Water sterilization system
First Claim
1. A water sterilization system which includesa sterilizer comprising an elongated cylindrical housing of a plastic normally degraded by ultraviolet light, having opposing ends and an inside wall, said inside wall being covered with a protective liner to expose an ultraviolet light-reflecting inner surface;
- a hollow, open-ended cylindrical sleeve of a material transmitting ultraviolet light, extending coaxially within said housing, and having an outer surface spaced from said inner surface to form an annular water chamber;
closure means affixed at each of said opposing ends for sealing said chamber, including a plastic insert plug having an inside surface lined with a protective cover to expose an ultraviolet light-reflecting interior surface;
water inlet and outlet conduits in communication with said chamber and adapted to connect to a central water supply;
a UV electric lamp enclosed within said sleeve, said lamp carrying terminals to receive electric power from leads fed into said sleeve;
together with a lamp power supply connected electrically to said lamp terminals and adapted to connect to an AC power line;
in combination withfail safe control mechanism comprising a normally closed water valve in said inlet or outlet conduit; and
a series electrical circuit adapted to be AC line-powered and including a photoresistor adapted to receive light from said lamp, the resistance of said photoresistor decreasing as the intensity of the light increases, and a stallable electric motor coupled mechanically to said water valve to hold said valve open so long as said photoresistor receives sufficient light than an operating voltage appears across said motor;
whereby UV-induced degradation of the plastic wetted surfaces and contamination of the water by the degradation products are avoided.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A water sterilization system includes a sterilizer having a plastic housing and a sheath inside the housing which transmits untraviolet light from an enclosed lamp. The housing is protected from uv degradation by means of a reflective liner. A fail-safe control mechanism is provided which includes a normally closed water valve held open by a stallable electric motor electrically in series with a photoresistor which senses the ultraviolet light.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A water sterilization system which includes
a sterilizer comprising an elongated cylindrical housing of a plastic normally degraded by ultraviolet light, having opposing ends and an inside wall, said inside wall being covered with a protective liner to expose an ultraviolet light-reflecting inner surface; - a hollow, open-ended cylindrical sleeve of a material transmitting ultraviolet light, extending coaxially within said housing, and having an outer surface spaced from said inner surface to form an annular water chamber;
closure means affixed at each of said opposing ends for sealing said chamber, including a plastic insert plug having an inside surface lined with a protective cover to expose an ultraviolet light-reflecting interior surface;
water inlet and outlet conduits in communication with said chamber and adapted to connect to a central water supply;
a UV electric lamp enclosed within said sleeve, said lamp carrying terminals to receive electric power from leads fed into said sleeve;
together with a lamp power supply connected electrically to said lamp terminals and adapted to connect to an AC power line;
in combination withfail safe control mechanism comprising a normally closed water valve in said inlet or outlet conduit; and
a series electrical circuit adapted to be AC line-powered and including a photoresistor adapted to receive light from said lamp, the resistance of said photoresistor decreasing as the intensity of the light increases, and a stallable electric motor coupled mechanically to said water valve to hold said valve open so long as said photoresistor receives sufficient light than an operating voltage appears across said motor;whereby UV-induced degradation of the plastic wetted surfaces and contamination of the water by the degradation products are avoided. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- a hollow, open-ended cylindrical sleeve of a material transmitting ultraviolet light, extending coaxially within said housing, and having an outer surface spaced from said inner surface to form an annular water chamber;
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10. A water sterilizer which comprises
an elongated cylindrical housing of a plastic normally degraded by ultraviolet light, having opposing ends and an inside wall, said inside wall being covered with a protective liner to expose an ultraviolet light-reflecting inner surface; -
a hollow, open-ended cylindrical sleeve of a material transmitting ultraviolet light, extending coaxially within said housing, and having an outer surface spaced from said inner surface to form an annular water chamber; closure means affixed at each of said opposing ends for sealing said chamber, including a plastic insert plug having an inside surface lined with a protective cover to expose an ultraviolet light-reflecting interior surface; water inlet and outlet conduits in communication with said chamber and adapted to connect to a central water supply; a UV electric lamp enclosed within said sleeve, said lamp carrying terminals to receive electric power from leads fed into said sleeve;
together witha lamp power supply connected electrically to said lamp terminals and adapted to connect to an AC power line; whereby UV-induced degradation of the plastic wetted surfaces and contamination of the water by the degradation products are avoided. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. Water sterilizer apparatus which comprises
a water chamber; -
an electric lamp emitting UV light within said chamber; water inlet and outlet conduits in communication with said water chamber and adapted to connect to a central water supply; a normally closed water valve in said inlet or outlet conduit;
together withseries electrical circuit fail-safe control mechanism adapted to be AC line-operated and consisting of a photoresistor adapted to receive light from said lamp, the resistance of said photoresistor decreasing as the intensity of the light increases, and a stallable electric motor coupled mechanically to said water valve to hold said valve open so long as said photoresistor receives sufficient light that an operating voltage appears across said motor. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification