Valve for water system

• US 5,452,744 A
• Filed: 04/29/1994
• Issued: 09/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matrix It Limited (Airdri Limited), One-Third Interest To John J. Gianfrancesco, One-Third Interest To Matrix IV, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Matrix It Limited (Airdri Limited)
• Inventors: Otto, Frank J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fox, John C.
• Application Number:
  US08/234,342
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 137/625.29, 137/625.24, 137/625-647
• US Class Current: 137/625.29
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 35/043 Reversible faucet filters
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/074 with flat sealing faces
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/085 with cylindrical plug
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86662 Axial and radial flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86726 Valve with bypass connections

Abstract

A valve for use with a water filtration system has a housing and a piston contained therein. The piston has a bypass position, a shut-off position, an inservice position, and a back-flush function in relation to the housing. These functions are accomplished by maneuvering a cylinder inside a housing in a manual fashion with the appropriate handle. The housing has various ports which contact various apertures within the cylinder to provide for such a flow.

Claims

1. A valve for a water filtration system having a housing and a piston contained within the housing, comprising:

a) the housing having a series of ports including upper ports in a side thereof and lower ports in a base thereof;

b) the piston having a series of apertures to cooperate with the upper ports;

c) the piston being movable within the housing about a piston axis;

d) the series of apertures, the series of lower ports and the series of upper ports cooperating to form a first position, a second position, a third position and a fourth position;

e) the series of apertures including a first aperture, a second aperture, a third aperture and a fourth aperture;

f) the series of lower ports including a first lower port, a second lower port, a third lower port and a fourth lower port;

g) the series of upper ports including a first upper port, a second upper port, a third upper port and a fourth upper port;

h) the first upper port, the first lower port, and the first aperture cooperating to form a first position to serve as a bypass position;

i) the second upper port, the second lower port, and the second aperture cooperating to form a second position to serve as a shut-off position;

j) the third upper port, the third lower port, and the third aperture cooperating to form a third position to serve as a filter position;

k) the fourth upper port, the fourth lower port, and the fourth aperture cooperating to form a fourth position to serve as a shutoff position;

l) the bypass position serving to cause the water filtration system to be bypassed;

m) the shut-off position serving to cause the water filtration system to be shutoff;

n) the filter position serving to cause the water filtration system to operate; and

o) the back-flush function serving to cause the water filtration system to be reactivated.

2. The valve of claim 1 further comprising:

a) the piston being rotably movable within the housing about the piston axis;

b) the piston being movably mounted within the housing;

c) the housing having a means to attach the valve to a filter cylinder at a housing base thereof; and

d) the housing having a piston receiving aperture therein.

3. The valve of claim 2 further comprising:

a) the piston receiving aperture including the piston axis;

b) the back-flush aperture having a back-flush axis;

c) the pass through aperture having a pass through axis; and

d) the piston axis, the back-flush axis and the pass through axis being mutually perpendicular.

4. The valve of claim 3 further comprising:

a) the bypass position permitting water to pass directly through the valve;

b) the shut-off position permitting water to be stopped at the valve for service to the filter cylinder;

c) the filter position permitting water to pass through the filter cylinder in a filtering course;

d) the back-flush function permitting water to pass in a reverse direction of the filtering element in order to mix a filtering element in the filter cylinder and provide more exposure surface of the filtering element;

e) the means to attach the valve to the filter cylinder being a threaded portion adjacent to the series of capable of threadably joining the valve to the filter cylinder;

f) the piston including a directional cylinder situated substantially inside the housing;

g) the directional cylinder including the series of apertures;

h) a handle being secured to the piston with the piston in the housing; and

i) the handle being secured to the piston and oppositely disposed from the threaded portion.

5. The valve of claim 4 further comprising:

a) the piston being slidably mounted through the threaded portion of the housing;

b) the piston being secured in the housing by a snap ring;

c) the snap ring being mounted on the piston adjacent to the handle; and

d) the piston being rotatable about an axis of the housing being a central axis for the means to attach the valve to a filter cylinder at a housing base thereof.

6. The valve of claim 5 further comprising:

a) the piston having the directional cylinder with a handle end and a base end at oppositely disposed ends thereof;

b) the base end communicating with the filtering cylinder; and

c) the base end having a filter aperture extending to a direction portion of the directional cylinder for the piston.

7. The valve of claim 6 further comprising:

a) the direction portion having a solid wall centrally located on the cylinder;

b) the solid wall having a vertical O-ring mounted on the outside thereof;

c) a first pillar and a second pillar oppositely disposed from the solid wall;

d) a first aperture being between the first pillar and the second pillar;

e) a second aperture being between the solid wall and the second pillar;

f) a third aperture being between the solid wall and the first pillar; and

g) the first aperture, the second aperture, and the third aperture communicating with the filter aperture.

8. The valve of claim 7 further comprising:

a) a first O-ring being mounted above the vertical O-ring, and below and parallel to the snap ring; and

b) a second O-ring being mounted below the vertical O-ring, and above the base end of the directional cylinder.

9. The valve of claim 8 further comprising:

a) a platform extending outwardly from the base of the directional cylinder to thereby form a flange on the piston thereat;

b) the flange serving to close the lower ports of the housing as desired;

c) the solid wall serving to close the upper ports of the housing as desired; and

d) the flange cooperating with the first aperture, the second aperture, and the third aperture to actuate the bypass position, the shut-off position, the filter position and the back-flush function as desired.

10. The valve of claim 9 further comprising:

a) the platform having an arc of about 180 degrees and being capable of closing at least one of the lower ports;

b) a handle being secured to the cylinder oppositely disposed from the platform; and

c) the handle serving to move the piston between the bypass position, the shut-off position, the filter position and the back-flush function as desired.

11. The valve of claim 10 further comprising:

a) the platform having sufficient size to contact an interior edge of the threaded portion;

b) the handle being separable from the piston;

c) the handle end of the piston being adapted to receive the handle; and

d) a removable securing means for securing the handle to the handle end.

12. The valve of claim 11 further comprising:

a) the lower ports including four base ports;

b) the four base ports being formed by a second cylinder within the housing supported by four buttresses on a vertical central axis of the housing; and

c) the four base ports selectively and alternatively providing communication with the back-flush port, in-flow port, and outlet port in the side of the housing.

13. The valve of claim 12 further comprising:

a) the outlet port of the housing communicating with the base of the valve only through the piston;

b) a housing O-ring for sealing the valve on the filter cylinder between the threaded portion and the upper housing;

c) the series of ports including three upper ports;

d) the three upper ports including an inlet port, an outlet port and a back flush port; and

e) the lower ports selectively cooperating with the upper ports to form the bypass position, the shut-off position, the filter position, and the back-flush function.

14. The valve of claim 13 further comprising:

a) the upper ports having an exterior rounded portion on the valve housing;

b) the back-flush port extending to the inner cylinder wall;

c) a central axis of the back-flush port intersecting a central axis of the inlet port, a central axis of the outlet port and a central axis of the piston; and

d) the inlet port and the outlet port having the same central axis.

15. The valve of claim 14 being applied to a water system for a building.

16. The valve of claim 14 being applied to a water system for a faucet.

17. The valve of claim 14 further comprising:

a) the upper ports having a female threaded arrangement for attachment to a water system; and

b) the lower parts having an exterior male threaded portion for attachment to the filter.

18. A valve for a filtration cylinder for a water system having a housing and with a piston contained therein, comprising:

a) the housing having a series of ports including upper ports and lower ports;

b) the piston having a series of apertures;

c) the piston having a movement within the housing about an axis;

d) the upper ports having a female threaded arrangement for attachment to a water system;

e) the lower ports being adjacent to an exterior male threaded portion for attachment to the filter;

f) the apertures and the ports cooperating to form a bypass position, a shut-off position, a filter position, and a back-flush function for the piston in relation to the housing;

g) the movement being rotation of the piston within the housing about an axis;

h) the piston being movably mounted within the housing;

i) the housing having a piston receiving aperture therein;

j) the housing having a back-flush port therein as one of the upper ports;

k) the housing having a pass through port therein as one of the upper ports;

l) the piston receiving aperture having a piston axis;

m) the back-flush aperture having a back-flush axis;

n) the pass through aperture having a pass through axis; and

o) the piston axis, the back-flush axis and the pass through axis being mutually perpendicular.