US3670892A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Reverse osmosis apparatus
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1969-11-06
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Granted: 1972-06-20
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Expires: 1989-11-06
Abstract
Abstract A reverse osmosis unit in which the membrane has a supported side and an unsupported side, with a liquid product reservoir in communication with the supported side, and a feed liquid chamber in contact with the unsupported side. The unit includes means to maintain the pressure of the feed liquid at a sufficiently high level to prevent the flow of liquid through the membrane from the supported side to the unsupported side when the inlet to the feel liquid chamber is closed. A reverse osmosis unit in which the membrane is supported by a porous layer material containing activated charcoal.
Inventors
- 👤 William Baerg
- 👤 Pierre St Guilhem Humber
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 04:00
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01D; B01D63/00; B01D63/06; B01D63/062; B01D61/00; B01D61/02; B01D61/08; B01D61/081; B01D2313/00; B01D2313/14; B01D2313/146; B01D2313/18; B01D2313/40; B01D2313/90; B01D2313/903
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
117 words
In a reverse osmosis unit, the combination comprising: a plastic membrane capable of removing impurities from a feed liquid through reverse osmosis to obtain a liquid product, said membrane having a supported side and an unsupported side; a feed liquid chamber in contact with said unsupported side; a product liquid reservoir in contact with said supported side; a feed liquid inlet to said feed liquid chamber; a spent feed liquid outlet from said feed liquid chamber, and means to maintain the pressure of feed liquid within said feed liquid chamber at a level sufficient to prevent the osmotic flow of liquid across said membrane from said supported side to said unsupported side when said inlet is closed.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
117 words
In a reverse osmosis unit, the combination comprising: a plastic membrane capable of removing impurities from a feed liquid through reverse osmosis to obtain a liquid product, said membrane having a supported side and an unsupported side; a feed liquid chamber in contact with said unsupported side; a product liquid reservoir in contact with said supported side; a feed liquid inlet to said feed liquid chamber; a spent feed liquid outlet from said feed liquid chamber, and means to maintain the pressure of feed liquid within said feed liquid chamber at a level sufficient to prevent the osmotic flow of liquid across said membrane from said supported side to said unsupported side when said inlet is closed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
86 words
The reverse osmosis unit of claim 1, wherein said means to maintain the pressure of said feed liquid within said feed liquid chamber includes an inlet check valve positioned in communication with said inlet and an outlet relief valve positioned in communication with said outlet, said inlet check valve preventing back flow of feed liquid through said inlet, and said outlet relief valve preventing flow of spent feed liquid through said outlet at a pressure equal to or less than the osmotic pressure across said membrane.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The reverse osmosis unit of claim 2, including means to remove particles from the feed liquid which could be injurious to said membrane prior to introduction of the feed liquid to said feed liquid chamber.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
The reverse osmosis unit of claim 1 including means to maintain the flow of spent feed liquid through said outlet relatively constant at a predetermined flow rate when said unit is in operation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
72 words
The reverse osmosis unit of claim 1 including a plurality of concentrically aligned cylinders, each adjacent pair of said cylinders defining an annular feed liquid chamber having as an outer surface the inner surface of the cylinder or larger diameter and as an inner surface the outer surface of the cylinder of smaller diameter, and a reverse osmosis membrane mounted on the inner and outer surfaces of said annular feed liquid chamber.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
47 words
The reverse osmosis unit of claim 5 wherein the distance across said annular feed liquid chamber is in the order of about 0.020 to about 0.10 inches from the membrane on the inner surface of said chamber to the membrane on the outer surface of said chamber.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The reverse osmosis unit of claim 5 including means to provide uniform flow of a feed liquid through said annular feed liqUid chamber.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The reverse osmosis unit of claim 1, wherein said membrane is a cellulose acetate film.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
The reverse osmosis unit of claim 1, wherein a porous layer material containing activated charcoal is positioned in contact with the supported side of said membrane.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The reverse osmosis unit of claim 1, including vent means in communication with said product reservoir.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
95 words
In a reverse osmosis unit having a cast plastic membrane capable of removing impurities from a feed liquid through uniform flow of liquid through said membrane by reverse osmosis, means to supply a feed liquid to the feed side of said membrane, and means to remove a liquid product from the product side of said membrane, the improvement comprising: a layer of porous material containing activated charcoal positioned on the product side of said membrane such that liquid flowing uniformly through said membrane comes into uniform contact with the activated charcoal in said porous material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
95 words
In a reverse osmosis unit having a cast plastic membrane capable of removing impurities from a feed liquid through uniform flow of liquid through said membrane by reverse osmosis, means to supply a feed liquid to the feed side of said membrane, and means to remove a liquid product from the product side of said membrane, the improvement comprising: a layer of porous material containing activated charcoal positioned on the product side of said membrane such that liquid flowing uniformly through said membrane comes into uniform contact with the activated charcoal in said porous material.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
The reverse osmosis unit of claim 11 wherein said layer of porous material containing activated charcoal is in contact with said membrane.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
15 words
The reverse osmosis unit of claim 11 wherein said membrane is a cellulose acetate film.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-06-20 | 1975-12-20 | 1976-06-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-06-20 | 1979-12-20 | 1980-06-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-06-20 | 1983-12-20 | 1984-06-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |