Patents by Inventor Mack McDougald

Mack McDougald has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6093329
    Abstract: A method of backwashing a filter includes a) supplying a backwash liquid via a conduit toward one end of a filter bed; b) aspirating air into the backwash liquid upstream of the bed; c) introducing a mixture of air and backwash liquid into the filter bed at the one end thereof; and d) expelling backwash water and air from an opposite end of the filter bed. A related filter system includes a filter basin having a bed of filter media material therein; a filtrate channel proximate the basin; at least one tubular underdrain header in the bed and in fluid communication with the filtrate channel; and a backwash pump having a backwash water supply conduit selectively engageable with the underdrain header for supplying backwash liquid to the bed. The backwash water supply conduit includes a nozzle for aspirating air into the supply conduit at a location between the backwash pump and the bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Assignee: United States Filter Corporation
    Inventor: Mack McDougald
  • Patent number: 5792359
    Abstract: A backwash sealing shoe is provided for a filtration system including a tank having an undivided filtration bed and a plurality of side-by-side headers within the bed, each header in communication with a respective port in a wall of the tank. The sealing shoe includes a hydraulic section including an opening surrounded by a seal and adapted to sealingly engage the wall in surrounding relationship to at least one of the ports; and at least one blocking section adjacent the hydraulic section on one side thereof and including a plate surrounded by a seal and adapted to sealingly engage the wall in surrounding relationship to at least one adjacent port to thereby block flow from the tank through at least one adjacent port during a backwash operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: U.S. Filter Corporation
    Inventor: Mack McDougald
  • Patent number: 5759412
    Abstract: A control system for controlling a backwash operation in normal and high flow operating modes is provided in a traveling bridge filter having a filter basin; a filter media bed; a filtrate channel; a traveling bridge adapted to traverse the filter basin with a backwash hood suspended therefrom; a programmable logic controller; a reference sensor and five spaced water level sensors. The controller and the sensors control the backwash operation by sensor functions which differ between the normal and high flow operating modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: United States Filter Corporation
    Inventor: Mack McDougald
  • Patent number: 5599459
    Abstract: A traveling bridge filtration system includes a tank configured to include a plurality of side-by-side filter cells all extending longitudinally in a first direction, and a common filtrate channel extending longitudinally in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Each filter cell has an outlet extending through an interior wall of the tank thereby establishing fluid communication with the filtrate channel. A traveling bridge is mounted atop the tank and movable from cell to cell in the second direction. A backwash pump, having an inlet and a discharge pipe connected to a backwash shoe, is pivotally suspended from the bridge within the filtrate channel and run continuously. A fluid operated bellows is used for moving the backwash shoe selectively into sealing engagement with a tank wall surface surrounding one of the filter cell outlets in response to back pressure developed in the backwash pump discharge pipe. Fluid pressure to the bellows actuator is controlled by a pair of solenoids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: Davis Water & Waste Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Mack McDougald
  • Patent number: 5545334
    Abstract: A traveling bridge filtration system includes a tank configured to include a plurality of side-by-side filter cells all extending longitudinally in a first direction, and a common filtrate channel extending longitudinally in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Each filter cell has an outlet extending through an interior wall of the tank thereby establishing fluid communication with the filtrate channel. A traveling bridge is mounted atop the tank and movable from cell to cell in the second direction. A backwash pump, having an inlet and a discharge pipe connected to a backwash shoe, is pivotally suspended from the bridge within the filtrate channel. A fluid operated bellows is used for moving the backwash shoe selectively into sealing engagement with a tank wall surface surrounding one of the filter cell outlets in response to actuation of the backwash pump. A related method of use is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1996
    Assignee: Davis Water & Waste Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Mack McDougald
  • Patent number: 5476584
    Abstract: A method of cleaning a filtration tank having a plurality of side-by-side gravity flow filter cells, each having an outlet port in communication with a filtrate channel common to all of the cells in an automatic backwash/rewash system, by subjecting each compartment, sequentially, to a backwashing operation and then a rewashing operation wherein, during backwashing, backwash liquid is pumped through a first of the filter chamber ports to flow upwardly through a first of the compartments in a direction opposite to a normal filtration flow direction, and during rewashing, rewash liquid is drawn downwardly through the first cell in the normal filtration flow direction. For any given cell after a first of the plurality of cells, utilizing at least a portion of the rewash liquid from a rearwardly adjacent filter cell is used as backwash liquid in the given cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1995
    Assignee: Davis Water & Waste Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Mack McDougald
  • Patent number: 5431809
    Abstract: A traveling bridge filtration system includes a tank configured to include a plurality of side-by-side filter cells all extending longitudinally in a first direction, and a common filtrate channel extending longitudinally in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Each filter cell has an outlet extending through an interior wall of the tank thereby establishing fluid communication with the filtrate channel. A traveling bridge is mounted atop the tank and movable from cell to cell in the second direction. A backwash pump, having an inlet and a discharge pipe connected to a backwash shoe, is pivotally suspended from the bridge within the filtrate channel. A fluid operated bellows is used for moving the backwash shoe selectively into sealing engagement with a tank wall surface surrounding one of the filter cell outlets in response to actuation of the backwash pump. A related method of use is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Assignee: Davis Water & Waste Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Mack McDougald