Water purifying apparatus and filter structure

• US 10,532,302 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2018
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: You, Jimin, An, Siyeon, Hwang, Uison, Kim, Youngjae, Kweon, Gyeonghwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mellon, David C
• Application Number:
  US16/115,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20180361285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/301 Details of removable closures, lids, caps, filter heads
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/302 having inlet or outlet ports
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/347 Radial sealings
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/4061 between a cartridge and a filter head or manifold
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/15 arranged for inward flow filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 35/147 Bypass or safety valves
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 35/30 Filter housing constructions
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 35/306 Filter mounting adapter
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/001 Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/003 using household-type filters for producing potable water, e.g. pitchers, bottles, faucet mounted devices C02F9/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/283 using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/44 by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis general membrane separation processes B01D61/00, membrane modules B01D63/00, electrodialysis C02F1/4693, combination of membrane modules and bioreactors C02F3/1268
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/004 Seals, connections
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/006 Cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2301/043 Treatment of partial or bypass streams
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2307/10 as part of a potable water dispenser, e.g. for use in homes or offices
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2307/12 as part of household appliances such as dishwashers, laundry washing machines or vacuum cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/02 with cooling compartments at different temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/126 Water cooler
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/021 : French doors
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/121 : the refrigerator is characterised by a water filter for the water/ice dispenser

Abstract

A water purifying apparatus including a head having a water inlet portion and a water outlet portion; a shaft provided in the head and rotatably mounted between the water inlet portion and the water outlet portion; a bypass flow path passing through a circumference of the shaft, and communicating the water inlet portion with the water outlet portion according to rotation of the shaft; a filter detachably mounted to the head, and having a filter inserting portion in which the shaft is inserted when being mounted on the head; and a filtering flow path in which an inlet port and an outlet port are formed on the circumference of the shaft in a direction intersecting the bypass flow path, and communicated between the filter, the water inlet portion and the water outlet portion with each other according to the rotation of the shaft.

Claims

1. A filter structure, comprising:

a filtering member;

a housing body comprising an opening portion and a first accommodating space to accommodate the filtering member;

a housing cap coupled to the opening portion, the housing cap comprising a second accommodating space;

a housing fastening portion provided at the housing cap; and

an upper supporter disposed in the second accommodating space, the upper supporter coupled to the filtering member and disposed on an inner surface of the housing cap,

the upper supporter comprising;

a supporter accommodating portion coupled to the filtering member,

a supporter stepped portion formed on the supporter accommodating portion, wherein a second filter inlet flow path is formed in the supporter stepped portion to supply water in a space between the filtering member and the housing body,

a supporter extending portion extending from the supporter stepped portion, the supporter extending portion comprises a first filter inlet flow path that communicates with the second filter inlet flow path,

a projecting portion formed on one end of an inner surface of the first filter inlet flow path,

a connecting portion symmetrical with respect to the projecting portion while being recessed at a predetermined depth from the end of the inner surface of the first filter inlet flow path and an inclined surface formed at the connecting portion from both sides of the projecting portion,

a filter outlet flow path separated from the first filter inlet flow path in the supporter extending portion, and

a supporter fastening portion coupled to the housing fastening portion to prevent rotation of the upper supporter in the housing cap.

2. The filter structure of claim 1, wherein the supporter extending portion comprises:

a first extending portion extending from a center of the supporter stepped portion; and

a second extending portion extending from the first extending portion, the second extending portion having a cross-sectional area that is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the first extending portion,

wherein the filter outlet flow path extends in the filtering member and extends to a top end of the first extending portion.

3. The filter structure of claim 2, further comprising a first extending portion O-ring and a second extending portion O-ring, wherein the first extending portion O-ring is disposed in the first extending portion and the second extending portion O-ring is disposed in the second extending portion.

4. The filter structure of claim 1, wherein the second filter inlet flow path communicates with a bottom of the first filter inlet flow path and extends in a lateral direction.

5. The filter structure of claim 1, wherein the second filter inlet flow path comprises an opening forming in a circumferential surface of the supporter stepped portion and extends toward a center of the supporter stepped portion.

6. The filter structure of claim 5, wherein the first filter inlet flow path and the second filter inlet flow path are connected to each other at a lower end of the supporter extending portion such that water flows through the first filter inlet flow path and then flows along the second filter inlet flow path.