Multi-part apex seal

Claim 1

A ROTARY MECHANISM COMPRISING AN OUTER BODY HAVING AXIALLY-SPACED END WALLS AND AN INTERPOSED PERIPHERAL WALL FORMING A CAVITY THEREBETWEEN, THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL HAVING A MULTI-LOBED PROFILE WHICH IS BASICALLY EPITROCHOIDAL AND HAVING AN AXIS ALONG WHICH SAID END WALLS ARE SPACED; AN INNER BODY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID OUTER BODY AND ROTATABLE RELATIVELY THERETO ABOUT AN AXIS DISPLACED FROM BUT PARALLEL TO SAID OUTER BODY AXIS, SAID INNER BODY HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED APEX PORTIONS FOR SEALING COOPERATION WITH SAID PERIPHERAL WALL INNER SURFACE TO FORM A PLURALITY OF WORKING CHAMBERS THEREBETWEEN WHICH VARY IN VOLUME UPON RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID BODIES; EACH SAID APEX PORTION HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED BUT CLOSELY ADJACENT OUTWARDLY-FACING GROOVES DISPOSED ONE ON EACH SIDE OF SAID APEX AND RUNNING FROM ONE ROTOR END FACE TO THE OTHER; A COOPERATING PAIR OF SEAL STRIP MEMBERS FOR EACH OF SAID GROOVE PAIRS, THERE BEING ONE MEMBER OF EACH SAID SEAL STRIP PAIR DISPOSED IN EACH GROOVE OF SAID GROOVE PAIRS, EACH OF SAID SEAL STRIP PAIRS FORMING AN ACUTE ANGLE THEREBETWEEN WITH THE RADIALLY OUTERMOST EDGES OF SAID STRIP MEMBERS OF EACH PAIR CONVERGING AND IN CLOSE JUXTAPOSITION, SAID EDGE BEING IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PERIPHERAL WALL INNER SURFACE; A PLURALITY OF END FACE SEAL STRIP MEMBERS CARRIED BY EACH END FACE OF SAID INNER BODY AND PROJECTING AXIALLY THEREFROM INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ADJACENT END WALLS OF SAID OUTER BODY, THERE BEING ONE END FACE SEAL STRIP MEMBER EXTENDING BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF ADJACENT APEX PORTIONS OF SAID INNER BODY AND GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID INNER BODY; AND A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY MOVABLE INTERMEDIATE SEAL ELEMENTS POSITIONED ONE AT EACH END OF EACH APEX GROOVE IN SEALING COOPERATION WITH THE ASSOCIATED APEX SEAL STRIP AND THE ADJACENT END OF AN END FACE SEAL; EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF OUTWARDLY CONVERGING APEX SEAL STRIPS DEFINING AN ENCLOSURE THEREBETWEEN HAVING PASSAGE MEANS FOR VENTING SAID ENCLOSURE.