Seal means for rotary mechanisms

Claim 1

IN A ROTARY MECHANISM COMPRISING AN OUTER BODY HAVING A PERIPHERAL WALL FORMING A CAVITY HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND END WALLS SPACED APART ALONG SAID AXIS AND INTERCONNECTED BY SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, AN INNER BODY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CAVITY AND ROTATABLE RELATIVE TO SAID OUTER BODY ABOUT AN AXIS DISPLACED FROM BUT PARALLEL TO SAID OUTER BODY AXIS AND PLANETATING THEREAROUND, SAID INNER BODY HAVING AXIALLY-SPACED END FACES IN SEALING RELATION TO SAID END WALLS, SAID INNER BODY HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED APEX PORTIONS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, THE RADIAL DIMENSION OF SAID INNER BODY BEING GREATER AT EACH APEX PORTION THAN BETWEEN SAID APEX PORTIONS WHEREBY ON SUCH RELATIVE ROTATION WORKING CHAMBERS OF VARIABLE VOLUME ARE FORMED BETWEEN SAID INNER AND OUTER BODIES, SAID INNER BODY HAVING AT EACH OF SAID APEX PORTIONS A GROOVE RUNNING BETWEEN SAID END FACES AND EXTENDING INWARDLY SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY TO SAID INNER BODY; THE COMBINATION WITH SAID ROTARY MECHANISM OF A SEAL STRIP MEMBER HAVING LENGTH, WIDTH, AND THICKNESS DISPOSED IN EACH OF SAID GROOVES WITH ITS WIDTH DISPOSED IN THE GENERALLY RADIAL DIRECTION AND ITS THICKNESS DISPOSED IN THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL DIRECTION AND HAVING A SWEEPING EDGE PROTRUDING FROM SAID GROOVE IN SEALING CONTACT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, EACH OF SAID SWEEPING EDGES HAVING A LEADING PORTION, A CENTRAL PORTION, AND A TRAILING PORTION, SAID TRAILING PORTION BEING CONVEXLY CURVED AND HAVING A RADIUS AND CURVATURE BETWEEN 75% AND 125% OF SAID THICKNESS, SAID CENTRAL PORTION BEING CONVEXLY CURVED TANGENT TO SAID TRAILING PORTION AND HAVING A RADIUS OF CURVATURE BETWEEN 40% AND 60% OF SAID THICKNESS, AND SAID LEADING PORTION BEING TANGENT TO SAID CENTRAL PORTION AND CHAMFERED TOWARD THE RADIALLY INWARD DIRECTION.