Artificial kidney

Claim 1

IN AN ARTIFICAL KIDNEY INCLUDING A SUPPLY OF RINSE FLUID, CONDUITS TO CONDUCT RINSE FLUID TO AND FROM THE KIDNEY, OTHER CONDUITS TO CONDUCT HUMAN BLOOD TO AND FROM THE KIDNEY AND A BUBBLE CATCHER IN THE RETURN CONDUIT TO SEPARATE AIR FROM THE BLOOD, THE COMBINATION OF, A PLURALITY OF BLOOD PURIFYING SANDWICHES EACH CONNECTED TO BOTH THE BLOOD AND RINSE FLUID CONDUITS, EACH SANDWICH COMPRISING, A PAIR OF SPACED PLATES, A PAIR OF SPACER FRAMES INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE PLATES, EACH OF THE SPACER FRAMES BEING ADJACENT ONE OF THE PLATES, A PAIR OF MEMBRANE SHEETS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE SPACER FRAMES WITH EACH SHEET ADJACENT ONE OF THE SPACER FRAMES, A PAIR OF SUPPORTING FRAME MEMBERS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE MEMBRANE SHEETS AND EACH ADJACENT ONE OF THE SHEETS, A BLOOD FRAME INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE SUPPORTING FRAMES, EACH OF SAID FRAMES HAVING A THROUGH CENTRAL PASSAGE SURROUNDED BY THE ASSOCIATED FRAME, SAID CENTRAL PASSAGES BEING ALIGNED AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH ONE ANOTHER TO DEFINE A PURIFYING CHAMBR, SAID MEMBRANES SEPARATING SAID CHAMBER INTO FIRST AND SECOND RINSE FLUID COMPARTMENTS AND A BLOOD COMPARTMENT THEREBETWEEN, A MAT OF FILTER CLOTH IN EACH FILTER SECTION, SAID PLATES EACH HAVING A SPACED PAIR OF ELONGATED FLUID CHANNELS EACH COMMUNICATING WITH A CONTIGUOUS RINSE FLUID COMPARTMENT, SAID FRAMES AND SHEETS HAVING APERTURES THEREIN ALIGNED WITH ONE ANOTHER TO PROVIDE A RINSE FLUID CONDUIT CONNECTING ONE OF THE CHANNELS OF ONE PLATE WITH ONE OF THE CHANNELS OF THE OTHER PLATE, SAID FIRST PLATE HAVING AN INLET APERTURE THEREIN COMMUNICAING WITH THE OTHER OF THE CHANNELS OF THE FIRST PLATE, SAID SECOND PLATE HAVING AN OUTLET APERTURE THEREIN COMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER OF THE CHANNELS OF THE SECOND PLATE, SAID INLET AND OUTLET APERTURES BEING CONNECTED TO SAID RINSE FLUID CONDUITS, SAID FRAMES AND PLATES HAVING OTHER APERTURES THEREIN ALIGNED AND IN COMMUNICATION TO DEFINE BLOOD INLET AND OUTLET PASSAGES COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BLOOD COMPARTMENT, AND SAID PLATE, SAID MATS, SAID FRAMES AND SAID MEMBRANES ALL BEING SUFFICIENTLY INERT CHEMICALLY TO BE FREE OF CHEMICAL REACTION WITH BLOOD AND RINSE FLUID.