Filter for gaseous fluids

Claim 1

IN A GASEOUS FLUID FILTER COMPRISING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR OPEN-ENDED FRAME HAVING SIDES ADAPTED TO FIT REMOVABLY INTO A DUCT, A PLURALITY OF GLOVE-LIKE FILTER ELEMENTS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID FRAME IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND HAVING A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID FRAME, EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS COMPRISING A GAS-PERVIOUS SACK HAVING AN OPEN UPSTREAM END AND A CLOSED DOWNSTREAM END, SAID SACK BEING SUBDIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED BAG PORTIONS CLOSED AT SAID DOWNSTREAM END OF SAID SACK, SAID SACK HAVING A MANIFOLD PORTION AT ITS UPSTREAM END COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OF SAID BAG PORTIONS, A PAIR OF COMPLEMENTARY CHANNEL-SHAPED STIFFENERS FOR EACH FILTER ELEMENT ARRANGED IN CONFRONTING RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND ATTACHED TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE PERIPHERY OF SAID UPSTREAM END OF THE RESPECTIVE SACK, MEANS FOR AFFIXING SAID STIFFENERS TO THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID FRAME AND TO ADJACENT STIFFENERS WITHIN SAID FRAME WHEREBY TO PROVIDE RIGIDITY TO THE ASSEMBLED FILTER AND TO DEFINE THE PERIPHERAL BOUNDARIES OF SAID MANIFOLDS, A GENERALLY FLAT END SPACER MOUNTED BETWEEN THE BOTTOM SIDE OF SAID FRAME AND THE SIDE OF THE ONE FILTER ELEMENT ADJACENT THE BOTTOM SIDE OF SAID FRAME, A GENERALLY FLAT CENTER SPACER MOUNTED IN THE SAME PLANE AS SAID END SPACER AND BETWEEN SAID ONE FILTER ELEMENT AND THE SIDE OF THE FILTER ELEMENT NEXT ADJACENT SAID ONE FILTER ELEMENT, AND MEANS FOR INTERLOCKING SAID SPACERS UPON THE PAIR OF STIFFENERS ATTACHED TO SAID ONE FILTER ELEMENT, SAID INTERLOCKING MEANS COMPRISING AN OPENING IN EACH OF SAID STIFFENERS, SAID OPENING EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE SIDES OF SAID FRAME AND A TAB ON EACH OF SAID END AND CENTER SPACERS, SAID TAB EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE SIDES OF SAID FRAME AND INSERTABLE IN THE CORRESPONDING OPENING OF ONE OF SAID STIFFENERS, THEREBY TO MOUNT SAID SPACERS AS A FILTER-ELEMENT-SPACING MEANS SERVING TO SHAPE SAID ONE FILTER ELEMENT SACK IN THE REGION INTERMEDIATE THE MANIFOLD AND THE SUBDIVIDED BAG PORTIONS THEREOF.