Air filter for heat engines

Claim 1

An air filter for a heat engine, said filter comprising a non-cylindrical body defining a chamber, an opening in the body providing access to the chamber, a cover for closing the opening, an inlet nozzle for admission of the gas to be filtered opening onto the chamber, an outlet nozzle for discharge of the filtered gas opening onto the chamber, an interchangeabile filtering cartridge comprising a chassis-frame and a filter proper, the filtering cartridge being capable of being introduced in the chamber and remove from the chamber through said opening, the body comprising two semi-shells united in a junction plane extending across the chamber, said opening being astride the junction plane, and positioning means for placing the filtering cartridge in position and being carried by the body in such a manner as to permit selectively the introduction and the removal of the cartridge by a movement in translation of the cartridge in a direction substantially parallel to the junction plane and a positioning and a retraction of the cartridge by a displacement of the cartridge in a direction substantially perpendicular to said junction plane, said positioning means causing the translation to occur first, before the displacement, when said cartridge is inserted into said body, and conversely when said cartridge is withdrawn.