioned
above, when the water flows through the mineral layers, since an outer
periphery
of the water is cut by the permanent magnetic fields, the water molecules
become
tinier as the water travels farther. Yet the water also absorbs the minerals
of the
mineral layers when passing through them. The water would also absorb
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far-infrared rays when biochemical ceramic particles are provided. As a
result, the
tinier the water cut by the magnetic fields, the more energy the water
absorbs.
This result in unbalanced energy absorbed by the water molecules during the
mineralizing and biochemical process.
Summar~r of the Invention
An object of the present invention is to provide a water purifying
apparatus that can be placed in a stable manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a water purifying
apparatus in which the time for water to absorb minerals and energy is
increased.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a plug-and-use
water purifying apparatus in which the water purifying apparatus is readily
useable after coupling of a water pipe to a coupler of the water purifying
apparatus. Further, the water outlet direction of the outlet pipe of the water
purifying apparatus can be altered according to the height of the user and the
habit
of the user. Further, the water inlet and water outlet are fixed to allow easy
installation, providing an ergonomic design.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a water purifying
apparatus having three water outlet positions so that the user may selectively
couple a faucet to one of the water outlets according to the position of the
water
purifying apparatus on the site for use. Further, the other two water outlets
not
used can be covered by plugs to keep an interior of a casing of the water
purifying
apparatus clean.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a water purifying
apparatus that can be mounted to a wall or placed on a table while providing a
stable support.
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Still another object of the present invention is to provide a water purifying
apparatus that allows easy replacement and maintenance of filtering materials
by
means of removing a front plate of the casing of the water purifying apparatus
without the need of dismantling the whole casing and the side seats of the
water
purifying apparatus, providing a time-saving, convenient, and safe design.
A water purifying apparatus in accordance with the present invention
includes:
a casing including a side seat on each of two sides thereof, at least one of
the side seats having a first screw hole in a top thereof, a second screw hole
being
defined in a top of the casing, a faucet being selectively coupled to one of
the first
screw hole and the second screw hole, and the other of the first screw hole
and the
second screw hole being covered;
a water-treating unit mounted in the casing and including a first filter
containing a first filtering means, a second filter containing a second
filtering
means, and a third filter containing a third filtering means;
a mineralizing/biochemical module including a barrel and a plurality of
lagging dishes stacked in the barrel along an axial direction of the barrel,
each
said lagging dish including an aperture in a bottom thereof, the aperture of
an
upper one of two lagging dishes being not aligned with the aperture of a lower
one of the two lagging dishes, allowing water to flow upward, the aperture in
each
said lagging dish being tiny to lag the water, thereby increasing the time for
water
to absorb minerals and energy while passing through each said lagging dish;
and
a magnetizing module mounted in the casing and including a barrel, a
sleeve mounted in the barrel and extending along an axial direction of the
barrel,
and a plurality of permanent ring magnets being mounted around the sleeve and
spaced by a spacer, each said permanent ring magnet including a plurality of
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annularly disposed permanent magnets and a holder ring mounted around the
permanent magnets, the permanent magnets being in intimate contact with one
another and together defining a hole through which the sleeve extends.
In an embodiment of the invention, the casing includes a front plate and a
second plate detachably engaged to the front plate. The first flitering means
in the
first filter includes a plurality of layers of filtering materials that are
preferably
non-woven cloth. A flow meter may be mounted downstream of the first filter.
The second filtering means includes compressed active carbon. The third
filtering
means includes ceramic filtering cores.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will
become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a water purifying apparatus in
accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the water purifying apparatus in
accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the water purifying apparatus in
accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a mineralizing/biochemical
module of the water purifying apparatus in accordance with the present
invention.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the mineralizing/biochemical module of the
water purifying apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a magnetizing module of the
water purifying apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
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Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3, wherein a faucet is coupled to a right
side of the water purifying apparatus in accordance with the present
invention.
Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 3, wherein a faucet is coupled on top of the
water purifying apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 9 is a rear perspective view of the water purifying apparatus in
accordance with the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 9, a water purifying apparatus in
accordance with the present invention generally comprises a casing 1 including
a
front plate 11 and a rear plate 12 that together form a hollow casing. The
front
plate 11 is removably engaged to the rear plate 12. As illustrated in Fig. 2,
each of
two sides of the casing 1 includes a side seat 13. A screw hole 19 is defined
in a
top of at least one of the side seats 13 for optionally engaging with a faucet
14. A
screw hole 17 is defined in a top of the casing 1 for optionally engaging with
a
faucet 15. In particular, a faucet 14 may be coupled to the left side seat 13,
as
shown in Fig. 2, and the screw hole 17 in the top of the casing 1 is covered
by a
decorative plate 16 to provide a good-looking appearance. Alternatively, a
faucet
14 is coupled to the right side seat 13, as shown in Fig. 7, and the screw
hole 17 in
the top of the casing 1 is covered by a decorative plate I6 to provide a
good-looking appearance. In another embodiment, a faucet 15 is coupled to the
top of the casing 1, as shown in Fig. 8, and a decorative plate or a plug may
be
provide to cover the screw hole 19 in the side seat 13.
The water purifying apparatus further includes a water-treating unit 2
mounted in the casing 1, a mineralizing/biochemical module 23 mounted in the
casing l, a magnetizing module 25 mounted in the casing 1, and a support base
3
on which the casing 1 is mounted.
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The water-treating unit 2 includes a first filter 21 having a plurality of
layers of filtering material (e.g., non-woven cloth) for removing impurities
in the
water, a second filter 22, and a third filter 24. A flow meter 211 is mounted
downstream the first fl lter 21 for metering the amount of water treated by
the
filtering materials. This amount can be a basis for determining when to
replace
the filtering materials. In the second filter 22, active carbons are
compressed to
form filtering layers for further removal of impurities and for removing
unpleasing odors. The third filter 24 contains filtering materials such as
ceramic
filtering cores for further removal of impurities and for removing bacteria
that
may cause diseases to human bodies.
The mineralizing/biochemical module 23 is mounted between the second
filter 22 and the third filter 24. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the
mineralizing/biochemical module 23 includes a barrel 231 and a plurality of
lagging dishes 232 stacked in the barrel 231 along an axial direction of the
barrel
231. Each lagging dish 232 includes a tiny aperture 233 in a bottom thereof.
It is
noted that the aperture 233 of an upper one of two lagging dishes 232 is not
aligned with the aperture 233 of a lower one of the two lagging dishes 232, as
shown in Fig. S. Thus, water flows upward through the tiny aperture 233 of
each
lagging dish 232 and absorbs minerals and energy while passing through
minerals
and biochemical ceramic particles filled in each lagging dish 232.
Referring to Fig. 6, the magnetizing module 25 is mounted to a side of the
mineralizing/biochemical module 23 and may be coupled to an outlet end of the
third filter 24. The magnetizing module 2S includes a barrel 251, a sleeve 252
mounted in the barrel 251 and extending along an axial direction of the barrel
251,
and a plurality of permanent ring magnets 2S3 mounted around the sleeve ZS2,
each two permanent ring magnets 253 adjacent to each other being spaced by a
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spacer 254. Each permanent ring magnet 253 includes a plurality of annularly
disposed permanent magnets 256 and a holder ring 2S5 mounted around the
permanent magnets 256. 'The permanent magnets 256 are in intimate contact with
one another and together define a hole 2S7 through which the sleeve 252
extends.
The support base 3 is a disc having an opening facing upward to a bottom
side of the casing 1, thereby allowing insertion of the lower portion of the
casing
1 into the opening of the support base 3.
In operation, water flows through the first filter 21 and the flow meter 211.
As mentioned above, the flow meter 211 indicates the amount of water treated
by
the filtering materials and thus provides a basis for determining whether to
replace the filtering materials. Then, the water passes through the
mineralizing/biochemical filter 23 containing active carbon layers for further
purification. As mentioned above, each lagging dish 232 includes a tiny
aperture
233 in a bottom thereof, and the aperture 233 of an upper one of two lagging
dishes 232 is not aligned with the aperture 233 of a lower one of the two
lagging
dishes 232, as shown in Fig. S. Thus, water flows upward through the tiny
aperture 233 of each lagging dish 232A, 232B and absorbs minerals and energy
while passing through minerals and biochemical ceramic particles filled in
each
lagging dish 232.
Next, water leaving the mineralizing/biochemical filter 23 flows into the
third filter 24 containing ceramic filtering cores for further purification.
Then,
water enters the magnetizing module 25. In detail, the water flows through the
sleeve 252 in the barrel 251 and thus magnetized by the permanent ring magnets
253 consisting of a plurality of permanent magnets 256. The structure of water
molecules is thus changed (i.e., magnetized).
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According to the above description, it is appreciated that the water
purifying apparatus in accordance with the present invention can be placed in
a
stable manner by means of providing a support base 3. Further, in the water
purifying apparatus in accordance with the present invention, the time for
water to
absorb minerals and energy is increased. Further, a plug-and-use water
purifying
apparatus is provided, wherein the water purifying apparatus is readily
useable
after coupling of a water pipe to a coupler of the water purifying apparatus.
Further, the water outlet direction of the outlet pipe of the water purifying
apparatus can be altered according to the height of the user and the habit of
the
IO user. Further, the water inlet and water outlet are fixed to allow easy
installation,
providing an ergonomic design.
In addition, the water purifying apparatus has three water outlet positions
so that the user may selectively couple a faucet to one of the water outlets
according to the position of the water purifying apparatus on the site for
use.
Further, the other two water outlets not used can be covered by plugs to keep
an
interior of a casing of the water purifying apparatus clean. Further, the
water-treating module 2, the mineralizing/biochemical module 23, and the
magnetizing module 25 can be independently installed according to the layout
of
pipelines in the water purifying apparatus.
Further, the purifying apparatus can be mounted to a wall (see the hanger
holes 18 on the rear side of the casing 1, see Fig. 9) or placed on a table
while
providing a stable support. Further, the water purifying apparatus allows easy
replacement and maintenance of filtering materials by means of removing a
front
plate 11 of the casing 1 of the water purifying apparatus without the need of
dismantling the whole casing 1 and the side seats 13 of the water purifying
apparatus, providing a time-saving, convenient, and safe design.
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Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred
embodiments, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and
variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as
hereinafter claimed.
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