Patent ID: 8323370

Claim:
An air filter assembly consisting of; a cylindrical filter media; a fastening end cap attached to a first end of the filter media; a longitudinal filter shaft extending along an entire length of the filter media, the fastening end cap having an aperture being aligned with the longitudinal filter shaft; a captured wing nut element permanently integrally non-removably connected to the fastening end cap and the filter media forming a permanent non-removably integral captured wing nut assembly with the fastening end cap and the filter media, the captured wing nut element having a gripping portion and a cylindrical portion with a cylindrical cavity which is slidably disposed within the aperture, the cylindrical portion having internal female threads; the cylindrical portion internal female thread, removably mating directly with a threaded central shaft which extends an entire length of the filter element to variously tighten down along and free itself from the threaded central shaft, the gripping portion disposed at a top area of the cylindrical portion and a widened portion of the cylindrical portion disposed at a bottom area of the cylindrical portion distal from the top area of the cylindrical portion; upon assembly of the cylindrical portion with the end cap, the widened portion being located on an underside of the fastening end cap; the widened portion being larger in diameter than the fastening nd cap aperture and being abutable with the underside of the fastening end cap; the gripping portion also being larger in diameter than the fastener end cap aperture and being disposed on a top side of the fastening end cap; the cylindrical portion being extended in length between the gripping portion and the widened portion and being arranged and constructed to allow the gripping portion to be moved away from the end cap, upward movement of the gripping portion away from the fastening end cap being permanently arrested by abutment of the widened portion against the underside of the fastening end cap, downward movement at the gripping portion toward the fastening end cap being permanently arrested by abutment of a lower part of the gripping portion against the topside of the fastening endcap, an arrested fixed distance of upward and downward movement at the gripping portion being defined by a length of the extended cylindrical portion, the gripping portion having at least one ear extending substantially perpendicular to the cylindrical portion , the gripping portion being moveable the arrested fixed distance away from the topside of the fastening end cap to facilitate application of a force against an underside of the at least one ear, wherein the captured wing nut assembly is removable as an integral unit from a location in a filtering environment.