Patent ID: 8480891

Claim:
A filter assembly, comprising: a filter plate having an axially outer surface and a feed hole extending axially into the axially outer surface, the feed hole including a counter bore that defines a shoulder, and a radial groove formed in the counter bore adjacent to the shoulder; a liquid permeable filtering media having an axially inner surface abutting the axially outer surface of the filter plate for separating at least one solid from at least one liquid in a slurry, the filtering media having a feed hole formed therein that is coaxially aligned with the feed hole in the filter plate for allowing passage of a slurry into a filter chamber defined by an axially outer surface of the filtering media; a connector ring comprising a flange having flange radially inner section and a radially outer section, the radially inner section configured to receive an edge of the feed hole of the filtering media and the radially outer section being configured to receive an annular portion of the axially inner surface of the filtering media that surrounds the feed hole to connect the filtering media to the connector ring, wherein an annular portion of the axially outer surface of the filtering media adjacent the filtering media feed hole is substantially flush with an axially outer surface of the radially inner section of the connector ring, wherein the connector ring engages the radial groove in the filter plate feed hole to connect the connector ring to the filter plate; and a distribution ring to secure the filtering media and the connector ring to the filter plate, wherein the distribution ring includes a cylindrical portion having a radially outer surface that abuts a radially inner surface of the connector ring, an annular flange extending radially outwardly from an axially outer end of the cylindrical portion, the annular flange having an axially inner surface that abuts the axially outer surface of the radially inner section of the connector ring and the annular portion of the axially outer surface of the filtering media adjacent the filtering media feed hole, and the cylindrical portion including an annular inner axial surface that is adjacent to and spaced apart from the shoulder of the counter bore.