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US 8,617,404 B2Granted
Fluid filter apparatus and methods
AssigneeHarvard Corporation
InventorsOtto Knottnerus, Larry Langmeier, Mark Berger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Particular aspects of the inventive technology may, in embodiments, relate to a fluid filter apparatus that includes a filtered fluid conduit that has a length that is at least three times a characteristic diameter; and a plurality of holes, wherein at least one of said holes has a first shape and engages an end cap during fluid filter operation, and wherein at least one other of said holes has said first shape and passes filtered fluid from outside of said filtered fluid conduit to a conduit interior during fluid filter operation.
Claims26
A filtered fluid conduit stock from which a filtered fluid conduit to be used as part of a fluid filter is cut, said filtered fluid conduit stock comprising:
- a plurality of holes along a longitudinal conduit channel portion, at least two of said plurality of holes having a first shape configured for snap engaging end caps during fluid filter operation, and at least two other of which are exclusively fluid conveyance holes that pass channeled, filtered fluid from outside of said filtered fluid conduit to a conduit interior during said fluid filter operation;
- wherein said longitudinal conduit channel portion forms an inner channel wall of a channel created when a filter medium roll tube of a filter medium roll is established around said filtered fluid conduit,
- wherein said filtered fluid conduit has at least one remaining longitudinal conduit portion that is distinct from said longitudinal conduit channel portion and that does not form said inner channel wall, said at least one remaining longitudinal conduit portion defining, in a radial plane that is perpendicular to a conduit longitudinal axis, a conduit center, and having, in said radial plane, an outer radius, and
- wherein said longitudinal conduit channel portion has, in said radial plane, a cross-sectional profile with an outer edge that is furthest from said conduit center, all points of said outer edge having a distance from said conduit center that is less than said outer radius,
- said apparatus further comprising:
- filtered fluid conduit length cut guides established on said filtered fluid conduit stock,
- wherein said at least one of said holes of said first shape that engages said end cap during said fluid filter operation is proximate one of said filtered fluid conduit length cut guides, and
- wherein said filtered fluid conduit length cut guides facilitate cutting of said filtered fluid conduit stock to particular lengths for different applications requiring differently sized filtered fluid conduits.
5 more elements
A filtered fluid conduit stock from which a filtered fluid conduit to be used as part of a fluid filter is cut, said filtered fluid conduit stock comprising:
- a plurality of exclusively fluid conveyance holes along a first longitudinal conduit channel portion,
- wherein said longitudinal conduit channel portion forms an inner channel wall of a channel created when a filter medium roll tube of a filter medium roll is established around said filtered fluid conduit,
- wherein said filtered fluid conduit has at least one remaining longitudinal conduit portion that is distinct from said longitudinal conduit channel portion and that does not form said inner channel wall, said at least one remaining longitudinal conduit portion defining, in a radial plane that is perpendicular to a conduit longitudinal axis, a conduit center, and having, in said radial plane, an outer radius, and
- wherein said longitudinal conduit channel portion has, in said radial plane, a cross-sectional profile with an outer edge that is furthest from said conduit center, all points of said outer edge having a distance from said conduit center that is less than said outer radius,
- said apparatus further comprising a plurality of end cap engagement holes configured for snap engagement with an upper end cap and a lower end cap.
2 more elements
A fluid filter method comprising the steps of:
- establishing a plurality of exclusively fluid conveyance holes through a filtered fluid conduit stock and along at least one longitudinal conduit channel portion of said filtered fluid conduit stock, at least some of said exclusively fluid conveyance holes passing channeled, filtered fluid from outside a filtered fluid conduit cut from said filtered fluid conduit stock to a conduit interior during fluid filter operation;
- wherein said longitudinal conduit channel portion forms an inner channel wall of a channel created when a filter medium roll tube of a filter medium roll is established around said filtered fluid conduit,
- wherein said filtered fluid conduit has at least one remaining longitudinal conduit portion that is distinct from said longitudinal conduit channel portion and that does not form said inner channel wall, said at least one remaining longitudinal conduit portion defining, in a radial plane that is perpendicular to a conduit longitudinal axis, a conduit center, and having, in said radial plane, an outer radius,
- wherein said longitudinal conduit channel portion has, in said radial plane, a cross-sectional profile with an outer edge that is furthest from said conduit center, all points of said outer edge having a distance from said conduit center that is less than said outer radius,
- said method further comprising the steps of:
- establishing a plurality of end cap engagement holes along said filtered fluid conduit stock, said end cap engagement holes configured for snap engagement of an upper end cap and a lower end cap;
- cutting said filtered fluid conduit stock to generate said filtered fluid conduit;
- establishing said filtered fluid conduit as part of a fluid filter;
- snap engaging a lower end cap and an upper end cap with said filtered fluid conduit by snap engaging said end caps with at least two of said end cap engagement holes, and
- passing filtered fluid from outside of said filtered fluid conduit through said at least some of said exclusively fluid conveyance holes to a conduit interior during fluid filter operation.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.