Patent ID: 7887704
Filing Date: 2011-02-15
Classification: B01D,F02M,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A filter element, comprising: an outer filter media operable to coalesce water entrained in a flow of target fluid and capture particulates entrained in the flow of target fluid; an inner filter media operable to separate the coalesced water from the flow of the target fluid and further capture particulates entrained in the flow of the target fluid; an upper end cap and a lower end cap located between opposing ends of the outer filter media and the inner filter media, wherein the upper end cap includes a first cradle having opposing side walls extending downwardly a predetermined distance along an outside surface and an inside surface of the outer filter media and a second cradle defined by a respective wall of the opposing side walls and a flange extending downwardly along an inside surface of the inner filter media; an upper cap member having an upwardly extending flange, a mid-section, and a downwardly extending flange, where the mid-section is positioned on an upper surface of the first cradle and the downwardly extending flange is positioned along the opposing side wall along the inside surface of the outer filter media; a cylindrical seal connected with a lower edge of the downwardly extending flange of the upper cap member; the lower end cap is connected with a first lower portion of the outer filter media and a second lower portion of the inner filter media; an axial gap between the first lower portion and the second lower portion; and the filter element is configured to prevent target fluid passing through the outer filter media from bypassing the inner filter media so that the target fluid flows through and is filtered by the inner filter media and enters an inner fluid chamber defined by the inside surface of the inner filter media.