Patent ID: 7316779

Claim:
An apparatus, for use with a filter, for separating and collecting a layer of particulate matter from a liquid containing the particulate matter, the filter having a collection site adapted to collect a layer of the particulate matter, the apparatus comprising a particulate matter separation chamber for holding the filter, the separation chamber defined at least in part by a bottom wall with a central fluid inlet and an annular wall projecting upwardly from the bottom wall, the bottom wall having a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections adjacent the annular wall that contact the filter adjacent its periphery, when installed in the separation chamber with the collection site facing the bottom wall, to maintain a gap between the filter and the bottom wall for outflow of liquid, the bottom wall further having a radially sloped surface facing the filter and configured such that the distance between the bottom wall and the collection site decreases from the inlet toward the filter periphery, whereby liquid introduced to the separation chamber through the inlet can flow directly through the filter and deposit a layer of particulate matter on the collection site, and can also flow with particulate matter outwardly across the face of the filter and through the spaces at the gap between the projections.