Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080237109 | CROSSFLOW FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH QUICK DRY CHANGE ELEMENTS - A crossflow filtration system including at least one quick dry change crossflow filtration cartridge designed to rotatably interface with a manifold assembly. The quick dry change crossflow filtration cartridge can comprise a membrane element, for example an ultrafiltration membrane, microfiltration membrane, nanofiltration membrane or reverse osmosis membrane element enclosed within a housing. The quick dry change cartridge includes an inlet stream, a permeate stream and a concentrate stream. The manifold assembly includes three similar flow paths; an inlet stream, a permeate stream and a concentrate stream. When engaged, the cartridge and manifold assembly define continuous inlet flow paths, permeate flow paths and concentrate flow paths that connect across the interface. Thus, all of the connections to the water filtration system can be made onto the manifold, and the resulting connected system is compact and easy to connect. | 10-02-2008 |
20090025826 | LIQUID DISPENSER ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH AN APPLIANCE - A liquid filtering and dispensing system can be formed as an integral unit and configured for placement within an appliance compartment. The system can have a manifold with a filter connection including inflow and outflow attachments for a filter cartridge, an inlet, at least one outlet forming a dispenser and a valve to control flow through the integral system. The system can include a cooling reservoir fluidly located prior to the dispenser. The system can include a removable carafe and a carafe mount configured such that the carafe can receive liquid from the dispenser. The carafe mount can be configured to supply liquid from the carafe to a remote dispensing assembly such as a refrigerator door dispenser. The carafe mount can be positioned within the refrigerator compartment or within the refrigerator door. | 01-29-2009 |
20090095671 | HOT DISCONNECT REPLACEABLE WATER FILTER ASSEMBLY - A filter assembly for filtering water from an external source, the filter assembly having a manifold assembly and a filter cartridge. The filter cartridge includes a cartridge engagement means while the manifold includes a manifold engagement means. The cartridge engagement means and manifold engagement means cooperatively interfacing for removable attachment of the filter cartridge to the manifold assembly. The cartridge engagement means and manifold engagement means oriented in a retaining relation during removal of the cartridge filter from the manifold assembly such that any entrained pressure within the cartridge filter is vented while the cartridge engagement means and manifold engagement means are in the retaining relation. | 04-16-2009 |
20100096302 | SYSTEM FOR MONITORING THE PERFORMANCE OF FLUID TREATMENT CARTRIDGES - A fluid treatment system is provided, the system including a fluid treatment cartridge for treating fluid passing therethrough. The cartridge has an inlet through which untreated fluid enters the cartridge and an outlet from which treated fluid exits the cartridge. The cartridge also has a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for storing data. The fluid treatment system also includes a connection manifold configured to detachably support the fluid treatment cartridge. The connection manifold has an inlet flow path for directing untreated fluid to the inlet of the cartridge and an outlet flow path for directing treated fluid from the outlet of the cartridge, and a data sensor for reading data stored on the RFID tag. The fluid treatment system further includes means for evaluating the data stored on the RFID tag and read by the data sensor, as well as means for deterring fluid treatment system use based upon the evaluation of the data stored on the RFID tag and read by the data sensor. | 04-22-2010 |
20100180423 | FREEZE RESISTANT WATER FILTER - A freeze resistant filter cartridge assembly, includes a filter cartridge including a filter housing and a filter media and having at least one component selected from a list of components consisting of: the filter housing being formed of an increased elasticity polyolefin polymer having elongation and glass transition properties that allow for stretching of the housing during a freezing event rather than rupturing; a sleeve having a volume of air entrapped therein within and being disposed in the interior of the filter cartridge; and the filter housing formed of a conventional polyolefin having a wall thickness great enough to resist freeze induced expansion stresses. A method of forming a freeze resistant filter cartridge assembly is further included. | 07-22-2010 |
20100307966 | HOT DISCONNECT REPLACEABLE WATER FILTER ASSEMBLY - A filter assembly for filtering water from an external source, the filter assembly having a manifold assembly and a filter cartridge. The filter cartridge includes a cartridge engagement means while the manifold includes a manifold engagement means. The cartridge engagement means and manifold engagement means cooperatively interfacing for removable attachment of the filter cartridge to the manifold assembly. The cartridge engagement means and manifold engagement means oriented in a retaining relation during removal of the cartridge filter from the manifold assembly such that any entrained pressure within the cartridge filter is vented while the cartridge engagement means and manifold engagement means are in the retaining relation. | 12-09-2010 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120175474 | ELECTRONIC DEVICE HOLDER - A holder for an electronic device includes a head with elastically flexible portions configured to removably receive the electronic device with a snap-fit interlock, a neck for supporting the head relative to a surface, and a ball and socket connector coupling the neck to the head, the ball and socket connector configured to allow adjustment of the yaw, the pitch, and the roll of the electronic device with respect to the neck when the electronic device is coupled to the head. | 07-12-2012 |
20120199615 | TRI-FUNCTION TAP FOR BEVERAGES - A tap for liquids dispenses liquids including wines from plastic bags or bladders packaged in cardboard boxes, and has three modes of operation. Liquids may be dispensed from the box on a shelf by manually turning a rotatable cap to open a valve for liquid to flow by gravity; an adapter attached to the tap automates the process and dispenses liquids through a pump; and the tap may be used to fill bags or bladders from an automated filling machine. In a first embodiment, the rotatable cap must be manually opened for both manual and automated operation. In a second embodiment, the rotatable cap may remain closed and the adapter can still dispense liquids through the tap using a pump. | 08-09-2012 |
20140144935 | WINE DISPENSING SYSTEM - A wine dispensing system comprises a cabinet with refrigerated compartments for maintaining bulk wine in boxes and dispenses any one of a number of wine varieties upon pressing an appropriate button. Check valves in the system prevent air from spoiling unused wine, and a computer measures each pour, updates inventory, and accepts demographic information to assist in marketing and sales promotion. | 05-29-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080237060 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTROLYTIC TREATMENT OF WATER - Apparatus and related methods for increasing dissolved oxygen levels in water to remove iron and/or manganese. A dissolved oxygen treatment system includes a control system having a power supply and an electrode placed within a water chamber. At the electrode, water is converted into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, wherein the oxygen gas remains in solution and increases the concentration of dissolved oxygen gas in the water. The dissolved oxygen treatment system can be manually configurable wherein the electrode is selectively wired to use either portions of or the whole electrode based upon testing of the water source with a dynamic electrode test system. Alternatively, the dissolved oxygen treatment system can include a smart controller, a variable power supply and a fixed size electrode, wherein the smart controller continually controls the power output to the fixed size electrode so as to control the amount of dissolved oxygen that is generated. | 10-02-2008 |
20080237924 | FILTER CARTRIDGE AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION THEREOF - A filter cartridge includes a one-piece housing having a port and a filtration element disposed in the housing. The filtration element is a coherent filter block that can be, but is not necessarily, larger in cross dimension than the port. In one embodiment, the filtration element is a coherent filter block that generally conforms to the shape of the hollow interior, but is slightly smaller than the hollow interior so as to define a gap between the filtration element and the inner surface. One method for constructing a filter cartridge includes providing a housing having a hollow interior and at least one port, introducing a granular material into the hollow interior via the port, and transforming the granular material in the hollow material into a coherent filter block. Another method for constructing a filter cartridge includes providing a filtration element in the form of a coherent filter block, and overmolding a housing around the filtration element. | 10-02-2008 |
20090090415 | CHEMICAL DELIVERY SYSTEM - An expandable chemical delivery system sharing a common bulk fluid inlet and bulk fluid flow path to direct a bulk fluid through one or more selected chemical eductors. Each chemical eductor is slidably insertable into an eductor port on the manifold body such that rotation of the chemical eductor is not required for installation. After installation, the orientation of the chemical eductor can be rotatably adjusted so as to avoid interference with adjacent chemical eductors. Delivery of a bulk fluid to each chemical eductor is controlled via a corresponding valve assembly that selectively allows or blocks flow of the bulk fluid form the bulk fluid flow path to the corresponding chemical eductor. The manifold body can include a plurality of individual manifold bodies approximated with a coupling system to define the bulk fluid flow path. Alternatively, the manifold body can comprise a single fabricated body for high pressure operation. | 04-09-2009 |
20090211919 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IMPROVED ELECTROLYTIC WATER TREATMENT PROCESS - An electrolytic water treatment system improving upon the electrode life of electrolytic oxygen generators by reducing mineral precipitation and fouling that typically occurs in water treatment systems. The electrolytic water treatment system can include a softened water bypass stream into which a flow-through electrolytic element can be positioned. By eliminating exposure of the electrolytic element to hard water, scale formation on electrodes can be significantly reduced such that polarity reversal cycles of the electrolytic element decrease in frequency. | 08-27-2009 |
20110048964 | AXIAL-SUMP ELECTROLYTIC FLOW CELL - Apparatus and associated methods pertaining to an axial-flow electrolytic sump for operation in low to medium conductivity hard water. The axial-flow electrolytic sump can include easily replaceable components providing for ease of maintenance, low-cost replacement, and the lowest impact to the environment for the service life of the system. In general, the axial-flow electrolytic sump can comprise a removable/replaceable electrode cartridge that is operably enclosed in a sump housing. | 03-03-2011 |
20110108489 | INTEGRAL ELECTROLYTIC TREATMENT UNIT - An electrolytic filtration system incorporating a filter vessel and an electrolytic element into a simple compact system which avoids the use of toxic chemicals and eliminates the need for large reservoirs to ensure adequate contact time to remove iron and other problem contaminants. The electrolytic filtration system includes a filter head having a control valve and an electrolytic generator. The control valve directs flow through the filter vessel and allows for an intermittent backwash cycle as desired. The electrolytic generator can be integrated into the filter head to provide ease of installation and reduce the overall footprint of the electrolytic filtration system. The electrolytic generator can include a flow sensor and power supply to provide for control of the electrolytic generator. | 05-12-2011 |
20110192433 | CHEMICAL DELIVERY DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM - A system for controlling and monitoring the chemical usage in a car wash systems that form an aqueous cleaning solution by diluting a cleaning chemical concentrate in a process water stream to form. Level sensors are mounted to the bulk containers containing the chemical concentrate to measure and track the usage of the chemical concentrates. The usage data is collected and used to adjust flow rate controllers controlling the dilution of the concentrate into the process water stream. The system can be integrated into continuous processes where the aqueous cleaning solution is dispensed immediately after production and batch processes where the cleaning solution is stored temporarily before being dispensed onto a vehicle. | 08-11-2011 |
20110247974 | FILTRATION SYSTEM - A filtration system is disclosed comprising a filter manifold and a filter cartridge. The filter manifold comprises a bracket, a valve, a manifold feed port, a manifold filtrate port, and a handle. The valve is held by the bracket and comprises a fixed portion attached to the bracket and a rotary portion. The handle is operatively connected to the rotary portion and comprises a cartridge lifter having one of a camming ramp or a camming lug lifter engagement feature. The handle is rotatable to a service position and a disengaged position, wherein the manifold feed port is blocked by the valve when the handle is in the disengaged position. The filter cartridge comprises a cartridge feed port, a cartridge filtrate port, and an external cartridge surface having one of a camming lug or a camming ramp for engaging the lifter engagement feature. | 10-13-2011 |
20110303543 | ELECTRICALLY ENHANCED FILTER CARTRIDGE AND METHODS FOR ITS USE - A fluid treatment apparatus and related methods involving the use of replaceable treatment cartridges that include a treatment media, wherein the treatment cartridge is electrically enhanced to form regions of differing polarity within the cartridge. The treatment cartridge can include a pair of fixed polarity conductors that can be electrically connected to a power source so as to induce regions of differing polarity within the cartridge. The fluid treatment apparatus can be utilized to treat liquids including aqueous solutions as well as gases such as an air supply by exposing the fluid to the regions of differing polarity. | 12-15-2011 |
20120138628 | GRAVIMETRIC DISPENSING SYSTEM - Apparatus and related methods for continually measuring and dispensing precise amounts of bulk chemical in a car wash application. A gravimetric dispensing assembly can include a load cell and a syringe dosing pump that is suspended below the load cell such that an entire mass of the syringe dosing pump is communicated to the load cell. In this manner, the load cell can measure the actual mass of chemical being dispensed from the syringe dosing pump on a continuous basis without solely relying on the rated volumetric capacity of the syringe dosing pump. The syringe dosing pump can be driven by a stepper motor that can be pulsed as directed by a controller so as to maintain, increase or decrease an amount of bulk chemical being dispensed from the syringe dosing pump. | 06-07-2012 |
20120325853 | MICRO DOSING PANEL SYSTEM - Chemical dispensing systems and related methods for precision handling of fluids including water and bulk chemicals. Representative chemical dispensing system can include wall mounted dispensing panels or portable, frame mounted dispensing units. These chemical dispensing systems provide easy access to all required interfaces including water, chemical, air, electrical and solution. The wall mounted dispensing panel can include a molded routing panel having molded recesses for mounting and managing specific air, fluid and control modules. The portable, frame mounted dispensing unit can include an onboard pump assembly for pressurizing a motive fluid. The frame assembly can include one or more lifting handles and adjustable feet to allow for easy transportation and placement of the portable dispensing unit. | 12-27-2012 |
20130160865 | CHEMICAL DELIVERY SYSTEM - An expandable chemical delivery system sharing a common bulk fluid inlet and bulk fluid flow path to direct a bulk fluid through one or more selected chemical eductors. Each chemical eductor is slidably insertable into an eductor port on the manifold body such that rotation of the chemical eductor is not required for installation. After installation, the orientation of the chemical eductor can be rotatably adjusted so as to avoid interference with adjacent chemical eductors. Delivery of a bulk fluid to each chemical eductor is controlled via a corresponding valve assembly that selectively allows or blocks flow of the bulk fluid from the bulk fluid flow path to the corresponding chemical eductor. The manifold body can include a plurality of individual manifold bodies approximated with a coupling system to define the bulk fluid flow path. Alternatively, the manifold body can comprise a single fabricated body for high pressure operation. | 06-27-2013 |
20130200102 | CHEMICAL DISPENSING APPARATUS AND RELATED METHODS - A chemical dispensing assembly having injector assemblies that combine a solvent stream with a concentrate stream within a Venturi injector assembly to produce a chemical solution outlet stream. Each injector assembly has an interchangeable metering assembly that limits the flow of concentrate into the Venturi injector assembly to change the resulting concentration of the concentrate within the solution outlet stream. The chemical dispensing assembly also has a keyed connector system that prevents the connection of the wrong concentrate container to the wrong injector assembly. | 08-08-2013 |
20140042242 | QUICK-DISCONNECT KEYED VENTURI - A chemical delivery system and related methods of use in which a multi-port manifold is utilized to distribute a plurality of mixed chemical solutions. The multi-port manifold includes a single fluid inlet for receiving a diluent supply that is routed to a plurality of individual outlet ports. A venturi injector module including a valve assembly, a venturi mixing assembly and a latch assembly is fluidly coupled to each outlet port for individually controlling flow of the diluent through the outlet port. The venturi mixing assembly generally comprises a quick-connect projection for coupling the venturi mixing assembly to the outlet port. The latch assembly functions to retain the fluid connection of the venturi mixing assembly and the outlet port. The latch assembly and venturi mixing assembly generally include corresponding portions of a keyway shape that ensures that only the proper venturi mixing assembly is attached to the proper outlet port. | 02-13-2014 |