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US 8,562,708 B2Granted
Three-dimensional filter
AssigneeDiversitech Corporation
InventorKeith Platt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A three-dimensional filter includes a filter frame having a three-dimensional skeletal structure with a filter media connected to the skeletal structure. The filters are nestable. The skeletal structure may be trimmed and provided with walls to create standard sized filters. Methods for making the three-dimensional filter include injection molding of the skeletal structure onto the filter media, injection molding the filter media and the filter frame together in a single molding process, thermoforming a molded or extruded skeletal structure and the filter media, and needle punching a molded or extruded skeletal structure to create filter media within the skeletal structure.
Claims19
A three-dimensional filter comprising:
- a. a frame comprising:
- i. a wall forming a periphery that defines a space within the periphery wherein the periphery includes a pair of opposite end walls and a pair of opposite side walls, wherein each of the end walls is a single wall comprising a solid lower planar end wall portion and solid end wall peaks that protrude from and are inwardly slanted with respect to the lower planar portion, and open notches are defined between the end wall peaks and wherein each of the side walls is a single wall comprising a lower planar side wall portion and an upper side wall planar portion inwardly slanted with respect to the lower planar side wall portion;
- and
- ii. a skeletal structure occupying the space within the periphery wherein the skeletal structure has peak ribs extending between the solid end wall peaks of the opposite end walls and valley ribs and extending between the solid lower planar portion of the opposite end walls, wherein the peak ribs and the valley ribs form peaks and valleys in the skeletal structure with open ends, and wherein the solid end wall peaks and the solid lower planar portion are attached to the open ends and close the open ends of the skeletal structure;
- and
- b. a filter media connected to the skeletal structure and conforming to the peaks and valleys of the skeletal structure and terminating at the solid end wall peaks.
3 more elements
A three-dimensional filter comprising:
- a. a frame comprising:
- i. a wall forming a periphery that defines a space within the periphery wherein the periphery includes a pair of opposite end walls and a pair of opposite side walls, wherein each of the end walls comprises a solid lower step portion flared outwardly and downwardly and an upper portion with solid end wall peaks protruding upwardly from the lower step portion and with open notches formed between the end wall peaks, wherein the upper portion is flared upwardly and inwardly from the lower step portion;
- and
- ii. a skeletal structure occupying the space within the periphery, wherein the skeletal structure has peak ribs coinciding with and extending between the solid end wall peaks of the opposite end walls and valley ribs coinciding with and extending between the solid lower step portion of the opposite end walls, wherein the peak ribs and the valley ribs form peaks and valleys in the skeletal structure with open ends, and wherein the solid end wall peaks and the solid lower step portion are attached to the open ends and close the open ends of the skeletal structure;
- and
- b. a filter media connected to the skeletal structure and conforming to the peaks and valleys of the skeletal structure.
3 more elements
A three-dimensional filter comprising:
- a. a frame comprising:
- i. a wall forming a periphery that defines a space within the periphery;
- ii. a skeletal structure extending into the space within the periphery and having peaks and valleys;
- and
- b. a filter media connected to the skeletal structure and conforming to the peaks and valleys of the skeletal structure,
- wherein the periphery includes a pair of opposite end walls and a pair of opposite side walls, wherein the peaks and valleys are pleats extending between the end walls, wherein the peaks and valleys have ends, wherein the ends of the peaks and valleys are adjacent the end walls, wherein the end walls are configured to have an open position that allows the filters to be nested for stacking and a closed position that closes the ends of the peaks and valleys when the filter is in use, and wherein the end walls have a hinged baffle that moves from a lowered position that corresponds to the open position of the end wall to a raised position that corresponds to the closed position of the end wall.
3 more elements
A three-dimensional filter comprising:
- a. a frame comprising:
- i. a wall forming a periphery that defines a space within the periphery;
- ii. a skeletal structure extending into the space within the periphery and having peaks and valleys;
- and
- b. a filter media connected to the skeletal structure and conforming to the peaks and valleys of the skeletal structure,
- wherein the periphery includes a pair of opposite end walls and a pair of opposite side walls, wherein the peaks and valleys are pleats extending between the end walls, wherein the peaks and valleys have ends, wherein the ends of the peaks and valleys are adjacent the end walls, wherein the end walls are configured to have an open position that allows the filters to be nested for stacking and a closed position that closes the ends of the peaks and valleys when the filter is in use, and wherein the end walls are disconnected from the ends of the peaks and valleys when the end walls are in the open position are connected to the ends of the peaks and valleys when the end walls are in the closed position.
3 more elements
A three-dimensional filter comprising:
- a. a frame comprising:
- i. a wall forming a periphery that defines a space within the periphery;
- ii. a skeletal structure extending into the space within the periphery and having peaks and valleys;
- and
- b. a filter media connected to the skeletal structure and conforming to the peaks and valleys of the skeletal structure,
- wherein the periphery includes a pair of opposite end walls and a pair of opposite side walls, wherein the peaks and valleys are pleats extending between the end walls, wherein the peaks and valleys have ends, wherein the ends of the peaks and valleys are adjacent the end walls, wherein the end walls are configured to have an open position that allows the filters to be nested for stacking and a closed position that closes the ends of the peaks and valleys when the filter is in use, and wherein the end walls are hinged to end swung away from the ends of the peaks and valleys when the end walls are in the open position are fixedly connected to the ends of the peaks and valleys when the end walls are in the closed position.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.