# US 10,765,979 B2 · Self supporting pleatable web and an oil filter including the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,765,979 B2 - Document ID: US10765979B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/523,480 - Filed: 2015-10-30 - Published: 2017-11-02 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2014-10-31 - Assignees: Ahlstrom-Munksjö Oyj - Applicants: Alhstrom-Munksjö Oyj - Inventors: Jesse Shim; Kevin Kim; Ryan Kwon; Jinny Kim; Jamie Byeon; David Alan Topolenski; Kevin Ray Townsend - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10765979B2 ## CPC - B01D 39/163: {sintered or bonded} - B01D 39/18: the material being cellulose or derivatives thereof ({cork or peat B01D39/1646} ; making filter paper D21F11/14) - B01D 39/2024: {otherwise bonded, e.g. by resins} - B01D 2239/025: comprising nanofibres - B01D 2239/04: Additives and treatments of the filtering material - B01D 2239/086: Binders between particles or fibres - B01D 2239/10: Filtering material manufacturing - B01D 2239/1216: Pore size - B01D 2239/1233: Fibre diameter - B01D 2239/1291: Other parameters - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) ## Abstract A fibrous media suitable for an oil filter comprising a fibrous web formed from synthetic fibers; optionally at least one additive, and a thermoset binder present at a concentration of at least 15 wt.-% by weight of the fibrous web and/or at least one binder fiber, wherein the synthetic fibers comprise up to 30 wt.-%, preferably up to 20 wt.-%, glass fibers, based on the total weight of the fibers. The fibers are bonded with the thermoset binder and/or the at least one binder fiber to form a web; and the fibrous media is capable of forming a self-supporting, pleated oil filter media which is capable of retaining pleats upon contact with oil having a temperature in the range encountered in a combustion engine. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An oil filter comprising a fibrous media, wherein the fibrous media includes a fibrous web comprising: (i) synthetic fibers; and (ii) a binder component which is at least one selected from the group consisting of a thermoset binder present at a concentration of at least 15 wt % by weight of the fibrous web and at least one binder fiber; wherein the synthetic fibers comprise up to 30 wt. % of glass fibers, based on the total weight of the fibers; and wherein the synthetic fibers are bonded with the thermoset binder and/or the at least one binder fiber to form the fibrous web; and wherein the fibrous media is in the form of a self-supporting, pleated oil filter which retains pleats upon contact with oil having a temperature in the range encountered in a combustion engine; and the fibrous media is not reinforced with an additional mechanical support layer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic fibers of the fibrous web comprise at least 30 wt.-% of thermoplastic polymer fibers. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic fibers of the fibrous web comprise fibers selected from the group consisting of silicious fibers, regenerated cellulosic fibers and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the fibrous web comprises: (i) at least 70 wt.-% fibers of thermoplastic polymer(s) and up to 40 or up to 30 wt.-% regenerated cellulosic fibers; (ii) at least 70 wt.-% fibers of thermoplastic polymer(s); or (iii) no regenerated cellulosic fibers. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the fibrous web is impregnated with the thermoset binder which is selected from the group consisting of thermoset resins, epoxy resins, melamine-based polymers, acrylic resins and combinations thereof. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the binder fiber is selected from the group consisting of bicomponent binder fibers, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) binder fibers and polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) binder fibers. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, which further comprises at least one additive is selected from the group consisting of flame-retardant agents, coloring agents, hydrophobic agents, hydrophilic agents, wetting agents, antimicrobial agents and antistatic agents. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the fibrous media comprises 15 to 30% of the thermoset binder, based on the total weight of the fibers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic fibers comprise first fibers having a first average length and a first average diameter of 2 pm or more, and second fibers having a second average length and a second average diameter less than 1 pm, wherein the first average length of the first fibers is greater than the second average length of the second fibers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic fibers comprise undrawn fibers in an amount of 15 to 50% by weight, based on the total weight of fibers; and/or wherein the synthetic fibers are thermoplastic fibers selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polyalkylenes, polyacrylonitriles (PAN), polyamides and combinations thereof. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic fibers comprise thermoplastic synthetic fibers having an average diameter from 0.1 μm to 15 μm, and an average length from 1 to 50 mm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the glass fibers have an average fiber diameter of 0.4 to 2.6 μm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic fibers include up to 40% by weight, based on the total weight of the fibers, of a regenerated cellulosic material selected from the group consisting of Lyocell, viscose and combinations thereof. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the fibrous web is corrugated with a corrugation depth of about 0.1 to about 0.5 mm and has an average thickness of 0.6 to 1.5 mm. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the fibrous media further comprises a nanofiber coating with a thickness of 50 to 1000 nm, wherein the nanofiber coating includes electrospun nanofibers selected from the group consisting of polyethersulfone (PES) nanofibers and polyamide (PA) nanofibers. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The oil filter according to claim 1, wherein the fibrous web comprises, based on fibrous web weight: 60 wt. % to 88 wt. % of thermoplastic polymer fibers; 2 wt. % to 30 wt. % of glass fibers; and 15 wt. % to 30 wt. % of a coating formed of the thermoset binder selected from the group consisting of phenolic resins, acrylic resins, epoxy resins and melamine formaldehyde resins. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) A method of making a self-supporting pleated oil filter according to claim 1 comprising: (a) providing a fibrous media which includes a fibrous web comprising: (i) synthetic fibers comprising up to 30 wt. % of glass fibers, based on the total weight of the fibers; and (ii) a binder component which is at least one selected from the group consisting of a thermoset binder present at a concentration of at least 15 wt % by weight of the fibrous web and at least one binder fiber; wherein the synthetic fibers are bonded with the thermoset binder and/or the at least one binder fiber to form the fibrous web; and (b) pleating the fibrous media in the absence of an additional mechanical support layer to form the self-supporting pleated oil filter according to claim 1 that is capable of retaining pleats upon contact with oil having a temperature in range encountered in a combustion engine. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, wherein the wherein the fibrous web comprises on one or both sides a dried residue of a liquid composition of the thermoset binding agent. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method according to claim 18, wherein the fibrous web is precured. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19, which further comprises corrugating the fibrous web to a corrugation depth of about 0.1 to about 0.5 mm.