Patent ID: 7824547

Claim:
A filter apparatus comprising: a filter tank having an inlet for a liquid to be filtered and an outlet for filtered liquid; a frame arranged in said filter tank above said inlet, said frame comprising a pair of spaced apart side members; at least one overflow outlet opening which opens through one of said side members and which communicates with the filtered liquid outlet of the filter tank; an endless belt of filter medium adapted to circulate within the filter tank, said belt of filter medium being arranged on said frame between said side members such that a top segment of the filter medium belt passes above the at least one overflow outlet opening and a bottom segment of the filter medium belt passes below said at least one overflow outlet opening, and the side members and the top and bottom segments of the filter medium belt together define between them a filtered liquid zone, wherein said overflow openings are arranged such that liquid level in said filter tank settles between said top and bottom segments of said filter medium belt, wherein said filtered liquid is filtered only by said bottom segment; and flight bars provided along the belt of the filter medium, the flight bars being arranged substantially perpendicular to the movement direction of the belt of filter medium and serving to assist in transporting dirt separated from the filtered liquid, whereby the liquid to be filtered is introduced to the filter tank through the inlet, passes through the bottom segment of the belt into the filtered liquid zone, whereby the fluid is filtered, and flows from the filtered liquid zone through the at least one overflow outlet opening to the outlet for filtered liquid.