Patent ID: 7931804

Claim:
A filter assembly for filtering a liquid, the filter assembly comprising: a clean chamber; a dirty chamber; and a clamping mechanism configured to move at least one of the dirty chamber and the clean chamber between a closed position and an opened position, wherein in the closed position, the dirty chamber and the clean chamber are compressed together such as to form a seal around a first section of a filter media and in the opened position, the dirty chamber and the clean chamber are at least partially spaced apart to allow the removal of the first section of the media and the insertion of a second section of the filter media; and a pump configured to create a vacuum force to draw the liquid through the dirty chamber and the clean chamber such that the liquid is filtered through the filter media between the dirty chamber and the clean chamber during a filtering operation and to draw air through the dirty chamber and the clean chamber to facilitate removal of the liquid from the dirty chamber and the clean chamber during an evacuation operation, wherein the clamping mechanism includes a toggle clamp and a linear actuator, wherein the toggle clamp includes a first clamping member and a second clamping member, wherein the first clamping member is pivotally connected to an end of the second clamping member to define an actuation region and the linear actuator is configured to engage at least one of the first clamping member and the second clamping member at the actuation region to move the dirty chamber and the clean chamber between the closed position and the open position.