Sealing ring coupling

Claim 1

A SEALING COUPLING COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND ANNULAR PARTS HAVING ANNULAR END SURFACES PRESENTED TOWARD ONE ANOTHER IN COAXIAL ALIGNMENT; MEANS DEFINING A CONICALLY TAPERED RADIALLY INWARDLY FACING SEALING SURFACE ON EACH OF SAID ANNULAR PARTS, SAID SEALING SURFACES EACH EXTENDING AT AN ACUTE ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID PARTS AND INCREASING IN RADIUS TOWARD SAID ANNULAR END SURFACES; SAID SEALING SURFACES JOINING SAID ANNULAR END SURFACES AT THE RADIALLY INNER EXTENT OF SAID ANNULAR END SURFACES; AN ANNULAR SEALING RING OF HARD METAL OR THE LIKE FOR PROVIDING A SEAL BETWEEN SAID PARTS WHEN THEY ARE DRAWN AXIALLY TOWARD ONE ANOTHER, SAID SEALING RING COMPRISING A RADIALLY INNER ANNULAR FLANGE PORTION HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED ANNULAR FLEXIBLE LIPS AND AN INTEGRAL SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY DISPOSED ANNULAR RIB PORTION HAVING TWO OPPOSITELY AXIALLY FACING END SURFACES, SAID LIP EACH HAVING MEANS DEFINING AN ANNULAR RADIALLY EXTERIOR SEALING SURFACE THEREON, EACH LIP JOINING SAID RIB AT THE RADIALLY INNER EXTENT OF SAID RIB, THE RADII OF THE SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR LINES DEFINED AT THE JUNCTURE OF EACH LIP AND SAID RIB BEING EQUAL TO EACH OTHER, SAID CIRCULAR LINES BEING OF GREATER RADIUS THAN THE RADII OF THE SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR LINES DEFINED AT THE JUNCTURE OF THE ANNULAR PART ANNULAR END SAURFACES AND ANNULAR PART ANNULAR SEALING SURFACES WHEN SAID SEALING RING IS IN AN UNSTRESSED CONDITION; SAID SEALING RING BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID ANNULAR PARTS, SAID SEALING RING ANNULAR SEALING SURFACES BEING ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED BY SAID ANNULAR PART ANNULAR SEALING SURFACES AND DEFLECTED RADIALLY INWARDLY THEREBY THROUGHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE AXIAL EXTENT THEREOF UPON AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID ANNULAR PARTS TOWARD ONE ANOTHER; SAID SEALING RING ANNULAR LIPS BEING ELASTICALLY DEFLECTABLE UPON SAID MOVEMENT FROM A FIRST POSITION WHEREIN SAID SEALING RING ANNULAR SEALING SURFACES HAVE A CONCAVELY ARCUATE PROFILE TO A SECOND POSITION ANGULARLY INWARDLY OF SAID FIRST POSITION WHEREIN SAID SEALING RING ANNULAR SEALING SURFACES ARE COMPLEMENTARILY TAPERED WITH RESPECT TO SAID ANNULAR PART ANNULAR SEALING SURFACES AND WHEREIN THE RADII OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR LINES DEFINED AT THE JUNCTURE OF EACH LIP AND SAID RIB ARE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE RADII OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR LINES DEFINED AT THE JUNCTURE OF THE ANNULAR PAR ANNULAR END SURFACES AND THE ANNULAR PART ANNULAR SEALING SURFACES, AND WHEREIN IN SAID SECOND POSITION SAID ANNULAR PART ANNULAR SEALING SURFACES ABUTTINGLY ENGAGE SAID RIB END SURFACES; SAID FLEXIBLE LIPS WHEN DEFLECTED TO SAID SECOND POSITION EXERTING A GENERALLY RADIALLY OUTWARDLY DIRECTED SEALING FORCE AGAINST SAID ANNULAR PART ANNULAR SEALING SURFACES, SAID SEALING FORCE BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM MAGNITUDE PER UNIT AREA THROUGHOUT THE AXIAL EXTENT OF EACH LIP SEALING SURFACE; AND MEANS FOR DRAWING SAID ANNULAR PARTS AXIALLY TOWARD ONE ANOTHER TO DEFLECT SAID SEALING RING LIPS FROM THE FIRST POSITION THEREOF TO SAID SECOND POSITION THEREOF TO EFFECT A SEAL BETWEEN SAID ANNULAR PARTS AND SAID SEALING RING.