Patents Assigned to VWS (UK) Limited
  • Publication number: 20230339795
    Abstract: There is described a method of treating potable mains feed water to provide a purified water stream of conductivity <20 ?S/cm, comprising at least the steps of: (a) providing the potable mains feed water into a first storage tank; (b) circulating the feed water in the first storage tank one or more times through a first purification re-circulation loop including a first capacitive deionisation module in a charging mode to provide a first purified water stream having a conductivity less than the feed water; (c) circulating the first purified water stream one or more times through a second purification re-circulation loop including a second capacitive deionisation module in a charging mode to provide a second purified water stream having a conductivity less than the first purified water stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Applicant: VWS (UK) LIMITED
    Inventors: Michael BALL, Nigel EMERY
  • Publication number: 20220363577
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of treating a clinical analyser wastewater stream containing a first concentration of azide ions in solution, comprising at least the step of passing the clinical analyser wastewater stream through an anodic oxidation chamber having one or more anodic oxidation cells to provide a post-chamber treated water stream, said treated water stream having a second concentration of azide ions in solution that is less than the first concentration of azide ions in solution. A clinical analyser treatment apparatus comprising an anodic oxidation chamber having one or more anodic oxidation cells able to reduce a concentration of azide ions is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Applicant: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Lee Underwood, John Walker, James Keary
  • Publication number: 20210387871
    Abstract: A hand-holdable portable water purifying and dispensing unit is described comprising at least a housing, a purified water inlet, a further-purified water dispense outlet, a dispense operator, a reservoir, one or more water further-purification devices, and an internal water recirculation pump and pathway, said pathway including the reservoir and the one or more water further-purification devices. Optionally, the reservoir has a volume in the range 100 ml to 2000 ml, preferably in the range 200 ml and 1000 ml.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2019
    Publication date: December 16, 2021
    Applicant: VWS (UK) LIMITED
    Inventors: Nigel EMERY, Lee UNDERWOOD
  • Publication number: 20210292193
    Abstract: There is described a water purifying apparatus comprising: (i) at least one water inlet; (ii) an ultra-violet (UVC) radiation chamber connected to the water inlet(s); (iii) a plurality of UVC light emitting diodes (UVC-LEDs) for the emission of UVC light into the radiation chamber; (iv) a control to operate UVC-LEDs in use, and (v) at least one UVC-LED aging monitor to provide feedback to the control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Applicant: VWS (UK) LIMITED
    Inventors: Nigel Philip EMERY, John Andrew WALKER, Martin BALL, Craig Stephen OVER
  • Publication number: 20190345051
    Abstract: A method of sanitising a section of a water purification apparatus able to provide a purified water stream having a conductivity of less than 1 ?S/cm at 25° C. to a dispense outlet, the water purification apparatus having a purified water recirculating section including at least one deioniser and the dispense outlet, comprising at least the steps of: (i) providing recirculation in the purified water recirculating section; (ii) providing ozone-generation in the purified water recirculating section after the at least one deioniser; (iii) allowing the ozone to circulate around the purified water recirculating section to sanitise at least the part of the purified water recirculating section having the dispense outlet; and (iv) using ultra violet radiation to stop the sanitising prior to the at least one deioniser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2018
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Applicant: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventor: James KEARY
  • Patent number: 9134264
    Abstract: A method for monitoring the effectiveness of an ion exchange module in an ultrapure water purification circuit containing ultrapurified water and having a purified water inlet and a point of use outlet and a memory, the method including the steps of measuring the resistivity of ultrapurified water using one or more sensors to provide an ultrapurified benchmark resistivity value Ri; introducing purified water into the circuit and passing the water through the ion exchange module; measuring the resistivity of the water to provide a new water resistivity value Rnew; and comparing Ri and Rnew to determine the effectiveness of the ion exchange module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Paul Whitehead, John Andrew Walker
  • Patent number: 9096445
    Abstract: A water purification apparatus comprising at least: (a) one or more water purification components in a housing; and (b) a handset integral with the housing, and moveable between a supported position on the housing and a suspended position beyond the housing, the handset including one or more water purification controls thereon. In this way, at least one control of the purification of the water in the housing is operative on the handset, which handset is useable either in its supported position on the housing or in its suspended position beyond the housing, whichever is most convenient to the user. More convenience is therefore provided to a user by the present invention compared with conventional purification apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventor: Lee Underwood
  • Patent number: 8888923
    Abstract: A sanitant component comprising a sanitant to sanitize at least a part of a water purification apparatus and/or a water distribution apparatus and one or more sanitant receivers to receive residual sanitant and/or sanitant products from the water purification apparatus and/or water distribution apparatus. In this way, residual sanitant and/or sanitant products from the water purification apparatus and/or water distribution apparatus can be conveniently collected back into the sanitizing component for easier, and/or quick and/or more convenient disposal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Lee Underwood, Alan Mortimer
  • Patent number: 8883000
    Abstract: A water purification apparatus comprising at least: (a) one or more water purification components to provide a purified water stream, preferably having a conductivity of less than 1 ?S/cm; and (b) a stepper motor (35) to control the dispense of the purified water stream (28) from the water purification apparatus. Stepper motors can provide very fine and accurate control of the dispense of the purified water stream from the water purification apparatus, which control is unaffected by the flow or flow rate of the purified water stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Lee Underwood, Matthew Dobson
  • Patent number: 8650935
    Abstract: A method of determining the TOC of a purified water stream is disclosed comprising at least the steps of: passing a supply water stream through a water purification apparatus including an oxidizer to provide a purified water stream, and dispensing at least a portion of the purified water stream; stopping the dispense of the purified water stream and recirculating the purified water stream as a recirculating water stream through at least a portion of the water purification apparatus including the oxidizer to provide a re-oxidized water stream; and measuring the conductivity value of the re-oxidized water stream to determine the TOC of the purified water stream. In this way, a determination of the TOC of the purified water stream of can be provided without requiring a dedicated TOC monitor at the point of dispense of the purified water stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Lee Underwood, Paul Whitehead
  • Publication number: 20130328579
    Abstract: A method for monitoring the effectiveness of an ion exchange module in an ultrapure water purification circuit containing ultrapurified water and having a purified water inlet and a point of use outlet and a memory, the method including the steps of measuring the resistivity of ultrapurified water using one or more sensors to provide an ultrapurified benchmark resistivity value Ri; introducing purified water into the circuit and passing the water through the ion exchange module; measuring the resistivity of the water to provide a new water resistivity value Rnew; and comparing Ri and Rnew to determine the effectiveness of the ion exchange module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Paul Whitehead, John Andrew Walker
  • Patent number: 8257595
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a liquid dispense system having at least one liquid outlet and at least one flow control device for controlling the dispense of liquid from said outlet(s) during a dispense operation, said control apparatus including an operating device for controlling the operation of at least one flow control device to permit dispense of a desired volume of liquid from the outlet(s) during a dispense operation; a recording device for recording one or more parameters of the liquid dispense system and/or the operating device during the dispense operation to create a dispense profile for the dispense operation, at least one of the recorded parameters being indicative of the flow rate of liquid at the outlet(s); and a control device for controlling the operation of the operating device during a subsequent dispense operation based upon the recorded dispense profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventor: Lee Underwood
  • Patent number: D647171
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventor: Lee Underwood
  • Patent number: D647172
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventor: Lee Underwood
  • Patent number: D672008
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: VWS (UK) Limited
    Inventor: Lee Underwood