Apex sealing means

Claim 1

A ROTARY MECHANISM COMPRISING AN OUTER BODY HAVING SPACED END WALLS AND A PERIPHERAL WALL FORMING A CAVITY THEREBETWEEN; AN INNER BODY HAVING AXIALLY-SPACED END FACES AND DISPOSED WITHIN SAID OUTER BODY CAVITY BETWEEN THE END WALLS THEREOF FOR ROTATION RELATIVE TO SAID OUTER BODY WITH EACH OF SAID END FACES ADJACENT TO AN END WALL; SAID INNER BODY HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED APEX PORTIONS HAVING SEALING COOPERATION WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF THE PERIPHERAL WALL OF SAID CAVITY TO FORM BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER BODIES A PLURALITY OF WORKING CHAMBERS WHEREIN VARYING FLUID PRESSURES CYCLICALLY OCCUR; AND A PLURALITY OF SEAL STRIPS, ONE FOR EACH OF SAID APEX PORTIONS AND EACH RECEIVED IN A GROOVE IN AN APEX PORTION EXTENDING FROM ONE END FACE TO THE OTHER OF THE INNER BODY; EACH SAID SEAL STRIP HAVING A WIDTH IN THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL DIRECTION WHICH IS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF ITS ASSOCIATED GROOVE WHEREBY THE FLUID THAT ONE OF THE TOW ADJACENT WORKING CHAMBERS HAVING THE HIGHER PRESSURE URGES SAID SEAL STRIP AGAINST THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF ITS GROOVE AND ENTERS THE GROOVE AND ACTS ON THE RADIALLY INNER EDGE OF THE SEAL STRIP TO URGE IT RADIALLY OUTWARD INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF THE OUTER BODY PERIPHERAL WALL; EACH SAID SEAL STRIP HAVING AT LEAST ONE RECESS IN EACH OF ITS SIDE FACES DISPOSED WITHIN A REGION OF SAID SIDE FACE WITH IS DISPOSED ENTIRELY WITHIN ITS APEX PORTION GROOVE, SAID RECESS EXTENDING OVER A SUBSTANTIAL AREA OF SAID SIDE FACE, THE RECESSES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID SEAL STRIP BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL AREA, SAID SEAL STRIP HAVING AT LEAST ONE PASSAGE THERETHROUGH INTERCONNECTING SAID RECESSES; EACH OF SAID SEAL STRIPS HAVING AN ADDITIONAL RECESS IN EACH OF ITS SIDE FACES ADJACENT AT LEAST ONE END OF SAID STRIP, EACH SAID ADDITIONAL RECESS BEING DISPOSED INWARDLY OF THE OUTER EDGE OF THE ASSOCIATED GROOVE FOR SAID SEAL STRIP AND EXTENDING TO SAID ADJACENT END OF SAID SEAL STRIP.