Horizontal plate filter apparatus

Claim 1

A HORIZONTAL PLATE FILTER APPARATUS WITH EXTERNAL ASSEMBLY CLAMPING MEANS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A TOP PLATE ELEMENT AND A BOTTOM PLATE ELEMENT, AT LEAST ONE INTERMEDIATE ELEMENT, CHANNEL ELEMENTS WITH APERTURES THEREIN, VALVE MEANS, AND FILTER ELEMENTS, SAID TOP PLATE ELEMENT INCLUDING PORTIONS OF SAID CHANNEL ELEMENTS, SAID VALVE MEANS BEING UPWARDLY CONNECTED TO SAID PORTIONS FOR FILTER VENTILATION, SAID INTERMEDIATE ELEMENT HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE BOTTOM IMPERVIOUS TO LIQUIDS, SAID BOTTOM BEING INCLINED FOR LIQUID DISCHARGE, SAID INTERMEDIATE ELEMENT HAVING CHANNEL ELEMENTS OPEN AT THE TOP, SAID CHANNEL ELEMENTS BEING ALIGNED WITH SAID CHANNEL PORTIONS OF SAID TOP PLATE ELEMENT, RAW-LIQUID APERTURES IN SAID CHANNEL ELEMENT PORTIONS OF SAID INTERMEDIATE ELEMENT TERMINATING BENEATH SAID INCLINED INTERMEDIATE BOTTOMS AT ONE SIDE AND CLEAR-LIQUID APERTURES TERMINATING ABOVE SAID INCLINED INTERMEDIATE BOTTOM AT THE OTHER SIDE, AND APERTURES BEING DISPOSED OPPOSITE TO EACH OTHER AND HAVING CORRESPONDING, EQUAL CROSS-SECTIONS, SAID BOTTOM PLATE ELEMENT BEING DISPOSED BENEATH SAID INTERMEDIATE ELEMENTS AND HAVING AN INLET CHANNEL AND ELEMENT PORTION ALIGNED WITH THE INLET CHANNEL ELEMENTS PORTIONS OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PLATES, SAID FILTER ELEMENTS BEING PROVIDED BETWEEN SAID TOP AND BOTTOM PLATE ELEMENTS, AND INTERMEDIATE SAID INTERMEDIATE ELEMENTS AND UPSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORATED MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID INTERMEDIATE BOTTOMS AND SUPPORTING SAID FILTER ELEMENTS, SAID FILTER ELEMENTS HAVING THE SAME CROSS-SECTIONAL AREAS AS SAID TOP AND BOTTOM PLATE ELEMENTS AND SAID INTERMEDIATE ELEMENTS, SAID FILLER ELEMENTS HAVING APERTURES IN CHANNEL ELEMENT ZONES, THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREAS OF SAID APERTURES CORRESPONDING TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREAS OF SAID CHANNEL ELEMENTS AND WHEREIN SAID CHANNEL ELEMENTS OF THE INTERMEDIATE ELEMENTS ARE SEALED OFF AT THE OUTLET SIDE ONE AGAINST ANOTHER AT THEIR LOWER PORTIONS, EACH OF SAID CHANNEL ELEMENTS HAVING A SEPARATE OUTLET.