Filtering apparatus and seal therefor

Claim 1

A LIQUID FILTERING DEVICE WHICH COMPRISES A DISK SHAPED FILTER ELEMENT COMPISED OF FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL OF SUBSTANTIAL THICKNESS, CHAMBER MEANS COMPRISING OPPOSITELY DISPOSED CHAMBER-FORMING PORTIONS ONE OF WHICH HAS AN INLET OPENING PASSING THERETHROUGH AND THE OTHER OF WHICH HAS AN OUTLET OPENING PASSING THERETHROUGH, SAID PORTIONS HAVING ANNULAR LIP MEANS PRESENTING FLAT SURFACES DISPOSED RESPECTIVELY IN OPPOSED RELATION ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FILTER ELEMENT ALONG AND AKJACENT THE MARGIN THEREOF THROUGHOUT THE PERIPHERAL EXTENT OF SAID FILTER ELEMENT AND IN SUBSTANTIALLY SPACED RELATION WITH REFERENCE TO SAID INLET AND SAID OUTLET RESPECTIVELY, MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID FILTER ELEMENT AGAINST FLEXURE SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE EXTENT THEREOF WITHIN SAID MARGIN AND ADAPTED TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF LIQUID BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE SURFACES OF SAID FILTER ELEMENT SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE EXTENT THEROF WITHIN SAID MARGIN AND SAID INLET AND SAID OUTLET RESPECTIVELY, MEANS FOR URGING SAID CHAMBER PORTIONS TOGETHER AND HOLDING SAME IN POSITON WITH SAID LIPS IN PRESSURE CONTACT WITH SAID MARGIN OF SAID FILTER ELEMENT, AN ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY SURROUNDING SAID PERIPHERY OF SAID FILTER ELEMENT IN OFFSET RELATION WITH RESPECT THERETO, SAID PASSAGEWAY BEING DEFINED BY SPACED APART OPPOSED WALLS INCLUDING WALLS OF THE RESPECTIVE CHAMBER-FORMING PORTIONS THAT ARE DISPOSED PREDOMINANTLY TRANSVERSELY WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID CHAMBER PORTIONS WHEN SAID PORTIONS ARE URGED TOGETHER, A WALL PRESENTED BY ONE OF SAID CHAMBER PORTIONS DISPOSED PREDOMINATLY IN SAID DIRECTION OF SAID RELATIVE MOVEMENT AND TERMINATING SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH WITH THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FILTER ELEMENT LEAVING AT LEST A PORTION OF THE THICKNESS OF SAID PERIPHERY EXPSOED IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID PASSAGEWAY, AND A WALL PRESENTED BY THE OTHER CHAMBER MEMBER IN OPPOSED RELATION TO SAID LAST NAMED WALL AND IN OPPOSED RELATION TO SAID PORTION OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FILTER ELEMENT, THE CROSS-SECTION OF SAID PASSAGEWAY CONSTITUTING A FOUR-SIDED FIGURE HAVING TWO OPPOSITELY DISPOSED INCLUDED ANGLES OF APPROXIMATELY 75* ONE LEG OF ONE OF WHICH ANGLES IS INTERRUPTED BY A PORTION OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FILTER ELEMENT, A THIRD INCLUDED ANGLE OF APPROXIMATELY 100* AND A FOURTH INCLUDED ANGLE OF APPROXIMATELY 110*, ONE OF THE LEGS OF SAID APPROXIMATELY 100* ANGLE BEING APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL WITH RESPECT TO SAID FILTER ELEMENT AND INTERSECTING THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FILTER ELEMENT INTERMEDIATE THE THICKNESS THEREOF, AND STRESSED GASKET MEANS FILLING SAID PASSAGEWAY AND IN PRESSURE CONTACT WITH SAID PORTION OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FILTER ELEMENT.