Surgical smoke evacuator filter mounting structure

A surgical smoke evacuator comprising:

• a housing defining an airflow channel;
• at least one filter having a longitudinal axis and being sized and configured for disposition in the air flow channel;
• portions of the housing defining an inlet for initially receiving the filter into the housing, and a filter cavity axially spaced from the inlet for ultimately locating the filter in an operative position along the air flow channel;
• and a plurality of alignment projections angularly spaced along the length of the filter and requiring, during loading of the filter into the filter cavity, rotational movement and subsequent axial movement of the filter along the axis of the filter.

A filter system for receiving a gas flow along a gas flow path, the gas flow including contaminants, and the system being adapted for filtering the contaminants from the gas flow, comprising:

• a first filter disposed in the gas flow path and having an input and an output, the input being disposed to receive the gas flow and the output including a first surface, the first filter having properties for removing from the gas flow a first portion of the contaminants;
• a second filter disposed in the gas flow path and having an input and an output, the input being disposed to receive the gas flow from the first filter and the output including a second surface, the second filter having properties for removing from the gas flow a second portion of the contaminants;
• and
• alignment means for aligning the first filter relative to the second filter, the alignment means including:
• a plurality of first hollow projections, each being nonconcentric to another, extending from the first surface of the first filter and confining the gas flow path within the first projections at the output of the first filter;
• and
• a plurality of second hollow projections, each being nonconcentric to another, extending from the second surface of the second filter and confining the gas flow path within the second projections at the input to the second filter and, at least two of the first projections mating with at least two of the second projections to form a substantially frictionless coupling between the first filter and the second filter.

A filter combination for removing a multiplicity of contaminants from a gas flow channel comprising:

• a first filter having a bottom wall;
• a second filter having a top wall facing the bottom wall of the first filter;
• and
• alignment means for aligning the first filter relative to the second filter, the alignment means including:
• a multiplicity of first projections, each being nonconcentric to another, extending along the gas flow channel inwardly of the bottom wall of the first filter, at least one of the first projections including a flange having a particular surface extending between a first wall of one of the first projections, and a second wall of said one of the first projections;
• and
• a multiplicity of second projections, each being nonconcentric to another, extending along the gas flow channel outwardly of the top wall of the second filter, at least one of the second projections being dimensioned and arranged to mate with the one first projection, and said at least one of the second projections including a third wall engaging the particular surface of the flange to support the first filter on the second filter, the first wall of the one first projection defining the gas flow channel so that the contaminants tend to collect on the first wall, the first wall extending from the flange toward the bottom wall and terminating short of the bottom wall to inhibit contact with the contaminants on the first wall.

A surgical smoke evacuator comprising:

• a filter housing having a proximal housing end and a distal housing end;
• at least one filter having a proximal filter end, a distal filter end, and a longitudinal axis, the at least one filter being sized and configured for placement into an intermediate position within the filter housing where the distal filter end is between the proximal housing end and the distal housing end, and for placement into an operative position within the filter housing where the distal filter end is in close proximity with the distal housing end;
• and
• filter alignment means disposed between the filter and the housing for guiding the filter relative to the housing along a predetermined circuitous path between the intermediate position and the operative position, the circuitous path including alternatively at least one primarily axial portion and at least two angular portions or at least one primarily angular portion and at least two primarily axial portions.