Froede

Claim 1

A ROTARY MECHANISM COMPRISING AN OUTER BODY HAVING SPACED END WALLS AND A PERIPHERAL WALL FORMING A CAVITY THEREBETWEEN; AN INNER BODY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID OUTER BODY FOR ROTATION RELATIVE TO SAID OUTER BODY; SAID INNER BODY HAVING A PLURALITY OF MOVABLE APEX SEAL MEANS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED ABOUT ITS PERIPHERY, EACH RECEIVED WITHIN AN OUTWARDLY-FACING GROOVE EXTENDING FROM ONE END FACE TO THE OTHER OF SAID INNER BODY; EACH SAID SEAL MEANS HAVING AN OUTER EDGE IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF THE PERIPHERAL WALL TO FORM A PLURALITY OF WORKING CHAMBERS BETWEEN SAID BODIES WHICH VARY IN VOLUME UPON ROTATION OF SAID BODIES; EACH SAID APEX SEAL MEANS HAVING A MULTI-PART CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING TWO END PARTS BEING SPACED AXIALLY APART AND A RADIALLYMOVABLE MIDDLE PART BETWEEN SAID END PARTS WITH THE MIDDLE PART HAVING ITS OUTER EDGE IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, THE SURFACE OF EACH END PART WHICH IS ADJACENT TO A MIDDLE PART SURFACE BEING COMPLEMENTARY TO SUCH MIDDLE PART SURFACE; AND MEANS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH END PART FOR CONSTRAINING EACH END PART TO SOLELY AXIAL MOVEMENT AND TO CAUSE ENGAGEMENT OF THE END FACE OF EACH END PART, WITH THE ADJACENT END WALL OF SAID OUTER BODY.