Patent ID: 7108786

Claim:
In a filtration apparatus comprising: a casing; a filter element installed in the casing; a liquid inlet formed in an upper portion of the casing so as to communicate with an inside of the filter element; a liquid outlet formed in a lower portion of the casing so as to communicate with an outside of the filter element in the casing; an annular casing flange secured to an upper end of the casing; and a cover for closing an open end of the casing flange, the cover being pivotably installed through a hinge mechanism; the improvement which comprises: a casing bracket secured to said casing flange; a cover bracket secured to said cover; a pin inserted through insertion holes in side walls of said casing bracket and through insertion holes in side walls of said cover bracket; a stopper mechanism for maintaining said cover in a full-open position when said cover is fully opened; and a stopper-releasing mechanism for canceling the stopper function; wherein said casing bracket has a bottom wall and a pair of mutually opposing side walls, said bottom wall having a bottom wall through-hole, and said cover bracket has a top wall, a curved abutting wall and a pair of mutually opposing side walls, said abutting wall having an engagement hole, said filtration apparatus further comprising: a retaining member secured to the bottom wall of said casing bracket, said retaining member having a retaining wall through-hole formed in a retaining wall constituting a bottom of said retaining member; a stopper member inserted through said bottom wall through-hole and said retaining wall through-hole, said stopper member having an engagement projection formed at an upper end thereof; a stopper-releasing knob secured to a lower end of said stopper member; and a spring fitted between said engagement projection and said retaining wall, so that said engagement projection is pressed against said abutting wall by urging force from said spring, and when said cover is fully opened, said engagement projection is engaged in said engagement hole.