System comprising a fluid treatment module and a support structure

Abstract

A system comprising a fluid treatment assembly, means for feeding the assembly with fluid to be treated and receiving treated fluid, and a structure ( 12 ) on which the assembly is adapted to be removably mounted, to interengage complementary connectors thereof with each other, is characterized in that it includes cooperating functional surfaces ( 25 ) formed on the assembly and the structure ( 12 ) so that they can enter into mutual contact to immobilize the assembly against movement in translation and keep the connectors interengaged with each other when the assembly is mounted on the structure ( 12 ) and to allow the assembly to be released in order to remove it from the structure ( 12 ) by exerting on the assembly an action limited to tilting it relative to the structure ( 12 ) and guided by the connectors interengaged with each other.

1 . A fluid treatment system including a fluid treatment assembly and means for feeding the treatment assembly with fluid to be treated and receiving treated fluid, the means including a support structure on which the treatment assembly is adapted to be removably mounted to interengage with each other complementary connectors of the treatment assembly and the feeding and receiving means to establish a flow of fluid from the feeding and receiving means toward the treatment assembly and vice versa, comprising the system has cooperating functional surfaces formed on the treatment assembly and the support structure so that they can enter into mutual contact to immobilize the treatment assembly against movement in translation to keep the complementary connectors interengaged with each other when the treatment assembly is mounted on the support structure and to allow the treatment assembly to be released by applying to it an action limited to tilting relative to the support structure, guided by the interengaged complementary connectors, to remove the treatment assembly from the support structure. 
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein either the treatment assembly or the support structure includes at least one dihedron or at least one concave portion to form cooperating surfaces and either the support structure or the treatment assembly, whichever does not include at least one dihedron or at least one concave portion includes at least one bevel or at least one convex portion having a configuration complementary to that of the dihedron or the concave portion respectively. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the support structure includes two face to face support arms each forming a bearing surface for a corresponding lateral extension of the treatment assembly. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the support structure includes two face to face support arms each forming a bearing surface for a corresponding lateral extension of the treatment assembly and each lateral extension has a bevel or a convex portion and each support arm has a heel-piece that either forms with the bearing surface selected from the group consisting of its support arm a dihedron and a concave portion extending between the bearing surface of its support arm and its summit. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the support structure includes two face to face support arms each forming a bearing surface for a corresponding lateral extension of the treatment assembly and each support arm has a recess in its inside face that faces toward the inside face of the opposite support arm and forms the heel-piece and the bearing surface of the support arm. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the support structure includes two face to face support arms each forming a bearing surface for a corresponding lateral extension of the treatment assembly and each support arm has a recess in its inside face that faces toward the inside face of the opposite support arm and forms the heel-piece and the bearing surface of the support arm and each recess is bordered by an inclined plane for guiding the lateral extension associated with the support arm containing the recess toward the connectors of the feeding and receiving means and which overlies the bearing surface formed by the recess. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the treatment assembly includes a bearing member for each of a user's thumbs and each support arm includes a bearing member for at least some of the fingers of each hand of the user, these members being conformed and arranged so that they allow the user to move the treatment assembly with his thumbs to mount it on the support structure without moving the feeding and receiving means. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the support structure includes two face to face support arms each forming a bearing surface for a corresponding lateral extension of the treatment assembly and each support arm has a recess in its inside face that faces toward the inside face of the opposite support arm and forms the heel-piece and the bearing surface of the support arm and each support arm further includes, at its end farthest away from the connectors of the feeding and receiving means, a bearing surface adapted to receive one of the user's thumbs in order to prevent the feeding and receiving means from moving when the treatment assembly is removed from the support structure. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the support structure includes two face to face support arms each forming a bearing surface for a corresponding lateral extension of the treatment assembly and each support arm has a recess in its inside face that faces toward the inside face of the opposite support arm and forms the heel-piece and the bearing surface of the support arm and each support arm includes a notch extending the recess as far as the end of the support arm farthest away from the connectors of the feeding and receiving means and forming a bearing surface for the portion of the associated lateral extension that extends from the opening in the lateral extension to the longitudinal end thereof farthest away from the fluid inlet and outlet orifices of the connectors of the treatment assembly. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the fluid treatment assembly includes at least one fluid treatment module accommodating fluid treatment means. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the fluid treatment module or one of the fluid treatment modules accommodates fluid treatment means for treating the fluid by reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration or tangential microfiltration. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the fluid treatment module or each fluid treatment module is an integral and disposable unit. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the feeding and receiving means take the form of a purified water production unit. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the fluid treatment module including fluid inlet and outlet connectors communicating with the interior of the module, which accommodates fluid treatment means, further comprising the module at least one lateral extension having a functional surface conformed and arranged so that it allows the module to be removably mounted on a complementary support structure and immobilized thereon against movement in translation and also to be released by exerting thereon an action limited to tilting it relative to the support structure. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the fluid treatment module includes a cylindrical enclosure defining an axis to which the connectors are globally perpendicular. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the fluid treatment module includes two lateral extensions substantially parallel to the connectors and on respective opposite sides thereof and each including an opening that preferably takes the form of a notch and is bordered by a bevel or a convex portion defining the functional surface. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the fluid treatment module accommodates fluid treatment means for treating the fluid by reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration or tangential microfiltration. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the fluid treatment module includes two bearing members for a user's thumbs at the longitudinal end of the module with the connectors and on the distal side thereof relative to the fluid inlet and outlet orifices of the connectors. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the unit for feeding a fluid treatment assembly with fluid to be treated and receiving treated fluid, in particular for the production of purified water, the unit including fluid inlet and outlet connectors adapted to cooperate with complementary connectors of the treatment assembly when the latter is removably mounted on the unit which unit includes, for the purposes of mounting, two face to face support arms each having a bearing surface for the treatment assembly and a heel-piece having a functional surface conformed and adapted to immobilize the treatment assembly against movement in translation when the latter is mounted on the unit and to release the treatment assembly by exerting thereon an action limited to tilting it relative to the support arms.