An adsorbent unit including a porous container, adsorbent in the container, at least one tab extending outwardly from the container, side edges on the tab, and concave indentations in the side edges. The tab can have an aperture therein for mounting the tab on the filter body of a return bend of an accumulator. Another embodiment of the adsorbent unit can include two tabs extending outwardly from the opposite ends of the container, rigid outer ends on the tabs, and concave indentations in the sides of the tabs between the outer ends of the tabs and the adsorbent container. In use, the concave indentations of the various tabs receive the spaced pipes of a return bend pipe utilized in a refrigerant accumulator.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
 Not Applicable
 STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
 Not Applicable
 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention relates to an adsorbent unit for use in a refrigerant
 accumulator of an air conditioning system which contains a U-shaped return
 bend pipe.
 By way of background, an adsorbent unit is utilized in a refrigerant
 accumulator for the purpose of adsorbing moisture in the refrigerant.
 Insofar as known, in the past, when a single adsorbent unit was utilized
 in a refrigerant accumulator having a U-shaped return bend pipe, the bag
 itself was usually not partially secured relative to the spaced pipes by
 means of concave indentations in the fabric portion thereof.
 BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 It is one object of the present invention to provide an improved single
 container adsorbent unit for a U-bend pipe of a refrigerant accumulator in
 which the mounting structure includes a fabric portion having concave
 indentations which secure the adsorbent unit relative to the U-bend pipe.
 Other objects and attendant advantages of the present invention will
 readily be perceived hereafter.
 The present invention relates to an adsorbent unit comprising a single
 porous adsorbent container, adsorbent in said container, at least one tab
 extending outwardly from said container, side edges on said tab, and
 concave indentations in said side edges.
 The present invention also relates to a refrigerant accumulator having a
 housing with a bottom wall and a side wall and a U-shaped pipe with a
 return bend adjacent said bottom wall and with first and second pipe
 portions extending from said return bend within said housing, the
 improvement comprising a single porous adsorbent container, a tab on said
 container, an outer end on said tab remote from said container, side edges
 on said tab, and concave indentations in said side edges between said
 container and said outer end of said tab receiving said first and second
 pipe portions adjacent said return bend.
 The various aspects of the present invention will be more fully understood
 when the following portions of the specification are read in conjunction
 with the accompanying drawings wherein:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
 The adsorbent unit 10 of the present invention includes a casing 11 formed
 of porous material, in this instance, heat-fusible felted polyester, but
 it may be fabricated of any other suitable fusible material. Casing 11 is
 formed from two sides of felted polyester which are bonded together by
 fused seams, and it comprises a container 12 containing adsorbent 13 with
 the container having tabs 14 and 15 extending outwardly from the opposite
 end portions thereof, as described in detail hereafter. The preferred
 adsorbent is molecular sieve but any other suitable adsorbent may be used.
 Container 12 is defined by fused seams 17, 19, 20 and 21. Container 12 has
 a pronounced convex surface 22 and a less convex surface 23. However,
 surface 23 may be substantially planar. Tab 14 includes an outer portion
 24 which is fabricated by fusing the two sides of felted polyester under
 suitable heat and pressure into a substantially rigid member of
 substantially oval shape. Tab 14 also includes a portion 25 which consists
 of two layers 27 and 29 of felted polyester and the outer edges of portion
 25 consists of fused seams 30 and 31. Fused seam 30 extends between fused
 tab portion 24 and fused seam 19, and fused seam 31 extends between outer
 tab end 24 and fused seam 21. Tab 15 is a mirror image of tab 14 and the
 portions thereof are designated by primed numerals which correspond to the
 structure of the unprimed numerals of tab 14, and therefore a further
 description of tab 15 is deemed unnecessary.
 The adsorbent unit 10 is intended to be mounted in a prior art accumulator
 type of receiver 33 (FIGS. 3 and 4) which includes an upper cylindrical
 housing portion 34 having a side wall 36 and a lower cylindrical housing
 portion 35 having a side wall 38 and having a flange 37 which receives the
 lower edge portion of upper portion 48 with an interference fit, and a
 joint is thereafter hermetically welded at 39. Insofar as pertinent here,
 the accumulator 33 includes a U-bend pipe 40 and a refrigerant inlet 41
 which receives a mix of gaseous and liquid refrigerant and conducts it
 through pipe 42 having an open end 43 proximate concave surface 44 such
 that the refrigerant impinges thereon after it leaves pipe 42. The upper
 end 45 of U-shaped pipe 40 is open and it receives gaseous refrigerant
 which passes through pipe 47, return bend 49, pipe 50 and pipe 51 to
 outlet 52 which leads to the compressor, as is well known in the art. As
 noted above, the gaseous refrigerant passes through U-shaped pipe 40
 because it rises to the top while the liquid refrigerant from the
 evaporator drops to the bottom of the accumulator. A lubricant inlet (not
 shown) is located at the underside of the return bend 49 such that the
 lubricant which accumulates in the depression 55 of bottom wall 56 is
 induced into the return bend and conveyed with the gaseous refrigerant to
 the compressor, as is well known in the art. As can be seen from FIG. 4,
 the U-bend 40 includes two spaced pipes 47 and 50 which are connected by
 U-bend 49. In the present instance, pipe 50 is substantially vertical and
 pipe 47 is inclined. The U-bend 40 is sometimes referred to as a J-bend.
 In FIGS. 4 and 5 the adsorbent unit 10 is shown in its installed position.
 In this respect, concave indentations 26 and 28 of tab 14 receive pipe
 portions 47 and 50, respectively, which are adjacent return bend 49.
 Additionally, concave indentations 26' and 28' of tab 15 receive pipes 47
 and 50, respectively, which are remote from U-bend 49. The stiffness of
 the outer ends 24 and 24' of tabs 14 and 15, respectively, maintains the
 adsorbent unit 10 in position and the retention in position is aided by
 fused seams 30, 31, 30' and 31'.
 In FIGS. 6-9 another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. An
 adsorbent unit 10a includes a casing 57 having an adsorbent container 59
 and a tab 60 extending outwardly from the end thereof. Casing 57 is formed
 of two sides of felted polyester which are bonded to each other by fused
 seams. Container 59 is defined by fused seams 60, 61, 62 and 63, and it
 includes a pronounced convex side 64 and a less pronounced convex side 65.
 A suitable adsorbent 67, such as molecular sieve, is contained within
 container 59.
 The two sides 69 and 70 of tab 60 are defined by a fused seam 71 and fused
 seam 60 of container 59. Fused seam 71 includes concave indentations 72
 and 73 and the ends 74 and 75 of fused seam 71 merge into fused seam 60
 where it merges into fused seams 59 and 63, respectively. A slot-like
 aperture 77 is formed in tab 60 and it is outlined by fused seam 79.
 Adsorbent unit 10a is mounted on the U-bend 40 of an accumulator-type of
 receiver 33 shown in FIG. 8. Accumulator 33 is identical to that described
 above in FIG. 4 and like numerals represent like elements of structure.
 Therefore, the total description of accumulator 33 will not be repeated.
 Adsorbent unit 10a is mounted by inserting the filter housing 53 through
 aperture 77 and thereafter threading the container 59 between legs 47 and
 50 so that concave indentations 73 and 72 receive the lower portions of
 pipes 47 and 50, respectively, proximate return bend 49. Thus, the less
 pronounced side 65 of container 57 will be adjacent legs 47 and 50.
 While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed,
 it will be appreciated that it is not limited thereto but may be otherwise
 embodied within the scope of the following claims.