Water filter cartridge and head having keyed engagement

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.

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.