# US 10,945,581 B2 · Pump for regenerating a decalcifying device of a dishwashing machine

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- Number: US 10,945,581 B2
- Document ID: US10945581B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/736,598
- Filed: 2016-06-17
- Published: 2018-05-17
- Granted: 2021-03-16
- Earliest claimed: 2015-06-19
- Assignees: Bitron S.P.A.
- Applicants: BITRON S.p.A.
- Inventors: Enzo Brignone
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10945581B2

## CPC

- A47L 15/4229: {Water softening arrangements}
- F04B 43/04: Pumps having electric drive
- F04B 49/10: Other safety measures
- D06F 39/007: {Arrangements of water softeners}
- F04B 53/10: Valves; Arrangement of valves
- A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08)
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)
- D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES

## Abstract

A pump which brings about a flow of regenerating brine in a chamber containing substances with water-softening properties of a decalcifying device of a dishwashing machine. The pump includes a body (10) in which a brine inflow conduit (16) provided with a one-way valve (18) and a brine outflow conduit (12) provided with a one-way valve (14) are defined; a solenoid (20) arranged within the body (10); and a core controlled by the solenoid (20). The outflow conduit (12) has an initial portion (34) coaxial with the axis (24) of the solenoid so that, when the pump is not active, the mouth of the initial portion (34) is closed by the center portion of the membrane (44) which ensures the water-tightness in both directions between the inflow and outflow conduits (16, 12).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A pump for bringing about a flow of regenerating brine in a chamber containing substances with water-softening properties of a decalcifying device of a dishwashing machine, comprising:
a body (10) in which a brine inflow conduit (16) provided with a one-way valve (18) and a brine outflow conduit (12) provided with a one-way valve (14) are defined,
a solenoid (20) having a longitudinal axis (24) and arranged within said body (10), and
a core controlled by said solenoid (20), mobile along said longitudinal axis (24), provided with return elastic means and having an upper end associated to said body (10) and a lower end connected to a center portion of a membrane (44), whose peripheral portion is fixed to said body (10),
wherein said core has a part of plastics material which is associated to the body (10) and to which a member of magnetic material is assembled,
wherein said outflow conduit (12) has an initial portion (34) coaxial with said longitudinal axis (24) so that, when the pump is not active, the mouth of said initial portion (34) is closed by said center portion of the membrane (44) which ensures the water-tightness in both directions between said inflow and outflow conduits (16, 12), and
wherein said body (10) comprises a monolithic hollow case (20) which delimits an inner cavity, within which said solenoid (22) is housed and which has an upper wall (26) having a through passage (38) acting as upper guide of the movement of said core protruding outside said inner cavity,
wherein said core is formed by a bar (30) of plastics material, whose lower portion is surrounded by a sleeve (32) of magnetic material, and
wherein said return elastic means comprises a helical spring (46) coaxially arranged around the bar (30) of the core between the upper end of said sleeve (32) and a lower surface of the upper wall (26) of the hollow case (20),
wherein the bar (30) has an upper end within said through passage (38) of said hollow case (20), so that said spring (46) is entirely within said inner cavity and around said bar (30).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The pump according to claim 1, wherein said core is mobile in air and is never in contact with the flow of brine.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The pump according to claim 1, wherein said hollow case is plastic.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The pump according to claim 1, wherein the part of plastics material which is associated to the body (10) is co-molded with the member of magnetic material.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The pump according to claim 1, wherein said hollow case (20) has a lower wall (28) having a passage (40) acting as lower guide of the movement of said core.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The pump according to claim 1, wherein said membrane (44) acts as lower guide of the movement of said core.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The pump according to claim 1, wherein the electric current supplying said solenoid (22) passes through a diode (48), so that it is rectified to only one half-wave.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The pump according to claim 7, wherein an electric capacitor (50) is arranged in parallel to said solenoid (22).

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The pump according to claim 8, wherein said electric capacitor (50) has a capacity not greater than 3 μF.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The pump according to claim 1, wherein the body (10) is provided with a safety conduit (60) for discharging the brine in the case of breakage of the membrane (44).

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A decalcifying device for a dishwashing machine, comprising a pump according to claim 1.