Patent ID: 7854329

Claim:
A hollow element designed to cooperate with a filter cartridge of a filter assembly for fluid circulating in an engine or hydraulic equipment, the hollow element comprising supports for a filter medium included in the cartridge, said supports extending from junctions with connectors and designed with recesses between them through which the fluid is free to flow, the connectors extend continuously from one end of the hollow element to a second end, and splays at ends of the supports at the junctions with the connectors so that the junctions are wider than a thickness of the supports, wherein said supports extend from one of said connectors to another following a path defining a spiral portion with a substantially constant slope, said connectors comprise at least two vertical ribs, there is a separation between said supports along one side of said vertical ribs and said supports present on the other side of said vertical rib, and said supports correspond to slices of disk portions extending between said connectors, the supports and the ribs have outer edges and the outer edges of the supports do not project beyond the outer edges of the ribs, and the disk portions have a radial dimension that is greater than a thickness dimension in an axial direction, said hollow element further comprising a central post, said disk portions are fixed to the central post, and the ribs are not directly attached to the central post, the central post, the disk portions and the ribs are a single piece assembly formed from a plastic material.