USRE40310E1 - Water purification system and method including dispensed volume sensing and control - Google Patents

Abstract

A water purification system for purifying water flowing through a water flow path. The system includes a water purification device having an inlet and an outlet in the water flow path and at least one interior volume communicating with the inlet and outlet. A purification medium is disposed within the interior volume of the water purification device. A flow control system is provided controlling a volume of purified water dispensed from the outlet. The flow control system includes an input device configured to allow a user to input a desired volume of purified water to be dispensed from the outlet and a sensing device coupled with the electronic input device and operative to determine the volume of purified water being dispensed from the outlet. A flow regulation device is coupled with the flow control system and operative to stop the discharge of purified water at the outlet upon reaching the desired volume of purified water.

Description

The present application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/520,827 filed Mar. 8, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,881, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to water purification systems and methods and, more specifically, to control systems used to sense and control a volumetric amount of water dispensed from the system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Water purification systems are used to provide high quality reagent grade water for various applications, including the field of scientific testing and analysis. Many of these applications require that the total organic carbon content of the water be on the order of 10 parts per billion or less ASTM. Type I water is the highest purity and is used for high performance liquid chromatography, atomic absorption spectrometry, tissue culture, etc. Type II water is less pure and may be used for hematological, serological, and microbiological procedures. Type III water is suitable for general laboratory qualitative analyses, such as urinalysis, parasitology and histological procedures. Two prior systems for purifying water are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,397,468 and 5,399,263, each assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The disclosure of each of these patents is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Purified water dispensing systems that currently provide automatic controlled dispensing of water do so using a timed dispense technique. This is accomplished by electronically controlling a solenoid valve and holding the solenoid valve open for a user-programmed time period. The user sets this time based on the amount of water they wish to dispense from the system. The user determines a relationship between dispensing time and flow rate for their specific system and operating conditions. Another method of controlling the dispensed amount of purified water involves manually opening a valve with the system pump shut off. Actuation of a switch in the valve initiates the pump when the valve is open. The pump remains energized for a time programmed by the user. When the time has expired, the pump is turned off by the control system. The manual valve remains open until the user returns to the system to close this valve. One significant drawback to this method is that the manual valve may remain open for some time until the user returns to shut it off. The main reason for using this method is to provide a manner of dispensing water into a larger vessel without holding a remote operating valve open for a long period of time and without running the water out of the vessel. Another drawback to both of these prior methods relates to the accuracy of the volume dispensed when relying on a user-defined relationship between dispensing time and dispensed volume. If the time value entered by the user is too long, the vessel being filled may run over. Generally, if the time value is incorrect by being either too long or too short, the user must manually correct the dispensed amount of water by removing water from the vessel or manually filling the vessel to the required amount. This, of course, defeats the purpose of having an automatic dispense control. The relationship between dispensed volume and dispensing time will also vary for any given system, depending on the pressure at the inlet of the system, the voltage on any pump associated with the system, the condition of the filters and membranes, among other factors.

In light of these and other problems in the art, it would be desirable to provide a water purification system having an accurate and automatic manner of sensing and, preferably, controlling the volume of water discharged from the system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in one aspect, provides a water purification system for purifying water flowing through a water flow path, and having a sensing device coupled with an electronic control for accurately indicating the volume of water dispensed from an outlet of the system. More specifically, the system includes a water purification device having an inlet and an outlet in the water flow path and at least one interior volume communicating with the inlet and outlet. A purification medium is positioned within the interior volume of the water purification device. The sensing device operates to generate a signal that is used to determine a volume of water dispensed from the outlet. The electronic control is coupled with the sensing device and includes an output responsive to the signal generated by the sensing device for indicating the volume of water dispensed from the outlet. The sensing device may comprise a flow sensor or, for example, a timer. The flow sensor may be coupled upstream of the inlet or downstream of the inlet, or at any other suitable location in the water flow path. The upstream position is preferred so that any contaminates from the sensor will be filtered out or purified by the purification device. If the sensing device is a timer, the timer is associated with a look-up table in the electronic control having time values usable to determine an amount of time for dispensing a desired volume of purified water from the outlet. Alternatively, the control may include an algorithm which is used in conjunction with the timer for dispensing the desired volume of purified water from the outlet. The control may further include an alerting device configured to alert the user when the desired volume of purified water has been dispensed from the outlet.

In the preferred embodiment, the control system includes an input device configured to allow a user to input a desired volume of purified water to be dispensed from the outlet. A flow regulation device is coupled with the control system and operative to stop the discharge of purified water at the outlet upon reaching the desired volume of purified water.

Various objectives, advantages and features of the invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a water purifying system in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a flow control system for use in the water purification system ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 2A is a diagrammatic representation of the flow control system ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a software flow diagram of the “AUTOMATIC DISPENSE ROUTINE” performed by the flow control system of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a software flow diagram of the “TOTAL VOLUME DISPENSED ROUTINE” performed by the flow control system of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a software flow diagram of the “CALIBRATION ROUTINE” performed by the flow control system of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a software flow diagram of the “SYSTEM CHECK ROUTINE” performed by the flow control system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the drawings, and toFIG. 1 in particular, awater purification system10 is illustrated in accordance to the principles of the present invention for dispensing a controlled volume of purified water as desired by a user.Water purification system10 includes a fluid circuit orwater flow path12 having awater inlet14 connected to a source of water (not shown), and a water|outlet16 for dispensing the controlled volume of water that has been purified by the system. As will be described in greater detail below, thefluid circuit12 is preferably designed so that the volume ofwater entering inlet14 corresponds to the volume of purified water dispensed at theoutlet16. When purified water is not being dispensed at theoutlet16, thefluid circuit12 is preferably designed to recirculate the water through thecircuit12.

Further referring toFIG. 1, water enters theinlet14 of thefluid circuit12 through acheck valve18, aflow control system20 and apressure regulator22. As will be described in greater detail below,flow control system20 is provided to allow a user to input a desired volume of water to be dispensed at theoutlet16, and also to determine the volume of water dispensed from thewater purification system10. A user interface24, including a user input26 (FIG. 2) and user display28 (FIG.2), is coupled to theflow control system20 for receiving user inputs as well as providing a display of information to the user.Pressure regulator22 is provided to limit or regulate the pressure within thefluid circuit12 to a predetermined value, such as 15 psi. Apump30 is preferably connected in thefluid circuit12 to circulate the water into through thecircuit12.Pump30 preferably has at least two operating speeds so that when purified water is not being dispensed from thesystem10, thepump30 is set to operate at a predetermined “recirculation speed”. The speed ofpump30 is preferably increased to a predetermined “full speed” when purified water is being dispensed through theoutlet16 or through an optionalremote dispensing gun32 connected to thefluid circuit12 as described in detail below. Alternatively, thepump30 may have only a single operating speed, or thepump30 may be eliminated andfluid circuit12 may simply receive pressurized water throughpressure regulator22.

As illustrated inFIG. 1, thewater purification system10 includes awater purification device34 having an inlet and an outlet connected in thefluid circuit12 and in fluid communication with at least one interior volume of thedevice34. Thewater purification device34 is more fully disclosed in co-pending application U.S. Ser. No. 09/520,529, filed on Mar. 8, 2000, and hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.

Briefly,water purification device34 comprises a filter assembly36 including a plurality of identically constructed cartridges38a-d coupled in fluid communication with each other and with the inlet and outlet of thewater purification device34. In operation, water circulating or passing through thefluid circuit12 is directed through the filter assembly36 or cartridges38a-d as schematically illustrated in FIG.1. Purified water exiting fromcartridge38d moves past asanitization port40 which may be used to periodically inject a sanitent intofluid circuit12 as necessitated by application requirements. Ajumper42 is provided for optionally connecting theremote dispensing gun32 to thefluid circuit12 as described in detail below.

Upon exiting the filter assembly36, the purified water enters a dispensemanifold44 connected in thefluid circuit12. Thedispenser manifold44 includes a first normally-closedsolenoid valve46 that is coupled to theflow control system20. The normally-closedsolenoid valve46 may be selectively opened by the user to direct water through afinal filter48 and through thewater outlet16. When purified water is not being dispensed, a normally-open solenoid valve50 is provided to direct the water in a recirculating manner through acheck valve52 and back to the beginning offluid circuit12 to be continuously recirculated bypump30. Checkvalve52 prevents backflow frominlet14 and also provides any necessary back pressure for a manual valve (not shown) associated with the optionremote dispensing gun32.

Flow control system20 is the primary focus of the present invention and is illustrated according to a preferred embodiment in FIG.2. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention,flow control system20 includes a vane-type flow sensor54 that is coupled to aflow controller56 of theflow control system20.Flow sensor54 is operable to generate a signal that is used by theflow controller56 to determine a volume of water dispensed from thewater outlet16. Theflow controller56 provides an output that is responsive to the signal generated by theflow sensor54 for indicating the volume of water dispensed from theoutlet16.

Theflow control system20 of the present invention is provided to allow a user to input a desired volume of water to be dispensed at theoutlet16, and also to determine the volume of water dispensed from thewater purification system10. Theuser input26 of the user interface24 (FIG. 1) is preferably in the form of a control panel (not shown) that permits the user to simply enter the desired volume of purified water to be dispensed throughoutlet16. Theuser display28 of user interface24 (FIG. 1) is preferably in the form of an LCD or similar display that provides a user-readable indication of the volume of purified water dispensed, or to be dispensed, by thewater purification system10. Anoptional alert58 may be associated with theflow controller56 to provide a visual and/or audible indication to the user when the desired volume of purified water has been dispensed.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention as shown inFIG. 2, theflow sensor54 includes apulse generator60 that is operable to generate a predetermined number of pulses in response to a predetermined volume of water dispensed throughoutlet16, such as 6,900 pulses for every liter of purified water dispensed through theoutlet16. Theflow controller56 includes apulse counter62, accumulatedpulse counter64 andmemory66 coupled to amicrocontroller68 for monitoring and controlling the volume of purified water dispensed throughoutlet16. It will be appreciated that whileflow sensor54 and flowcontroller56 are illustrated as separate components, they may be combined into a single device without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Operation of thewater purification system10, including theflow sensor54 and flowcontroller56, will now be described in connection with monitoring and controlling the volume of purified water dispensed throughoutlet16.Flow controller56 is operable to run the software routines ofFIGS. 3-6 to perform the following functions: 1) automatically dispense a predetermined volume of water corresponding to a desired volume of water input into theflow controller52 by the user through theuser input26; 2) monitor the volume and total volume of purified water dispensed by thewater purification system10; 3) calibrate thewater purification system10 to automatically dispense the desired volume of water input by the user; and 4) perform a system check to identify the presence of the remote dispensegun32 or a leak in thesystem10. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the software may reside in thememory66 of theflow controller56 and/or on tape, disc or diskette associated with theflow controller56, although the location of the software is not limited to theflow controller56 as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art.

Referring now toFIG. 3, the “AUTOMATIC DISPENSE ROUTINE”70 will now be described. The purpose of this routine is primarily to permit a user to input a desired volume of water to be dispensed by thewater purification system10, and to control thesystem10 to dispense the desired volume of water input by the user. Another purpose of this routine is to provide a user-readable display of the volume of water remaining to be dispensed through theoutlet16. Atstep72, theflow controller56 receives, through theuser input26, the volume of water desired by the user to be dispensed throughoutlet16. Atstep74, theflow controller56 calculates a pulse count corresponding to the desired volume of water, and sets the calculated pulse count in thememory66. For example, if the user desires one liter of purified water to be dispensed through theoutlet16, the flow controller sets a pulse count value of 6,900 in thememory66. A determination is made atstep76 whether the user has pressed the “dispense key” to initiate automatic dispensing of the desired volume of purified water. If the “dispense key” has been pressed, theflow controller56 resets thepulse counter62 to zero atstep78 and sets thepump30 to operate at “full speed” atstep80. Atstep82, theflow controller56 opens the normally-closedsolenoid valve46 associated with the dispensemanifold44 to dispense purified water through thewater outlet16. As water is dispensed at theoutlet16,flow sensor54 is generating pulses throughpulse generator60 corresponding to the volume of water being dispensed. Atstep84, thepulse counter62 of theflow controller56 is counting the pulses generated by thepulse generator60 of theflow sensor54. A decision is made atstep86 whether the pulse count generated by thepulse generator60 equals the pulse count set inmemory66. If not, thepulse counter62 continues to count the pulses generated by thepulse generator60. However, if the generated pulse count does equal the pulse count set inmemory66, theflow controller56 closes thesolenoid valve46 atstep88 to stop discharge of water through theoutlet16, and resets thepump30 to its “recirculation speed” atstep90.

Further referring toFIG. 3, as thepulse counter62 is counting pulses generated by thepulse generator60, theflow controller56 subtracts the present pulse count from the pulse count set inmemory66 and converts the pulse count remainder to a volume of water remaining to be dispensed, as indicated atstep92. Theflow controller56 provides a display of the volume of water remaining to be dispensed on theuse display28, as indicated atstep94. While not shown, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that theflow controller56 could convert the present pulse count to a volume of water actually dispensed, and display that information to the user as well on theuser display28. When the desired volume of purified water has been dispensed, theflow controller56 will actuate alert58 to provide an indication to the user that the dispense cycle is completed. It will be appreciated that the “AUTOMATIC DISPENSE ROUTINE”70 permits the user simply to input a desired volume of water to be dispensed, and thereafter accurately controls the dispensed volume of water to correspond to the desired volume input by the user.

With reference now toFIG. 4, the “TOTAL VOLUME DISPENSED ROUTINE”95 will be described. The purpose of this routine is to monitor the total volume of purified water dispensed by thewater purification system10, and to provide this information to the user for various service, billing, warranty and usage-type purposes. In particular, atstep96, a volume of purified water is dispensed through theoutlet16. Atstep98, thepulse generator60 associated with theflow sensor54 generates a series of pulses that are counted by thepulse counter62, as well as by the accumulatedpulse counter64, of theflow controller56. Atstep100, the accumulated pulse counter64 stores and accumulates the pulses generated by thepulse generator60 over multiple dispensing operations of thewater purification system10. Atstep102, theflow controller56 converts the accumulated pulses counted by the accumulatedpulse counter64 to a total volume of purified water dispensed by thewater purification system10. As indicated at104, this information may be used as service information to inform the user when service or maintenance of thesystem10 is required. The service or maintenance may include changing the filter assembly36 or injecting a sanitant into thefluid circuit12 through thesanitization port40, for example. As indicated at106, the total volume of water dispensed by thewater purification system10 may also be used for billing information so that the user may be accurately charged for the volume of purified water dispensed by thesystem10. As indicated at108, this information may also be used for warranty information or, as indicated at110, for usage-type information, such as the total volume of water that has been dispensed through the a particularwater purification system10 over a predetermined period of time.

Referring now toFIG. 5, the “CALIBRATION ROUTINE”112 will now be described. The purpose of this routine is to calibrate thewater purification system10 to accurately dispense the desired volume of purified water at theoutlet16. Atstep114, a determination is made whether theflow controller56 has been set to operate in a “calibration mode”. If yes, a determination is made atstep116 whether the user has depressed the “dispense key”. If the user has depressed the “dispense key”, theflow controller56 dispenses a predetermined volume of purified water corresponding to a predetermined pulse count. For example, atstep118, if theflow controller56 is set to operate in “calibration mode” and the “dispense key” has been pressed, theflow controller56 may be programmed to dispense a liter of purified water corresponding to a pulse count of 6,900. As indicated at120, the user measures the actual volume of water dispensed, and inputs that value into theflow controller56 through theuser input26 atstep122. Atstep124, theflow controller56 calculates an error corresponding to the difference between the predetermined volume of water to be dispensed in “calibration mode” and the actual volume of water dispensed at theoutlet16. Thereafter, atstep126, theflow controller56 increments or decrements the predetermined pulse count to obtain the predetermined volume of water that should be dispensed when the “dispense key” is pressed and theflow controller56 is set to operate in “calibration mode”. For example, it may be determined through the “CALIBRATION ROUTINE”112 that one liter of dispensed purified water actually corresponds to a pulse count of 6,985 instead of 6,900. By calibrating the pulse count to correspond to the actual volume of water dispensed, all following automatic dispense cycles should be very accurate.

Referring now toFIG. 6, the “SYSTEM CHECK ROUTINE”128 will now be described. The purpose of this routine is to determine either the connection of theremote gun32 to thefluid circuit12 or a leak in thesystem10. Atstep130, a determination is made whether the “dispense key” has been depressed. If yes, control is passed to the “AUTOMATIC DISPENSE ROUTINE”70 as described above. If not, a determination is made atstep132 whether a pulse has been detected by thepulse counter62 associated with theflow controller56. If a pulse is detected atstep132, the pulse counter62 counts the pulse atstep134. Atstep136, theflow controller56 determines whether the pulse count ofpulse counter62 is greater than a predetermined pulse number stored inmemory66. If the pulse count exceeds the predetermined pulse number stored inmemory66, a determination is made atstep138 whether theremote gun32 is present. This information may be provided through a query of the user to verify that theremote gun32 is or is not connected to thefluid circuit12. If the user indicates atstep138 that theremote gun32 is not present,flow controller56 shuts offpump30 atstep140, and may also cause thewater purification system10 to be disconnected from the water source (not shown) atstep142. Thereafter, theflow controller56 may provide a display warning to the user onuser display28 to warn the user to check for a leak in thesystem10 atstep144.

If a determination is made atstep138 that theremote gun32 is connected to thefluid circuit12, theflow controller56 turns thepump30 to “full speed” atstep146. A determination is made atstep148 whether a pulse is detected by thepulse counter62, indicating that purified water is being dispensed through theremote gun32. If no pulse is detected atstep148, indicating that the valve (not shown) of theremote gun32 has been closed, theflow controller56 resets thepump30 to operate at its “recirculation speed” atstep150.

While a vane-type flow sensor54 is shown in the preferred embodiment ofFIG. 2, it will be appreciated that other sensing devices are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the sensing device may have a voltage or current output rather than a pulse output as described in detail above. Moreover, while a vane-type flow sensor has been described in detail, it will be appreciated that the flow sensor may comprise an ultrasonic, paddlewheel or similar flow sensor readily known by those of ordinary skill in the art. Additionally, and as illustrated inFIG. 2A, the sensing device may include a timer and look-up table152 or timer and algorithm154 associated with theflow controller56. For example, as indicated at158 inFIG. 2A, the user may input a desired volume of purified water to be dispensed bysystem10 through theuser input26. In the event the sensing device comprises a timer and look-up table152, theflow controller56 includes a look-up table that correlates a desired volume of purified water input by the user to a dispense time corresponding to opening of the normally-closedsolenoid valve46. In this embodiment, the user's input of the desired volume of purified water to be dispensed by thesystem10 is converted by thesensing device152 into a time value for opening the normally-closedsolenoid valve46. In this way, thewater purification system10 discharges a desired volume of purified water input by the user as indicated at160.

Alternatively, when the sensing device is a timer and algorithm, theflow controller56 converts the user's input of the desired volume of purified water to be dispensed into a time value for opening the normally-closedsolenoid valve46. The time value is computed in the algorithm by dividing the desired volume of purified water input by the user by the known flow rate of thesystem10.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in art that while theflow control system20 has been described as being positioned upstream of the inlet to thewater purification device34, the flow control system may alternatively be positioned downstream of the outlet of thewater purification device34 without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention.

While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of these preferred embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in some detail, it is not the intention of the Applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. This has been a description of the present invention, along with the preferred methods of practicing the present invention as currently known. Various aspects of this invention may be used alone or in different combinations. The scope of the invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims, wherein we claim:

Claims (21)

1. A water purification system for purifying water flowing through a water flow path between an inlet and an outlet, the system comprising:

a water purification device in a water flow path having an outlet, said water purification device having at least one interior volume;

a purification medium positioned within the interior volume;

a pump for moving water through the purification medium;

a flow control system for controlling a volume of purified water dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path, the flow control system including an input device configured to allow a user to input a desired volume of purified water to be dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path during a dispense cycle and a sensing device operable to generate a signal used to determine a volume of purified water dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path; and

a flow regulation device coupled with the flow control system and operable to stop the discharge of purified water at the outlet of the water flow path when the desired volume of purified water has been dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path. ; and

wherein the flow control system is configured to execute a system leak checking routine to determine whether purified water is leaking from the system based at least in part on the signal from the sensing device used to determine a volume of purified water dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path and disable the pump when a leak is detected.

2. A water purification system for purifying water flowing through a water flow path between an inlet and an outlet, the system comprising:

a recirculating water flow circuit including a recirculating water flow path having an inlet and an outlet;

a pump for moving and recirculating water through the recirculating water flow path;

a water purification device in a the water flow path having an outlet , said water purification device having at least one interior volume;

a purification medium positioned within the interior volume;

an input device configured to allow a user to input a desired volume of water to be dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path during a dispense cycle;

a sensing device operable to generate a signal used to determine a volume of water dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path;

an electronic control coupled with the sensing device and having an output responsive to the signal for indicating the volume of water dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path; and

a display coupled to the electronic control and responsive to the output for displaying the volume of water dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path.

a flow regulation device controlled by the electronic control to selectively dispense purified water through the outlet or recirculate water through the recirculating water flow path;

wherein the electronic control is operable to control the flow regulation device to stop the discharge of purified water through the outlet of the water flow path when the desired volume of purified water has been dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path and sets the flow regulation device to automatically recirculate water through the water flow path upon stopping the discharge of purified water through the outlet of the water flow path.

3. A water purification device system for purifying water flowing through a water flow path between an inlet and an outlet, the system comprising:

a water purification device in a water flow path having an outlet, said water purification device having at least one interior volume;

a purification medium positioned within the interior volume;

a pump for moving water through the purification medium;

an input device configured to allow a user to input a desired volume of purified water to be dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path during a dispense cycle;

a sensing device configured to sense a fluid characteristic of the water flowing through the water flow path, the fluid characteristic being at least indirectly indicative of the volume of water flowing through the outlet of the water flow path;

a flow regulation device coupled to the water flow path and configured to control the discharge of purified water from the outlet of the water flow path; and

a control coupled to the input device, the sensing device, and the flow regulation device, the control operating to manipulate information generated by the input device and the sensing device to thereby control the flow regulation device to dispense the desired volume of purified water from the outlet of the water flow path. ; and

a remote dispensing gun for dispensing purified water from the water flow path and connectable to the water flow path at a location separate from the outlet, the control being operable to manipulate information to determine the presence of the remote dispensing gun for controlling the flow of water through the water flow path.

4. A water purification system for purifying water flowing through a water flow path between an inlet and an outlet, the system comprising:

a recirculating water flow circuit including a recirculating water flow path having an inlet and an outlet;

a pump for moving water through the recirculating water flow path;

a water purification device in a the water flow path having an outlet , said water purification device having at least one interior volume;

a purification medium positioned within the interior volume;

an input device configured to allow a user to input a desired volume of water to be dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path during a dispense cycle;

a sensing device operable to generate a signal comprising a timer used to determine a volume of water dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path; and

an electronic control coupled with the sensing device and havingan electronic control comprising means for correlating a desired volume of purified water input by the user to a dispense time and generating an output responsive to the signaltimer for indicating the volume of water remaining to be dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path until the desired volume of water to be dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path is reached; andand causing recirculation through the water flow path after reaching the desired volume of water.

a display coupled to the electronic control and responsive to the output for displaying the volume of water remaining to be dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path until the desired volume of water to be dispensed from the water flow path is reached.

5. The water purification system recited inclaim 1 further comprising a remote dispensing gun connected to the water flow path downstream of the interior volume containing the purification medium for dispensing purified water from the water flow path at a location different from the output of the water flow path; and

wherein the flow control system is configured to execute the system leak checking routine to determine whether purified water is leaking from the system based at least in part on indication of whether the remote dispensing gun is in use.

6. The water purification system recited inclaim 2 wherein the sensing device measures the volume of water flowing into the inlet of the water flow path.

7. The system recited inclaim 2 wherein the sensing device is a vane-type water flowmeter.

8. The system as recited inclaim 7 wherein the vane-type water flowmeter is positioned upstream of the inlet to the recirculating water flow path.

9. The system as recited inclaim 2 wherein the pump can be operated at a full speed and at a lower recirculation speed, and the electronic control controls the speed of the pump in accordance with the following steps:

setting pump speed to the full speed when the user initiates a desired volume of purified water to be dispensed;

positioning the flow regulation device to dispense purified water through the outlet with the pump set at full speed;

positioning the flow regulation device to stop flow through the outlet when the desired volume of water has been dispensed; and

setting the pump speed to the lower recirculation speed after the flow regulation device has been positioned to stop flow through the outlet.

10. The system recited inclaim 2 wherein a check valve is located in the water flow path downstream of the outlet and upstream of the inlet to help prevent backflow from the inlet.

11. The system recited inclaim 2 further comprising a remote dispensing gun connected to the recirculating water flow path downstream of the interior volume containing the purification medium and upstream of the inlet of the recirculating water flow path for dispensing purified water from the water flow path at a location different from the outlet of the water flow path.

12. The system as recited inclaim 2 further comprising a display coupled to the electronic control for displaying the volume of water that has been dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path.

13. The system recited inclaim 2 further comprising a display coupled to the electronic control for displaying the volume of water remaining to be dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path until the desired volume of water to be dispensed from the water flow path is reached.

14. The system as recited inclaim 3 wherein the water flow path is a recirculating water flow path and the remote dispensing gun is connected to the water flow path downstream of the interior volume containing the purification medium and upstream of an inlet to the water flow path.

15. The system as recited inclaim 14 further comprising a check valve downstream of the flow regulation device and the remote dispensing gun and upstream of an inlet to the water flow path.

16. The system recited inclaim 4 further comprising a flow regulation device controlled by the electronic control to selectively dispense purified water through the outlet or recirculate water through the water flow path; wherein the electronic control controls the flow regulation device to stop the discharge of purified water through the outlet of the water flow path and automatically recirculates water through the water flow path when the desired volume of purified water has been dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path.

17. The system recited inclaim 4 further comprising a final filter that filters purified water immediately before it exits the system through the outlet.

18. The system recited inclaim 4 further comprising a remote dispensing gun connected to the recirculating water flow path downstream of the interior volume containing the purification medium and upstream of the inlet of the recirculating water flow path for dispensing purified water from the water flow path at a location different from the outlet of the water flow path.

19. The system recited inclaim 4 further comprising a pressure regulator for regulating water pressure of water feeding into the recirculating water flow path.

20. The system as recited inclaim 4 further comprising a display coupled to the electronic control for displaying the volume of water that has been dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path.

21. The system recited inclaim 4 further comprising a display coupled to the electronic control for displaying the volume of water remaining to be dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path until the desired volume of water to be dispensed from the water flow path is reached.

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