Gear pump or the like

Claim 1

IN A GEAR PUMP OR THE LIKE, A CASING COMPRISING A PORTION WITH INTERSECTING BORES THERETHROUGH AND PORTIONS AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSING THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE BORES, THE CASING ALSO HAVING AN INLET COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BORES AT ONE SIDE THEREOF, AN OUTLET COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BORES AT THE OPPOSITE SIDE THEREOF, AND EACH BORE HAVING A SEALING AREA ADJACENT SAID INLET, A PAIR OF GEARS IN MESHED RELATION WITHIN THE BORES ONE WITHIN EACH BORE AND DISPOSED WITH THEIR AXES PARALLEL WITH AND RESPECTIVELY CONTIGUOUS WITH THE PRINCIPAL AXES OF SAID BORES, EACH GEAR HAVING BEARING ENGAGEABLE MEANS, A PAIR OF SUPPORT MEMBERS WITHIN THE BORES ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE GEARS, THE SUPPORT MEMBERS HAVING MEANS ENGAGING THE BEARING ENGAGEABLE MEANS OF THE GEARS FOR SOLE BEARING SUPPORT OF THE GEARS IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL AND FIXED CENTER RELATION TO EACH OTHER, EACH SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING ARCUATE PERIPHERAL PORTIONS RESPECTIVELY IN SAID BORES IN APPROXIMATE COAXIAL RELATION THEREWITH AND SAID MEMBERS BEING DISPLACEABLE TRANSVERSELY OF THE BORE AXES TO DISPOSE SAID ARCUATE PERIPHERAL PORTIONS IN OR OUT OF SEATED SEALING RELATION WITH THE BORE SEALING AREAS, SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS BEING SUBJECTED TO THE PRESSURE OF FLUID AT SAID OUTLET TO BE URGED THEREBY INTO SAID SEATED RELATION DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF THE PUMP, THE ARCUATE PORTIONS OF THE SUPPORT MEMBERS IN THE SAME BORE HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AXIS AS THE GEAR WITHIN THAT BORE, THE RADIUS OF EACH GEAR BEING LESS THAN THE RADIUS OF THE ARCUATE PORTIONS OF THE SUPPORT MEMBERS WITHIN THE BORE CONTAINING THE GEAR BY A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT THE OUTER LIMITS OF THE TEETH OF THE GEAR FROM COMING CLOSER THAN TO LIGHTLY CONTACT THE INSIDE SURFACE OF THE BORE CONTAINING THE GEAR UNDER THE ACTION OF PUMP PRESSURE UPON ACHIEVEMENT OF MAXIMUM INTENDED PUMP DELIVERY PRESSURE.