초록 ▼

A one-touch fitting type adapter and a filter assembly are provided in which the filter assembly used for machinery, such as a bidet or a refrigerator, is easily assembled with or disassembled from the adapter through a one-touch fitting manner such that the filter assembly is easily adapted for the

A one-touch fitting type adapter and a filter assembly are provided in which the filter assembly used for machinery, such as a bidet or a refrigerator, is easily assembled with or disassembled from the adapter through a one-touch fitting manner such that the filter assembly is easily adapted for the machinery. A multiple adapter capable of coupling a plurality of adapters in series is provided such that a plurality of filter assemblies used for a water purifier, a water ionizer or a functional water maker are detachably engaged with the multiple adapter through a one-touch fitting manner.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A one-touch fitting type adapter for detachably engaging a filter assembly provided at one end thereof with a cylindrical fluid passage having a collar flange, the one-touch fitting type adapter comprising: an adapter body formed at both upper sides thereof with an inlet port

What is claimed is: 1. A one-touch fitting type adapter for detachably engaging a filter assembly provided at one end thereof with a cylindrical fluid passage having a collar flange, the one-touch fitting type adapter comprising: an adapter body formed at both upper sides thereof with an inlet port and an outlet port and formed at a center thereof with a central channel communicated with the inlet and outlet ports; a valve installed in the central channel so as to adjust inflow or cutoff of source water flowing through the inlet port; an upper cover for covering an upper portion of the central channel; a lower cover installed at a lower portion of the adapter body and formed with a central hole communicated with the central channel of the adapter body, the cylindrical fluid passage of the filter assembly being inserted into the central hole of the lower cover; a pair of slide plates installed on the lower cover, the slide plates having opposite inclined elongate holes and opposite arcuate sections for detachably coupling the collar flange formed at the cylindrical fluid passage of the filter assembly, the slide plates being elastically biased towards each other by means of a spring; and a release button unit including two parallel bars formed with protrusions inserted into the inclined elongate holes, respectively, and one horizontal push bar connecting ends of the parallel bars to each other, wherein, when the filter assembly is disassembled from the adapter, the horizontal push bar is pushed, so the parallel bars move in a forward direction while pushing sidewalls of the inclined elongated holes so that the slide plates horizontally move perpendicularly to a moving direction of the protrusions away from each other, thereby allowing the filter assembly to be disassembled from the adapter. 2. The one-touch fitting type adapter according to claim 1, wherein the valve includes a valve body having an inclined seat surface and being communicated with the inlet port, a fluid passage extending from the valve body to a lower portion of the central channel of the adapter body, a valve plunger having a plunger head closely adjacent to the inclined seat surface and being installed in the fluid passage such that the valve plunger opens/closes the fluid passage when the filter assembly is assembled with or disassembled from the adapter while moving in the fluid passage by means of pressing force applied thereto from the filter assembly, and a valve spring supported by the upper cover while elastically biasing the plunger head installed on the inclined seat surface of the valve body. 3. The one-touch fitting type adapter according to claim 1, wherein the end parts of the arcuate sections of the slide plates, which make contact with the collar flange formed at the fluid passage of the filter assembly when the filter assembly is assembled into the one-touch fitting type adapter, are formed with inclined portions so as to allow the filter assembly to be easily engaged with the arcuate sections through riding therealong. 4. The one-touch fitting type adapter according to claim 1, wherein a backflow preventing valve is installed in the outlet port of the adapter body so as to prevent residual purified water remaining at a rear portion of the outlet port from flowing back or dropping down from the outlet port when the filter assembly is disassembled from the adapter. 5. The one-touch fitting type adapter according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal push bar of the release button unit is formed with a mounting hole for a safety pin for preventing the push bar from being pushed so as to prevent the filter assembly from being unintentionally separated from the adapter. 6. A water purifying system comprising a one-touch fitting type adapter as claimed in claim 1. 7. A filter assembly detachably engaged with a one-touch fitting type adapter, the one-touch fitting type adaptor comprising an adapter body formed at both upper sides thereof with an inlet port and an outlet port and formed at a center thereof with a central channel communicated with the inlet and outlet ports; a valve installed in the central channel so as to adjust inflow or cutoff of source water flowing through the inlet port; an upper cover for covering an upper portion of the central channel; a lower cover installed at a lower portion of the adapter body and formed with a central hole communicated with the central channel of the adapter body, the cylindrical fluid passage of the filter assembly being inserted into the central hole of the lower cover; a pair of slide plates installed on the lower cover, the slide plates having opposite inclined elongate holes and opposite arcuate sections for detachably coupling the collar flange formed at the cylindrical fluid passage of the filter assembly, the slide plates being elastically biased towards each other by means of a spring; and a release button unit including two parallel bars formed with protrusions inserted into the inclined elongate holes, respectively, and one horizontal push bar connecting ends of the parallel bars to each other, wherein, when the filter assembly is disassembled from the adapter, the horizontal push bar is pushed, so the parallel bars move in a forward direction while pushing sidewalls of the inclined elongated holes so that the slide plates horizontally move perpendicularly to a moving direction of the protrusions away from each other, thereby allowing the filter assembly to be disassembled from the adapter, and the filter assembly comprising: an outer housing formed at an inlet portion thereof with a cylindrical fluid passage having a collar flange; a filter member installed in the outer housing spaced apart from an inner wall of the outer housing; and a water guide installed between an upper end of the filter member and the cylindrical fluid passage of the outer housing in order to guide source water to the filter member when source water is introduced thereto through the valve of the one-touch fitting type adapter and to guide water purified by the filter member into the outlet port of the one-touch fitting type adapter, wherein the water guide includes an annular partition wall forming an inflow passage of source water through the valve and for preventing source water from being mixed with the purified water, a source water path transfer passage for guiding the source water from the inflow passage of the partition wall to a flowing space formed between the sidewall of the filter member and the inner wall of the outer housing, a purified water outlet passage for discharging water introduced from the flowing space into and purified by the filter member to an exterior through the outside of the inflow passage of the partition wall, and a push rod installed at an inner central portion of the annular partition wall so as to open the valve of the adapter while making press-contact with the valve. 8. The filter assembly according to claim 7, wherein the filter member includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a hollow fiber filter, a non-woven fabric filter, an activated carbon filter, a reverse osmosis membrane filter, and a functional ceramic filter. 9. A water purifying system comprising a filter assembly as claimed in claim 7. 10. A multiple adapter for engaging a plurality of filter assemblies, the multiple adapter comprising: a plurality of one-touch fitting type adapters aligned in parallel to each other, wherein the respective one-touch fitting type adaptor comprises: an adapter body formed at both upper sides thereof with an inlet port and an outlet port and formed at a center thereof with a central channel communicated with the inlet and outlet ports; a valve installed in the central channel so as to adjust inflow or cutoff of source water flowing through the inlet port; an upper cover for covering an upper portion of the central channel; a lower cover installed at a lower portion of the adapter body and formed with a central hole communicated with the central channel of the adapter body, the cylindrical fluid passage of the filter assembly being inserted into the central hole of the lower cover; a pair of slide plates installed on the lower cover, the slide plates having opposite inclined elongate holes and opposite arcuate sections for detachably coupling the collar flange formed at the cylindrical fluid passage of the filter assembly, the slide plates being elastically biased towards each other by means of a spring; and a release button unit including two parallel bars formed with protrusions inserted into the inclined elongate holes, respectively, and one horizontal push bar connecting ends of the parallel bars to each other, wherein, when the filler assembly is disassembled from the adapter, the horizontal push bar is pushed, so the parallel bars move in a forward direction while pushing sidewalls of the inclined elongated holes so that the slide plates horizontally move perpendicularly to a moving direction of the protrusions away from each other, thereby allowing the filter assembly to be disassembled from the adapter; backflow preventing valves installed at outlet ports of the one-touch fitting type adapters; and plug type connection members installed between inlet ports and outlet ports of adjacent adapters such that the adjacent adapters rotate relative to each other, wherein O-rings are provided between outer peripheral surfaces of the plug type connection members and inner peripheral surfaces of the inlet ports and outlet ports, wherein the respective filter assembly is detachably engaged with the one-touch fitting type adaptor, and comprises: an outer housing formed at an inlet portion thereof with a cylindrical fluid passage having a collar flange; a filter member installed in the outer housing spaced apart from an inner wall of the outer housing; and a water guide installed between an upper end of the filter member and the cylindrical fluid passage of the outer housing in order to guide source water to the filter member when source water is introduced thereto through the valve of the one-touch fitting type adapter and to guide water purified by the filter member into the outlet port of the one-touch fitting type adapter, wherein the water guide includes an annular partition wall forming an inflow passage of source water through the valve and for preventing source water from being mixed with the purified water, a source water path transfer passage for guiding the source water from the inflow passage of the partition wall to a flowing space formed between the sidewall of the filter member and the inner wall of the outer housing, a purified water outlet passage for discharging water introduced from the flowing space into and purified by the filter member to an exterior through the outside of the inflow passage of the partition wall, and a push rod installed at an inner central portion of the annular partition wall so as to open the valve of the adapter while making press-contact with the valve. 11. A water purifying system comprising a one-touch fitting type multiple adapter as claimed in claim 10.