Water softening device

Claim 1

A PORTABLE WATER SOFTENER COMPRISING: (A) A COMPARATIVELY SHORT, ENCLOSED, CYLINDRICAL, AXIALLYSYMMETRICAL BODY STRUCTURE HAVING AN AXIALLY-CENTERED INTAKE PASSAGEWAY AT ONE END THEREOF AND AN AXIALLYCENTERED DISCHARGE PASSAGEWAY AT THE OTHER END THEREOF; (B) MEANS AT THE INTAKE PASSAGEWAY ADAPTED TO CONNECT WITH A CONDUIT HAVING PRESSURIZED WATER SUPPLY; (C) A SHORT EXTENSION OF THE INTAKE PASSAGEWAY INTO THE BODY AND A WASHER CAP HAVING AN AXIALLY-CENTERED, RESTRICTIVE ORIFICE TRAVERSING THE TERMINUS OF SAID PASSAGEWAY, ADAPTED TO RESTRICT THE FLOW OF WATER INTO THE BODY AS AN AXIALLY-DIRECTED JET THROUGH THE ORIFICE; (D) A CIRCULAR PLATE MOUNTED WITHIN THE BODY AND MEANS ON THE BODY TO HOLD THE PLATE, TRANSVERSELY OF THE AXIS THEREOF, AT THE APPROXIMATE CENTRAL PORTION THEREOF TO DIVIDE THE BODY INTERIOR INTO FIRST COMPARTMENT AT THE INTAKE SIDE AND A SECOND COMPARTMENT AT THE DISCHARGE SIDE, SAID PLATE BEING AXIALLY CENTERED WITHIN THE BODY AND HAVING A DIAMETER SMALLER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE BODY TO PROVIDE A RING-LIKE COMMUNICATION SPACE BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND COMPARTMENTS OUTWARDLY OF THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF THE PLATE; (E) A CHARGE OF WATER SOFTENER PARTICLES WITHIN THE BODY, WITH THE PARTICLES IN THE FIRST COMPARTMENT BEING LOOSELY PACKED AND WITH THE PARTICLES IN THE SECOND COMPARTMENT BEING TIGHTLY PACKED, SAID LOOSELY-PACKED PARTICLES OF THE FIRST AND COMPARTMENT BEING ADAPTED TO PERMIT A JET FLOWING THROUGH THE ORIFICE TO SPREAD THE PARTICLES ASIDE FROM THE AXIS OF THE COMPARTMENT; AND SAID RING-LIKE COMMUNICATION SPACE BEING COMPARATIVELY NARROW AND OF SUCH SIZE AS TO PREVENT SUBSTANTIAL INTERMIXING OF THE PARTICLES IN TWO COMPARTMENTS; (F) AN AXIALLY-CENTERED CRATER AT THE FACE OF THE PLATE IN THE FIRST COMPARTMENT ADAPTED TO SPREAD THE FLOW OF THE JET STRIKING THE PLATE IN A RADIALLY-DISPERSED MANNER; AND (G) A COLLECTION CHAMBER HAVING A PARTICLE-BLOCKING SCREEN MEANS OVER IT WITHIN THE SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT OVER THE DISCHARGE PASSAGEWAY, ADAPTED TO PERMIT WATER TO FLOW FROM THE PARTICLES, THROUGH THE SCREEN MEANS, INTO THE COLLECTION CHAMBER AND THENCE, THROUGH THE PASSAGEWAY.