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AssigneeKoslow Technologies Corporation
InventorEvan E. Koslow
Estimating the term…
The invention is directed to a microbiological interception enhanced filter medium, preferably having an adsorbent prefilter located upstream from the filter medium. Preferably, the prefilter is adapted to remove natural organic matter in an influent prior to the influent contacting the microbiological interception enhanced filter medium, thereby preventing loss of charge on the filter medium. The microbiological interception enhanced filter medium is most preferably comprised of fibrillated cellulose fibers, in particular, lyocell fibers. At least a portion of the surface of the at least some of the fibers have formed thereon a microbiological interception enhancing agent comprising a cationic metal complex. A filter medium of the present invention provides greater than about 4 log viral interception, and greater than about 6 log bacterial interception.
A filter medium comprising:
A composite filter medium comprising:
A filter system comprising:
A filter system comprising:
A process of making a filter medium comprising the steps of:
A process for making a filter medium comprising the steps of:
A process for making a filter medium comprising the steps of:
A process for making a filter medium comprising the steps of:
The process of claim 193 wherein the step of providing a plurality of cellulose nanofibers comprises forming a plurality of cellulose nanofibers having a Canadian Standard Freeness of less than or equal to about 45 into the microporous structure.
A process of making a filter medium comprising the steps of:
A process for making a filter medium comprising the steps of:
A process for making a filter system comprising the steps of:
A method of removing microbiological contaminants in a fluid comprising the steps of:
A gravity-flow filtration system for treating, storing, and dispensing fluids comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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By addition or application of a germicide or by oligodynamic treatment: by oligodynamic treatment
Using physical processes: filtration
Disinfection or sterilisation of materials or objects, in general; Accessories therefor: using chemical substances
Disinfection, sterilisation or deodorisation of air: using physical phenomena
Term end not estimated
The present invention is directed to filter media having microbiological interception capability, filtration systems containing such filter media, and methods of making and using same.
Modern consumer water filters often provide “health claims” including reduction of particulates, heavy metals, toxic organic chemicals, and select microbiological threats. These filtration systems have been able to intercept microorganisms such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia using roughly 1.0 micron structures. However, in order to provide microbiological interception of even smaller microbiological threats such as viruses, a filter medium having a sub-micron microporous structure is required. Prior art filtration systems often attempt to achieve broad microbiological interception using filter media with insufficiently small pore size and with poor physical integrity. The balance between the necessary pore structure required for successful microbiological interception and satisfactory filter performance has not been achieved. In addition, prior art systems did not provided devices capable of operating in the presence of “interferences” consisting of substances that cause a loss of filtration performance.
The present invention is directed to, in a first aspect, a filter medium comprising: a microporous structure having a mean flow path of less than or equal to about 1 micron; and a microbiological interception enhancing agent comprising a cationic metal complex capable of imparting a positive charge on at least a portion of the microporous structure.
The features of the invention believed to be novel and the elements characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The figures are for illustration purposes only and are not drawn to scale. The invention itself, however, both as to organization and method of operation, may best be understood by reference to the description of the preferred embodiment(s) that follows taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in that:
FIG. 1 is a side plan view of a filter incorporating the filter media of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the filter of FIG. 1 taken at lines 2-2.
In describing the preferred embodiment of the present invention, reference will be made herein to FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings in that like numerals refer to like features of the invention. Features of the invention are not necessarily shown to scale in the drawings.
Definitions
As used herein, “absorbent” shall mean any material that is capable of absorbing impurities primarily by drawing the impurities into its inner structure.