Filtration apparatus

Claim 1

A FILTER FOR CLARIFYING A LIQUID HAVING ENTRAINED SOLIDS SUSPENDED THEREIN, COMPRISING A TANK HAVING AN OPEN TOP, A PLURALITY OF CONDIUTS DISPOSED IN A PLANE AND MUTUALLY INTERCONNECTED TO FORM A MANIFOLD, MEANS REMOVABLY MOUNTING SAID MANIFOLD IN SAID TANK NEAR THE TOP THEREOF, AN UPSTANDING INLET TUBE EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID MANIFOLD, SAID CONDUITS HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS IN THE BOTTOM SIDES THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF TUBULAR FILTER ELEMENTS DEPENDING INTO SAID TANK FROM SAID MANIFOLD WITH THE CAVITY IN EACH ELEMENT COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID MANIFOLD THROUGH A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID OPENINGS, SPACER MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID TANK BENEATH SAID FILTER ELEMENTS, SAID SPACER MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF UPSTANDING SPACED APART PROJECTIONS, SAID PROJECTIONS EACH BEING RESPECTIVELY POSITIONED DIRECTLY UNDER A ONE OF SAID OPENINGS IN SAID CONDUITS, EACH SAID PROJECTION ENGAGING A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS THEREBY TO HOLD SAID ELEMENTS IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT, AN INLET PORT, CONNECTED TO SAID TANK FOR SUPPLYING THE LIQUID TO BE CLARIFIED THERETO, A COVER REMOVABLY AND SELINGLY CONNECTED TO SAID TANK OVER THE TOP THEREOF, A PARTITION IN SAID COVER COOPERATING WITH THE WALLS OF SAID COVER TO DEFINE A COVER CHAMBER HAVING A VOLUME NO LESS THAN THE COMBINED INTERNAL VOLUME OF ALL SAID FILTER ELEMENTS, A DOWNWARDLY OPENING PORT IN SAID PARTITION FOR RECEIVING SAID INLET TUBE FROM SAID MANIFOLD, SEALING MEANS SEALABLY CONNECTING SAID TUBE TO SAID PORT TO PREVENT LEAKAGE BETWEEN THE CHAMBER IN SAID COVER AND THE CHAMBER IN SAID TANK, AN OUTLET FOR COMMUNICATING SAID COVER CHAMBER EXTERNALLY OF SAID FILTER TO CONVEY THE FILTERED LIQUID FROM SAID FILTER, AND VALVE MEANS FOR CONTROLLABLY INTERRUPTING THE FLOW OF LIQUID FROM SAID COVER CHAMBER.