Magnetic filter

Claim 1

A FILTER COMPRISING A PAIR OF END CAPS, A HOLLOW, PERFORATED CORE FORMED OF MAGNETICALLY-ATTRACTABLE MATERIAL AND EXTENDING AXIALLY BETWEEN SAID CAPS, A FILTER ELEMENT FORMED OF NONMAGNETICALLY-ATTRACTABLE MESH MATERIAL AND ARRANGED IN PLEATED VALLEYS AND RIDGES ABOUT SAID CORE AND BETWEEN SAID CAPS, THE FILTER ELEMENT MATERIAL IN THE BOTTOM PORTIONS OF SAID VALLEYS BEING IN CONTACT WITH SAID CORE, AND A PLURALITY OF THIN, PENCIL-LIKE MAGNET MEMBERS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED ABOUT AND UPON SAID FILTER ELEMENT AND IN MAGNETICALLY-ATTRACTED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID CORE, SAID MAGNET MEMBERS BEING POSITIONED EACH IN AND ON A BOTTOM PORTION OF ONE OF SAID VALLEYS, THE VALLEYS IN WHICH ONE OF SAID MAGNET MEMBERS IS POSITIONED HAVING A GREATER WIDTH THAN THAT OF ADJACENT VALLEYS, SAID MAGNET MEMBERS HAVING A LENGTH LESS THAN THE LONGITUDINAL EXTENSION OF SAID FILTER ELEMENT WHEREBY SAID MAGNET MEMBERS MAY BE MOVED TOWARD ONE OF SAID END CAPS TO EXPOSE ONE END OF SAID MAGNET MEMBERS FROM THE OTHER OF SAID END CAPS, EACH SAID MAGNET MEMBER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HOLLOW TUBE, A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL CYLINDRICAL MAGNETS WITHIN SAID TUBE, THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID TUBE BEING CLOSED TO RETAIN SAID INDIVIDUAL MAGNETS THEREIN, SAID INDIVIDUAL MAGNETS HAVING THEIR POLARITIES IN MAGNETICALLY OPPOSING RELATIONSHIP WHEREBY THE AREA OF MAGNETISM PRODUCED THEREBY IS EXPANDED, THE POLES OF SAID INDIVIDUAL MAGNETS WITHIN EACH OF SAID TUBES BEING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ALIGNED WITH THE POLES OF INDIVIDUAL MAGNETS WITHIN ADJACENT TUBES AND BEING OPPOSITE.