Patent ID: 7470312

Claim:
An exhaust emission control device comprising: an inner shell arranged fixedly in a muffler incorporated in an exhaust pipe; a particulate filter integrally carried by a cartridge shell and unitized into a filter cartridge which is fitted through insertion into said inner shell; wherein the inner shell is formed to have an inner diameter greater than an outer diameter of the cartridge shell to provide an insertion clearance, and said inner shell is formed with a tapered portion at a position short of an inward end thereof by a predetermined distance; wherein said tapered portion has a gradually reduced diameter in a direction of insertion of the filter cartridge, with a portion of the inner shell inward of said tapered portion being formed as a small-diameter portion with a reduced insertion clearance, and wherein said small-diameter portion is at a greater depth than said tapered portion with respect to said insertion direction; and sealing and cushioning materials fitted over an outer peripheral surface on the inward end of the cartridge shell and which are held in a clamped manner between the filter cartridge and the small-diameter portion of said inner shell upon fitting of the filter cartridge.