Reusable exoskeleton frame with U-shaped locking members and eco-friendly air filter element
AssigneeMANN+HUMMEL Life Sciences & Environment Holding Singapore Pte. Ltd.
InventorsJon Garth Nichols, Brian Crawford, Nilesh Tharval
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A replaceable air filter element has a multilayer filter medium panel configured for mounting on a reusable exoskeleton support frame. The exoskeleton support frame is installable on a flow face of the filter medium panel and is provided with U-shaped locking members configured to detachably engage with and mount the filter medium panel. The exoskeleton support frame is configured to be reused such that only the filter medium panel is replaced, thereby reducing the environmental waste and making for a “green” eco-friendly air filter element.
Claims14
An air filter element comprising:
- a multilayer filter medium panel comprising:
- a plurality of air filtration ply layers of filter media overlaid and stacked to form the multilayer air filter medium panel;
- wherein at least some of the air filtration ply layers comprise a synthetic woven fabric material;
- wherein the multilayer air filter medium panel has:
- an inflow face where air to be filtered enters the multilayer air filter medium panel;
- and
- an outflow face where filtered air exits the multilayer air filter medium panel;
- wherein air filtration ply layers of filter media of the stacked multilayer air filter medium panel are affixed to immediately adjacent sheets of stacked multilayer air filter medium panel, holding the air filtration ply layers of filter media together as a unitary multilayer air filter medium panel;
- wherein the multilayer air filter medium panel has a plurality of outer lateral edge surfaces which together circumferentially surround the multilayer air filter medium panel, the plurality of outer lateral edge surfaces extending from the inflow face to the outflow face;
- at least one pair of correlated locking slits, each locking slit of an individual one of the at least one pair of correlated locking slits formed into a respective one of the plurality of outer lateral edge surfaces and extending laterally from the outer lateral edge surface inwardly into the overlaid filter media, the slits of the at least one pair of correlated locking slits extending through the multilayer air filter medium panel from the inflow face to the outflow face;
- wherein the a first correlated locking slit of the pair of correlated locking slits extend on the inflow face and the outflow face in an inward direction and spaced apart from and not reaching a correlated second locking slit of the pair of correlated locking slits;
- wherein the first correlated locking slit of the pair of correlated locking slits is formed into a different one of the plurality of outer lateral edge surfaces relative to the correlated second locking slit of the pair of correlated locking slits;
- wherein the correlated locking slits are each configured to receive and mountably engage a U-shaped locking member of an exoskeleton support frame for exchangeably mounting the multilayer air filter medium panel onto the exoskeleton support frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.