Filter apparatus and method

Claim 1

A FILTER APPARATUS FOR FILTERING FOREIGN MATTER FROM LIQUIDS COMIPRISING A HOUSING MEANS, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING THE LIQUID TO BE FILTERED INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE HOUSING MEANS, MEANS FOR IMPARTING A CIRCULAR MOTION TO THE INCOMING LIQUID COMPRISING AN INLET CHAMBER HAVING A TANGENTIALLY POSITIONED INLET CHANNEL, MEANS FOR IMPARTING OUTWARD AND UPWARD MOTION TO SAID INCOMING LIQUID, FILTER ELEMENT MEANS WITHIN THE HOUSING FOR FILTERING THE LIQUID COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE FILTER ELEMENTS TO DEFLECT THE UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY MOVING LIQUID BY IMPINGEMENT AGAINSKT THE ELEMENT SURFACES, SAID FILTER ELEMENTS HAVING SPACES THEREBETWEEN TO PROVIDE DISCONTINUOUS PATHS OF FLOW OUTWARDLY AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY, AND OUTLET MEANS FOR THE FILTERED LIQUID.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR FILTERING LIQUID COMPRISING CAUSING THE LIQUID TO BE ROTATED IN AN INLET PORTION OF A FILTER CHAMBER, POSITIONING FILTER ELEMENTS EACH HAVING A GRADUALLY VARYING RADIUS OF CURVATURE AND HAVING A FILTER CAKE SURFACE EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY, AND CAUSING THE LIQUID TO MOVE OUTWARDLY BETWEEN ADJACENT FILTER ELEMENTS TO IMPINGE ON THE FILTER CAKE SURFACE AT AN ARCUATE ANGLE TO BE DEFLECTED THEREBY IN A DISCONTINUOUS SPIRAL FLOW OF LIQUID NOT PARALLEL TO FILTER SURFACES.