Filter assembly having filter elements with integral distributing and supporting means

Claim 1

A FILTER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL ELEMENTS, EACH ELEMENT BEING MADE FROM A POROUS MATERIAL AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PLATE-LIKE WITH TWO OPPOSITELY DISPOSED SIDES DEFINING THE THICKNESS THEREOF, EACH SAID ELEMENT HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRAL ORIFICE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, ONE OF SAID TWO SIDES INCLUDING A PERIPHERAL BEARING MEMBER WHICH EXTENDS INWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ELEMENT TOWARDS BUT SHORT OF SAID ORIFICE, THE OTHER OF SAID TWO SIDES INCLUDING A BEARING MEMBER WHICH EXTENDS PERIPHERALLY AROUND SAID ORIFICE AND EXTENDS OUTWARDLY FROM SAID ORIFICE TOWARDS BUT SHORT OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ELEMENT, ONE OF SAID TWO SIDES INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART FIRST RIBS EACH OF WHICH RUNS FROM A LOCATION SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ELEMENT TOWARDS SAID ORIFICE AND AT LEAST SOME OF WHICH TERMINATE SUBSTANTIALLY AT SAID ORIFICE THEREBY FORMING PASSAGEWAYS WHICH HAVE OPENINGS AT SAID ORIFICE AND WHICH TERMINATE INWARDLY FROM SAID PERIPHERY THE OTHER OF SAID TWO SIDES INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART SECOND RIBS EACH OF WHICH RUNS FROM A LOCATION SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ORIFICE TOWARDS THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ELEMENT AND AT LEAST SOME OF WHICH TERMINATE SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ELEMENT THEREBY FORMING PASSAGEWAYS WHICH HAVE OPENINGS AT SAID PERIPHERY AND WHICH TERMINATE INWARDLY FROM SAID ORIFICE, THE UPPER SURFACE OF EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND RIBS BEING IN THE SAME PLANE AS THE OUTER FACE OF THE BEARING MEMBER OF ITS SIDE, SAID FIRST AND SECOND RIBS EXTENDING AND BEING INCLINED IN DIRECTIONS SUCH THAT THEY ANGULARLY INTERSECT PLANES DISPOSED RADIALLY OF THE CENTRAL AXIS OF SAID ORIFICE, SAID ELEMENTS BEING ARRANGED SUBSTANTIALLY IN ALIGNMENT SO THAT THE ORIFICE OF EACH FORMS A CENTRAL PASSAGEWAY THROUGH THE FILTER AND BEING FURTHER ARRANGED SO THAT THE PERIPHERAL BEARINGS OF A PAIR ARE OPPOSITE AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE ANOTHER, SO THAT A THIRD ELEMENT HAS ITS ORIFICE BEARING OPPOSITE AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ORIFIECE BEARING OF ONE ELEMENT OF SAID PAIR SO THAT SAID RIBS ON EACH SIDE OF EAH ELEMENT ARE OPPOSITE TO AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RIBS ON THE NEXT ADJACENT ELEMENT ALONG SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF SAID RIBS, AND SO THAT A FOURTH ELEMENT HAS ITS ORIFICE BEARING OPPOSITE AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ORIFICE BEARING OF THE OTHER ELEMENT OF SAID PAIR.