Self-purging air filter and speed reducing drive therefor

Claim 1

A SELF-PURGING AIR FILTER COMPRISING A HOUSING INCLUDING A BASE MEMBER HAVING AN OUTLET CONNECTABLE TO A HIGH CAPACITY AIR INDUCTION SYSTEM, A COVER MEMBER DEFINING A FILTER MOUNTING CHAMBER WITH SAID BASE MEMBER AND HAVING AN INLET OPENING COAXIALLY SPACED OF SAID OUTLET, A PLURALITY OF VANES SUPPORTING A CYLINDRICAL HUB CENTRALLY OF THE FILTER MOUNTING CHAMBER AND COAXIALLY OF THE OUTLET, SAID HUB, VANES AND OUTLET DEFINING A PLURALITY OF NOZZLES; FILTER DRIVING MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID HUB INCLUDING A FIRST RING GEAR NON-ROTATABLY SUPPORTED BY THE UPPER END OF SAID HUB HAVING A CYLINDRICAL ANNULAR FLANGE ADJACENT THE SUPPORTED PORTION THEREOF KAND HOLLOW BEARING SUPPORT PORTION DEFINING CENTRALLY OF SAID HUB, A SECOND RING GEAR HAVING A CYLINDRICAL FLANGE ROTATABLY SUPPORTED ON THE FIRST RING GEAR FLANGE, SAID FLANGES EACH HAVING INTERNAL GEAR TEETH FORMED THEREON PROVIDING A LIMITED GEAR TOOTH DIFFERENTIAL THEREBETWEEN, A SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED BY SAID BEARING SUPPORT PORTION, AN AXIAL FLOW TURBINE CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT WITHIN SAID OUTLET FOR ROTATION BY THE AIR FLOW INDUCED THROUGH SAID NOZZLE, A SUN GEAR CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT AND SPACEDLY EMBRACED BY THE RING GEAR FLANGES, AND PLANETARY GEAR MEANS INTERENGAGING THE SUN AND RING GEARS TO ROTATABLY DRIVE SAID SECOND RING GEAR AT A VERY SLOW SPEED RELATIVE TO THE TURBINE; A FILTER CARTRIDGE CARRIED BY SWAID SECOND RING GEAR FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, SAID CARTRIDGE INCLUDING TWO CIRCULAR END MEMBERS, AT LEAST THE LOWER OF SAID END MEMBERS BEING HATSHAPED AND HAVING A CENTRAL END WALL ADJACENT THE UPPER END MEMBER AND A CYLINDRICAL PERFORATED WALL PORTION SPACEDLY EMBRACING SAID DRIVE MEANS AND ROTATABLY AND SEALINGLY MOUNTED WITH RESPECT TO THE OUTLET AND CYLINDRICAL FILTER MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID END MEMBERS; AND MEANS SECURING THE ADJACENT CENTRAL WALL PORTIONS OF SAID END MEMBERS TO SAID SECOND RING GEAR; AND A NOZZLE MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID FILTER MOUNTING CHAMBER AND CONNECTABLE TO A SUITABLE VACUUM SOURCE, SAID NOZZLE MEMBER HAVING LONGITUDINAL FILTER CLEANING SLOTS THERETHROUGH ENGAGING THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID CYLINDRICAL FILTER MEANS.