초록 ▼

An air filter arrangement for use in a heating or cooling system including a frame and a filtration member secured within the frame. The frame is defined by a pair of opposed frame components or halves, which are removably or permanently fastened to one another with the filtration member sandwiched

An air filter arrangement for use in a heating or cooling system including a frame and a filtration member secured within the frame. The frame is defined by a pair of opposed frame components or halves, which are removably or permanently fastened to one another with the filtration member sandwiched therebetween. The frame itself defines a template for permitting trimming of the filter arrangement to one of number of standard filter sizes. The frame is vacuum formed, which allows the frame to be formed from a thin, sheet-like plastic material, and results in a flexible, yet rigid frame which allows easy trimming by the user and provides a filter arrangement with is lightweight and inexpensive to manufacture.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An air filter arrangement for use in a heating or cooling system, said arrangement comprising: a frame including a pair of frame components disposed in face-to-face relation with one another, each said frame component defining an opening therein, one of said frame components

What is claimed is: 1. An air filter arrangement for use in a heating or cooling system, said arrangement comprising: a frame including a pair of frame components disposed in face-to-face relation with one another, each said frame component defining an opening therein, one of said frame components defining thereon a plurality of trimming guides disposed in predetermined locations on said one frame component so as to correspond to at least one standard size, said trimming guides being integrally formed with said one frame component and comprising grooves which extend inwardly with respect to an outwardly facing side surface of said one frame component and which open through said side surface; and a filtration member disposed between said frame components and being exposed through said openings defined in the respective frame components to allow the passage of air through said arrangement, said filtration member having a solid and uninterrupted portion compressed between a pair of opposed sections of the respective frame components to maintain said filtration member substantially stationary relative to said frame components. 2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said frame components are constructed of plastic. 3. An air filter arrangement for use in a heating or cooling system, said arrangement comprising: a frame including a pair of frame components disposed in face-to-face relation with one another, each said frame component defining an opening therein, said frame components being vacuum formed of plastic and each having a thickness of between about 0.0050 inch and about 0.030 inch; and a filtration member disposed between said frame components and being exposed through said openings defined in the respective frame components to allow the passage of air through said arrangement, said filtration member having a solid and uninterrupted portion compressed between a pair of opposed sections of the respective frame components to maintain said filtration member substantially stationary relative to said frame components. 4. The arrangement of claim 3, wherein said opposed sections of said frame components define respective locking members, said locking members of the respective frame components directly engaging one another to secure said frame components to one another and fix said filtration member therebetween. 5. The arrangement of claim 3 wherein said frame components are the sole components which define said frame, and said frame components include respective peripheral edge portions disposed in closely adjacent relation with one another so as to peripherally enclose and confine a peripheral edge of said filtration member on all sides thereof. 6. The arrangement of claim 4 wherein said locking member of one of said frame components is a female locking member and said locking member of the other frame component is a male locking member configured to cooperatively engage said female locking member, said male and female locking members being press-fit to one another to secure said frame members together and to fix said filtration member therebetween. 7. The arrangement of claim 4 wherein said locking members frictionally engage one another and allow disassembly of said frame components from one another to permit cleaning or replacement of said filtration member. 8. An air filter arrangement for use in a heating or cooling system, said arrangement comprising: a filtration member; a frame constructed of a thin, sheetlike material, said frame being defined by a pair of frame components disposed in opposed relation with one another and sandwiching said filtration member therebetween, said frame components defining openings therein to expose portions of said filtration member; and a locking arrangement, each said frame component defining thereon a locking member which forms part of said locking arrangement, said locking members of the respective frame components directly engaging one another to secure said frame components to one another, a solid nonperforated portion of said filtration member being compressed between said engaged locking members such that said filtration member is substantially non-movable relative to said frame. 9. A method of making and assembling an air filter arrangement for a heating or cooling system, said method comprising: vacuum forming a pair of frames from a thin sheetlike plastic material; positioning a filtration member between the formed frames; securing the frames to one another by engaging a pair of opposed locking members disposed on the respective frames with one another; and compressing a solid, non-perforated portion of the filtration member between the respective locking members. 10. The method of claim 9 further including the step of trimming said frame to a selected size, after said step of securing. 11. An air filter arrangement made by the method of claim 9. 12. An air filter arrangement made by the method of claim 9, said arrangement having frames constructed of PET and having a thickness of between about 0.0010 and about 0.0050 inch. 13. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of forming includes vacuum forming the frames such that each frame has a thickness of between about 0.0010 and 0.0050 inch. 14. The arrangement of claim 4 wherein one said locking member comprises a protrusion cantilevered from an inner surface of one said frame component, and the other said locking member comprises a recess which opens inwardly towards said inner surface and is sized to receive said protrusion therein, said solid and uninterrupted portion of said filtration member being compressed between substantial portions of both said protrusion and said recess such that said solid and uninterrupted portion is disposed within said recess. 15. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein said locking members define juxtaposed and inwardly-facing respective locking faces which engage one another, said solid nonperforated portion of said filtration member being disposed and compressed between substantial portions of said locking faces. 16. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein said solid nonperforated portion of said filtration member is disposed between said engaged locking members so as to prevent substantial contact of said engaged locking members with one another. 17. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein each said frame component is defined by a first plurality of legs disposed in spaced-apart relation with one another and interconnected to one another by a plurality of spaced-apart second legs which extend transversely with respect to said first legs, said first and second legs of each said frame component providing said frame with a gridlike pattern, said locking members of the respective frame components frictionally engaging one another to secure said frame components to one another. 18. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein said locking members are integrally formed with their respective frame components such that each said frame component comprises a one-piece monolithic component. 19. The arrangement of claim 17 wherein one of said frame components defines a template thereon which is integrally formed with said one frame component, said template including a plurality of grooves extending inwardly in a direction away from an outwardly facing side of said one frame component, each said groove being defined in a respective leg of said one frame component and extending transversely across said leg to permit cutting of said frame to size said arrangement to one of a plurality of predetermined sizes, said template additionally including a plurality of number markings disposed adjacent the respective grooves which define various standard lengths and widths to which said arrangement can be sized. 20. The method of claim 9 further including determining the proper size for the filter arrangement for the particular heating or cooling system, and, after said step of positioning, sizing the filter arrangement to the proper size by simultaneously cutting both the frames and the filtration member disposed between. 21. The method of claim 20 further including providing at least one of the frames with cutting guides disposed at predetermined locations so as to correspond to a plurality of standard filter sizes, and said step of sizing includes sizing the filter arrangement to the proper size by inserting an edge of the cutting tool into a selected guide and cutting the arrangement to the proper size. 22. An air filter arrangement for use in a heating or cooling system, said arrangement comprising: a filtration member; a frame constructed of a thin, sheet-like material, said frame being defined by a pair of frame components disposed in opposed relation with one another and sandwiching said filtration member therebetween, said frame components defining openings therein to expose portions of said filtration member, one of said frame components defining thereon at least one trimming guide disposed in a predetermined location on said one frame component so as to correspond to at least one standard size; and a locking arrangement, each said frame component defining thereon a locking member which forms part of said locking arrangement, said locking members of the respective frame components directly engaging one another and being secured to one another by one of: a plastic weld; adhesive; and a staple to secure said frame components to one another and fix said filtration member therebetween.