Water filter cartridge and head having keyed engagement
A water filter assembly is provided, including a filter head including a filter manifold in fluid communication with an existing water line, a head housing connected to the manifold and including landings, an elongate key member depending from a portion of the filter head, and a filter cartridge including a filter housing constructed and arranged to retain a supply of filter media, a filter closure attached to an upper end of the filter housing and having at least an inlet port and an outlet port, the closure configured for engaging the landings of the head housing and also having a recess constructed and arranged to matingly and slidingly accommodate the key member so that, upon engaging the filter head, the filter cartridge is in alignment with the filter head.
1 . A water filter assembly, comprising:
a filter head including a filter manifold in fluid communication with an existing water line, a head housing connected to said manifold and including landings and a bypass disk that rotates relative to said head housing, said bypass disk including a pair of hollow projections and an elongate key member, wherein said pair of hollow projections and said elongate key member depend from said bypass disk; and
a filter cartridge including a filter housing constructed and arranged to retain a supply of filter media, a filter closure attached to an upper end of said filter housing and having an upper surface from which are recessed at least an inlet port and an outlet port which are constructed and arranged to matingly and slidingly accommodate said hollow depending projections of said bypass disk, said inlet port and said outlet port each including at least one internal sealing member, said closure configured for engaging said landings of said head housing and also having a recess depending from said upper surface and constructed and arranged to matingly and slidingly accommodate said elongate key member so that, upon engaging said filter head, said filter cartridge is in alignment with said filter head;
wherein said inlet port and said outlet port are radially displaced from a center of said upper surface and wherein said bypass disk includes a bypass conduit, such that when said bypass disk is in a bypass position, said bypass conduit is placed in fluid communication with the inner flow lines of the manifold, and
wherein said bypass conduit is disposed below a flat upper surface within a disk body of said bypass disk which is parallel to said upper surface of said filter closure such that said flat upper surface extends directly above said bypass conduit, and said depending hollow projections extend through said flat upper surface of said disk body, such that said depending hollow projections end at said flat upper surface.
2 . The filter assembly of claim 1 , further including a check valve located in each of said inlet port and said outlet port of said cartridge closure, each said check valve being disposed in said cartridge closure below said upper surface so that engagement of said projections into said ports upon connection of said filter causes said check valves to move from a biased, closed position, to an open position, wherein said check valve is biased into the closed position by a spring.
3 . The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
said key member has a rectangular transverse cross-section;
said key member has a tapered or rounded tip; and
said key member has a “D”-shaped transverse cross-section.
4 . The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein said filter cartridge closure has at least one radially projecting lug constructed and arranged for engaging said landings on said filter manifold head.
5 . The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein said key has a curved exterior surface, and said recess has a corresponding curved inner surface, and wherein said projections having generally the same length as said key member.
6 . The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
said projections are in spaced, parallel relationship to each other and form a triangle with said key member, and
the filter head further comprises at least one sealing element which is disposed between a flat upper surface of said bypass disk and a connection point on the filter manifold.
7 . The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein said bypass conduit passes through the center of said upper surface, and wherein an axis of an opening of each said depending hollow projection at said flat upper surface is parallel to an axis of the filter cartridge.
8 . A filter cartridge for use with a filter assembly including a filter head having a filter manifold in fluid communication with an existing water line, a head housing connected to the manifold and including landings and a bypass disk that rotates relative to the head housing, the bypass disk including a pair of hollow projections and a key member, wherein the pair of hollow projections and the elongate key member depend from the bypass disk, wherein the bypass disk includes a bypass conduit, such that when the bypass disk is in a bypass position, the bypass conduit is placed in fluid communication with the inner flow lines of the manifold, and wherein a fluid inlet connected to the water line is directly connected to a fluid outlet in the manifold, said cartridge comprising:
a filter housing constructed and arranged to retain a supply of filter media; and
a filter closure permanently affixed to, or integral with, an upper end of said filter housing and having an upper surface which is configured for contacting engagement with the bypass disk and from which are recessed at least an inlet port and an outlet port which are constructed an arranged to matingly and slidingly accommodate the hollow depending projections of the bypass disk, said closure configured for engaging the landings of the head housing, and also having a recess depending from said upper surface for slidingly and matingly accommodating the elongate key member for facilitating engagement between the filter head and said cartridge;
wherein said inlet port and said outlet port each include at least one internal sealing member,
wherein said inlet port and said outlet port are radially displaced from a center of said upper surface, and wherein said inlet port and said outlet port are in spaced, parallel relationship to each other and form a triangle with said recess, and
wherein each said inlet port and said outlet port is equipped with a check valve biased to a closed position, such that said check valve is biased into the closed position by a spring and said check valve contacts said at least one internal sealing member when said check valve is in the closed position.
9 . The filter cartridge of claim 8 , wherein said closure is provided with at least one radially projecting lug for engaging the landings of the filter head housing.
10 . The filter cartridge of claim 9 , wherein said at least one radially projecting lug defines a polygonally-shaped thread track.
11 . The filter cartridge of claim 8 , wherein said recess has:
a curved inner surface for receiving said key which has a curved exterior surface, and
a flat inner surface which connects ends of said curved inner surface.
12 . The filter cartridge of claim 8 , wherein each of said at least one internal sealing member defines an opening that is dimensioned for slidingly and sealingly engaging one of the depending hollow projections.
13 . The filter cartridge of claim 8 , wherein said inlet port and said outlet port each include an indentation for housing said at least one internal sealing member, such that a depth of said indentations is less than a thickness of said at least one internal sealing member.
14 . A filter head for use in a filter assembly including said head and a replaceable cartridge having a filter housing constructed and arranged to retain a supply of filter media, a filter closure attached to an upper end of the filter housing, having an upper surface from which are recessed at least an inlet port and an outlet port, and a recess depending from the upper surface, said filter head comprising:
a filter manifold in fluid communication with an existing water line;
a head housing connected to said manifold and including landings and a bypass disk that rotates relative to said head housing, said bypass disk including a pair of depending hollow projections extending away from said filter manifold, wherein said depending hollow projections are radially displaced from a center of said bypass disk; and
a key member depending from said bypass disk and being constructed and arranged for engaging the recess on the filter cartridge for facilitating alignment between said filter head and the cartridge;
wherein said bypass disk includes a bypass conduit, such that when said bypass disk is in a bypass position, said bypass conduit is placed in fluid communication with the inner flow lines of the manifold,
wherein said bypass conduit is disposed below a flat upper surface within a disk body of said bypass disk which is transverse to a longitudinal axis of said head housing such that said flat upper surface extends directly above said bypass conduit, and said depending hollow projections extend through said flat upper surface of said disk body, such that said depending hollow projections end at said flat upper surface, and
wherein the inlet port and the outlet port each include at least one internal sealing member which define openings that are dimensioned for slidingly and sealingly engaging said depending hollow projections.
15 . The filter head of claim 14 , wherein said depending hollow projections are in spaced, parallel relationship to each other and form a triangle with said key member.
16 . The filter head of claim 14 , wherein at least one of:
said key member is closer to one of said depending hollow projections than the other, and
said key member has one of a rectangular and a “D”-shaped transverse cross-section.
17 . The filter head of claim 14 , wherein said recess has a curved inner surface which corresponds to a curved exterior surface of the key member.