Pharmaceutical filter

Claim 1

A filter assembly free from internal seals but having a replaceable filter element, for filtering pharmaceutical fluid materials without danger of microorganism contamination of downstream filter effluent, comprising, in combination, a filter housing comprising first and second housing parts; the first housing part having a first fluid chamber open at one side, a fluid port opening into the fluid chamber, and a peripheral sealing lip; the second housing part having a second fluid chamber open at one side, a fluid port opening into the fluid chamber, and a peripheral sealing lip; sealing means between the peripheral lips and sealing with at least one of the peripheral lips against leakage to the exterior of the filter housing; retaining means holding the peripheral lips of the housing parts and sealing means in fluid-tight sealing juxtaposition; a filter element disposed in the second fluid chamber in the second housing part and comprising a tubular filter confined between and permanently sealed in a fluid-tight seal to end caps at each end thereof, of which a first end cap is closed and a second end cap has an opening therethrough communicating the interior of the tubular filter with the first fluid chamber, and a peripheral lip integral with the second end cap and extending into sealing engagement on one side with one side of the sealing means, and shaped to fit between and seal on its other side against one side of one peripheral sealing flange of the other housing part, the peripheral lip extending across and closing off the open sides of the first and second fluid chambers without any internal seal, so that fluid communication therebetween is restricted to the opening in the second end cap via the filter, and the leakage paths at the end cap, integral peripheral lip seal, and housing part peripheral lips past the sealing means do not bypass the filter, but run to the exterior of the housing between the housing parts, so that there are no internal seal leakage paths.