Supporting and sealing means for filters

Claim 1

A SUPPORTED AND SEALED FILTER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A FRAME ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON AN ENCLOSURE AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR OPENINGS THEREIN, SAID FRAME CONSISTING OF A PLURALITY OF CONNECTED TOGETHER HOLLOW MEMBERS MADE UP OF A PLURALITY OF DEPENDING WEBS AND A TOP FLANGE EXTENDING LATERALLY THEREFROM AND SURROUNDING SAID OPENINGS; A PLURALITY OF FILTER FRAMES EACH HAVING A TOP, BOTTOM, AND EDGE PORTION, EACH HAVING FILTERING MEDIA THEREIN, AND ADAPTEED TO BE REMOVABLY MOUNTED IN SAID OPENINGS WITH THEIR EDGE PORTIONS ADJACENT SAID FLANGES; SEALING GASKETS MOUNTED BETWEEN THE TOP OF THE FILTER FRAMES AND SAID TOP FLANGES; A PLURALITY OF APERTURED HOUSINGS MOUNTD WITHIN THE HOLLOW PORTIONS OF SAID MEMBERS OF SAID SUPPORTING FRAME AND IN SPACED APART RELATION; RETRACTABLE LATCHING MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE FILTER FRAMES IN THE OPENINGS OF SAID SUPPORTING FRAME AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SEALING GASKETS; EACH OF SAID LATCHING MEANS COMPRISING A BOLT EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF SAID HOUSINGS; A THREADED COLLAR ON EACH OF SAID BOLTS; A PAWL PIVOTED ON EACH OF SAID COLLARS, SAID PAWL BEING ADAPTED TO NORMALLY EXTEND THROUGH THE HOUSING APERTURE AND PRESS A BOTTOM PORTION OF THE FILTER FRAME INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GASKET; THE ROTATION OF SAID BOLT IN ONE DIRECTION MOVING SAID PAWL TO DISENGAGE SAID FILTER FRAME AND TO BEAR AGAINST AN EDGE OF SAID HOUSING TO PIVOT SAID PAWL INWARDLY SUBSTANTIALLY WITHIN THE CONFINES OF SAID HOUSING.