Water purifying apparatus and filter structure

• US 10,653,984 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2018
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• 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:
  US16/154,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20190039003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 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 assembly, comprising:

a filter member;

a housing body having an accommodating space formed therein to accommodate at least a portion of the filter member;

a housing cap coupled to an upper portion of the housing body, the housing cap comprising an upper side and a lower side,

wherein a diameter of the upper side is smaller than a diameter of the lower side, and a channel formed through the upper side and the lower side;

a coupling projection projecting outwardly from an outer surface of the housing cap;

an upper supporter accommodated in the channel, the upper supporter having a first filter inlet flow path to allow water to flow into the filter member; and

a first connecting portion recessed inwardly from an inner circumferential surface of an upper end of the upper supporter, and

a pair of projecting portions disposed symmetrically and extending from the first connecting portion.

2. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the projecting portions gradually narrows in an upward direction, and a first inclined surface is formed at the first connecting portion from both sides of each of the projecting portions.

3. The filter assembly of claim 2, further comprising:

a head comprising a water inlet portion to receive water and a water outlet portion through which purified water is discharged and the head is detachably coupled to the housing cap, and

a shaft having a filter flow path to discharge the water introduced into the water inlet portion to the water outlet portion via the filter member.

4. The filter assembly of claim 3, wherein the shaft comprises an inner pipe that is at least partially accommodated in the upper end of the upper supporter, the inner pipe being rotatably connected to the upper supporter.

5. The filter assembly of claim 4, further comprising a pair of second connecting portions, each of the second connecting portions disposed on a lower end of the inner pipe and projecting downward and accommodated in the first connecting portion.

6. The filter assembly of claim 5, further comprising a pair of cutoff portions recessed upward to accommodate the pair of projection portions, the pair of cutoff portions being disposed on the lower end of the inner pipe.

7. The filter assembly of claim 6, wherein each of the second connecting portions gradually narrows in a downward direction, and a second inclined surface having an inclination corresponding to that of the first inclined surface is disposed on both sides of each of the second connecting portions.