Patent ID: 9586167
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: B01D,F02M

Claim:
1. A flat filter element adapted to be mounted in a filter housing, the flat filter element comprising: an inflow surface; an outflow surface downstream of the inflow surface in a flow-through direction of the flat filter element; a filter medium extending between the inflow surface and the outflow surface; wherein the filter medium is a pleated filter medium folded in a zigzag shape into a course of zigzag shaped pleat folds forming a filter bellows, the pleated filter medium continuing from a first outer fold forming an upper end face of the filter bellows to a last outer fold forming a lower end face of the filter medium: a first set of pleat fold edges arranged at the inflow surface where fluid to be filtered entered the pleated filter medium; a second set of pleat fold edges arranged at the outflow surface where filtered fluid exits the pleated filter medium; a first side end face arranged on a zigzag filter medium edge which follows the course of zigzag shaped pleat folds forming the filter bellows, and arranged traverse to the pleat fold edges; an opposing second side end face arranged on an opposing zigzag filter medium edge of the course of zigzag shaped pleat folds forming the filter bellows, the second side end face spaced apart from the first side end face such that the pleat fold edges extend from the first side end face to the second side end face; a circumferentially extending sealing section connected to the filter medium and circumferentially extending relative to the flow-through direction; a seal fastened to or interacting with the sealing section, wherein the seal, when the flat filter element is mounted in a filter housing, separates an inlet of the filter housing for air to be purified from at least one outlet of the filter housing for purified air; two flat rectangular lateral strips of an elastic, stretchable, flexible nonwoven fibrous web of material that is able to deform without breaking; at least one first functional element section arranged on at least one circumferential side of the filter medium so as to be spaced apart from the circumferentially extending sealing section, wherein the at least one first functional element section is fixed directly onto to a respective one of the two flat rectangular lateral strips, wherein the at least one first functional element section is embodied as a support element section adapted to support the flat filter element on at least one inner side of the filter housing and is further embodied as a guide element section adapted to guide the flat filter element on the inner side of the filter housing during installation of the flat filter element in the filter housing; wherein the at least one first functional element section is made of a plastic material that is able to elastically deform without breaking, such that upon insertion of the flat filter element into a filter housing, the first functional element section elastically yields so that the flat filter element can also pass constrictions and/or projections within the filter housing.