Aseptic joint seal

Claim 1

A PUMP OR THE LIKE FOR HANDLING MATERIAL REQUIRED TO BE PROTECTED AGAINST CONTAMINATION AND COMPRISING THE COMBINATION WITH A CHAMBER FOR SUCH MATERIAL, MEANS WITHIN THE CHAMBER FOR ACTING ON THE MATERIAL, A REMOVABLE COVER FOR THE CHAMBER, MEANS PROVIDING INLET AND OUTLET PASSAGES RESPECTIVELY LEADING TO AND FROM THE CHAMBER FOR THE SAID MATERIAL, MOTION-TRANSMITTING MEANS EXTENDING INTO SAID CHAMBER FOR ACTUATING THEREIN THE SAID MEANS FOR ACTING ON MATERIAL IN SAID CHAMBER, AND MEANS FOR COMPLETELY PROTECTING SUCH MATERIAL FROM CONTAMINATION AND COMPRISING SEALS BETWEEN THE MOTIONTRANSMITTING MEANS AND THE CHAMBER AND BETWEEN THE REMOVABLE COVER AND THE CHAMBER, AND BETWEEN THE CHAMBER AND THE INLET AND OUTLET PASSAGES, EACH OF SAID SEALS COMPRISING A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS AND MUTUALLY SPACED ELASTICALLY YIELDABLE SEAL ELEMENTS, MEANS PROVIDING SEATS RESISTING THE SEPARATION OF SAID ELEMENTS, AND MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A STERILE FLUID BETWEEN THE ELEMENTS OF EACH SUCH PAIR UNDER PRESSURE EXCEEDING THE PRESSURE OF MATERIAL IN SAID CHAMBER AND ALSO EXCEEDING EXTERNAL PRESSURE EXERTED TOWARD SAID CHAMBER, WHEREBY SAID FLUID RESISTS CONTAMINATION OF SUCH MATERIAL FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE AND ALSO RESISTS ESCAPE OF MATERIAL FROM SAID CHAMBER AND ALSO RESISTS TO-AND-FRO MOVEMENT OF MATERIAL PAST SAID SEALS IN RESPONSE TO VARIABLE DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURES BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER AND THE EXTERIOR THEREOF.