Ozonated laundry system with water re-use capability

• US 5,960,501 A
• Filed: 01/19/1999
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Envirocleanse Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Envirocleanse Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Burdick, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Application Number:
  US09/233,246
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• Field of Search: 8/158, 68/12.01, 68/12.12, 68/12.18, 68/13 R, 68/18 F, 68/183, 68/207, 68/208, 68/902, 422/186.09, 422/186.12
• US Class Current: 8/158
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/04 Quantity, e.g. weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2101/06 Type or material
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 35/001 using ozone
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 68/902 Devices for storage and reuse of soap suds

Abstract

A system and method for treating laundry with ozone is provided including a controller that receives a load signal based on a wash load selection. In response to the load signal, the controller transmits a power supply control signal to a variable power supply to vary an output potential to an ozone generator. The controller transmits a dryer control signal to an air dryer to provide desiccated air to the ozone generator. The controller transmits a sparging pump control signal to a sparging pump to pump the ozone generated by the ozone generator to a sparging rod adjacent the drain of a laundry machine where the ozone is dispersed directly into the wash liquor. In a preferred embodiment, an adapter removably secures the sparging rod to the wall of the laundry machine so that the sparging rod may be readily removed for cleaning, repair or replacement. In an alternative embodiment, ozone from the ozone generator is also entrained into the wash liquor by a venturi positioned in a side arm recirculation assembly as the wash liquor is returned to the laundry machine for further use in the wash process. Regardless, the concentration of the ozone dispersed directly into the wash liquor, or dispersed and/or entrained into the wash liquor, can be varied in response to the wash load. In addition, the wash chemistry can be balanced with the ozone to minimize ozone off-gassing and to conserve energy and water. A system and method for treating laundry with ozone is also provided which includes the capability to re-use at least a portion of the water from the municipal water supply utilized by the laundry machine during the wash process to further conserve energy and water.

Claims

1. A system for treating laundry with ozone including the capability to re-use at least a portion of the water utilized during the wash process, said system comprising

a laundry machine defining a cavity therein for receiving a wash liquor comprising water from a municipal water source, said laundry machine comprising a drain for draining the wash liquor from the cavity and a means for selecting a wash load from a predetermined plurality of wash load selections;

a controller in electrical communication with said selecting means, said controller receiving a load signal from said selecting means and transmitting a control signal corresponding to the wash load;

an ozone generator in electrical communication with said controller, said ozone generator receiving the control signal from said controller and generating a variable amount of ozone in response to the control signal;

an air dryer in electrical communication with said controller and in fluid communication with said ozone generator, said air dryer providing desiccated air to said ozone generator;

a sparging pump in electrical communication with said controller and in fluid communication with said ozone generator, said sparging pump pumping the ozone generated by said ozone generator from said ozone generator to said laundry machine;

an injector assembly in fluid communication with said sparging pump and said laundry machine, said injector assembly positioned adjacent said drain of said laundry machine for dispersing the variable amount of ozone generated by the ozone generator in response to the control signal directly into the wash liquor in the cavity defined by said laundry machine;

a sump in fluid communication with said laundry machine;

a sewer in fluid communication with said laundry machine;

a T-valve in fluid communication with and positioned between said sump and said laundry machine and in fluid communication with and positioned between said sewer and said laundry machine, said T-valve selectively diverting wastewater from the cavity defined by said laundry machine to said sump and to said sewer;

a sump pump in fluid communication with and positioned between said sump and said laundry machine, said sump pump pumping the wastewater diverted to said sump to the cavity defined by said laundry machine; and

a bag filter in fluid communication with and positioned between said sump pump and said laundry machine for filtering the wastewater pumped to the cavity defined by said laundry machine.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising

a retention tank in fluid communication with and positioned between said bag filter and said laundry machine, said retention tank retaining a portion of the wastewater filtered by said bag filter;

and

a distribution pump in fluid communication with and positioned between said retention tank and said laundry machine, said distribution pump pumping the wastewater filtered by said bag filter to said laundry machine.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a level detector for detecting the level of the wastewater in said sump, said level detector comprising

a one-way valve in fluid communication with and positioned between the municipal water source and said sump, said one-way valve selectively diverting water from the municipal water source to said sump when the level of the wastewater in said sump falls below a predetermined minimum.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising

a hollow, non-porous drain basket defining a cavity therein, said drain basket in fluid communication with and positioned between said T-valve and said sewer, said drain basket comprising a base and a continuous sidewall depending upwardly from said base, said sidewall having at least one lateral hole formed therethrough for receiving a conduit therein extending between said T-valve and said drain basket, said base having at least one drain hole formed therethrough for receiving a drain pipe therein extending from said sewer;

and

a hollow, porous strainer removably placed within the cavity defined by said drain basket for filtering particulate waste from the wastewater diverted to said sewer.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said injector assembly comprises an ozone injector and an adapter for removably securing said ozone injector to the exterior surface of the wall of said laundry machine adjacent said drain.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said ozone injector is selected from the group consisting of an ozone diffuser stone and a sparging rod.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said ozone generator comprises

a power supply for receiving the control signal from said controller and for producing a variable output potential;

and

an ozonator in electrical communication with said variable power supply for ionizing the desiccated air provided to said ozone generator by said air dryer in response to the output potential.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a side arm recirculation assembly for entraining ozone generated by said ozone generator into the wash liquor, said side arm recirculation assembly comprising a process pump in electrical communication with said controller and in fluid communication with said laundry machine;

a filter in fluid communication with said process pump for removing particulate waste from the wash liquor; and

an ozone entrainer in fluid communication with said ozone generator and said filter;

wherein said process pump draws the wash liquor from the cavity defined by said laundry machine past said filter to said ozone entrainer and returns the wash liquor to the cavity defined by said laundry machine.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a flow valve in fluid communication with said ozone entrainer for maintaining a predetermined flow rate of the wash liquor past said filter and said ozone entrainer.

5. A method for treating laundry with ozone including the capability to re-use at least a portion of the water utilized during the wash process in a laundry machine defining a cavity therein for receiving a predetermined wash liquor comprising water from a municipal water source and a drain for draining the wash liquor from the cavity, said method comprising the steps of

(a) selecting a wash load from a predetermined plurality of wash load selections;

(b) initiating a wash formula corresponding to the wash load and a drain cycle counter;

(c) transmitting a load signal from a controller to introduce the predetermined wash liquor into the cavity defined by the laundry machine;

(d) transmitting a load signal from the controller to vary the amount of ozone generated by an ozone generator;

(e) using an ozone injector to disperse the ozone generated by the ozone generator directly into the wash liquor in the cavity defined by the laundry machine;

(f) performing the first break cycle of the wash formula;

(g) during the first drain cycle of the wash formula, diverting the dirty water from the cavity defined by the laundry machine directly into a sewer through a sewer conduit;

(h) re-filling the cavity defined by the laundry machine with filtered wastewater from a sump through a wastewater conduit;

(i) performing a subsequent cycle of the wash formula;

(j) during the subsequent cycle of the wash formula, diverting the wastewater from the cavity defined by the laundry machine directly into the sump through a sump conduit; and

(k) repeating steps (h) through (j) as necessary to complete the wash formula.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step (h) comprises the further steps of

(h1) determining whether the level of the wastewater in the sump is below a predetermined minimum;

(h2) filling the sump with water from a municipal water source as necessary until the level of the wastewater in the sump reaches the predetermined minimum.