Emergency water treatment device

• US 6,245,228 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2000
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maher I. Kelada
• Original Assignee: Maher I. Kelada
• Inventors: Kelada, Maher I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Simmons, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoey, Betsey Morrison
• Application Number:
  US09/514,206
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 210/206, 210/232, 210/251, 210/255, 210/257.1, 210/259, 210/287, 210/435, 210/437, 210/441, 210/464, 210/473
• US Class Current: 210/206
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/002 using small portable filters for producing potable water, e.g. personal travel or emergency equipment, survival kits, combat gear C02F1/003 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/283 using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/42 by ion-exchange ion-exchange in general B01J
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2307/02 as part of a bottle

Abstract

A water treatment device for purifying small quantities of non-potable water for drinking purposes. The device includes: a primary container, a secondary product container, and a cylindrical filter cartridge. The primary container is filled with untreated water, and brought into contact with a disinfecting agent. The filter cartridge is then attached to the primary container and the secondary container is attached to an outlet port of the filter cartridge, the entire arrangement is then inverted to allow water to flow from the primary container into the inlet port of the filter cartridge. A physicochemical time switch is installed near the inlet port of the filter cartridge and blocks the flow of water from the primary container into the filtering elements until an appropriate amount of time has lapsed for the disinfecting agent to effectively disinfect the water. The physicochemical time switch is either a water dissolvable barrier or an expandable compartment filled with hydrophilic polymeric crystals. The filter cartridge includes anion exchange resins, filtering media for removing suspended impurities, and activated carbon for removing organic impurities and chlorine residue.

Claims

1. An emergency water treatment device, comprising:

a) a primary container for receiving untreated water, and a disinfecting agent contained therein,

b) a secondary container for receiving treated and filtered water,

c) a filter cartridge with a filter element contained therein with the cartridge positioned between the primary and secondary container which filters the water flowing from the primary container to the secondary container,

d) a physicochemical time switch which blocks the flow of water from the primary container to the filter element for a period of time which coincides with a disinfecting period wherein the disinfecting period is a time period for disinfecting the untreated water within the primary container with the disinfecting agent.

2. The emergency water treatment device of claim 1, wherein each container further comprises:

a plastic bag each with a neck opening dimension to be attached to the filter cartridge.

3. The emergency water treatment device of claim 1, wherein the filter cartridge further comprises:

an inlet port attached to the primary container and an outlet port attached to the secondary container, numerous filter stages including pre and post filter mesh, activated charcoal and anion ion exchange resins, water passageways extending from the inlet port to the filter stages, and wherein the physicochemical time switch is positioned in the water passageway to prevent the flow of untreated water there through until the disinfecting time period has lapsed.

4. The emergency water treatment device of claim 1 wherein the physicochemical time switch further comprises:

a water dissolvable barrier which dissolves upon contact with water from the primary container over a period of time which coincides with the disinfecting time period.

5. The emergency water treatment device of claim 4 wherein the water dissolvable barrier further comprises:

a water dissolvable film composed of one or more compounds selected from a group consisting of;

gelatin, and pectin.

6. The emergency water treatment device of claim 4 wherein the water dissolvable barrier further comprises:

a water dissolvable disc composed of one or more compounds selected from a group consisting of;

monosaccharides, disaccharides, trisaccharides, and edible salts.

7. The emergency water treatment device of claim 1 wherein the physicochemical time switch further comprises:

an expandable compartment with an interior filled with a hydrophilic compound, capillaries extending from the interior of the expandable container to a location in contact with the water in the primary container which, over a time period coinciding with the disinfecting time period, transports water into the interior of the compartment into contact with the hydrophilic compounds thereby causing the hydrophilic compounds to swell and expand the expandable compartment, thereby moving the expandable compartment from a position blocking the flow of water from the primary container to the filter element to a position allowing the flow of water from the primary container to the filter element.

8. The emergency water treatment device of claim 7 wherein the hydrophilic compound further comprises polyacrylamide.

9. The emergency water treatment device of claim 7 wherein the capillaries further comprise:

numerous capillary fibers composed of material selected from a group consisting of;

cellulose cotton wick, and water absorbing paper.

10. The emergency water treatment device of claim 1 further comprising a mixed cation and anion ion exchange canister positioned between the cylindrical filter cartridge and the secondary water container for removing salts from brackish water, wherein the cylindrical filter cartridge serves as a pretreatment prior to desalination.

11. The emergency water treatment device of claim 10 wherein the ion exchange canister further comprises numerous canisters aligned in series providing a cascade removal of salts from the brackish water.

12. An emergency water treatment device comprising:

a) a cylindrical filter cartridge with an inlet port at one end and an outlet port on an opposing end, filter stages contained within the filter cartridge for filtering water flowing from the inlet port to the outlet port,

b) a primary water container for receiving a volume of non potable water, the container has a neck opening for filling the container and which is dimensioned to sealingly connect to the inlet port of the filter cartridge,

c) a disinfecting agent added to the volume of non potable water in the primary container for a disinfecting time period to disinfect the water prior to the water flowing into the filtering stages of the filter cartridge,

d) a secondary container for receiving a volume of treated water, the secondary container has a neck dimensioned to sealingly connect to the outlet port of the filter cartridge, and

e) a physicochemical time switch contained within the cylindrical filter cartridge and positioned between the inlet port and filtering stages contained within the filter cartridge, the time switch includes a means for blocking the flow of water from the primary container to the filtering stages until the disinfecting time period has lapsed.

13. The emergency water treatment device of claim 12, wherein the physicochemical time switch further comprises a water dissolvable barrier positioned within the filter cartridge and blocking the flow of water from the inlet port to the filter stages of the filter cartridge for a period of time which coincides with the disinfecting time period.

14. The emergency water treatment device of claim 12, wherein the physicochemical time switch further comprises a water passageway extending from the inlet port to the filter stages, an expandable compartment positioned to block the water passageway and prevent the flow of water there through, hydrophilic expandable compounds contained within an interior of the expandable compartment, capillary fibers extending from the inlet port to the interior of the expandable compartment and positioned adjacent to the hydrophilic compounds providing a means for transporting water from the inlet port into contact with the hydrophilic compounds thereby causing the hydrophilic compounds to swell and thereby expand the expandable compartment and open the water passageway after a given period of time which coincides with the disinfecting period, allowing water to flow through the filter stages.

15. The emergency water treatment device of claim 14 wherein the water dissolvable barrier is either a film, gel membrane or disc, composed of a compound selected from a group consisting of:

edible salts, monosaccharides, disaccharides, trisaccharides, pectin, and gelatin.

16. The emergency water treatment device of claim 14 wherein the hydrophilic expandable compound further comprises polyacrylamide.