Filter unit

Claim 1

A FLUID FILTERING DEVICE COMPRISING HOUSING MEANS HAVING FLUID INLET AND OUTLET PASSAGE MEANS, PARTITION MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID HOUSING MEANS AND LOCATED BETWEEN SAID INLET AND OUTLET PASSAGE MEANS, A PLURALITY OF FILTER PORTS LOCATED IN SAID PARTITION MEANS FOR PERMITTING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID INLET AND OUTLET PASSAGE MEANS, A PLURALITY OF VALVE SEATS, ONE OF WHICH IS FORMED IN EACH OF SAID FILTER PORTS, A PLURALITY OF POPPET VALVES, ONE OF WHICH IS LOCATED IN EACH OF SAID FILTER PORTS AND SEATABLE ON THE VALVE SEAT FORMED THEREIN, SAID POPPET VALVES EACH HAVING A BORE THEREIN AND A PLURALITY OF OUTLET PORTS FOR COMMUNICATING SAID BORE WITH THE RESPECTIVE FILTER PORT WHEN SAID POPPET VALVES ARE IN AN UNSEATED POSITION, EXTERNAL THREAD MEANS FORMED ON EACH OF SAID POPPET VALVES, A PLURALITY OF SPRINGS, EACH OF WHICH IS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID PARTITION MEANS AND TO ONE OF SAID POPPET VALVES FOR URGING SAID POPPET VALVES TOWARDS THEIR RESPECTIVE VALVE SEATS AND A SEATED POSITION, A PLURALITY OF NORMALLY POROUS FILTERING ELEMENTS OF THE OUTSIDE-IN TYPE FOR FILTERING THE FLUID FLOWING FROM SAID INLET PASSAGE MEANS TO SAID OUTLET PASSAGE MEANS, AND A PLURALITY OF FERRULES, ONE OF WHICH IS FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO THE END OF EACH OF SAID FILTERING ELEMENTS, SAID FERRULES EACH HAVING INTERNAL THREAD MEANS FORMED THEREIN FOR THREADEDLY ENGAGING THE EXTERNAL THREAD MEANS OF SAID POPPET VALVES AND CAUSING SAID POPPET VALVES TO MOVE AWAY FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE VALVE SEATS TO AN UNSEATED POSITION AFTER SAID FERRULES SEALINGLY ENGAGE SAID PARTITION MEANS AND ARE ROTATED RELATIVE TO SAID POPPET VALVES.