Filter with covered edges

1. A filter for an air cleaner having an enclosure comprising:

a flexible support member having first and second surfaces and first and second side edges; and

wherein the filter is generally planar and collapsible, and includes generally parallel pleats, wherein said generally parallel pleats are generally perpendicular to said first and second side edges of said flexible support member;

a filter media layer attached to said first surface of said flexible support member, said filter media layer when unfolded extending beyond said first and second side edges of said flexible support member to form a skirt at each of said first and second side edges, wherein said skirts are folded over said first side edge and said second side edge of said flexible support member respectively to extend from said first surface to said second surface in a generally parallel arrangement, wherein said folded skirts are attached to the second surface of said flexible support member, and wherein said folded skirts have the generally parallel pleat configuration of the filter, forming a filter media cushion covering said at least one side edge.

2. The filter of claim 1 , wherein said filter media cushion is compressible to conform to the enclosure when the filter is inserted into the enclosure.

3. The filter of claim 1 , wherein opposing sides of said filter media layer are folded over both said first and second side edges of said flexible support member, thereby forming said filter media cushions on opposing sides of the filter.

4. The filter of claim 1 , wherein said flexible support member is slit and expanded metal foil.

5. A filter for an air cleaner having an enclosure having a width W 1 comprising:

a generally planar support member having a first surface and a second surface opposite said first surface, a top edge and a bottom edge opposite said top edge, and at least one side edge that is generally perpendicular to said top edge and said bottom edge;

a filter media layer attached to and covering said first surface of said support member, a portion of said filter media layer being folded over said at least one side edge of said support member to contact said second surface such that said portion of said filter media layer contacting said second surface extends generally parallel to said filter media layer attached to said first surface, and such that at least a portion of said at least one edge is covered by said filter media layer which forms a filter media cushion;

wherein the filter is generally planar and collapsible, and includes generally parallel pleats, wherein said generally parallel pleats are generally perpendicular to said at least one side edge of said generally planar support member;

wherein said folded portion of said filter media is attached to said second surface of said support member, and wherein said folded portion of said filter media layer has the generally parallel pleat configuration of the filter;

wherein said support member has a width of W 2 that is less than or equal to W 1 ;

wherein said filter media layer has an unfolded width of W 3 that is greater than W 2 ; and

wherein the filter has a width of W 4 that is greater than or equal to W 1 .

6. The filter of claim 5 , wherein said filter includes end caps attached to a top edge and a bottom edge of said support member, wherein said end caps are generally parallel to the pleats.

7. The filter of claim 5 , wherein said support member is slit and expanded metal foil.

8. A filter for an air cleaner including a filter enclosure having a width W 1 , and top and bottom channels, wherein the air cleaner is configured to cause air to flow through the filter enclosure from an upstream to a downstream direction, the filter comprising:

a flexible metal support member having a first and second side edges, a first surface and a second surface opposite of said first surface, and a top edge and a bottom edge that are generally perpendicular to said first and second side edges, said flexible metal support member having a width W 2 substantially equal to but less than W 1 ;

a filter media layer connected to and covering at least one of said first surface and said second surface of said flexible metal support member and having an unfolded width W 3 greater than W 2 , such that said filter media layer when unfolded extends beyond said first and second side edges of said flexible metal support member forming a first media skirt and a second media skirt, wherein both of said first media skirt and said second media skirt are defined by a portion of said filter media layer that is continuous along the entire extension of said filter media layer beyond said first and second side edges;

wherein said first media skirt and said second media skirt are folded over the respective first and second side edges of said flexible metal support member so as to cover said first and second side edges and form filter media cushions on said first and second side edges of the filter, wherein when said first media skirt and said second media skirt are folded over, the filter has a width W 4 that is substantially equal to but greater than W 1 such that when the filter is positioned in the filter enclosure, said filter media cushions are compressed thereby forming a seal between the filter and the filter enclosure;

wherein the filler is configured to be positioned in the filter enclosure with said flexible metal support member downstream from said filter media with respect to the direction of airflow;

wherein said filter is generally planar, pleated and collapsible, where said first and second side edges of said flexible metal support member are generally perpendicular to the pleats, wherein said folded first and second media skirts contact said second surface of said flexible metal support member, and wherein said folded first and second media skirts have the generally parallel pleat configuration of the filter; and

a pair of end caps attached to said top edge and said bottom edge, respectively, of said flexible metal support member, said pair of end caps being configured to engage the top and the bottom channels, respectively, of the filter enclosure.