Air filter

Claim 1

An air filter assembly which can be readily disassembled to permit the filtering element thereof to be removed for washing or replacement, said filter assembly being mounted within an air filter housing, and comprising an annular substantially rigid foraminous support having a substantially constant height, an elongated flexible filtering element having opposite ends and a height substantially the same as the height of said foraminous support, said filtering element having a substantially uniform thickness defined by outside and inside substantially regular surfaces, the length of said elongated filter element being substantially equal to the circumference of said foraminous support, said filtering element being freely wrapped around said foraminous support and being readily separable therefrom, upper and lower integrally molded mounting rings which are of a like construction and are interchangeable, said upper and lower mounting rings each having an exterior side and an interior side relative to said foraminous support and filtering element, an annular seating groove on the interior side of said upper and lower mounting rings, a continuous sealing trench inwardly of said annular seating groove which is located on the interior side of each mounting ring, and an O-ring member positioned by O-ring supports radially crossing said sealing trench a predetermined distance below the top of said mounting ring so that the O-ring member projects above the mounting ring when in place, said O-rings sealingly engaging said air filter housing enclosing said air filter assembly, the continuous top portions and the continuous bottom portions of said foraminous support and wrappped filtering element being snugly and removably seated in said annular seating grooves of said upper and lower mounting rings respectively, whereby said upper and lower mounting rings are readily separable from said filtering element and said filtering element is readily separable from said foraminous support permitting said filterng element to be removed for washing or replacement.