Water purifier

Abstract

To provide a water purifier in which a filter medium can be easily replaced, which is compact and has a high degree of freedom of layout to be easily laid out even in a narrow kitchen, and which is excellent in design.SOLUTION: In the water purifier 1, a water purifier body 20 forming a cylindrical cartridge housing space S is constituted of a body 30 and a cap 21, and a cylindrical water purifying cartridge 10 is housed in the cartridge housing space S. A thin plate-shaped body cover 60 having substantially flat outer wall surfaces E1, E2, E3, and E4 which are continuous in the direction of the central axes F of the cap 21 and the water purifier main body 20 is attached to the body 30 with a slight gap G from the outer peripheral surface 40a of the body 30. 10a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water purifier for purifying tap water, and more particularly to a stationary water purifier. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, due to growing health consciousness, an increasing number of people are using safer water that has been purified through water purifiers not only for drinking but also for cooking. The use of water purifiers is on the rise not only in large households, but also in small households of one person or two people. For this reason, there is a growing need for water purifiers that can be laid out in the limited space of small kitchens for small groups of people. Water purifiers that can be installed to effectively utilize kitchen space include, for example, faucet-connected water purifiers, faucet-integrated (spout-in) water purifiers, and freestanding water purifiers. These water purifiers have the following advantages and disadvantages:

[0003] Faucet-mounted water purifiers do not require space for installation, but they are difficult to apply unless the faucet is positioned high, in order to avoid interference when washing relatively large cooking utensils such as pots.

[0004] Like faucet-mounted water purifiers, built-in faucet water purifiers do not require space for installation, but if the existing faucet is not of this type, the faucet itself will need to be replaced.

[0005] A freestanding water purifier can be used with an existing faucet regardless of the height of the faucet and does not require replacing the faucet itself, but requires space for installation.

[0006] There are also water purifying pots with a water purification function, but these can only purify water up to the capacity of the pot, so while they can be used for drinking, it is difficult to purify water for cooking.

[0007] In recent years, an increasing number of users have expressed a desire to eliminate the feeling of everyday life in their kitchens or to change the appearance of their kitchens to suit their own preferences. Because freestanding water purifiers are installed independently of the faucet, their appearance can be designed without being affected by the shape of the existing faucet, and because there is a relatively high degree of freedom in design, freestanding water purifiers of various designs have been proposed.

[0008] Patent Document 1 describes a thin water purifier in which the filter is constructed from a thin plate-type activated carbon filter to narrow the depth of the filter section, and the electrolytic cell has the same depth as the filter section, so that the overall shape of the water purification tank section incorporating the filter section and electrolytic cell is a thin box-like shape.

[0009] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a flat water purifier consisting of a water purification unit housing that houses a water purification unit in which a water purification cartridge filled with fibrous activated carbon as a filter material is built into a water purification cartridge housing case, and a flat cover case that houses the water purification unit housing.

[0010] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 describes a water purifier that is a thin rectangular box-shaped body with a plate-like box-like outer shape, a raw water inlet and a purified water outlet on the side wall, and has filter media such as activated carbon and hollow fiber membranes built in the inside through which raw water passes sequentially.

[0011] Patent Document 4 also describes a box-shaped water purification and activation device that includes a box-shaped main body with a top lid and a bottom lid, multiple parallel partitioned chambers formed inside the box-shaped main body, mesh members provided in the partition walls of the partitioned chambers or strainer-like through holes formed in the partition walls of the partitioned chambers and connecting the partitioned chambers, an inlet and an outlet provided on the end face of the box-shaped main body, and purifying or activating particles filled in each partitioned chamber, and the multiple partitioned chambers that form a fluid passage from the inlet to the outlet form a zigzag bypass flow path on the same plane. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-169257 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3104590 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-207326 [Patent Document 4] Utility Model Registration No. 3135709 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] However, the thin water purifier described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that the thin plate-shaped water purification filter is not a cartridge type, and when a cylindrical water purification filter is used instead of the thin plate-shaped water purification filter, it is necessary to install two water purification filters, one above the other, in order to maintain the thin design, which makes the process of replacing the water purification filters complicated. Furthermore, because this slim water purifier maintains its thinness by making its width wider, it needs to be hung on the wall in order to be placed upright in the wide width direction, which limits the layout and makes it difficult to create a layout that suits the user's preferences in a small kitchen with limited space. Furthermore, although the aesthetic appeal of this slim water purifier can be enhanced by attaching a painting or photograph to it, this is an aesthetic that is achieved by adding additional decoration, and since installing a decorative frame increases the dimensions accordingly, it may not be suitable for small kitchens where the kitchen wall space needs to be used effectively.

[0014] The water purifier described in Patent Document 2 has a thin design with two stages of water purification cartridges, which makes replacing the water purification cartridges complicated. In addition, this slim water purifier maintains its slimness by making its width wider. Therefore, although this slim water purifier can be placed either horizontally or vertically, when placed horizontally, there is a problem that the layout space for cooking equipment or the space for cooking work must be sacrificed, or the device must be placed in a location away from the sink, such as above the refrigerator. As for the design, there are no particular concerns other than the fact that it is thin.

[0015] The water purifier described in Patent Document 3 has a problem in that the filter material is packed inside a box, making the replacement of the filter material complicated. In addition, this water purifier maintains its thinness by making its width wider. For this reason, although this water purifier can be placed either horizontally or vertically, if it is placed horizontally, the layout space for cooking equipment, etc., or the space for cooking operations must be sacrificed. In terms of design, there are no particular concerns other than the fact that it is thin.

[0016] The box-type water purification device described in Patent Document 4 has a problem in that the filter media is packed inside the box-type main body, making the replacement of the filter media complicated. In addition, the water purifier described in Patent Document 4 has upper and lower covers that are fastened with screws, so the screws are exposed on the outside, and there are no particular concerns about its design other than its flatness.

[0017] To provide a water purifier which has been developed to solve the conventional problems and has an excellent design, in which the filter material can be easily replaced, is compact and has a high degree of freedom in layout, making it easy to arrange even in a small kitchen. [Means for solving the problem]

[0018] In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is a water purifier comprising a water purifier body that is configured with a body and a cap to form a cylindrical cartridge storage space, a cylindrical water purification cartridge is stored in the cartridge storage space, the body is cylindrical and is configured to a length that allows the outer surface of the water purification cartridge to be exposed when the cap is removed, and a thin body cover having an approximately flat outer wall surface that is continuous in the central axial direction of the cap and the water purifier body is attached to the body with a small gap between it and the outer surface of the body.

[0019] The invention according to claim 2 is a water purifier in which a cover support portion for supporting the body cover is provided in the small gap between the body and the body cover.

[0020] The invention of claim 3 is a water purifier in which a partition wall portion is provided near the cap side end of the body, and the partition wall portion is a cover support portion that abuts against the inner wall surface of the body cover and supports the body cover.

[0021] The invention of claim 4 is a water purifier in which the cover support portion is constituted by at least one or both of a body-side convex portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the body and a cover-side convex portion provided on the inner wall surface of the body cover.

[0022] The invention according to claim 5 is a water purifier in which the continuous outer wall surfaces have an external shape of a substantially rectangular shape on all four sides when viewed from above the water purifier body.

[0023] The invention according to claim 6 is a water purifier in which the body cover is composed of a cover main body having a substantially U-shaped cross section and a cover plate that closes the U-shaped opening.

[0024] The invention according to claim 7 is a water purifier in which the cap is rotatably fixed to the body in a liquid-tight seal state.

[0025] The invention according to claim 8 is a water purifier in which the water purification cartridge is made of activated carbon and has a hollow cylindrical shape. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to the invention of claim 1, the body is cylindrical and is configured to a length that allows the outer surface of the water purification cartridge to be exposed when the cap is removed.This means that the water purification cartridge can be attached or detached from the body by grasping the outer surface of the water purification cartridge that is exposed from the body when the cap is removed, and when attaching or detaching the water purification cartridge, the approximately flat outer wall surface of the body cover can be used as a gripping part to hold the body stably. Furthermore, even if a pressing force is applied inward to the thin-plate-shaped body cover by grasping the outer wall surface of the body cover, the gap between the body cover and the outer surface of the body is small, so the amount of deflection of the body cover can be kept as small as possible.As a result, the water purification cartridge can be easily attached and removed without worrying about damaging the body cover. In addition, by attaching the thin body cover with a small gap to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body containing the cylindrical water purification cartridge, the body cover can be attached to the cylindrical body containing the cylindrical water purification cartridge without increasing the external dimensions of the water purifier, and the body cover forms an approximately flat outer wall surface that is continuous with the cap. This makes it easy to replace the filter material, and while minimizing the increase in the external dimensions of the water purifier compared to the cylindrical water purification cartridge, the continuous, approximately flat outer wall surface formed by the body cover and cap can be used as a seating surface when laying out in a small kitchen, or as a surface that is close to or in contact with the kitchen wall, and also improves the unity of the cap and body in appearance. Therefore, it is possible to provide a water purifier that is easy to replace the filter material, is compact, and has a high degree of freedom in layout, making it easy to arrange even in a small kitchen, and has an excellent design.

[0027] According to the invention of claim 2, a cover support portion that supports the body cover is provided in the small gap between the body and the body cover. Therefore, when the outer wall surface of the thin-plate-shaped body cover is pressed, the cover support portion supports the body cover from the inside, thereby preventing the body cover from bending inward due to the small gap, and more reliably preventing the thin-plate-shaped body cover from bending and becoming damaged.

[0028] According to the invention of claim 3, a partition wall portion is provided near the end of the body on the cap side, and the partition wall portion is a cover support portion that abuts against the inner wall surface of the body cover and supports the body cover. This allows the part of the body cover that is likely to be subjected to force when attaching or detaching the cap from the body to be supported from the inside by a partition wall portion provided near the end of the body on the cap side, and more reliably prevents the thin body cover from bending and being damaged by the force exerted by the user when attaching or detaching the cap, or even when attaching or detaching the water purification cartridge to the body.

[0029] According to the invention of claim 4, the cover support portion is composed of at least one or both of a body side convex portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the body or a cover side convex portion provided on the inner wall surface of the body cover, and is supported from the inside of the body cover by at least one of the body side convex portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the body or the cover side convex portion provided on the inner wall surface of the body cover, which more reliably prevents the body cover from bending and being damaged by the force with which the user grips and holds the body cover when attaching or removing the cap, and further when attaching or removing the water purification cartridge to or from the body.

[0030] According to the invention of claim 5, the continuous outer wall surface has an approximately rectangular appearance on all four sides when viewed from above the water purifier body, so that the outer wall surface continuing from the cap and body cover is composed of four approximately flat surfaces, and the body cover is attached compactly to the cylindrical body while minimizing the increase in the external dimensions of the water purifier, and a compact yet as wide as possible approximately flat outer wall surface is formed by the surfaces continuing from the cap. Therefore, although compact, the approximately flat outer wall surface, which is formed as wide as possible, can be used as a seating surface when laying out in a small kitchen, or as a surface that is close to or in contact with the wall of the kitchen. Furthermore, the exterior is a roughly square prism with flat outer walls, allowing for a clean design that blends in with a variety of kitchen designs. In addition, when attaching or detaching the cap to or from the body, or when attaching or detaching the cylindrical water purification cartridge to or from the body, the approximately flat outer wall surface of the body cover can be used as a part to grip and hold, making it easy to replace the filter material.

[0031] According to the invention of claim 6, the body cover is composed of a cover body having an approximately U-shaped cross section and a cover plate that closes the U-shaped opening. This allows the cover body to be easily attached to the body by utilizing the U-shaped opening, and then the cover plate to be attached so as to close the opening, allowing the body cover to be easily assembled to the body with only a small gap between the body and the body cover.

[0032] According to the invention of claim 7, the cap is attached to the body with high sealing performance by being rotationally fixed to the body in a liquid-tight sealed state. Furthermore, when the cap is completely fixed to the body, the cap and the body form a continuous outer wall surface, so when the cap is rotated and fixed to the body, if the amount of rotation in the fixing direction is insufficient and the cap is not fixed, the outer wall surfaces of the cap and the body can be visually confirmed from the outside as discontinuous surfaces, and by rotating the cap further in the fixing direction from that state, the cap can be reliably rotated and fixed to the body. This reliably prevents the cap from loosening when replacing the water purification cartridge, and stably maintains the watertightness of the water purifier body.

[0033] According to the invention of claim 8, the water purification cartridge is made of activated carbon in a hollow cylindrical shape, which means that there is less resistance when water passes through it than in cartridges made of, for example, ceramic or hollow fiber membranes as filter media, making it possible to ensure a specified flow rate and also remove chlorine. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a water purifier according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an image of the water purifier shown in Figure 1 laid out in a small kitchen. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a top view of the water purifier shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the water purifier shown in FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the water purifier shown in FIG. 1 taken along line A-A. [Figure 6] 2A is a cross-sectional view of the water purifier taken along line BB of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the water purifier taken along line CC of FIG. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the procedure for installing the water purification cartridge. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the cap is not fixed to the body. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the procedure for removing the water purification cartridge. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of a water purifier. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of a water purifier. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] An embodiment of a water purifier according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown below. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the dimensional relationships and ratios of elements may differ from reality. Furthermore, the drawings may include portions in which the dimensional relationships and ratios differ from one another. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a water purifier 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an image diagram of the water purifier 1 shown in FIG. 1 laid out in a small kitchen. FIG. 3 is a top view of the water purifier 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the water purifier 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the water purifier 1 shown in FIG. 1 taken along line A-A. FIG. 6(a) is a cross-sectional view of the water purifier 1 shown in FIG. 1 taken along line B-B, and FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view of the water purifier 1 taken along line C-C. In the drawings, the up and down directions are indicated by arrows, but these directions are used for convenience and are not limiting. The water purifier 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is connected to a faucet through a switching cock 200, as shown in FIG. The switching cock 200 is configured to switch between a raw water mode in which raw water such as tap water is directly discharged from the faucet, and a purified water mode in which raw water is sent to a water purifier, and purified water is discharged from the faucet after being purified by the water purifier 1. In the water purification mode, raw water is introduced into the water purifier 1 from the switch cock 200 through the raw water inlet hose 210. Then, purified water purified by the water purifier 1 is returned from the water purifier 1 to the switch cock 200 through the purified water delivery hose 220 and discharged from the faucet. As shown in Figure 2, the limited space around the sink facing the wall W of a small kitchen is crammed with cooking equipment D such as a heating appliance, dishwashing detergent T, etc. In particular, the water purifier 1 cannot be installed near the heating device D because heat near the heating device D could melt the resin part of the water purifier 1 or heat the water passing through the water purifier 1. For this reason, in a small kitchen, the space available for laying out the water purifier 1 is further limited due to the small space.

[0036] The water purifier 1 comprises a water purifier main body 20 that forms a cylindrical cartridge storage space S with a body 30 and a cap 21, and the water purifier main body 20 stores a cylindrical water purification cartridge 10 in the cartridge storage space S, and a body cover 60 attached to the body 30. In this embodiment, the water purifier 1 is of a so-called in-out type, in which raw water introduced into the water purifier 1 flows through a water passage 11c in the water purification cartridge 10 and passes through a filter material that forms the cartridge body 11, and the purified water flows out to the outside.

[0037] <About the Water Purification Cartridge 10> First, the water purification cartridge 10 will be described. The water purification cartridge 10 has a cylindrical cartridge body 11, a top cap 12 fixed to one end of the cartridge body 11, and an end cap 13 fixed to the other end of the cartridge body 11, and is housed in the cartridge housing space S so as to be concentric with the central axis F of the water purifier body 20.

[0038] In this embodiment, the cartridge body 11 is a hollow cylindrical filter material made of activated carbon that is a mixture of fibrous activated carbon and granular activated carbon, and as shown in Figure 5, a water passage 11c is formed along the central axis F. In this embodiment, the cartridge body 11 uses an activated carbon filter having a pipe structure that reduces pressure loss in the filtration layer. The outer peripheral surface of this cartridge body 11 constitutes the outer peripheral surface 10a of the water purification cartridge 10. In this way, the cartridge body 11 is configured with an activated carbon filter that has a pipe structure and reduces pressure loss in the filtration layer, so that the capacity can be kept small and compact, and even though the capacity is small, it can still provide a predetermined flow rate, for example, a flow rate of 2.0 L / min. This makes it possible to ensure this. Furthermore, by keeping the volume of the cartridge body 11 small, the weight of the entire water purifier 1 can be reduced. The inventors of the present invention have confirmed that by making the water purifier 1 lighter and more compact, the weight of the water purifier 1 can be reduced to approximately 150 g, and the weight when water is flowing can be reduced to approximately 200 g. The cartridge body 11 is not limited to a mixture of fibrous activated carbon and granular activated carbon, but may be made of either fibrous activated carbon or granular activated carbon. The type of activated carbon is also not limited to this.

[0039] <About the top cap 12 of the water purification cartridge 10> The top cap 12 is made of, for example, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) resin, and is fixed to one end surface of the cartridge body 11 by a hot melt adhesive. It is preferable that the top cap 12 is made of the same resin material as that of the components of the water purifier main body 20, which will be described later. The top cap 12 has an annular fastening portion 12a fixed to one end face of the cartridge body 11, and an upstream connecting cylindrical portion 12d and a downstream connecting cylindrical portion 12g respectively protruding coaxially from both sides of the fastening annular portion 12a. The fixing annular portion 12a has an uneven surface 12b formed on the surface that is fixed to the cartridge body 11, with annular recesses and protrusions arranged alternately in the radial direction, and the upper surfaces of the multiple annular protrusions of this uneven surface 12b are adapted to be fixed to the end face of the cartridge body 11.

[0040] The fixing annular portion 12a has an outer diameter set to be larger than the outer diameter of the cartridge body 11, and is provided with a surrounding wall 12c on its outer periphery that surrounds the outer periphery of the end of the cartridge body 11. This surrounding wall 12c supports one end of the cartridge body 11 by reducing the gap between the cartridge housing cylindrical portion 40 and the inner surface 40b of the cartridge housing cylindrical portion 40 described below, thereby preventing the water purification cartridge 10 from being housed in the cartridge housing cylindrical portion 40 in an inclined position relative to the central axis F of the body 30. The surrounding wall 12c also prevents the water purification cartridge 10, which is housed in the cartridge housing cylindrical portion 40 in a position concentric with the central axis F of the body 30, from tilting relative to the central axis F due to water pressure when water is flowing through. The surrounding wall 12c has a function of preventing the water purification cartridge 10 from tilting, which prevents the water purification cartridge 10 from tilting and blocking the flow path of the purified water discharge tubular portion 43, ensuring a stable flow rate.

[0041] The upstream connecting cylindrical portion 12d is inserted into a cylindrical reduced diameter portion 50 of the body 30, which will be described later, and forms a flow path that is connected from the reduced diameter portion 50 to the water passage 11c of the cartridge main body 11. The upstream connecting cylindrical portion 12d has an annular groove 12e formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof, into which a sealing O-ring 12f is fitted, so that the upstream connecting cylindrical portion 12d is connected to the reduced diameter cylindrical portion 50 in a liquid-tight state.

[0042] The downstream connecting cylindrical portion 12g has a function of guiding the raw water flowing into the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 side to the water passage 11c. The downstream connecting cylindrical portion 12 g projects from the surface of the top cap 12 that is fixed to the cartridge body 11 , and is adapted to be inserted into the water passage 11 c of the cartridge body 11 .

[0043] <About the end cap 13 of the water purification cartridge 10> The end cap 13 is made of, for example, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) resin, and is fixed to the end face of the cartridge body 11 on the side opposite to the top cap 12 by, for example, a hot melt adhesive. It is preferable that the end cap 13 is made of the same resin as that of the components of the water purifier main body 20 described below. This end cap 13 has a fixing disc portion 13a that is fixed to the end face of the cartridge body 11, and a connecting tube portion 13b that protrudes from one face of the fixing disc portion 13a along the central axis F of the water purification cartridge 10. The fixing disk portion 13a is a lid that seals off the end face side of the cartridge body 11, and has a surface that is fixed to the cartridge body 11 formed thereon. The connecting tube portion 13b is inserted into the water passage 11c of the cartridge body 11, and serves to position the end cap 13 when it is fixed to the cartridge body 11.

[0044] <About the water purifier body 20> The water purifier main body 20 has a body 30 and a cap 21, and forms a space in which the water purification cartridge 10 is housed.

[0045] <About the body 30 of the water purifier main body 20> The body 30 is cylindrical and made of, for example, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) resin, polypropylene (PP) resin, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (AS) resin, or polycarbonate (PC) resin, and is pressure-resistant. The body 30 is configured to have a length that allows the outer peripheral surface 10a of the water purification cartridge 10 to be exposed when the cap 21 is removed. More specifically, the body 30 has a cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 in which the water purification cartridge 10 is accommodated with one end side in the direction of the central axis F exposed, and a reduced diameter cylindrical portion 50 that is connected to the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 with a reduced diameter. The entire water purification cartridge 10 is accommodated in a cartridge accommodating space S, which is formed by combining the cap 21 and the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 when the cap 21 is fixed to the body 30 . In this embodiment, when the cap 21 is removed from the body 30, the water purification cartridge 10 is exposed by about one-quarter in the direction of the central axis F.

[0046] <Regarding the cartridge housing cylindrical portion 40 of the body 30> The cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 has a cap fixing portion 41 formed at its upper end with a screw thread 41a for screwing the cap 21 thereinto, whereby the cap 21 is screwed and fixed in a liquid-tight seal state. The cartridge storage tube 40 is also provided with a purified water discharge tube 42 that discharges purified water that has passed through the water purification cartridge 10 to the outside of the water purifier 1. This purified water discharge tube portion 42 is connected to a purified water delivery hose 220 via a pipe joint such as a collet (not shown) built into the interior, so that the purified water discharged from the purified water discharge tube portion 42 is returned to the switching cock 200 via the purified water delivery hose 220.

[0047] A partition wall portion 43 is provided near the end of the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 on the cap 21 side. The partition wall portion 43 is plate-shaped and protrudes in a flange-like manner from the outer peripheral surface 40a of the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 so as to separate the body 30 in the direction of the central axis F into the cap fixing portion 41 and the other portions. As shown in Figure 6a, the partition wall portion 43 has an approximately rectangular shape corresponding to the approximately rectangular inner wall surface 60a of the upper part of the body cover 60, which is made up of the inner wall surface 71aa of the first side wall portion 71a, the inner wall surface 71ba of the second side wall portion 71b, the inner wall surface 71ca of the third side wall portion 71c, and the inner wall surface 80a of the cover plate 80, and is configured to abut against the approximately rectangular inner wall surface 60a to support the body cover 60. In other words, the partition wall portion 43 also functions as a cover support portion 100, which will be described later.

[0048] <Regarding the reduced diameter cylindrical portion 50 of the body 30> As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the reduced diameter cylindrical portion 50 is provided with a raw water inlet cylindrical portion 51 into which raw water is introduced from the switching cock 200. The raw water inlet tube portion 51 is connected to a raw water inlet hose 210 via a pipe joint such as a collet (not shown) built into the interior, and raw water is introduced into the reduced diameter tube portion 50 from the switching cock 200 via this raw water inlet hose 210.

[0049] <About Body Cover 60> Next, the body cover 60 will be described. The body cover 60 is made of, for example, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) resin, polypropylene (PP) resin, acrylonitrile and styrene copolymer (AS) resin, or polycarbonate (PC) resin, and is in the form of a thin plate having approximately flat outer wall surfaces 71ab, 71bc, 71cd, 80b that are continuous with the cap 21, and is attached to the body 30 with a small gap G between it and the outer peripheral surface 40a of the body 30. The body cover 60 is composed of a cover main body 70 having a substantially U-shaped cross section and a cover plate 80 that closes a U-shaped opening 70a. It should be noted that materials other than those mentioned above may be selected for the body cover 60. For example, resins other than those mentioned above, metals, or minerals may be selected.

[0050] <About the small gap G> In this embodiment, the small gap G is a gap that is set so that the thin plate-shaped body cover 60 can form an approximately flat outer wall surface that is continuous with the cap 21 while preventing an increase in dimensions on the outside of the cylindrical body 30, more specifically, on the outside of the cartridge accommodating section 40, which has an outer diameter larger than that of the tapered cylindrical section 50 and constitutes the maximum diameter of the body 30, and so that the body cover 60 can be assembled to the body 30 without interfering with each other.

[0051] The cover main body 70 has a side wall 71 that surrounds the outer peripheral surface 40a of the body 30 in a U-shape, and a bottom wall 72 that is substantially rectangular. The side wall 71 has a first side wall portion 71a having a substantially planar outer wall surface 71ab that forms a discharge tube portion insertion hole 70b and an inlet tube portion insertion hole 70c through which the purified water discharge tube portion 42 and the raw water inlet tube portion 51 provided on the body 30 are inserted toward the outside of the cover main body 70, and a second side wall portion 71b and a third side wall portion 71c that face each other and have substantially planar outer wall surfaces 71bc, 71cd. The opposing second side wall portion 71b and third side wall portion 71c have bent edges 71bb and 71cc at their ends on the opening 70a side, which are bent inward along a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above in the figure.

[0052] The bottom wall 72 has a substantially flat outer wall surface 72a, and an inner wall surface 72b is provided with a pair of locking grooves 72c (see FIG. 4) into which a pair of locking claws 81 of the cover plate 80, which will be described later, are locked.

[0053] The cover plate 80 is provided at its lower end with a pair of locking claws 81 that are locked into the pair of locking grooves 72c of the cover body 70. The cover plate 80 closes the opening 70a of the cover body 70 by engaging a pair of locking claws 81 with a pair of locking grooves 72c of the cover body 70 and assembling it to the cover body 70, so that the body cover 60 as a whole has an approximately rectangular appearance on all four sides when viewed from above, more specifically, an approximately square appearance.

[0054] In addition, a seating surface 90 that seats the outer peripheral edge 43a of the partition wall portion 43 of the body 30 in the direction of the central axis F is formed continuously in the circumferential direction from the cover body 70 to the cover plate 80 on the upper inner wall surfaces of the cover body 70 and the cover plate 80.

[0055] Furthermore, when the partition wall portion 43 is seated on the seating surface 90, the outer peripheral end surface 43b of the partition wall portion 43 is arranged to abut against or be close to the inner wall surfaces 71aa, 71ba, 71ca, 80a of the body cover 60. Therefore, by seating the partition wall portion 43 of the body 30 on the seating surface 90, the mounting position of the body cover 60 relative to the body 30 in the direction perpendicular to the central axis F is also determined. Moreover, the partition wall portion 43 abuts against a substantially rectangular inner wall surface 60 a of the upper portion of the body cover 60 , and therefore functions as a cover support portion 100 (described later) that supports the body cover 60 .

[0056] <About the cover support part 100> Next, the cover support part 100 will be described. The cover support portion 100 supports the body cover 60 in a small gap G between the body 30 and the body cover 60 . In this embodiment, in addition to the partition wall portion 43 described above, the cover support portion 100 has a body side protrusion 110 provided on the outer peripheral surface 40a of the body 30 and a cover side protrusion 120 provided on the inner wall surfaces 71aa, 71ba, 71ca, 80a of the body cover 60. The cover support portion 100 may be configured by the above-mentioned partition wall portion 43 and at least one of the body-side protrusion 110 and the cover-side protrusion 120.

[0057] <Regarding the body-side protrusion 110 of the cover support portion 100> In this embodiment, six body side protrusions 110, ie, body side protrusions 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e, and 110h, are provided as the body side protrusions 110. The first body side protrusion 110a and the second body side protrusion 110b are provided at the lower outer peripheral surface of the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 at positions facing the inner wall surfaces 71ba and 71ca of the second side wall portion 71b and the third side wall portion 71c, respectively. As shown in FIG. 6(b), the first body side protrusion 110a and the second body side protrusion 110b are provided in an arc shape along the outer circumferential surface 40a of the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40.

[0058] The third body-side convex portion 110c is provided continuously from the outer peripheral surface 40a on the lower side of the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 to the outer peripheral surface 50a of the reduced diameter cylindrical portion 50, with the convex portion upper surface 110cc being uniform. The third body-side protrusion 110c is disposed so that the protrusion upper surface 110cc abuts against or is close to the inner wall surface 80a of the cover plate 80 when the cover plate 80 is fixed to the body 30.

[0059] The fourth body side protrusion 110d and the fifth body side protrusion 110e are provided near the partition wall portion 43. The fourth body side protrusion 110d and the fifth body side protrusion 110e have contact support surfaces 110f and 110g facing the cover plate 80, to which the protrusion upper surfaces 120cc and 120dd of the third cover side protrusion 120c and the fourth cover side protrusion 120d described below are fixed in a contacting state.

[0060] The sixth body-side protrusion 110h is provided at a position on the lower outer peripheral surface of the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 facing the inner wall surface 71aa of the first side wall portion 71a.

[0061] <Regarding the cover-side protrusion 120 of the cover support portion 100> As the cover side protrusions 120, the cover main body 70 is provided with a first cover side protrusion 120a and a second cover side protrusion 120b. Furthermore, as the cover-side protrusions 120, the cover plate 80 is provided with a third cover-side protrusion 120c and a fourth cover-side protrusion 120d.

[0062] The first cover side convex portion 120a and the second cover side convex portion 120b are arranged in a straight line from the lower end on the bottom wall 72 side to the upper end on the seating surface 90 side on which the partition wall portion 43 is seated, approximately at the center of the inner wall surfaces 71ba, 71ca of the second side wall portion 71b and the third side wall portion 71c facing each other. The first cover side protrusion 120a and the second cover side protrusion 120b are configured to abut or be positioned close to the first body side protrusion 110a and the second body side protrusion 110b, respectively, when the cover main body 70 is assembled to the body 30. In other words, by overlapping the first cover side protrusion 120a with the first body side protrusion 110a, and by overlapping the second cover side protrusion 120b with the second body side protrusion 110b, the body cover 60 is supported in the slight gap G between the body 30 and the body cover 60, more specifically, in the slight gap G between the outer peripheral surface 40a of the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 and the inner wall surfaces 71ba, 71ca of the second side wall portion 71b and the third side wall portion 71c, respectively. The first cover side protrusion 120a and the second cover side protrusion 120b are not limited to those exemplified in this embodiment, and may be adjusted to any length rather than being provided from the lower end to the upper end of the inner wall surfaces 71ba, 71ca, and may be provided in a curved or dotted shape rather than a straight line, or multiple of these may be provided.

[0063] The third cover side protrusion 120c and the fourth cover side protrusion 120d are configured to abut against the abutment support surfaces 110f and 110g of the fourth body side protrusion 110d and the fifth body side protrusion 110e, respectively, when the cover main body 70 is assembled to the body 30. In other words, by overlapping the third cover side protrusion 120c and the fourth body side protrusion 110d in the direction supporting the cover plate 80, and by overlapping the fourth cover side protrusion 120d and the fifth body side protrusion 110e in the direction supporting the cover plate 80, the body cover 60 is supported in the slight gap G between the body 30 and the body cover 60, more specifically, in the slight gap G between the outer peripheral surface 40a of the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 and the inner wall surface 80a of the cover plate 80.

[0064] The cover support parts 100 are effectively arranged in positions that are easy for the user to grasp. In other words, the multiple cover support parts 100 only need to be effectively positioned in positions where a pressing force is applied when the user grips the body 30 through the body cover 60, and their shape and size are not limited to those described above. In addition, the cover support parts 100 are not provided on either the body 30 side or the body cover 60 side, but are provided on both sides and their arrangement and size can be adjusted. When the body cover 60 is attached to the body 30, the cover support portion 100 is prevented from interfering and making the assembly difficult. Furthermore, if the cover support portion 100 is provided only on the body cover 60, thick and thin molded portions may be created in the body cover 60, which may result in sink marks on the outer surface of the molded product. However, this can be prevented by providing the cover support portion 100 on both the body 30 side and the body cover 60 side. Furthermore, if the cover support portion 100 is provided only on the body 30, a portion larger than the body cover 60 is created, which may cause strain when attaching the body cover 60 to the body 30; however, this can be prevented by providing the cover support portion 100 on both the body 30 side and the body cover 60 side.

[0065] <Regarding the small gap G relative to the cover support portion 100> Here, the slight gap G in relation to the cover support portion 100 will be described. The water purifier 1 is made up of two parts, the body 30 and the thin plate-like body cover 60 on the outside of the body 30. For example, when replacing the water purification cartridge 10, the body cover 60 is pushed in by an external force applied by gripping and holding it, etc., and when the body cover 60 and the body 30 come into contact, the body cover 60 can be supported. However, if the amount of deflection of the body cover 60 pushed in by the external force is too large, there is a risk that the body cover 60 will be damaged. In order to reliably prevent the body cover 60 from bending and being damaged in this way, a cover support part 100 is provided. This cover support part 100 is designed taking into consideration the position where external force is applied when the water purifier 1 is gripped from the outside of the body cover 60, and is useful in preventing damage to the body cover 60. However, if force is applied to an unexpected location other than the cover support portion 100, there is a risk that the body cover 60 may be damaged or its appearance may be adversely affected. Therefore, in order to concentrate the external force on the cover support part 100, a gap G, which is a space with nothing other than the cover support part 100, is required. On the other hand, since the present invention is a compact water purifier 1, the cover support part 100 is also small, and therefore the above-mentioned gap G is also necessarily small. This small gap is the "slight gap" in relation to the cover support part 100. This small gap prevents damage to the body cover 60 of the compact water purifier 1 of the present invention, while transmitting force applied to the body cover 60 from the outside to the body 30, making it easier to replace the water purification cartridge 10.

[0066] <About the cap 21 of the water purifier body 20> The cap 21 is made of, for example, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) resin, polypropylene (PP) resin, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (AS) resin, or polycarbonate (PC) resin, and has a cap body 22 and a top cover 23 that forms a top wall 23a of the cap 21 by being fixed to the cap body 22.

[0067] The cap body 22 has an inner cylindrical portion 22a having a bottom and an outer peripheral surface 22ab of the inner cylindrical portion 22a. and a cap cover portion 22b that surrounds the cap 21 and forms outer wall surfaces 22c, 22d, 22e, and 22f of the cap 21. When the cap 21 is fixed to the body 30, the inner cylindrical portion 22a forms a cylindrical cartridge accommodating space S that is continuous with the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40.

[0068] The inner cylindrical portion 22a has a threaded portion 22aa at its open end, which is threadedly engaged with the cap fixing portion 41 of the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40. The inner diameter of this inner cylindrical portion 22a is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the water purification cartridge 10, and when the cap 21 is completely screwed and fixed onto the body 30, the water purification cartridge 10 is positioned in an upright position concentric with the central axis F of the cylindrical cartridge accommodating space S, in the approximately cylindrical cartridge accommodating space S formed by the inner cylindrical portion 22a of the cap 21 and the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 of the body 30.

[0069] The cap cover portion 22b forms outer wall surfaces 22c, 22d, 22e, and 22f that are continuous with the outer wall surfaces 71ab, 71bc, 71cd, and 80b of the body cover 60 when the cap 21 is fixed to the body 30. More specifically, like the body cover 60, the cap cover portion 22b has four sides that are generally rectangular in appearance, more specifically, generally square in appearance, when viewed from above. Although the cap 21 may be made of one member, by dividing it into two parts, the cap body 22 and the top cover 23, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of resin sink marks and achieve a more beautiful appearance.

[0070] When viewed from above, the top cover 23 has a ceiling wall 23a that is roughly rectangular in appearance and has the same shape as the cap cover portion 22b, and multiple tongue portions 23b that are provided in tongue shape along the edge of the ceiling wall 23a and are fixed to the inner wall surface 22ba of the cap cover portion 22b, and are provided in correspondence with the four sides of the cap cover portion 22b.

[0071] <How to assemble the water purifier 1> Next, the assembly procedure of the water purifier 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the procedure for attaching the water purification cartridge 10. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the cap 21 is not yet fixed to the body 30. As shown in FIG. First, a manufacturing worker assembles the cover main body 70 of the body cover 60 onto the body 30 . Here, the manufacturing worker positions the cover body 70 facing the body 30 so that the discharge tube insertion hole 70b and the inlet tube insertion hole 70c of the cover body 70 face the purified water discharge tube 42 and the raw water inlet tube 51, respectively. Thereafter, the manufacturing worker moves the cover main body 70 closer to the body 30 while passing the purified water discharge tube portion 42 and the raw water introduction tube portion 51 through the discharge tube portion insertion hole 70b and the introduction tube portion insertion hole 70c, respectively. At this time, while adjusting the position so that the outer peripheral edge 43a of the partition wall portion 43 is seated on the seating surface 90 near the upper end of the cover main body 70, and while sliding the upper ends of the bent edge portions 71bb, 71cc of the cover main body 70 against the outer peripheral end surface 43b of the partition wall portion 43, the cover main body 70 is moved to the assembly completion position.

[0072] When the cover main body 70 is moved to the assembly completion position on the body 30 while the upper ends of the bent edge portions 71bb, 71cc are in sliding contact with the outer peripheral end surface 43b of the partition wall portion 43, the U-shaped opening 70a of the cover main body 70 is elastically deformed by the partition wall portion 43 so as to widen its opening width, and when the cover main body 70 is moved to the assembly completion position, the bent edge portions 71bb, 71cc wrap around the outer peripheral end surface 43b on the far side of the partition wall portion 43. Then, the enlarged and deformed opening 70a is elastically restored to its original state. As a result, the upper edge portion of the cover body 70 above the seating surface 90 embraces a part of the outer peripheral end surface 43b of the partition wall portion on the opening 70a side with the bent edges 71bb and 71cc.

[0073] When the cover main body 70 is completely assembled to the body 30 in this manner, the cover main body 70 is positioned in the direction of the central axis F and in the direction perpendicular to the central axis F by the partition wall portion 43 .

[0074] Thereafter, the manufacturing worker assembles the cover plate 80 to the body 30. Here, the manufacturing worker fixes the cover plate 80 to the body while adjusting the position so that the locking claw 81 engages with the locking groove 72c provided in the bottom wall 72 of the cover main body 70 that has already been assembled to the body 30, and so that the outer peripheral edge 43a of the partition wall portion 43 seats on the seating surface 90 near the upper end of the cover plate 80. In addition, the cover plate 80 has the tip surfaces of the third cover side protrusion 120c and the fourth cover side protrusion 120d fixed to the contact support surfaces 110f, 110g of the fourth body side protrusion 110d and the fifth body side protrusion 110e of the body 30 using hot melt adhesive.

[0075] When the body cover 60 is attached to the body 30 in this manner, the body cover 60 is supported by the cover support portions 100 on each of the four sides with a small gap G between the body cover 60 and the body 30 . More specifically, the first side wall portion 71a of the body cover 60 is supported by the sixth body side protrusion 110h. The second side wall portion 71b is supported by the first cover-side protrusion 120a and the first body-side protrusion 110a, which are overlapped with each other in the small gap G between the body cover 60 and the body 30. The third side wall portion 71c is supported by the second cover-side protrusion 120b and the second body-side protrusion 110b, which are overlapped with each other in the small gap G between the body cover 60 and the body 30. The cover plate 80 is supported by the third cover side protrusion 120c and the fourth body side protrusion 110d, which are stacked in the direction supporting the cover plate 80, and by the fourth cover side protrusion 120d and the fifth body side protrusion 110e.

[0076] Thereafter, the manufacturing worker fits an O-ring 41 c into an annular groove 41 b provided at the upper end of the cap fixing portion 41 of the body 30 .

[0077] Thereafter, the manufacturing worker inserts the water purification cartridge 10 into the cartridge receiving tubular portion 40 of the body 30 . When inserting the water purification cartridge 10 into the cartridge storage tube portion 40, the manufacturing worker can, for example, grasp and hold the outer wall surfaces 71bc, 71cd of the opposing second side wall portion 71b and third side wall portion 71c of the cover main body 70. The force applied to grip the outer wall surfaces 71bc and 71cd is transmitted to the body 30, allowing the body 30 to be stably supported. Therefore, even if a manufacturing worker, for example, inserts the water purification cartridge 10 into the cartridge storage tube portion 40 while twisting it, the body 30 and the water purification cartridge 10 can be prevented from rotating together. Furthermore, when the water purification cartridge 10 is inserted to the installation completion position at the rear of the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40, the surrounding wall 12c of the top cap 12 provided at the lower end of the water purification cartridge 10 reduces the gap with the inner surface 40b of the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 and supports the lower end, thereby preventing tilting and allowing the cartridge to be accommodated in the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 in an upright position.

[0078] Thereafter, the manufacturing worker screws the cap 21 onto the body 30 to secure it in place. When screwing and fixing the cap 21 to the body 30, a manufacturing worker can hold and hold the outer wall surfaces 71bc, 71cd of the second side wall portion 71b and the third side wall portion 71c facing each other of the cover main body 70, for example. As a result, the force applied to grip the outer wall surfaces 71bc and 71cd is transmitted to the body 30, enabling the body 30 to be stably supported, and the cap 21 can be stably screwed onto the body 30 while preventing the body 30 and the cap 21 from rotating together. Although the body cover 60 is thin plate-shaped, there is only a small gap G between the outer peripheral surface 40a of the body 30 and the body cover 60, and moreover, a cover support part 100 that supports the body cover 60 is provided in the small gap G, so there is no risk of deformation and damage.

[0079] Then, when the cap 21 is completely screwed onto the body 30, the water purification cartridge 10 is accommodated in the cartridge accommodating space S formed by the body 30 and the cap 21, and the outer wall surfaces 71ab, 71bc, 71cd, 80b of the body cover 60, which is composed of four surfaces, and the outer wall surfaces 22c, 22d, 22e, 22f of the cap 21, which is also composed of four surfaces, form continuous outer wall surfaces E1, E2, E3, E4, respectively. On the other hand, if the cap 21 is not completely screwed onto the body 30 and is loose, as shown in Figure 8, the outer wall surfaces 22c, 22d, 22e, 22f, 71ab, 71bc, 71cd, and 80b of the cap 21 and the body 30 become discontinuous, and it is clearly visible from the outside that the cap 21 is not completely fixed.

[0080] <Procedure for removing the water purification cartridge 10 from the body 30> Next, the procedure for removing the water purification cartridge 10 from the body 30 in order to replace the water purification cartridge 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the procedure for removing the water purification cartridge 10. First, the user removes the cap 21 from the body 30 . Here, the user rotates the cap 21 in the removal direction while gripping the outer wall surfaces 71bc and 71cd of the body cover 60, thereby removing the cap 21 from the body 30. The force exerted by gripping the outer wall surfaces 71bc and 71cd is transmitted to the body 30, and the body 30 can be stably supported, so that the body 30 and the cap 21 can be prevented from rotating together. When the cap 21 is removed from the body 30, the upper portion of the water purification cartridge 10 is exposed from the body 30 (see FIG. 9(b)).

[0081] The user then removes the water purification cartridge 10 from the body 30. At this point, the user removes the cap 21 and pinches the outer peripheral surface 10a of the water purification cartridge 10, the upper part of which is exposed, to remove the water purification cartridge 10 from the body 30. When removing the water purification cartridge 10 from the body 30, the user can hold it by, for example, pinching the outer wall surfaces 71bc, 71cd of the second side wall portion 71b and the third side wall portion 71c of the cover main body 70 facing each other. Therefore, even if the user removes the water purification cartridge 10 from the cartridge accommodating cylindrical portion 40 while twisting it, the body 30 side can be prevented from rotating together with the water purification cartridge 10. The procedure for installing the new water purification cartridge 10 is the same as the procedure described in the assembly procedure for the water purifier 1 above.

[0082] <About the layout of Water Purifier 1> Next, various layout examples of the water purifier 1 are shown below. FIG. 10 shows an example in which the water purifier 1 is placed horizontally in a small space around the sink of a small kitchen. In this way, the water purifier 1 can be laid out in a suitable orientation, for example, horizontally with a rectangular base, making effective use of the limited space in a small kitchen. The water purifier 1 can also be placed vertically with a square base.

[0083] Figure 11(a) shows an example in which a hook-and-loop fastener (not shown) is attached to the outer wall surface 71bc of the body cover 60 of the water purifier 1 or to the outer wall surface 22d of the cap 21, which forms an approximately flat surface E2 continuous with the outer wall surface 71bc, so that the water purifier 1 can be attached and detached freely to the wall of a small kitchen. In this way, by attaching the water purifier 1 to the kitchen wall using the continuous, approximately flat outer wall surfaces E1, E2, E3, and E4 formed by the body cover 60 and the cap 21, the water purifier 1 can be laid out effectively using the limited space in the kitchen without using supporting members such as a base. In particular, the water purifier 1 of this embodiment has achieved a lightweight design, and can therefore be stably fixed to a wall surface with a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0084] Furthermore, when the water purifier 1 is attached to the wall of a kitchen, the aesthetic appearance can be improved by combining it with wallpaper W1 or W2 of the user's choice, as shown in Figs. 11(b) and 11(c), for example. In particular, the water purifier 1 of this embodiment has an approximately square appearance when viewed from above, and has a clean overall design that is approximately a quadrangular prism, making it easy to match with wallpaper of various designs and providing excellent design compatibility with the user's preferred kitchen. The water purifier 1 of this embodiment can also be fixed to various places in the kitchen or to a mesh panel installed on a wall using, for example, a cable tie instead of a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0085] <Effects of the embodiment> As described above, in the water purifier 1 according to the embodiment, the body 30 is cylindrical and is configured to a length that allows the outer peripheral surface 10a of the water purification cartridge 10 to be exposed when the cap 21 is removed. This means that the water purification cartridge 10 can be attached to or detached from the body 30 by grasping the outer peripheral surface 10a of the water purification cartridge 10 that is exposed from the body 30 when the cap 21 is removed, and the body 30 can be stably held when attaching or detaching the water purification cartridge 10 by using the approximately flat outer wall surfaces 71bc, 71cd of the body cover 60 as a gripping portion. Furthermore, even if a pressing force is applied inward to the thin plate-shaped body cover 60 by grasping the outer wall surfaces 71bc, 71cd of the body cover 60, the gap G between the body cover 60 and the outer peripheral surface 40a of the body 30 is small, so the amount of deflection of the body cover 60 can be kept as small as possible.As a result, the water purification cartridge 10 can be easily attached and detached without worrying about damaging the body cover 60. Furthermore, by attaching the thin body cover 60 to the outer peripheral surface 40a of the cylindrical body 30 incorporating the cylindrical water purification cartridge 10 with a small gap G, the body cover 60 is attached to the cylindrical body 30 incorporating the cylindrical water purification cartridge 10 without increasing the external dimensions of the water purifier 1, and the body cover 60 forms approximately flat outer wall surfaces E1, E2, E3, and E4 that are continuous with the cap 21. This makes it easy to replace the filter material, and while minimizing the increase in the external dimensions of the water purifier 1 compared to the cylindrical water purification cartridge 10, the continuous, approximately flat outer wall surfaces E1, E2, E3, and E4 formed by the body cover 60 and the cap 21 can be used as a seating surface when laying out in a small kitchen, or as a surface that is close to or in contact with a wall surface, and the unity between the cap 21 and the body 30 can be improved in appearance. Therefore, it is possible to provide a water purifier that is easy to replace the filter material, is compact, and has a high degree of freedom in layout, making it easy to arrange even in a small kitchen, and has an excellent design.

[0086] Furthermore, in the water purifier 1 according to the embodiment, a cover support portion 100 that supports the body cover 60 is provided in the small gap G between the body 30 and the body cover 60. Therefore, when the outer wall surfaces 71ab, 71bc, 71cd, 80b of the thin body cover 60 are pressed, the cover support portion 100 supports the body cover 60 from the inside, thereby preventing the body cover 60 from bending inward due to the small gap G, and more reliably preventing the thin body cover 60 from bending and being damaged.

[0087] Furthermore, in the water purifier 1 according to the embodiment, a plate-shaped partition wall portion 43 is provided near the end of the body 30 on the cap 21 side, and the partition wall portion 43 is a cover support portion 100 that abuts against the inner wall surfaces 71aa, 71ba, 71ca, 80a of the body cover 60 to support the body cover 60. This allows the partition wall portion 43 located near the end of the body 30 on the cap 21 side to support the portion of the body cover 60 that is likely to be subjected to force when attaching or detaching the cap 21 from the body 30 from the inside of the body cover 60, thereby more reliably preventing the thin body cover 60 from bending and being damaged by the force exerted by the user when gripping and holding the body cover 60 when attaching or detaching the cap 21, or even when attaching or detaching the water purification cartridge 10 to the body 30.

[0088] Furthermore, according to the water purifier 1 of the embodiment, the cover support portion 100 is configured by at least either a body side protrusion 110 provided on the outer peripheral surface 40a of the body 30 or a cover side protrusion 120 provided on the inner wall surface of the body cover 60, and therefore the body cover 60 is supported from the inside by at least either the body side protrusion 110 or the cover side protrusion 120, and when attaching or removing the cap 21, or further when attaching or removing the water purification cartridge 10 to or from the body 30, the body cover 60 can be more reliably prevented from bending and being damaged by the force with which the user grips and holds the body cover 60.

[0089] Furthermore, in the water purifier 1 according to the embodiment, the continuous outer wall surfaces E1, E2, E3, and E4 have an approximately rectangular appearance on all four sides, more specifically, an approximately square appearance, when viewed from above on the water purifier main body 20, so that the outer wall surfaces continuing to the cap 21 and body cover 60 are made up of four approximately flat surfaces, and the body cover 60 is compactly attached to the cylindrical body 30 while minimizing the increase in the external dimensions of the water purifier 1, and the approximately flat outer wall surfaces E1, E2, E3, and E4 are compact yet as wide as possible, and are formed by surfaces continuing to the cap 21. Therefore, although compact, the approximately flat outer wall surfaces E1, E2, E3, and E4, which are formed as wide as possible, can be used as seating surfaces when laying out in a small kitchen, or as surfaces that are close to or in contact with the kitchen wall surfaces. Furthermore, the exterior is a roughly square prism with flat outer walls, allowing for a clean design that blends in with a variety of kitchen designs. Furthermore, when attaching or detaching the cap 21 to or from the body 30, or when attaching or detaching the cylindrical water purification cartridge 10 to or from the body 30, the approximately flat outer wall surfaces E1, E2, E3, and E4 of the body cover 60, which face in different directions, can be used as gripping and holding parts, making it easy to replace the filter material.

[0090] Furthermore, according to the water purifier 1 of the embodiment, the body cover 60 is composed of a cover main body 70 having an approximately U-shaped cross section and a cover plate 80 that closes the U-shaped opening 70a. This allows the cover main body 70 to be easily attached to the body 30 using the U-shaped opening 70a, and then the cover plate 80 to be attached so as to close the opening 70a. This makes it possible to easily assemble the body cover 60 to the body 30 even if there is only a small gap G between the body 30, more specifically, the cartridge accommodating section 40, which has an outer diameter larger than the reduced diameter cylindrical section 50, and the body cover 60.

[0091] Furthermore, in the water purifier 1 according to the embodiment, the cap 21 is attached to the body 30 with high sealing performance by being screwed and fixed to the body 30 in a liquid-tight seal state. Furthermore, when the cap 21 is completely fixed to the body 30, the cap 21 and the body cover 60 form continuous, approximately flat outer wall surfaces E1, E2, E3, and E4. Therefore, if the cap 21 is not screwed in enough when being screwed into the body 30, as shown in Figure 8, the approximately flat outer wall surfaces 22c, 22d, 22e, 22f, 71ab, 71bc, 71cd, and 80b of the cap 21 and the body 30 can be visually confirmed from the outside as discontinuous surfaces, and by screwing the cap 21 further in from this state, the cap 21 can be securely screwed into the body 30 and fixed. Therefore, loosening of the cap 21 can be reliably prevented, and the watertightness of the water purifier main body 20 can be stably maintained.

[0092] Furthermore, in the water purifier 1 according to the embodiment, the water purification cartridge 10 is made of activated carbon in a hollow cylindrical shape, which means that there is less resistance when water passes through it than when using a filter material made of, for example, ceramic or hollow fiber membrane, making it possible to ensure a predetermined flow rate, for example, 2.0 L / min, and also to remove chlorine.

[0093] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0094] For example, in the above embodiment, a cover support portion 100 is provided in the small gap G between the body 30 and the body cover 60 to support the body cover 60, but a configuration without a cover support portion 100 is also possible. For example, by using a highly rigid material in a thin plate shape, it is possible to make it difficult for deformation to occur even with a small gap G.

[0095] For example, in the above embodiment, the water purifier 1 is exemplified as an in-out type, but it may also be a so-called out-in type in which raw water introduced into the water purifier 1 flows from the outside of the water purification cartridge through a filter material into the water passage inside the water purification cartridge as purified water.

[0096] For example, in the above embodiment, the water purifier 1 is exemplified as being approximately square in shape when viewed from above and approximately rectangular prism-shaped overall, but other external shapes are also acceptable as long as the body cover 60 has an approximately flat outer wall surface that is continuous with the cap 21. The water purifier 1 may have a four-sided rectangular shape when viewed from above, or may have a shape other than a rectangular shape when viewed from above, such as a three-sided triangular shape when viewed from above, a five-sided pentagonal shape when viewed from above, or a six-sided hexagonal shape when viewed from above. Furthermore, the water purifier 1 may have an external appearance that combines substantially flat and curved surfaces on its outer wall surface other than a prismatic column shape. For example, the water purifier 1 may have a substantially crescent shape when viewed from above. Furthermore, the continuous, substantially flat outer wall surface of the water purifier 1 may be a smooth surface or a matte (matt) surface, or may have a pattern applied thereto by printing or the like. Furthermore, when the water purifier 1 is provided with at least a pair of continuous, approximately flat outer wall surfaces facing in opposite normal directions, the pair of outer wall surfaces can be used as a surface for placing the pair of outer wall surfaces, or as a surface that is close to or in contact with the wall surface of the kitchen.Furthermore, when one of the pair of outer wall surfaces is used as a surface for placing the pair of outer wall surfaces, the other approximately flat outer wall surface is exposed on the front side, allowing for a neat design that blends in well with various kitchen designs. Furthermore, for example, when replacing the water purification cartridge 10, the pair of outer wall surfaces can be gripped between the cartridges, allowing the body 30 side of the water purifier 1 to be held stably.

[0097] For example, in the above embodiment, the cap 21 is illustrated as being screwed onto the body 30, but the cap 21 may be fixed to the body 30 using other methods such as rotational fixation or methods other than rotational fixation. For example, the cap 21 may be fixed to the body 30 using a fixing structure using a quarter-rotation type so-called bayonet cap, a fixing structure using a one-touch coupler, a fixing structure in which one of the cap 21 or the body 30 is held down with a metal blade, a fixing structure using a clamp band, or a fixing structure using a clamp band and flat packing.

[0098] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive, and the above embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1. Water purifier 10 Water Purification Cartridges 20 Water purifier body 21 Cap 30 Body 40a Outer surface 43 Partition wall 60 Body Cover 70 Cover body 80 cover plate 100 cover support 110 Body side protrusion 110a First body side protrusion 110b second body side protrusion 110c Third body side protrusion 110cc convex top 110d Fourth body side convex part 110e Fifth body side convex portion 110f, 110g contact support surface 110h 6th body side convex part 120 Cover side protrusion 120a First cover side protrusion 120b Second cover side protrusion 120c Third cover side protrusion 120cc convex top surface 120d Fourth cover side protrusion 120dd convex top surface G Slight gap S Cartridge storage space E1, E2, E3, E4 Continuous, almost flat exterior wall surface

Claims

1. The water purifier main body is configured by the body and the cap, which form a cylindrical cartridge accommodating space, and the cylindrical water purification cartridge is accommodated in the cartridge accommodating space. The body is cylindrical and has a length that allows the outer circumferential surface of the water purification cartridge to be exposed when the cap is removed. A water purifier characterized in that a thin plate-shaped body cover having a substantially flat outer wall surface that is continuous in the central axial direction of the cap and the water purifier main body is attached to the body with a small gap between it and the outer peripheral surface of the body.

2. 2. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein a cover support portion for supporting the body cover is provided in the small gap between the body and the body cover.

3. a partition wall portion is provided near the end portion of the body on the cap side, The water purifier according to claim 2, wherein the partition wall portion is the cover support portion that abuts against an inner wall surface of the body cover to support the body cover.

4. The water purifier according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the cover support portion is constituted by at least one or both of a body-side convex portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the body and a cover-side convex portion provided on the inner wall surface of the body cover.

5. The water purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the continuous outer wall surface has four sides that are generally rectangular in appearance when viewed from above the water purifier body.

6. The water purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the body cover is composed of a cover main body having a substantially U-shaped cross section and a cover plate that closes the U-shaped opening.

7. The water purifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cap is rotatably fixed to the body in a liquid-tight seal state.

8. 4. The water purifier according to claim 1, wherein the water purification cartridge is made of activated carbon and has a hollow cylindrical shape.

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