Filter drive

Claim 2

A filter device comprising: a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port; a filter member within the housing, which filter member comprises a porous sheet transversely pleated and draped to define a peripheral foot of such porous sheet, which peripheral foot is sealed along its entire periphery to the housing; and two sets of intermeshing hangers, both sets of hangers being anchored to the housing and distortingly maintaining the porous sheet in said pleated condition.

Claim 3

A filter device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing has a peripheral side wall and a base including one of said ports, and the draped peripheral foot portion of the filter member is sandwiched between and sealed to the side wall and base.

Claim 4

A filter device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the filter member comprises a porous thermoplastic material and the housing comprises a thermoplastic material that is sealed by a heat fusion seal to the filter member.

Claim 5

A filter device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the filter member is a naturally hydrophobic thermoplastic material.

Claim 6

A filter device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the filter member is of a nonwoven polypropylene material.

Claim 7

A filter device as set forth in claim 1, wherein both the filter member and the housing are of polypropylene material.

Claim 8

A filter device as set forth in claim 1, wherein both sets of the hangers engage inner surfaces of folds in the pleats.

Claim 9

A filter device as set forth in claim 7, wherein the sets of hangers are spaced apart.

Claim 10

A filter device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the spaced hangers are bars extending across a major portion of the housing.

Claim 11

A filter device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the housing includes a peripheral side wall and a base, and the hangers include a first set of hangers anchored to the side wall, and a second set of hangers anchored to the base, said two sets of hangers intermeshing to maintain the filter member in said pleated condition.

Claim 12

A filter device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the second set of hangers are each generally U-shaped with legs, and the legs of these hangers are anchored to the base.

Claim 13

A filter device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the two sets of hangers intermesh with each other in a manner that maintains a space between the pleats.

Claim 14

A filter device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a generally rectangular box with a tubular adapter defining said inlet port and a tubular adapter defining said outlet port.

Claim 15

A filter device as set forth in claim 13, wherein at least one of the adapters has an internal lug to limit penetration of a coupling member into such adapter.

Claim 16

A filter device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the filter housing has an internal volume of 50 cc or less.

Claim 17

A filter device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the filter medium is constructed and arranged in said housing so as to provide a pressure drop of less then 0.3 inch water at gas flow rates up to 12.5 gas/minute.

Claim 18

A respiratory gas filter comprising: a rectangular housing having an internal volume exclusive of connecting adapters which is 50 cc or less and which housing includes an inlet and an outlet; a microorganism filter member within the housing, which filter member comprises a porous sheet transversely pleated and draped to define a peripheral foot of such porous drape that is sealed along its entire periphery to the housing, said peripheral foot forming a seal extending about the entire periphery of the filter member, which gas filter device has a pressure drop of less than 0.3 inch water at gas flow rates up to 12.5 L gas/minute whereby a respiratory gas can be driven through the filter by normal breathing of a patient with a minimum amount of unfiltered exhaled air being rebreathed by such patient; and two sets of intermeshing hangers, both sets of hangers being anchored to the housing to distortingly maintain the sheet in said pleated condition while the peripheral foot is sealed to the housing.

Claim 19

A respiratory gas filter comprising: a rectangular housing having an internal volume exclusive of connecting adapters which is 50 cc or less and which housing includes an inlet and an outlet; a microorganism filter member within the housing, which filter member comprises a porous sheet transversely pleated and draped to define a peripheral foot of such porous drape that is sealed along its entire periphery to the housing, said peripheral foot forming a seal extending about the entire periphery of the filter member, which gas filter device has a pressure drop of less than 0.3 inch water at gas flow rates up to 12.5 L gas/minute whereby a respiratory gas can be driven through the filter by normal breathing of a patient with a minimum amount of unfiltered exhaled air being rebreathed by such patient; and two sets of intermeshing hangers, both sets of hangers being anchored to the housing to distortingly maintain the sheet in said pleated condition while the peripheral foot is sealed to the housing.

Claim 20

A respiratory gas filter as set forth in claim 17, wherein the pleated filter member comprises a hydrophobic thermoplastic material.

Claim 21

A respiratory gas filter as set forth in claim 18, wherein the filter member is a nonwoven polypropylene sheet material.

Claim 22

A filter device comprising: a housing having a peripheral side wall; a top end including a port thereon and connected to the side wall; a base end including a port thereon and connected to the side wall; a filter member within the housing, which filter member comprises a porous sheet transversely pleated and draped to define a peripheral foot of such porous sheet that is sealed along its entire periphery between the side wall and one end of the housing; and two sets of intermeshing hangers, both sets being anchored to the housing to distortingly maintain the sheets in said pleated condition while the peripheral foot is sealed to the housing.

Claim 23

A filter device comprising: a housing having a peripheral side wall; a top end including a port thereon and connected to the side wall; a base end including a port thereon and connected to the side wall; a filter member within the housing, which filter member comprises a porous sheet transversely pleated and draped to define a peripheral foot of such porous sheet that is sealed along its entire periphery between the side wall and one end of the housing; and two sets of intermeshing hangers, both sets being anchored to the housing to distortingly maintain the sheets in said pleated condition while the peripheral foot is sealed to the housing.

Claim 24

A filter device as set forth in claim 20, wherein there is a skirt member connected to the housing that covers an exposed edge of the filter member.

Claim 25

A filter device with a filter member of a porous sheet sealed to a housing of the device, which housing includes an inlet port and an outlet port, wherein the improvement comprises: said housing comprising at least two joinable portions, first and second sets of hangers in the housing, each set of hangers being anchored to said at least two joinable portions of the housing so that the two sets of hangers can intermesh with each other when said at least two portions are joined to distortingly maintain the filter member in a pleated condition by engaging inner surfaces of folds in the pleats along central and end portions of the pleats so as to maintain spaces between the porous sheet's pleats; and said pleated filter member forming a draped skirt having a peripheral foot extending about the entire periphery of the filter member with the entire peripheral foot permanently sealed between the two joinable portions of the housing.

Claim 26

A filter device with a filter member of a porous sheet sealed to a housing of the device, which housing includes an inlet port and an outlet port, wherein the improvement comprises: said housing comprising at least two joinable portions, first and second sets of hangers in the housing, each set of hangers being anchored to said at least two joinable portions of the housing so that the two sets of hangers can intermesh with each other when said at least two portions are joined to distortingly maintain the filter member in a pleated condition by engaging inner surfaces of folds in the pleats along central and end portions of the pleats so as to maintain spaces between the porous sheet's pleats; and said pleated filter member forming a draped skirt having a peripheral foot extending about the entire periphery of the filter member with the entire peripheral foot permanently sealed between the two joinable portions of the housing.

Claim 27

A filter device as set forth in claim 22, wherein the housing has a side wall connected to the first set of hangers and a base end connected to the second set of hangers.

Claim 28

A filter device as set forth in claim 23, wherein each hanger of the second set of hangers is generally U-shaped.

Claim 29

A filter device comprising: a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port and a top, bottom, and side walls; a filter member within the housing, which filter member comprises a porous sheet transversely pleated and draped within the housing spaced from the top bottom, and side walls, said filter member including a peripheral foot, and the filter member is sealed to the housing along the entire periphery of the peripheral foot; and two sets of intermeshing hangers, both sets of hangers being anchored to the housing and distortingly maintaining the porous sheet in said pleated condition.

Claim 30

A filter device comprising: a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port and a top, bottom, and side walls; a filter member within the housing, which filter member comprises a porous sheet transversely pleated and draped within the housing spaced from the top bottom, and side walls, said filter member including a peripheral foot, and the filter member is sealed to the housing along the entire periphery of the peripheral foot; and two sets of intermeshing hangers, both sets of hangers being anchored to the housing and distortingly maintaining the porous sheet in said pleated condition.