Disposable gas filter

Claim 1

A disposable filter assembly comprising, in combination, a housing having at least two fluid ports and composed of at least first and second housing portions of thermoplastic resin material defining therebetween a fluid chamber, the first and second housing portions having opposed sides with peripheral mating sections abutting and defining a tongue-and-groove joint, permanently bonded to each other in a fluid-tight seal; and one of the housing portions having on an internal wall, spaced from the mating section on such housing portion, a projecting mounting member; and a filter element in sheet form having a pore size of less than 50 microns and extending across the fluid chamber across the line of fluid flow between the fluid ports, and held at its peripheral side portions upon the mounting member; the filter element having through pores extending from one face thereof to another face, and the mounting member impregnating such through pores of the filter element at such side portions and thereby integratingly retaining the filter element to such housing portion, the mounting member of the housing portion positioning the filter element across the fluid chamber, and by such impregnation of through pores at the periphery of the filter element sealing all sides of the filter element so that fluid flow between the fluid ports must pass through the filter element, the mating sections of each housing portion comprising projecting members engaging and supporting the opposite surfaces of the filter element therebetween.