Patent ID: 7976606

Claim:
A filter assembly for affixment to an underlying device covering an intake region within the underlying device for separating unwanted contaminants or impurities from a filtrant stream entering such intake region, such filter assembly comprising: (a) a filter media having fibers within such filter media defining a plurality of apertures; (b) a filtering region defined in a central portion of the filter media; (c) a collar region integrally attached to the filter assembly, such collar comprising: (i) an adhesive material applied under pressure to the bottom surface of the filter media not constituting such filtering region, so that the adhesive partially penetrates the apertures within the non-filtering region portion of the filter media to a sufficient degree to produce a tacky top surface on the non-filtering region; (ii) a binding solution applied to the top surface of the non-filtering region of the filter media to partially penetrates the apertures within the non-filtering region of the filter media; (iii) whereby the binding solution interacts with the adhesive to cause encapsulation of the fibers of the non-filtering region of the filter media, resulting in a non-tacky top surface of the collar, and a tacky adhesive bottom surface of the collar; and (d) a peel-away liner positioned along the bottom surface of the collar to protect the adhesive until the filter assembly is applied to the underlying device.