[DESCRIPTION] Invention Title] WATER PURIFIER WHICH SUPPLIES NORMAL, COOL (AND HOT) WATER IN SINK Technical Field) The present invention relates, in general, to water purifiers used in kitchens and, more particularly, to an undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold (and hot) temperature water, which provides pure lukewarm water, in addition to pure hot water and pure cold water, and which is constructed to circulate water using tap water pressure, thus being properly installed under a sink, and which is provided with a drain outlet directly connected to a sewer, thus allowing leaking water to be properly discharged, and which is operated through a water-cooled method, thus enhancing cooling efficiency and preventing the temperature of air around the water purifier from increasing.

Background Art] Due to serious environmental pollution, unpurified tap water is not used as drinking water at homes or in offices, rather water treated by water purifiers is used as drinking water. The water purifiers make water pure by

passing tap water through various filters, and then dispense the pure water to users. According to the intended purpose of the purified water and the condition of the source water, it is possible to use various kinds of filters.

Water purifiers are typically classified into two types, namely, standard-type water purifiers and hot/cold water purifiers. The standard-type water purifiers have only a water purification function, that is, eliminate various impurities and heavy metals contained in tap water.

Meanwhile, the hot/cold water purifiers supply hot and cold water, in addition to purifying water. For the supply of hot and cold water, the hot/cold water purifiers are provided with a heating unit and a cooling unit to adjust the temperature of purified water, thus allowing a user to selectively use hot or cold water, as desired.

In order to supply clean potable water, a water purifier is usually installed in a kitchen to be easily connected to a tap. Particularly, when a user desires to install the water purifier near a sink in the kitchen, the water purifier is generally placed on a kitchen counter near the sink so that tap water is readily supplied to a water storage tank of the water purifier.

However, the conventional water purifier has a problem in that although the water purifier supplies hot and cold water, the water purifier dispenses only hot and

cold water, but it is impossible to obtain lukewarm water.

Thus, when a user desires lukewarm water, hot and cold water are individually dispensed from the water purifier, and then the hot and cold water must be mixed with each other, thus being inconvenient. Further, since a refrigerant required for the cooling unit of the water purifier is cooled by air, cooling efficiency is low, and the temperature of surrounding air is increased, thus reducing the durability of peripheral components, and causing the user displeasure.

Further, since. the sink is manufactured according to the size and shape of a kitchen, the sink is not provided with additional space for installing the water purifier.

Thus, when the water purifier is installed near the sink, the water purifier occupies a large area of the counter near the sink, so that it is inconvenient to wash dishes or cook food.

The conventional water purifier is problematic in that water may leak slightly from the filters, a hot water tank, a cold water tank, a junction of connection pipes, and other places. If the leakage of water continues, the leaking water accumulates in the water purifier and may further leak out of the water purifier, thus leading to serious damage, and giving rise to liability issues between water purifier manufacturers and consumers.

Therefore, there has been an increased demand for a

novel water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold, and hot water, which allows a user to easily use lukewarm water as well as hot and cold water, and which is constructed to cool a refrigerant through the water-cooled method, thus enhancing cooling efficiency, and preventing the temperature of surrounding air from rising.

Further, there is a pressing need for an undersink- type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold, and hot water, which is not installed on the kitchen counter near the sink but is installed under the sink, thus enhancing space utilization, and affording convenience to a user, and which is provided with a drain outlet, thus allowing leaking water to be properly discharged without incurring any problems related to the leakage of water.

Disclosure [Technical Problem] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold (and hot) temperature water, which provides pure lukewarm water, in addition to pure hot water and pure cold water, and which is constructed to circulate water using tap water pressure, thus being properly installed under a sink, and which is provided with a drain outlet directly connected to

a sewer, thus allowing leaking water to be properly discharged, and which is operated through a water-cooled method, thus enhancing cooling efficiency and preventing the temperature of surrounding air from increasing.

Technical Solution In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides an undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold, and hot temperature water, including a hot water tank, a cold water tank connected to a compressor and a condenser, a sediment filter, a pre- carbon filter, a post-carbon filter, a UF filter, a x filter, and an on/off switch, the water purifier further including a lukewarm water feeding pipe to supply lukewarm water which is purified while passing through the filters in succession ; a hot water feeding pipe to supply hot water which is obtained by heating the purified lukewarm water in the hot water tank; a cold water feeding pipe to supply cold water which is obtained by cooling the purified lukewarm water in the cold water tank ; a control valve installed at ends of the lukewarm water feeding pipe, the hot water feeding pipe, and the cold water feeding pipe to control the feeding pipes, thus simultaneously or selectively dispensing lukewarm water, hot water, and/or cold water, from one outlet ; and a drain outlet bored in a bottom of the water purifier and directly connected to a

sewer so as to prevent leaking water from accumulating in the bottom of the water purifier.

Further, in order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides an undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm and cold temperature water, including a cold water tank connected to a compressor and a condenser, a sediment filter, a pre-carbon filter, a post-carbon filter, a UF filter, a 7c filter, and an on/off switch, the water purifier further including a lukewarm water feeding pipe to supply lukewarm water which is purified while passing through the filters in succession ; a cold water feeding pipe to. supply cold water which is obtained by cooling the purified lukewarm water in the cold water tank; a control valve installed at ends of the lukewarm water feeding pipe and the cold water feeding pipe to control the feeding pipes, thus simultaneously or selectively dispensing lukewarm water and/or cold water, from one outlet; and a drain outlet bored in a bottom of the water purifier and directly connected to a sewer so as to prevent leaking water from. accumulating in the bottom of the water purifier.

A refrigerant flowing in the condenser is cooled by controlling the lukewarm water flowing into the condenser, according to the temperature of the refrigerant which is detected by a temperature sensor mounted to a predetermined position on the condenser, and the water of the water

purifier is circulated using tap water pressure, thus allowing the water purifier to be installed under a sink.

[Advantageous Effects According to the present invention, an undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold (and hot) temperature water, allows a user to selectively use purified lukewarm water as well as purified hot water and purified cold water. The water purifier is constructed to circulate water using tap water pressure, so that it is possible to install the water purifier under a sink, thus enhancing space utilization in a kitchen. Further, the water purifier is provided with a drain outlet which is directly connected to a sewer, thus allowing leaking water to be properly discharged. Furthermore, the water purifier is operated through a water-cooled method, thus enhancing cooling efficiency, and preventing the temperature of surrounding air from rising, therefore preventing several components of the water purifier from being deteriorated, and preventing the user from feeling displeasure.

Description of Drawings FIG. 1 is a block diagram to show a water treatment process of an undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold, and hot water, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view to show an interior of the undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold, and hot water, according to the present invention ; FIG. 3 is a perspective view to show an interior of an undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm and cold water, according to the present invention ; and FIG. 4 is a perspective view to show a kitchen in which the undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold, and hot water, according to the present invention is installed.

<Description of reference characters of important parts> 1: hot water tank la: hot water control unit 2: compressor 3: condenser 4: cold water tank 4a: cold water control unit 5: pressure gage 6: solenoid valve N: lukewarm water feeding pipe H: hot water feeding pipe C: cold water feeding pipe 10: control valve 20: drain outlet 30: sediment filter 40: pre-carbon filter 50: post-carbon filter 60: UF filter 70: X filter 80: water purifier [Best Model Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the

attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram to show a water treatment process of an undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold, and hot water, according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view to show an interior of the undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold, and hot water, according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view to show an interior of an undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm and cold water, according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view to show a kitchen in which the undersink- type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold, and hot water, according to the present invention, is installed.

As shown in the drawings, the undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold, and hot water, according to the present invention, includes a hot water tank 1, a cold water tank 4 connected to a compressor 2 and a condenser 3, a sediment filter 30, a pre-carbon filter 40, a post-carbon filter 50, an ultra filtration (UF) filter 60, a x filter 70, an on/off switch, and other parts.

Further, the water purifier includes a lukewarm water feeding pipe N to supply lukewarm water that is purified by passing through the filters 30,40, 50,60, and 70, in succession, a hot water feeding pipe H to supply hot water that is obtained by heating the purified lukewarm water in the hot water tank 1, and a cold water feeding pipe C to

supply cold water that is obtained by cooling the purified lukewarm water in the cold water tank 4. The water purifier also includes a control valve 10 and a drain outlet 20.

Ends of the lukewarm water feeding pipe N, the hot water feeding pipe H, and the cold water feeding pipe C are connected to the control valve 10. The control valve 10 opens or closes the feeding pipes N, H, and C to simultaneously or selectively discharge lukewarm water, hot water, and/or cold water from one outlet. The drain outlet 20 is bored in the bottom of the water purifier to be directly connected to a sewer, thus preventing leaking water from accumulating in the bottom of the water purifier.

Meanwhile, an undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm and cold water, according to the present invention, includes a cold water tank 4 connected to a compressor 2 and a condenser 3, a sediment filter 30, a pre-carbon filter 40, a post-carbon filter 50, a UF filter 60, a a filter 70, an on/off switch, and other parts. The water purifier further includes a lukewarm water feeding pipe N to supply lukewarm water that is purified by sequentially passing through the filters 30,40, 50,60, and 70, and a cold water feeding pipe C to supply cold water that is obtained by cooling the purified lukewarm water in the cold water tank 4. The water purifier also includes a control valve 10 and a drain outlet 20. Ends of

the lukewarm water feeding pipe N and the cold water feeding pipe C are connected to the control valve 10. The control valve 10 opens or closes the feeding pipes N and C to simultaneously or selectively discharge lukewarm water and/or cold water from one outlet. The drain outlet 20 is bored in the bottom of the water purifier to be directly connected to a sewer, thus preventing leaking water from accumulating in the bottom of the water purifier.

A refrigerant flowing in the condenser 3 is cooled through a water-cooled method. That is, the refrigerant is cooled by controlling the lukewarm water flowing into the condenser 3, according to temperature of the refrigerant which is detected by a temperature sensor mounted to a predetermined position on the condenser 3. Further, water of the water purifier is circulated using tap water pressure, thus allowing the water purifier to be installed under a sink.

The lukewarm water feeding pipe N is a pipeline to supply lukewarm water which is purified by passing through the filters 30,40, 50,60, and 70 in succession. The hot water feeding pipe H is a pipeline to supply hot water which is obtained by heating the purified lukewarm water in the hot water tank 1. The cold water feeding pipe C is a pipeline to supply cold water which is obtained by cooling the purified lukewarm water in the cold water tank 4.

The control valve 10 is installed on the kitchen

counter where the ends of the lukewarm water feeding pipe N, the hot water feeding pipe H, and the cold water feeding pipe C converge, thus allowing lukewarm water fed through the lukewarm water feeding pipe N, hot water fed through the hot water feeding pipe H, and/or cold water fed through the cold water feeding pipe C to be simultaneously or selectively dispensed from one outlet.

In this case, the control valve 10 may comprise three valves that are respectively connected to the lukewarm water feeding pipe N, the hot water feeding pipe H, and the cold water feeding pipe C so as to independently control the draining of the feeding pipes N, H, and C.

Alternatively, the control valve 10 may comprise a single valve that is connected to the three feeding pipes N, H, and C so as to control the draining of the feeding pipes, N, H, and C at one time.

The drain outlet 20 is bored through the bottom of the water purifier, and is directly connected to the sewer to prevent leaking water from accumulating in the water purifier. Preferably, the bottom of the water purifier is formed to be inclined toward the drain outlet 20 so that leaking water naturally collects around the drain outlet 20. Further, the drain outlet 20 is connected to the condenser 3, thus discharging water, which has risen in temperature while cooling the refrigerant flowing in the condenser 3, through the drain outlet 20.

The condenser 3 uses the water-cooled method to enhance the cooling efficiency of the refrigerant and prevent the temperature of surrounding air from increasing.

In order to control lukewarm water flowing into the condenser 3, the temperature sensor is mounted to an interior or a surface of the condenser 3. The temperature sensor is coupled to a solenoid valve 6.

Further, a pipe is provided in the condenser 3 so that water passing through the condenser 3 has a larger contact area. According to the present invention, water is circulated from the interior of the water purifier to the control valve by tap water pressure, thus allowing the water purifier to be installed under the sink.

The filters comprise the sediment filter 30, the pre- carbon filter 40, the post-carbon filter 50, the UF filter 60, and the n filter 70. The sediment filter 30 functions to remove impurities having relatively coarse particles.

The pre-carbon filter 40 and the post-carbon filter 50 both eliminate chlorine substances and toxic odor contained in the tap water. The UF filter 60 and the x filter 70 function to get rid of fine particles of a micro scale.

Since the above-mentioned filters 30,40, 50,60, and 70 are well known to those skilled in the art, the construction of the filters will not be described in detail herein.

The hot water tank 1 is a heater which is surrounded

with an electric heating wire. When electricity is supplied, the electric heating wire generates heat to heat the hot water tank 1. Meanwhile, the cold water tank 4 has a refrigerant pipe therein. A refrigerant, such as Freon, flows through the refrigerant pipe of the cold water tank 4 and absorbs heat from water stored in the cold water tank 4 to thereby cool the water.

Further, a hot water control unit la and a cold water control unit 4a are mounted to the hot water tank 1 and the cold water tank 4, respectively. The hot water control unit la and the cold water control unit 4a each having a bimetal control the hot water tank 1 and the cold water tank 4, respectively, so that water stored in the hot water tank 1 is heated to a predetermined temperature and water stored in the cold water tank 4 is cooled to a predetermined temperature. Further, the hot and cold water control units la and 4a control the amount of hot water and cold water to be dispensed, according to the opening or closure of the control valve. Furthermore, a pressure gage 5 is installed at an inlet through which tap water is fed, thus controlling the pressure of the tap water, before the tap water passes through the filters.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the water purifier is constructed to simultaneously or selectively dispense lukewarm water and/or cold water, but not hot water. In this case, the hot

water tank 1 and the hot water feeding pipe H are not required, thus enabling the water purifier to have a simpler construction.

The undersink-type water purifier supplying lukewarm, cold, and hot water, which is constructed as described above, is operated as follows.

First, tap water is fed through a water main into the water purifier, and then passes through the filters in succession. When the water passes through the sediment filter 30, relatively coarse particles are removed. When the water passes through the pre-carbon filter 40 and the post-carbon filter 50, chlorine substances and toxic odor are eliminated. Further, when the water passes through the UF filter 60 and the filter 70, fine impurities are completely removed.

The water purified by passing through the filters flows in a direction to be fed through the lukewarm water feeding pipe N to the control valve 10 which is installed on the kitchen counter near the sink. Thus, lukewarm water is dispensed through the control valve 10, when necessary.

Meanwhile, when the purified water flows in another direction to be fed into the hot water tank 1, the water stored in the hot water tank 1 is electrically heated. The heated water flows through the hot water feeding pipe H to the control valve 10. Thereby, when hot water is required, the hot water is dispensed through the control valve 10.

Further, the purified water flows in another direction to be fed into the cold water tank 4. The water fed into the cold water tank 4 is cooled by the refrigerant, such as Freon. The cooled water flows through the cold water feeding pipe C to the control valve 10.

Thus, when cold water is required, the cold water is dispensed through the control valve 10.

If three control valves are respectively installed at the ends of the lukewarm water feeding pipe N, the hot water feeding pipe H, and the cold water feeding pipe C, the draining of the feeding pipes N, H, and C is independently controlled. Thus, when a user desires to use water at a given temperature, each of the control valves is opened for a given time to provide water at a desired temperature. Meanwhile, if a single control valve is connected to the ends of the lukewarm water feeding pipe N, the hot water feeding pipe H, and the cold water feeding pipe C, water fed simultaneously from the three feeding pipes N, H, and C mixes to provide water at a desired temperature, prior to being dispensed through the control valve.

Further, the refrigerant, such as Freon, circulates in the cold water tank 4. The refrigerant is compressed in the compressor 2 installed in the water purifier, and is condensed in the condenser 3 installed in the water purifier, so that the refrigerant is cooled. The cooled

refrigerant is fed to the cold water tank 4 and circulated in the cold water tank 4.

The method of cooling the refrigerant in the condenser 3 is as follows. The temperature sensor, which is mounted to a predetermined position on the condenser 3 and is connected to the solenoid valve 6, detects the temperature of the refrigerant in the condenser 3. In this case, when the temperature of the refrigerant is high, the solenoid valve 6 is. opened to feed lukewarm water into the condenser 3, thus cooling the refrigerant. When the refrigerant drops to a predetermined temperature, the solenoid valve 6 is closed to discontinue the supply of lukewarm water.

As such, the refrigerant is cooled through the water- cooled method, thus providing better cooling efficiency, compared to a conventional air cooling method. Further, the water heated by absorbing heat from the refrigerant is completely discharged through the drain outlet 20, thus preventing the temperature of the surrounding air from rising, therefore preventing several components of the water purifier from being damaged, and preventing a user from feeling displeasure.

Further, the drain outlet 20 bored in the bottom of the water purifier is directly connected to the sewer and the bottom is slightly inclined toward the drain outlet 20 to easily collect leaking water around the drain outlet 20.

Thus, the leaking water is not accumulated in the water purifier but is completely discharged, thus keeping the water purifier clean. Further, a serious concern of water purifier manufacturers, namely, liability issues due to leakage, is prevented.

Since the water is circulated using the tap water pressure, it is unnecessary to install an additional water storage tank above the control valve 10. Thereby, it is possible to install the water purifier under the sink, thus enhancing space utilization in a kitchen.

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the hot water tank 1 and the hot water feeding pipe H are omitted, so that the water purifier has a simpler construction. In this case, the water purifier provides simultaneously or selectively lukewarm water and/or cold water, but not hot water.

Therefore, the present invention allows a user to use purified lukewarm water, in addition to purified hot water and purified cold water, as desired, thus affording convenience to the user. Further, leaking water is completely drained through the drain outlet 20 that is directly connected to the sewer, thus preventing damage due to leakage, and keeping the water purifier clean.

Moreover, because water of the water purifier is circulated using tap water pressure, it is unnecessary to install an additional water storage tank near the sink.

Thus, the water purifier can be installed under the sink, thus enhancing space utilization in a kitchen. Further, because the refrigerant in the condenser 3 is cooled through a water-cooled method, cooling efficiency is excellent, and the temperature of surrounding air does not rise, thus preventing several components of the water purifier from being damaged, and preventing a user from feeling displeasure.