Methods of and apparatus for demineralizing water

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF DEMINERALIZING WATER COMPRISING: (1) CONDUCTING SAID WATER THROUGH AND INTO CONTACT WITH A POROUS ION EXCHANGE BED ARRANGED IN A FIRST CHAMBER AND ALSO INTO CONTACT WITH FIRST AND SECOND BARRIERS RESPECTIVELY SEPARATING SAID FIRST CHAMBER FROM SECOND AND THIRD CHAMBERS, WHEREIN SAID POROUS ION EXCHANGE BED CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF A LOOSELY PACKED MASS OF FIRST DISCRETE PARTICLES OF ANION EXCHANGE MATERIAL AND OF SECOND DISCRETE PARTICLES OF CATION EXCHANGE MATERIAL AND ACCOMMODATES THE READY PASSAGE THERETHROUGH OF SAID WATER, (2) CONTACTING SAID FIRST BARRIER WITH A FIRST ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION ARRANGED IN SAID SECOND CHAMBER, (3) CONTACTING SAID SECOND BARRIER WITH A SECOND ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION ARRANGED IN SAID THIRD CHAMBER, AND (4) PASSING A DIRECT ELECTRIC CURRENT FROM SAID FIRST ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION INTO SAID SECOND ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION THROUGH SAID FIRST BARRIER AND SAID WATER AND SAID POROUS ION EXCHANGE BED AND SAID SECOND BARRIER; WHEREBY SAID WATER IN SAID FIRST CHAMBER IS SUBJECTED SIMULTANEOUSLY TO ANION EXCHANGE AND TO CATION EXCHANGE AND TO ELECTRODIALYSIS.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF DEMINERALIZING WATER COMPRISING: (1) CONDUCTING SAID WATER THROUGH AND INTO CONTACT WITH A POROUS ION EXCHANGE BED ARRANGED IN A FIRST CHAMBER AND ALSO INTO CONTACT WITH FIRST AND SECOND BARRIERS RESPECTIVELY SEPARATING SAID FIRST CHAMBER FROM SECOND AND THIRD CHAMBERS, WHEREIN SAID POROUS ION EXCHANGE BED CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF A LOOSELY PACKED MASS OF FIRST DISCRETE PARTICLES OF ANION EXCHANGE MATERIAL AND OF SECOND DISCRETE PARTICLES OF CATION EXCHANGE MATERIAL AND ACCOMMODATES THE READY PASSAGE THERETHROUGH OF SAID WATER, (2) CONTACTING SAID FIRST BARRIER WITH A FIRST ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION ARRANGED IN SAID SECOND CHAMBER, (3) CONTACTING SAID SECOND BARRIER WITH A SECOND ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION ARRANGED IN SAID THIRD CHAMBER, AND (4) PASSING A DIRECT ELECTRIC CURRENT FROM SAID FIRST ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION INTO SAID SECOND ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTION THROUGH SAID FIRST BARRIER AND SAID WATER AND SAID POROUS ION EXCHANGE BED AND SAID SECOND BARRIER; WHEREBY SAID WATER IN SAID FIRST CHAMBER IS SUBJECTED SIMULTANEOUSLY TO ANION EXCHANGE AND TO CATION EXCHANGE AND TO ELECTRODIALYSIS.