Water filter cartridge
First Claim
1. In a water filter cartridge having a shell within which is confined a water filtration material and having opposite first and second end walls, a conduit disposed through said material from a first opening in one of said end walls to a second opening in the other of said end walls, a third opening in one of said end walls spaced from one of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water with said material and a fourth opening in the other of said end walls spaced from the other of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water with said material at a location spaced from said third opening, the improvement comprising:
- a hollow water filtration element of a cylindrical porous medium shaped to nest within a portion of said shell encircling a corresponding portion of said material and defining a space between said medium and the inner side wall of said shell with said space being in the entire path of water flow between said third opening and said material through said medium;
and a reference color exhibited over a portion of the exterior side wall of said shell adjacent to the location within said shell of said medium with said medium exhibiting a given color upon the beginning of usage but changing color with continued usage in response to its entrapment of matter in said water and with said shell being transparent over said medium to enable a user to compare said medium and reference colors.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A water filter cartridge has a cylindrical shell. A conduit runs between closing end walls and is disposed within a filtration material. There are additional openings in the respective end walls for communicating the flow of water through the material. A water filtration element of a porous medium is shaped to nest within a portion of the shell encircling a corresponding portion of the filtration material and defining space between the medium and the inner side wall of the shell with that space being in the water flow path from one of the end walls and the material through the medium. A reference color is exhibited over a portion of the exterior side wall of the shell adjacent to the location of the medium inside the shell, and the medium exhibits a given color upon beginning of usage but changes color with continued usage in response to its entrapment of matter in the water. The shell is transparent over the medium to enable the user to compare the medium color to the reference color. The filtration material is secured in place by a plug forming one of the end walls and which has an opening around its periphery with a water pervious ring being sandwiched between that peripheral opening and the space defined on the outside of the filtration medium.
71 Citations
22 Claims
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1. In a water filter cartridge having a shell within which is confined a water filtration material and having opposite first and second end walls, a conduit disposed through said material from a first opening in one of said end walls to a second opening in the other of said end walls, a third opening in one of said end walls spaced from one of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water with said material and a fourth opening in the other of said end walls spaced from the other of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water with said material at a location spaced from said third opening, the improvement comprising:
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a hollow water filtration element of a cylindrical porous medium shaped to nest within a portion of said shell encircling a corresponding portion of said material and defining a space between said medium and the inner side wall of said shell with said space being in the entire path of water flow between said third opening and said material through said medium; and a reference color exhibited over a portion of the exterior side wall of said shell adjacent to the location within said shell of said medium with said medium exhibiting a given color upon the beginning of usage but changing color with continued usage in response to its entrapment of matter in said water and with said shell being transparent over said medium to enable a user to compare said medium and reference colors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12)
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3. In a water filter cartridge having a shell within which is confined a water filtration material and having opposite first and second end walls, a conduit disposed through said material from a first opening in one of said end walls to a second opening in the other of said end walls, a third opening in one of said end walls spaced from one of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water with said material and a fourth opening in the other of said end walls spaced from the other of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water with said material at a location spaced from said third opening, the improvement comprising:
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a water filtration element of a porous medium shaped to nest within a portion of said shell encircling a corresponding portion of said material and defining a space between said medium and the inner side wall of said shell with said space being in the path of water flow between said third opening and said material through said medium; a reference color exhibited over a portion of the exterior side wall of said shell adjacent to the location within said shell of said medium with said medium exhibiting a given color upon the beginning of usage but changing color with continued usage in response to its entrapment of matter in said water and with said shell being transparent over said medium to enable a user to compare said medium and reference colors; and a water-impervious cap spaced outwardly from said third opening and in closure of said outer end of said shell to define a water flow path communicating with said third opening over the corresponding end wall.
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7. In a water filter cartridge having a shell within which is confined a water filtration material and having opposite first and second end walls, a conduit disposed through said material from a first opening in one of said end walls to a second opening in the other of said end walls, a third opening in one of said end walls spaced from one of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water with said material and a fourth opening in the other of said end walls spaced from the other of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water with said material at a location spaced from said third opening, the improvement comprising:
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a water filtration element of a porous medium shaped to nest within a portion of said shell encircling a corresponding portion of said material and defining a space between said medium and the inner side wall of said shell with said space being in the path of water flow between said third opening and said material through said medium; a reference color exhibited over a portion of the exterior side wall of said shell adjacent to the location within said shell of said medium with said medium exhibiting a given color upon the beginning of usage but changing color with continued usage in response to its entrapment of matter in said water and with said shell being transparent over said medium to enable a user to compare said medium and reference colors. said third opening and the corresponding one of said first and second openings being formed in a plug that forms the corresponding end wall with said third opening being defined around the periphery of said plug. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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13. In a water filter cartridge having a shell within which is confined water filtration material and having opposite first and second end walls, a conduit disposed through said material from a first opening in one of said end walls to a second opening in the other of said end walls, a third opening in one of said end walls spaced from one of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water with said material and a fourth opening in the other of said end walls spaced from the other of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water wtih said material at a location spaced from said third opening, the improvement comprising:
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a hollow water filtration element of a cylindrical porous medium shaped to nest within a portion of said shell encircling a corresponding portion of said material and defining a space between said medium and the inner side wall of said shell with said space being in the entire path of water flow between said third opening and said material through said medium; and said third opening being defined on the periphery of the corresponding end wall to overlie said space between said medium and said inner side wall. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. In a water filter cartridge having a shell within which is confined a water filtration material and having opposite first and second end walls, a conduit disposed through said material from a first opening in one of said end walls to a second opening in the other of said end walls, a third opening in one of said end walls spaced from one of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water with said material and a fourth opening in the other of said end walls spaced from the other of said first and second openings for communicating the flow of water with said material at a location spaced from said third opening, the improvement comprising:
a hollow water filtration element of a cylindrical porous medium shaped to nest within a portion of said shell encircling a corresponding portion of said material and defining a space between said medium and the inner side wall of said shell with said space being in the entire path of water flow between said third opening and said material through said medium.
Specification