Title of Invention

A MULTI STAGE GRAVITY WATER PURIFIER DEVICE

Abstract

A water purifier system for use as gravity feed water purification comprising: a top filtration unit comprising a base on which an inner sediment filter is mounted, said dome shaped carbon block fastened over said inner sediment filter and a further sediment filter surround externally the said carbon block; a bottom filtration unit operatively connected to said top filtration unit comprising of a base with respect to which a hollow fiber assembly is mounted, an outer shell surrounding arid defining a compact housing for said hollow fiber assembly in combination with said base; said top filtration unit having an opening at the top for feeding in water to be purified and said bottom filtration unit having an outlet at the bottom for discharging under gravity the purified water exiting through said disinfectant unit comprising said hollow fiber assembly and collecting in said bottom filtration unit as and when desired.

Full Text

FIELD OF THE INVETION. The present invention relates to a gravity water purifier system for user friendly purification of water and in particular water purifier system involving carbon block and chemical free disinfection means for removal of bacteria and viruses. The invention is also directed to water purifier cartridges for use preferably in multi stage gravity feed purification systems involving a first stage purification cartridge comprising sediment filter ,a second stage purification cartridge comprising carbon block and a third stage purification cartridge comprising low flux hydrophilic hollow fiber. The invention is further directed to an user friendly and cost effective purifier system especially for gravity feed purification purposes. BACKGROUND ART It is well known that contaminants are found in water and often the conventional municipal water treatment procedures fail to adequately remove such water based contaminants. Most of the purification steps usually used under conventional municipal systems are known to use chlorine as disinfectant to remove bacteria. It is also known that the excess chlorine that is normally used by municipality is in itself a source of creating harmful chemicals which is commonly known as disinfectant by product (DBP). Such disinfectant by product along with herbicides, pesticides etc. constitute harmful chemicals in the water system. It is also known that certain micro organism are also a source of contamination of water and is harmful when found in water for human consumption. In particular micro organism like Bacteria, Virus and Cysts are harmful to health. The most common cysts are Giarida, Lamibial and Cryptosporidies which are excreted by animals , Such cysts types are found many times in drinking water system which use surface water as the primary source. Cysts are thus a challenge to remove from drinking water. It is estimated that it is either the drinking of contaminated water that causes one third of human illness in the worid or eating of contaminated food. Thus purifying a water prior to using it is increasing challenging due to ever increasing and diverse contamination of water ranging from sediments, bacteria, cysts, volatile chemical etc. In order to tackle such complex problems of water contamination, many purifier devices are available which meet various standards of purification. Such purifying devices can be broadly classified as online purifier which are usually connected to an online water supply and gravity based purifier. In case of online purifier the purifying device is connected online to the wateriine in home, industrial or other establishment where such online purification is desired. Such online purification system basically rely on the line pressure to force the water through different stages of the purifier system. In case the line pressure is found to be not adequate in such situation additional pumps online are provided to operate the purifier. The other variety of purifiers which is common and can be readily used in any environment and even where online supply of water is not readily available is the gravity based systems. In fact gravity system as the name suggests, does not require any extemal pressure but the water is purified by allowing the flow under gravity through various purification means. Gravity filtration is one of the most oldest way of filtering water. It can involve very simple systems as well as complex gadgets to carry out the purification. The simplest mode of gravity filtration involves the use of simple filter cloths to remove suspended impurity from the water. Usually this system basically involves two containers usually placed one above other and the lower container having a tap to dispense purified water. The filter media used can be a simple cloth or purifier means can be placed in between the two container through which the water flows from the top container through the media into the lower container and in the process gets purified. Ceramic candles have also long been in used in gravity system. The ceramic candles are usually tubular in shape and water flow radially through the thickness of the candle. Hie contaminants are trapped on the surface in sub micron pores of the candle. While such ceramic candle are in used and are found to be effective in the removal of contaminants , one of the most inherent problem / disadvantages of its use is its very slow flow rate which necessary affected its performance and use in water purification system .Usually the low flow rate in the range of only about 1 to 2 litters per hour. There are several varieties of gravity purifiers available in the art which include: US4145291 discloses a gravity system in which the ceramic inner liner has metallic silver impregnated which act as disinfecting agent. US4419235 and US4732674 refer to gravity system where the filter media used is activated carbon granules .In this patent the claim is directed to the use of carbon granule to remove chlorine, chlorides and other organic compounds. US4800018 refers to a gravity system in which the filter media is horizontally placed between two chambers allowing for a higher fiow rate. US4094779 refers to gravity system where the upper chamber and lower chamber are connected with a tube which passes through the filter media. US5562824 refers to gravity system in which the purified cartridge has different chambers to include different purifying media. It is also well known that the two container usually used in gravity systems are usually large ranging from 10-25 liters of water holding capacity. Some new Variety of gravity based systems however are also used where the container used are of much smaller sizes ranging from 1-3 litters and are usually portable. Such portable systems are usually known as pitcher purifier. US5922378, USD0331446, US4623457, USD0256152, USD0312863 and US4623457 disclosed different versions of such portable pitcher purifiers. In ail these systems the purifier cartridges are placed between two chamber and usually has activated carbon granule with other purifier media. Importantly , all the above advancements are predominantly directed to the removal of the chlorine, improving taste and smell of the water. Such systems are usually not directed to the removal of harmful contaminants such as bacteria, viruses and cysts usually found in water. US5308482 disclosed portable water purifier device intended to kill both bacteria and viruses- Such filters provide a microbiocidal resin, specifically iodine in a flow path which increases contact time of the water with iodine and a holding reservoir to expose water to Iodine and a post- filter volume of activated charcoal. However it Is found that such a process for a purification is also usually very slow as the contact time is critical and fails to disclose removal of cysts. It would be clearty apparent from the above that the conventional systems and especially the presently available gravity based purifier devices either suffer from problems of slow flow rate or suffer from problems of contact time with active which is critical and in case of failure to maintain desired contact, the purification is insufficient resulting in exposing the consumer to harmful bacteria / cysts and the like on consumption. More over it is observed that the conventional use of chemical disinfectants also lead to possible additional contamination of the water and it has been extremely difficult on one hand to maintain the critical contact time of the water with chemical disinfectant and on the other hand ensure removal of the excess contaminants entering the system, OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is thus the basic object of the present invention to provide gravity flow water purifier system which would be simple and effective and would be free of any chemical disinfectants and thereby provide for more safe and healthy to drink purified water. Another object of the present invention is to provide gravity flow water purifier system which would be adapted for ready and easy and cost effective manufacture of such purifier units thereby favoring its wide scale use and application even in remote rural location. Another object of the present invention is directed to provide for gravity flow water purification, which would avoid problems of blockage and / or the usual slow rate through gravity flow unit of water purification. Yet further object of the present invention is directed to water purified system involving a selective combination of carbon block filter along with a free of chemical disinfectant means adapted to remove bacteria and viruses. Yet another object of the present invention is directed to provide for a filter cartridge for use in gravity system involving carbon block and sediment filter combination. which would avoid blockage and provide for faster and better purification of water passing there through. Yet another object of the present invention is directed to a filter cartridge for gravity flow using system involving a selective disinfection means adapted to remove bacteria and viruses and which could avoid the need for chemical disinfectants and / or avoid the need for critical contact time for effective purification essential in case of such chemical disinfectants . SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Thus according the basic aspect of the present invention there is provided a water purifier system for use as gravity feed water purification comprising : a top filtration unit comprising a selective combination of a carbon block filtration means releasable secured and surrounding sediment filter; a bottom filtration unit operatively connected to said top filtration unit comprising a chemical free disinfection means comprising a low flux hydrophilic hollow fiber membrane adapted to remove bacteria and viruses. In the above disclosed system the said top filtration unit comprises a dome shaped carbon block which is internally and externally surrounded by means of sediment filter means. In particular, in the above system the said top filtration unit comprises a base on which an inner sediment filter is mounted , said dome shaped carbon block fastened over said inner sediment filter and a further sediment filter surround externally the said carbon block. The said bottom filtration cartridge comprises of a base with respect to which said hollow fiber assembly is mounted , an outer shell surrounding and defining a compact housing for said hollow fiber assembly in combination with said base. The said top filtration unit communicates with said bottom filtration unit through said inner sediment filter. Importantly, the said inner and external sediment filters are disposed such as not to contact the said carbon block filter. \i if The selective hollow fiber assembly used comprises plurality of inverted 'U' shaped fiber units secured with respect to said base plate such that the water entering said U' shaped units exit through a lower base member. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a carbon block filter cartridge for use In water purification devices comprising: a dome shaped carbon block which is internally and externally surrounded by sediment filter means. The above carbon block filter is selectively disposed with respect to a base on which an inner sediment filter is mounted , said dome shaped carbon block fastened over said inner sediment filter and a further sediment filter surround externally the said carbon block. The said inner and extemal sediment filters are disposed such as not to contact the said carbon block filter. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a chemical free disinfection filter cartridge comprising of low flux hydrophilic hollow fiber membrane adapted to remove bacteria and viruses. Preferably the chemical free disinfection filter cartridge comprises of a base with respect to which said hollow fiber assembly is mounted , an outer shell surrounding and defining a compact housing for said hollow fiber assembly in combination with said base. In accordance with a preferred aspect the said hollow fiber assembly comprises plurality of inverted 'U' shaped fiber units secured with respect to said base plate such that the water entering said 'U' shaped units exit through a lower base member. In accordance with yet further preferred aspect of the present invention there is provided a water purifier system for use as gravity feed water purification comprising: a top filtration unit comprising a base on which an inner sediment filter is mounted , said dome shaped carbon block fastened over said inner sediment filter and a further sediment filter surround externally the said carbon block ; a bottom filtration unit operatively connected to said top filtration unit comprising of a base with respect to which a hollow fiber assembly is mounted , an outer shell surrounding and defining a compact housing for said hollow fiber assembly in combination with said base; said top filtration unit having an opening at the top for feeding in water to be purified and said bottom filtration unit having an outlet at the bottom for discharging under gravity ^e purified water exiting through said disinfectant unit comprising said hollow fiber assembly and collecting in said bottom filtration unit as and when desired. It is thus possible by way of the above disclosed gravity water purifier of the invention to achieve a simple and cost effective purification of water free of any chemical disinfectant and in the process avoid the limitation of conventional disinfection means used in gravity filters. Importantly the dome shaped carbon block is adapted to remove harmful chlorine and other volatile organic chemicals. The inner and outer sediment filters surrounding the said dome shaped carbon block further avoid any unwanted blockage of the carbon block and / or any consequential problem in flow rate of water passing through the purifier system of the invention. The invention also proposes the use of selective low flux hydrophilic hollow fiber membrane for removal of bacteria and viruses. This selective uses in the hydrophilic hollow fiber avoids the use of chemical disinfectants and thereby totally avoids any possible further contamination of the purified water involving the chemical disinfection such as those resulting from undesired more than required contact of water with chemical contaminants. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES The details of the invention ,its object and advantages are explained hereunder in greater detail in relation to non-limiting exemplary illustrations of the purifier system of the invention as per the accompanying figures wherein :- Figure 1 is a sectional view illustrating a gravity purification system with two container/chambers in accordance with present invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view of the top cartridge involving the carbon block used in the system of the invention; Figure 3 is a sectional view of the bottom cartridge involving the selective hollow fiber assembly used in the purifier system of the invention; Figure 4A and 4B illustrate possible manner of cleaning of the hollow fiber assembly cartridge of the invention involving simple back washing of the cartridge. Reference is first invited to accompanying Figure 1 which shows the gravity purifier system in accordance with the present Invention Involving a top chamber (TC) for a first stage purification of the water and a bottom chamber (BC) providing for second stage of purification of the water. As mentioned herein before for the said first stage of purification, the upper chamber (TC) is provided with the carbon block purifier cartridge (shown more deariy in Figure 2) with respect to the base of the top chamber. As deariy shown in Figure 2 the carbon block cart:ridge comprises of a base (1) which is adapted to releasably fit with respect to the base of the top chamber(TC).The top of the base (1) is adapted such as to support the dome shaped carbon block (3) alongwith the inner sediment filter (2) and the external sediment filter (4).Such a selective carbon block cartridge combination favours removal of harmful chlorine and other volatile organic chemicals from water as a first stage of purification. The internal and external sediment filters favours avoiding blockage of the carbon block and faster purification involving the dome shaped carbon block. As further shown in figure 1, the water after being treated by passage through the carbon block cartridge in the top chamber is next allowed to gravity flow into the bottom chamber (BC) for the further second stage treatment in said bottom cartridge. The bottom cartridge is better illustrated in figure 3. As shown in said figure 3 the bottom cart:ridge is comprised of base (7) which together with an outer shell (5) extending from the base of the top chamber and operatively connected to the carbon block and sediment filter unit of the top chamber provide for a compact housing for the bottom cartridge. Inside the said compact housing and with respect to the base (7) of the bottom cartridge there is provided a hollow fiber assembly (6) .Such selective use of the hollow fiber assembly (6) facilitates removal of bacteria and viruses without the need for any harmful conventionally used disinfectants. The base (7) of the bottom cartridge is provided with an outlet at the bottom through which the purified water after passing through the hollow fiber assembly is collected in the bottom chamber (BC). The purified water thus obtained is next discharges as and required for consumption through the tap (TP). The operation of the gravity water purifier of the invention and its advantages vis-avis the conventional purifiers are discussed hereunder: As is well known conventional gravity purifiers usually include two containers placed on over the other with the purifier media between the two containers. Water to be purified is poured into the top container and water flows through the purifier into the tower container where in the purified water is stored. The purified water is discharged on demand through the outlet tap. In the present invention the purifier media comprise two purifier cartridges comprising a top purifier cartridge and a bottom purifier cartridge. The top purifier cartridge comprises the selective combination of sediment filters and carbon block The top purifier cartridge is fastened with respect to the top container . Water to be purified passes first through the outer sediment filter removing all suspended impurities. The outer sediment filter can be a multi layer non woven fabric or polymeric sediment filter. The porosity of the sediment filter can range from 2 microns to 15 microns depending on the turbidity of the feed water. Water free of suspended impurities thereafter passes through the carbon block. The carbon block is biostatic and is also hydrophilic. The carbon block removes chlorine and all volatile organic impurities. The water free of most of the sediment and organic impurities next passes through the inner sediment filter. The inner sediment filter is made of polymeric or ceramic to remove any fine suspended impurities. The lower purifier cartridge used in the system of the invention comprises hollow fiber membrane. Importantly, the present gravity system selectively suggests hollow fibers with high flux which requires less pressure. Water to be purified passes through the hallow fibers from outside to inside. The surface pores on the hollow fibers are 0.02 microns and hence is effective in trapping all bacteria and virus. Water from the top chamber and in particular the top purifier cartridge flow into the hollow fiber purifier cartridge of the bottom chamber thereby removing all bacteria and virus. Purified water finally collects in the lower container as it passes from the hollow fiber chamber. For the purpose of the above purification water flows from out-to inside in the hollow fibers. As the outside pores get plugged up, the water flow decreases. The hollow fiber assembly after such use and blockage can be again made effective by simple back washing - In order to back wash, water is pushed from in to outside. Such back wash can be attained as shown in Figures 4a and 4b. As illustrated in said figures such back washing of the cartridge can be achieved by simple means such as by connecting its outlet to a water containing bellow pump or to any online tap Supplying water. Once the back wash is completed, and the pores are opened water begin to flow again freely through the fibers for effective gravity purification. Advantageously therefore the hollow fiber assembly provided and used in the system of the invention can be effectively used and maintained . The above selective combination in the system of the invention thus enables effective and proper use of carbon block in gravity based system without the problem of any unwanted blocking of the cartridge and consequential reduction in flow rate and loss of efficiency of the purifier system. The hollow fiber assembly and its selective use facilitate purification without the involvement any chemical disinfectants which is found to seriously affect not only the performance of the purifier unit but more importantly further contaminate the purified water in case of undesired extended contact time of the chemical with the water. The hollow fiber assembly thus ensure optimized and safe purification of water thereby enable better and controlled purification of water to protect to health and well-being of individuals. It is thus possible by way of the present invention not only to provide a simple and cost effective water purifier system but also provide ready and simple means of its purification and maintenance which can be carried out also very simple and cost effectively. The system can thus the readily manufactured, used and maintained by without any specialized skill and it is thus supposed to cater to the present day need fbr wide scale use and application of such simple gravity purifiers especially in locations such as rural areas where online water supply may not be available for safe drinking. We Claim: 1. A gravity water purifier system comprising : a top filtration unit comprising a base on which an inner sediment filter is mounted, a bottom filtration unit operatively connected to said top filtration unit. 2. The water purifier system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said top filtration unit comprises a dome shaped carbon block which is internally and externally surrounded by means of sediment filter means. 3. The water purifier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 or 2 wherein said top filtration unit comprises a base on which an inner sediment filter is mounted , said dome shaped carbon block fastened over said inner sediment filter and a further sediment filter surround externally the said carbon block. 4. The water purifier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 3 wherein said bottom filtration cartridge comprises of a base with respect to which said hollow fiber assembly is mounted , an outer shell surrounding and defining a compact housing for said hollow fiber assembly in combination with said base. 5. The water purifier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 4 wherein said top filtration unit communicates with said bottom filtration unit through said inner sediment filter. 6. The water purifier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 5 wherein said inner and external sediment filters are disposed such as not to contact the said carbon block filter. 7. The water purifier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 6 wherein said hollow fiber assembly comprises plurality of inverted 'U' shaped fiber units secured with respect to said base plate such that the water entering said 'U' shaped units exit through a lower base member. 8. The water purifier system as claimed in claim 7 wherein said lower base has an outlet for the gravity discharge of the purified water. 9. The water purifier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 8 wherein said outer sediment filter comprise a multi layer non woven fabric and/or polymeric sediment filter. 10. The water purifier system as claimed In claim 9 wherein the porosity of the sediment filter range from 2 microns to 15 microns depending on the turbidity of the feed water. 11- The water purifier system as claimed In anyone of claims 1 to 10 wherein said carbon block is bio static and is also hydrophilic. 12. The water purifier system as claimed in claim 11 wherein said carbon block is adapted to remove chlorine and all volatile organic Impurities. 13. The water purifier system as claimed In anyone of claims 1 to 12 wherein said inner sediment filter is selected from polymeric ,ceramic filters adapted to remove fine suspended Impurities. 14. The water purifier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 13 wherein said lower purifier chemical free disinfectant cartridge comprise hollow fibers with high flux. 15. The water purifier system as claimed In anyone of claims 1 to 14 wherein the surface pores on the hollow fibers are preferably about 0.02 microns and adapted to trap bacteria and virus. 16. The water purifier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 15 wherein the hollow fibers are adapted for easy cleaning by back washing. 17. The water purifier system as claimed In claim 16 wherein said hollow fibre assembly is adapted for connecting its outlet to a water source preferably bellow pump or to any online tap supplying water for said back washing. 18. The water purifier system substantially as here in described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying figures.

Documents:

1421-che-2004-abstract.pdf

1421-che-2004-claims.pdf

1421-che-2004-correspondnece-others.pdf

1421-che-2004-correspondnece-po.pdf

1421-che-2004-description(complete).pdf

1421-che-2004-drawings.pdf

1421-che-2004-form 1.pdf

1421-che-2004-form 19.pdf

1421-che-2004-form 26.pdf

1421-che-2004-form 3.pdf