Cooling structure for rotary mechanisms

Claim 1

A ROTARY MECHANISM FOR FLUID MOTORS, FLUID PUMPS, COMBUSTION ENGINES OR THE LIKE; SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING IN COMBINATION AN OUTER BODY HAVING SPACED END WALLS AND A PERIPHERAL WALL ATTACHED TO SAID END WALLS AND HAVING AN INNER SURFACE DEFINING A CAVITY WITH SAID END WALLS WITH SAID CAVITY HAVING AN AXIS ALONG WHICH SAID END WALLS ARE SPACED; AN INNER BODY MOUNTED FOR ROTATION IN SAID CAVITY ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL BUT ECCENTRIC TO THE OUTER BODY AXIS, SAID INNER BODY HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED APEX PORTIONS, SEAL MEANS CARRIED BY THE INNER BODY AT EACH APEX PORTION FOR CONTINUOUS SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL TO FORM A PLURALITY OF WORKING CHAMBERS BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER BODIES WHICH VARY IN VOLUME UPON RELATIVE ROTATION OF THE INNER AND OUTER BODIES; EACH APEX SEAL MEANS BEING RESILIENTLY MOVABLE IN THE RADIAL DIRECTION AND MECHANICALLY UNCONNECTED WITH SAID INNER BODY; EACH APEX SEAL MEANS EXTENDING IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY FROM ONE END FACE TO THE OTHER OF THE INNER BODY AND HAVING RELATIVELY SMALL PERIPHERAL EXTENSION WITH SUBSTANTIALLY LINE SEALING CONTACT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL; SAID PERIPHERAL WALL HAVING AN INNER WALL PORTION WITH A PLURALITY OF EXTERNAL RIBS RUNNING FROM ONE END WALL TO THE OTHER AND FORMING PASSAGES THEREBETWEEN FOR FLOW OF A COOLING FLUID THROUGH SAID PASSAGES; SAID COOLANT-PASSAGE-FORMING RIBS BEING INCLINED TO EACH APEX SEAL MEANS AS SAID SEAL MEANS MOVES ALONG SAID INNER SURFACE UNDER SAID RIBS TO PRECLUDE THE OCCURRENCE OF RIDGES ON SAID INNER SURFACE PARALLEL WITH SAID SEAL MEANS; SAID RIBS BEING SPACED FURTHER APART THAN SAID PERIPHERAL EXTENSION OF EACH APEX SEAL; AND SAID RIBINCLINATION BEING OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE THAT EACH APEX SEAL SIMULTANEOUSLY EXTENDS ACROSS AT LEAST TWO ADJACENT RIBS TO PRECLUDE CHATTERING OF SAID APEX SEALS IN PHASE WITH SAID RIBS AND CONSEQUENT INTERMITTENT SEALING CONTACT.