JP2007175569A - Water purifying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water purifying apparatus easily and inexpensively variable in its various contours. <P>SOLUTION: A water purifying part housing casing comprises a base table 15 provided with a raw water flow-in part 13 and a raw water introducing passage, and a body casing 1 provided with an opening extending a water sending hose 6, detachably engaged with the base table 15 and housing the water purifying part, and has mounting structure allowing exchange of the body casing 1 of various contours. When engaging the body casing 1 with the base table 15, the water sending hose 6 is loosely inserted through the opening at the upper part of a decorative cap 3, and the body casing 1 is turned while setting an engagement part 90 along an engagement part 70, then an engagement groove 72 is engaged with a protrusion 91 and locked, to keep an engaged state. When disengaging the body casing 1 from the base table 15, by reversely turning the body casing 1, the engaging state of the engagement groove 72 with the protrusion 91 can be released. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a water purifier that purifies raw water such as tap water using activated carbon, ion exchange resin, or the like.

  In this type of water purifier, there is a simple water purifier that is compactly attached to a faucet of a household water supply. Patent Document 1 shows an example of a switching water purifier. This switchable water purifier includes a switching valve that connects a raw water inlet connected to a tap of a water supply to a raw water outlet and a purified water supply port by a lever operation, and a purified water outlet. It consists of a filter detachably connected to the supply port.

On the other hand, as shown in Patent Document 2, there is a flowing water purifier that is directly connected to a faucet of a water supply via a water supply hose or the like. In this flowing water purifier, a stationary type or a desktop type structure in which a cartridge type water purifying unit is accommodated in an accommodation case is generally used. In this case, the housing structure of the housing case includes a housing body that houses a water purification portion, a base portion on which the water storage portion is placed, and a water pipe that discharges purified water filtered by the water purification portion. It consists of. In addition, when replacing the cartridge type water purification unit, the housing unit and the lid are disassembled from the pedestal, and the used cartridge is taken out and replaced with a new cartridge.
Another housing structure of the flowing water purifier is shown in Patent Document 3. In this case, the housing structure is such that the cartridge housing cylinder is attached to the bottom member with a packing material, and the upper end of the cylinder is attached to the packing material with an upper lid, and the water pipe is drawn from the upper lid. The nut for loosely inserting the water pipe is fitted from the upper side of the upper lid, and is tightly tightened so that the upper lid and the housing cylinder are pressed against the bottom member.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-174041 JP-A-8-257559 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-13383

This type of stationary water purifier is installed and used in a kitchen or kitchen room that is easily noticed at home and at work. For this reason, the manufacturer of the water purifier or the provider of the rental water purifier needs to make the shape of the housing case and the appearance of the design design take into account the user's preference and usage environment.
However, since the water purification apparatus of patent document 2 has a water pipe etc. integrated with the lid, changing the shape of the housing case or the appearance of the design design changes the shape of the case lid or changes the design. There is a need to. For this reason, in order to prepare various water purifiers with different external appearances according to user needs, manufacturers have many stocks and it is difficult to increase the number of products at a low price. There was a problem. Moreover, since the water purifier of patent document 3 is a fastening structure which nut-tightens an upper cover and an accommodation cylinder to a bottom member, the whole case is restrict | limited to a cylindrical symmetrical shape, and there is little freedom to change to various case forms. There was a bug.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said conventional situation, and it aims at providing the water purifier which can change a various external appearance form simply and cheaply.

  This invention is made in order to achieve the said subject, and the 1st form of this invention is the purified water purified from the outflow port while circulating the to-be-purified water introduced through the inflow path from the inflow port. In the water purifier having a purified water section to be sent out, a storage case for storing the purified water section in a replaceable manner, and a water supply pipe for discharging the purified water in communication with the outlet, the storage case has the inflow path. Comprising a pedestal part to which the water purification unit is mounted, and an opening for extending the water pipe, and a main body case that is detachably attached to the pedestal part and interiors the water purification unit, A water purifier in which the main body case is replaceable.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the purified water according to the first aspect, wherein a nozzle part in which a start end of the water supply pipe is fitted is provided at the outlet of the water purification part, and the main body case covers the nozzle part. Device.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, at least an upper part of the pedestal part and a lower part of the main body case have a substantially cylindrical shape, and a pair of engaging parts are provided on the upper part and the lower part. The engaging portion is formed by engaging the lower engaging portion with the upper engaging portion while rotating the main body case, and the main body case is moved in a direction opposite to the rotating direction. It is a water purifier which is rotated to release the engagement state and is made detachable.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect, the main body case includes a case main body that houses most of the water purification unit and a case main body that is attached to the case main body and covers at least the nozzle portion. And the water purifier which consists of a makeup | decoration cap provided with the said opening part.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, at least a head portion of the case main body and a skirt portion of the cosmetic cap are substantially cylindrical, and a pair of engaging portions are formed on the head portion and the skirt portion. The engaging cap is engaged with the case main body by engaging the engaging portion of the hem with the engaging portion of the head while rotating the decorative cap, and the rotating The water purifier is configured to rotate the makeup cap in a direction opposite to the direction so as to release the engagement state so that the makeup cap is detachable so that the makeup cap can be replaced.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the water purifier according to any one of the third and fifth aspects, wherein the pair of engaging portions includes a protrusion and a recess into which the protrusion can be fitted.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the water purification unit includes an exchangeable cartridge including a filtration member that filters and purifies the water to be purified. It is a water purifier for purifying by circulating water in the filtration member.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect, the filtration member is a water purifier comprising one or more of a hollow fiber, a ceramic membrane, activated carbon, or an ion exchange material.

  According to the 1st form of this invention, the purified water which sends the purified water purified from the outflow port while circulating the to-be-purified water introduced through the inflow path from the inflow port, and the purified water portion are stored in a replaceable manner. In a water purifier having a storage case and a water pipe that discharges the purified water in communication with the outlet, the storage case includes the inflow path, and a pedestal portion on which the water purification unit is mounted; The main body case is provided with an opening for extending the water pipe, and is detachably attached to the pedestal portion so as to house the water purification unit. The main body case is replaceable. And if it is a main body case with the same attachment structure with respect to the said base part, the main body case from which an external appearance form differs will be exchangeable, and the change of various external appearance forms can be performed easily. In particular, since a water purifier having a different external form can be realized by replacing only the main body case, it is not necessary to change the case lid shape or design as in the case of Patent Document 2, and the appearance is different. A water purifier equipped with various types of storage cases can be constructed at low cost.

  According to the 2nd form of this invention, since the nozzle part by which the starting end of the said water pipe is fitted is provided in the said outflow port of the said water purification part, and the said nozzle part is coat | covered, the said water pipe is connected from the said opening part. Various exchanges can be made for the main body case having a different exterior form, in which the nozzle portion is compactly housed in an extended state.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, at least the upper portion of the pedestal portion and the lower portion of the main body case have a substantially cylindrical shape, and a pair of engaging portions are formed on the upper portion and the lower portion, and the main body case is rotated. The lower engagement portion is engaged with the upper engagement portion while moving, and the engagement state is established, and the main body case is rotated in the opposite direction to the rotation direction. The main body can be exchanged at a single touch to the pedestal portion and has a different external form simply by forming a common engaging portion for the pedestal portion at the lower part of the main body case. The case can be used, and a water purifier having a simple and inexpensive case replacement structure can be realized.

  According to the 4th form of this invention, in the said 2nd or 3rd form, the said main body case is attached to the case main body which interiors most of the said water purification parts, and the said case main body, and at least the said nozzle part And a cosmetic cap provided with the opening, so that the outer appearance is further improved by using a composite body case composed of the cosmetic cap and the case main body as compared with a body case made of a single member. It is possible to realize a water purifier equipped with a simple and inexpensive case replacement structure that can provide abundant variations.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, at least the head of the case main body and the bottom of the decorative cap are substantially cylindrical, and a pair of engagements are formed on the head and the bottom. An engaging portion is formed, and by engaging the engaging portion of the hem portion with the engaging portion of the head while rotating the decorative cap, the decorative cap is engaged with the case main body, and the Since the makeup cap is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction to release the engagement state so as to be detachable and the makeup cap is replaceable, a common engaging portion for the case main body is A cosmetic cap that can be exchanged with respect to the head with a single touch and that has a different appearance form can be used simply by forming it at the bottom of the cosmetic cap. Therefore, it is possible to realize a water purifier having a simple case replacement structure that can have a variety of appearance forms with respect to the main body case.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fifth aspect, the pair of engaging portions are formed of protrusions and recesses into which the protrusions can be fitted. A wearing structure can be formed and imparted to the main body case and the pedestal portion, or the case main body and the decorative cap at a low cost.

  According to the 7th form of this invention, the said water purification part consists of a replaceable cartridge containing the filtration member which filters and purifies the said to-be-purified water, distribute | circulates the to-be-purified water in the said filtration member, Since it purifies | cleans, the water purifier which can replace | exchange various said main body cases in which the external appearance form which incorporates the said cartridge-type water purifying part can be implement | achieved.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the filtration member is made of one or more of a hollow fiber, a ceramic membrane, activated carbon, or an ion exchange material, and thus the body case having a different appearance form can be variously replaced. It is possible to realize water purification measures in a water purification apparatus that is excellent in water purification performance and that can cleanly produce purified water.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an external front view of a water purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. (2A) of FIG. 2 shows the upper surface of the water purifier according to the embodiment, and (2B) of FIG. 2 shows the bottom of the water purifier according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a side surface of the water purifier according to the embodiment.
This water purifier has a beautifully-contained storage case including a substantially truncated cone-shaped main body case 1 having a reduced diameter portion 2 at an upper portion and a base 15 to which the main body case 1 is detachably attached. A decorative cap 3 is detachably attached to the top of the reduced diameter portion 2 by screwing engagement. A bellows-type metal flexible tube 5 extends outward from the opening at the top of the decorative cap 3. The flexible tube 5 covers the water supply hose 6 by inserting the water supply hose 6 into the tube. The water discharge port 7 of the water supply hose 6 protrudes outward from the tip opening 8 of the flexible tube 5 by 1 to 2 cm. A water supply hose 4 extends outward from a base 15 as a pedestal portion to which the main body case 1 is attached. In the main body case 1, a water purification unit that purifies the raw water introduced from the water supply hose 4 while circulating it and sends the purified water to the water outlet 7 through the water supply hose 6 is housed in a replaceable manner. The water supply hose 6 is made of a soft synthetic resin, and can be moved in an arbitrary direction by being mounted in the bellows type flexible tube 5, thereby improving the use characteristics. The case member such as the main body case 1 is made of a synthetic resin member that can be manufactured in large quantities at a low cost.

  FIG. 4 shows an AA longitudinal section of (2A) of FIG. The water purification unit is composed of a synthetic resin cartridge that houses a filtration member, and this cartridge comprises an upper part 11, a central part 9 and a bottom part 10. The upper part 11 is formed integrally with the central part 9, and the bottom part 10 is formed with a threaded part detachably from the central part 9. The upper portion 11, the central portion 9 and the bottom portion 10 accommodate hollow fiber, activated carbon, and ion exchange resin filtration members, respectively. The upper part 11 located in the reduced diameter part 2 is reduced in diameter from the central part 9 so that the flow rate of the purified water that has passed through the central part 9 is increased. The hollow fiber filtration member used for the upper part 11 consists of, for example, a hollow ultrafine fiber body bundle. For the ultrafine fiber body, a porous fiber material having a large number of holes in the side wall is suitable for filtering fine impurities and microorganisms such as bacteria. By removing the bottom part 10, the upper part 11 and the center part 9 can be filled with a filtration member. A lower portion of the bottom 10 is connected to a base 15 and a raw water inlet 14 is opened. A raw water inflow portion 13 is formed in the vicinity of the raw water inlet 14. The raw water inflow portion 13 may be provided with a valve body that opens and closes by the inflow pressure of the raw water. The raw water inflow portion 13 communicates with the raw water introduction path that reaches the attachment nozzle 12 of the water supply hose 4.

  A nozzle portion 16 is formed at the top of the upper portion 11. A purified water outlet 23 is provided at the center of the nozzle 16, and a nozzle 24 communicating with the outlet 23 is provided. By fitting the start end of the water supply hose 6 to the nozzle 24, the water supply hose 6 and the water purification unit are integrated. The distal end of the flexible tube 5 is fitted into the recess 81 of the distal end cap 8 by forced fitting. The water discharge port 7 of the water supply hose 6 protrudes outward by 1 to 2 cm from the open end 82 of the tip cap 8. As a result, the effect of draining in the vicinity of the spout 7 prevents the droplets from being transmitted and left in the vicinity of the tip opening 8 of the flexible tube 5, thereby preventing germs from growing in the vicinity of the spout 7 and improving the cleanliness. It can be maintained well. The water supply hose 6 is made of a soft synthetic resin, and can be moved in an arbitrary direction by being mounted in the bellows type flexible tube 5 to improve the use characteristics. The container member such as the case body 1 is made of a resin member that can be manufactured in large quantities at a low cost.

A holding mechanism for holding the integrated structure will be described in detail with reference to FIG. A metallic hollow holder 19 having a diameter larger than that of the tube main body is integrally attached to the distal end of the proximal end portion 18 of the flexible tube 5. The proximal end portion 18 including the metallic hollow holder portion 19 is fixed to the flexible tube 5 by welding. The lower end surface of the hollow holder portion 19 is placed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the nozzle portion 16 so as to cover the nozzle 24. By this mounting state, the hollow part of the hollow holder part 19 covers the fitting state of the water supply hose 6 starting end, and the sealed space which seals the starting end part is formed. A ring-shaped elastic pressing member 21 is fitted on the outer periphery of the start end of the water supply hose 6 in order to maintain the fitted state of the start end of the water supply hose 6.
With the hollow holder portion 19 and the spacer member 21 being placed on the outer peripheral portion of the nozzle portion 16, the fastening nut 20 is externally fitted to the hollow holder portion 19, and the engagement projection portion 17 on the side surface of the nozzle portion 16 is screwed. By attaching, the fastening force of the fastening nut 20 can be applied by the engagement between the flange portion 22 of the fastening nut 20 and the shoulder portion of the hollow holder portion 19. Even when the hollow holder portion 19 is sandwiched between the fastening nut 20 and the flexible tube 5 and the water supply hose 6 are moved in various directions at the time of fastening, the water supply hose 6 is connected to the fastening nut 20 by the nozzle 24. It is possible to form a firm holding structure that does not come off further. Accordingly, the sealed space formed inside the hollow holder portion 19 is internally fitted with the fitting state of the water feeding hose 6 and fixedly held by the fastening action of the fastening nut 20, so that the water feeding hose 6 and the water purification portion are connected. The integrated holding structure can be assembled easily and easily, and the assembly workability can be improved, and the assembly material cost can be reduced by the simple structure.

  At the connecting portion between the water supply hose 6 and the water purification unit in the upper holding structure, the decorative cap 3 is detachably attached to the reduced diameter portion 2 so that the attachment portion at the start of the water supply hose 6 is not directly exposed to the outside air. As a result, contaminants such as dust and germs floating in the atmosphere do not adhere or accumulate, and a cleaner water purification process becomes possible. A guide cylinder 25 that supports the proximal end portion 18 of the flexible tube 5 protrudes from the back side of the opening of the decorative cap 3.

  In the water purification apparatus having the above-described configuration, when replacing the filter medium of the water purification unit, the base end portion 18 of the flexible tube 5 is pulled out by removing the decorative cap 3 and releasing the fastening nut 20. The covering state of the fitting state of the water supply hose 6 starting end can be opened, and further, the state where the water supply hose 6 and the water purification unit are integrated is exposed by pulling out the flexible tube 5. And if the engagement state of the main body case 1 and the base 15 is cancelled | released and the main body case 1 is removed, since the water purification part will be in the state which can be replaced | exchanged, the cartridge replacement | exchange operation | work of a filtration member can be performed by one touch.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the water purifier configured as described above. The water purification unit accommodation case in the present embodiment includes a base 15 provided with the raw water inflow portion 13 and the raw water introduction path, and an opening for extending the water supply hose 6, and is detachably attached to the base 15. It comprises a main body case 1 that houses the water purification unit, and includes an attachment structure in which various types of main body cases can be replaced.
6 (6A) shows the engaging portion 70 provided on the base 15. FIG. Two engaging portions 70 are provided at positions facing the outer periphery of the circular peripheral edge slightly above the raw water inflow portion 13 at 180 °. The engaging portion 70 has a concave shape with one end opened along the inner periphery, and has an engaging groove 72 that is carved in the vertical direction near the end of the concave portion.
(6B) of FIG. 6 shows the engaging part 90 provided in the lower part of the main body case 1. Two engaging portions 90 are provided at positions facing the inner peripheral surface of the lower end of the main body case 1 by 180 °. The engaging portion 90 has a rail shape shorter than the concave portion of the engaging portion 70, and has a protrusion 91 protruding in the vertical direction near the rail tip. Of these engaging portions, the engaging groove 72 and the protrusion 91 constitute a pair of engaging portions of the present invention. The inner surface of the lower end of the main body case 1 and the outer periphery of the circumferential edge of the peripheral base 15 are set to have the same diameter so that the lower end of the main body case 1 is in close contact with the base 15.

  When the main body case 1 is attached to the base 15, the water supply hose 6 is loosely inserted through the opening at the top of the decorative cap 3, and the main body case 1 is rotated while the engaging portion 90 is attached to the engaging portion 70. Then, the engaging groove 72 and the protrusion 91 are fitted and locked, and can be engaged. When the main body case 1 is removed from the base 15, if the main body case 1 is rotated in the opposite direction, the engagement state of the engagement groove 72 and the protrusion 91 is released.

  With the detachable case mounting structure according to the above configuration, it is possible to replace the base 15 with one touch only by forming a common protrusion 91 for the engaging groove 72 of the base 15 at the lower part of the main body case, and A main body case having a different appearance form can be used, and a water purifier having a simple and inexpensive case replacement structure is obtained. For example, in the present embodiment, the reduced diameter portion 2 and the main body case 1 having a novel design design in which each step portion is inclined in a two-stage structure are used, but an uneven pattern is attached to the case surface, or Even when the decorative cap 3 is replaced with a main body case having an external appearance such as a cylindrical case of the same diameter, the case design can be changed easily and inexpensively by forming at least the common protrusion 91 at the lower part of the main body case. .

  In the present embodiment, the decorative cap 3 is also detachably attached to the reduced diameter portion 2. Two engaging portions 71 having the same shape as the engaging portion 70 including the engaging groove 72 are provided on the outer periphery of the circular head of the reduced diameter portion 2 as the case main body at a position facing the outer periphery by 180 °. . The skirt portion of the decorative cap 3 has a cylindrical shape, and although not shown, two engaging portions 90 including the protrusions 91 are provided at positions facing the inner peripheral surface of the skirt portion by 180 °. As with the case of the main body, the decorative cap 3 is engaged with the engagement groove of the head while the decorative cap 3 is rotated, so that the decorative cap 3 is engaged with the reduced diameter portion 2 and the reverse direction. When it is pivoted, the engaged state is released and it is detachable. Therefore, it is possible to use a cosmetic cap that can be exchanged with the reduced diameter portion 2 with a single touch and that has a different appearance form, simply by forming an engagement portion such as a common protrusion with respect to the reduced diameter portion 2 at the bottom portion of the decorative cap. . Thereby, the makeup | decoration cap from which a color and an external appearance shape differ can be replaced | exchanged, and the variation of an abundant external appearance form can be given with respect to the main body case 1. FIG.

  It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications and design changes within the technical scope without departing from the technical idea of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, a main body case having an opening for extending a water supply hose and the like and having the same engaging structure with respect to the pedestal portion can be replaced with different main body cases. A water purifier capable of easily changing the appearance form can be provided.

It is an external view of the water purifier which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the top view and bottom view of the water purifier which concern on the same embodiment. It is a side view of the water purifier which concerns on the same embodiment. It is an AA longitudinal cross-sectional view of (2A) of FIG. It is an exploded view of the said water purifier. (6A) shows the engaging part provided on the base, and (6B) shows the engaging part provided on the lower part of the main body case.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Storage case 2 Reduced diameter part 3 Cosmetic cap 4 Water supply hose 5 Flexible tube 6 Water supply hose 7 Water outlet 8 Tip opening part 9 Center part 10 Bottom part 11 Upper part 12 Installation nozzle 13 Raw water inflow part 14 Raw water inlet 15 Base 16 Nozzle part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 17 Engagement protrusion part 18 Base end part 19 Hollow holder part 20 Fastening nut 21 Pressing member 22 Gutter part 23 Outlet 24 Nozzle 25 Guide cylinder 70 Engagement part 71 Engagement part 72 Engagement groove 81 Recessed part 82 Open end 90 Engagement part 91 Projection

Claims (8)

A purified water section for sending purified water purified from the inlet through the inflow path through the inlet, a storage case for removably storing the purified water, and communicating with the outlet. In the water purification apparatus having the water supply pipe for discharging the purified water, the storage case includes a base portion on which the water purification section is mounted, including the inflow path, and an opening for extending the water supply pipe. A water purifier comprising: a main body case that is detachably attached to the pedestal portion and includes the water purifying portion; and the main body case is replaceable. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein a nozzle portion in which a start end of the water pipe is fitted is provided at the outlet of the water purification portion, and the main body case covers the nozzle portion. At least the upper part of the pedestal part and the lower part of the main body case have a substantially cylindrical shape, and a pair of engaging parts are formed on the upper part and the lower part, and the lower engaging part is moved while rotating the main body case. The engagement state is achieved by being engaged with an upper engagement portion, and the body case is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction to release the engagement state and to be detachable. The water purifier in any one of 1 or 2. The said main body case consists of the case main body which interiors most of the said water-purifying part, and the cosmetic cap which is crowned by the said case main body, covers the said nozzle part at least, and was provided with the said opening part. 3. The water purifier according to 3. At least the head of the case main body and the skirt of the makeup cap have a substantially cylindrical shape, and a pair of engagement portions are formed on the head and the skirt, and the rotation of the makeup cap rotates the makeup cap. By engaging the engaging portion with the engaging portion of the head, the decorative cap is engaged with the case main body, and the decorative cap is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotating direction to thereby engage the engaging cap. The water purifier according to claim 4, wherein the cosmetic cap is exchangeable by releasing the wearing state and making it detachable. The water purifier according to claim 3 or 5, wherein the pair of engaging portions includes a protrusion and a recess into which the protrusion can be fitted. The said water purification part consists of a replaceable cartridge containing the filtration member which filters and purifies the said to-be-purified water, and distribute | circulates the said to-be-purified water in the said filtration member, and purifies. The water purifier of description. The water purifier according to claim 7, wherein the filtration member is made of one or more of a hollow fiber, a ceramic membrane, activated carbon, or an ion exchange material.

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