Seal

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION, A HOUSING DEFINING AT LEAST A PORTION OF A PRESSURE CHAMBER AND HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN, A SHAFT PROJECTING THROUGH SAID APERTURE AND HAVING A RADIALLY DIRECTED SHOULDER NEAR SAID APERTURE, A SEALING RING AROUND THE SHAFT AND INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE HOUSING AND THE SHOULDER, SAID RING EXTENDING FROM A FIRST TRANVERSE END WALL REMOTE FROM SAID SHOULDER TO A SEALING FACE ADJACENT SAID SHOULDER, SAID RING INCLUDING A CYLINDRICALLY CONTOURED PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID FIRST END WALL TO A SECOND TRANSVERSE END WALL INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE RING, SAID RING INCLUDING AN OUTWARDLY DIRECTED FLANGE ADJACENT SAID SEALING FACE AND OF A DIAMETER GREATER THAN SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION, THE HOUSING INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL PORTION SPACED FROM AND CONCENTRIC TO THE RING CYLINDRICAL PORTION, ONE OF SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTIONS HAVING AN ANNULAR GROOVE FORMED THEREIN, AN O-RING IN THE GROOVE AND IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID OTHER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE TO SEAL SAID CHAMBER AND PREVENT THE FLOW OF FLUID BETWEEN THE HOUSING AND THE RING, A SPRING INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE HOUSING AND THE RING AND BIASING THE RING TOWARD SAID SHOULDER, SAID SHOULDER HAVING A SEALING FACE COMPLEMENTAL TO THE RING SEALING FACE AND DEFINING A FLUID FILM PRODUCING REGION THEREBETWEEN, SAID RING HAVING SEALING FLUID SUPPLY PASSAGES EXTENDING FROM THE FACE THROUGH THE RING AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER TO CONDUCT A QUANTITY OF THE FLUID BEING SEALED FROM THE CHAMBER TO THE FLUID FILM PRODUCING REGION, ONE OF SAID TRANSVERSE END WALLS BEING IN SAID CHAMBER AND OF AN AREA LESS THAN THE AREA OF SAID RING SEALING FACE TO CAUSE THE PRESSURE IN THE CHAMBER TO URGE THE RING TOWARD THE SHOULDER WITH A PRESSURE LESS THAN THE PRESSURE OF A GENERATED FILM URGING THE RING AWAY FROM THE SHOULDER WHEN THE DEVICE IS IN USE, AND THE RADIAL EXTREMITY OF SAID REGION REMOTE FROM SAID CHAMBER BEING IN UNOBSTRUCTED COMMUNICATION WITH THE ATMOSPHERE AMBIENT TO THE HOUSING WHEREBY FLUID MAY ESCAPE CONTINUOUSLY FROM THE REGION TO THE AMBIENT ATMOSPHERE.