Crest Supported Filter Frame Assembly and Method

Abstract

A fluid pleated filter assembly arrangement including a method and structure wherein crests of the pleated medium are sharp and narrow being enhanced by alignment of the fibers with the direction of fluid stream flow with the crests being supported by a preselectively controlled breadth and thickness support strip and adhesive fastening band disposed intermediate opposed side edges of the support strip.

1 . A fluid filter assembly including a filter frame member and a flow-through filter medium disposed therein comprising: a border frame member and a flow-through pleated crest filter medium sized to be disposed therein, said border frame member having an inner perimeter defining a flow-through passage to receive and support said filter medium, said filter medium being in the form of spaced pleated crests to provide spaced opposed upstream and downstream pleated crest sets; and, at least one longitudinally extending support strip of selected first support strength and preselectively controlled thickness and breadth to include spaced opposed side edges, said support strip extending adjacent at least one of said pleated crest sets of said filter medium in supporting relationship therewith, said support strip including a thin preselectively controlled thickness and breadth binding band of adhesive fastening material longitudinally applied to the length of said support strip and having said breadth between said side edges of said support strip in primarily engaging and fastening relationship to said pleated crest of said pleated crest set.  
   
   
       2 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , said border frame member being of disposable permanently stable material of U-shaped cross-section to fastenly receive opposed ends of said pleated crest filter medium, with said support strip extending transversely across said spaced pleated crest set.  
   
   
       3 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , said support strip having a breadth in the range of zero point two (0.2) inch (″) to one point five (1.5) inch (″) and said binding band being in the range of zero point zero three (0.03) inch (″) to zero point two (0.2) inch (″).  
   
   
       4 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , said border frame body member and said binding band being of cellulose and adhesive, respectively.  
   
   
       5 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , said binding band being adhesive material.  
   
   
       6 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , said border frame body member being of a selected cardboard.  
   
   
       7 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , said support strip having a breadth of approximately zero point six two five (0.625) inch (″) and said binding band having a breadth of zero point zero nine (0.09) inch (″).  
   
   
       8 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , said filter medium having fibers adjacent said upstream pleated crests substantially in alignment with the direction of fluid stream flow and substantially normal to said pleated crests which pleated crests are in the form of narrow, comparatively sharp linear fold lines.  
   
   
       9 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , said filter medium having fibers treated with a selected odor and VOC removal chemical.  
   
   
       10 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 9 , said a selected odor and VOC removal being a silica-alumina.  
   
   
       11 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , said filter medium material is dri-laid material.  
   
   
       12 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 11 , said filter medium material having a composition by weight of approximately sixty-five (65) percent (%) three (3) denier polyester fiber and approximately thirty-five (35) percent (%) six (6) denier polyester fiber with a polyvinyl acetate binder comprising approximately forty (40) percent (%) of the fiber weight.  
   
   
       13 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 11 , said filter medium material having a composition by weight of approximately fifty (50) percent (%) four (4) denier bi-component fiber, approximately thirty-eight (38) percent (%) two point two five (2.25) denier polyester fiber and twelve (12) percent (%) fifteen (15) denier fiber.  
   
   
       14 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 11 , said filter medium material having a composition by weight of approximately sixty (60) percent (%) four (4) denier bi-component fiber, approximately twenty (20) percent (%) six (6) denier polyester fiber and twenty (20) percent (%) one (1) denier fiber.  
   
   
       15 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said spaced pleats are each approximately three-fourth (¾) inch (″) normal depth with approximately fourteen (14) spaced pleat crests per lineal twelve (12) inches (″).  
   
   
       16 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said spaced pleats are each approximately three-fourth (¾) inch (″) normal depth with approximately twelve (12) spaced pleat crests per lineal twelve (12) inches (″).  
   
   
       17 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , said border frame member being of U-shaped cross-section with opposed ends of said pleated crest filter medium adhesively fixed therein.  
   
   
       18 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , opposed spaced ends of said support strip being adhesively fastened to said border frame member.  
   
   
       19 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 1 , said support strip extending transversely to said pleated crests with said pleated crests including selectively spaced embossed valleys sized to snuggly receive said support strip.  
   
   
       20 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 19 , said embossed valleys being aligned to receive said strip in embossing engagement therewith.  
   
   
       21 . The fluid filter frame assembly of  claim 20 , said embossed valleys being of a depth of approximately zero point five (0.05) inch (″) and a width of approximately zero point zero seven (0.07) inch (″).  
   
   
       22 . In a method of forming a pleated crest fibrous fluid filter material assembly, the steps of feeding said fibrous material in pleated crest form from a prior pleating zone through a planar zone, said pleated crest fibrous material including spaced upstream and downstream longitudinally extending spaced pleated crest sets; feeding at least one longitudinally extending support strip into said planar zone with one face of said strip being tangentially adjacent at least one of said pleated crest sets, said support strip including longitudinally extending spaced opposed side edges of selected breadth and thickness with opposed longitudinal faces therebetween and, continuously applying a thin longitudinally extending adhesive fastening band of preselected breadth and thickness to one of said faces of each support strip intermediate said strip side edges as said strip enters said planar zone to fasten said strip to said pleated crest set in supporting relation therewith to positionally maintain said pleated crest in pleated form in said planar zone.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein three support strips of selected breadth and thickness are fed into said planar zone transversely to and in spaced relation across said pleated crest set, each strip having an adhesive fastening band of selected breadth and thickness applied to said face adjacent said pleated crest set.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , said band being applied to said strip-face along the central portion of said breadth of said support strip between said spaced opposed side edges thereof.