Packing seal for shafting

Claim 1

A COMBINATION PACKING AND STUFFING BOX WHEREIN THE STUFFING BOX INCLUDES A CYLINDER HAVING AN INNER SURFACE OF PREDETERMINED SIZE FOR RECEIVING A SET OF TWO SPACED RIGID ONE PIECE SPRING-LIKE SLOTTED CONTRACTIBLE COMPRESSING RINGS WHEREIN THE SLOTS ARE NORMALLY OPEN AND AN INTERMEDIATE PLIABLE COMPRESIBLE AND EXPANDABLE PACKING RING, A SHOULDER AT THE LOWER INNER EDGE OF THE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CYLINDRICAL AND PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING CENTRICALLY THEREOF FOR RECEIVING A CYLINDRICAL STEM LIKE SHAFT, SAID OPENING IN THE RIGID RINGS BEING NORMALLY OF A SLIGHTLY GREATER DIAMETER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE SHAFT WHEN THE SAID SLOTS ARE IN OPEN POSITION, AND OF SUBSTATNTIALLY THE SAME DIAMETER AS THE STEM-LIKE SHAFT WHEN THE SLOTS ARE CLOSED, SAID CONTRACTIBLE RIGID COMPRISING RINGS BEING TRIANGULAR IN CROSS-SECTION WITH EACH RING HAVING A SIDE WALL SLIDABLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL STEM-LIKE SHAFT AND A WALL HAVING ONE EDGE POSITIONED ADJACENT ONE EDGE OF THE FIRST MENTIONED SIDE WALL AND AT RIGHT ANGLE THERETO AND AN ANGLED WALL EXTENDING FROM AND BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE EDGES OF EACH OF SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID PLIABLE COMPRESSIBLE AND EXPANDABLE PACKING RING BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN THE SURFACES OF THE ANGLED WALLS OF SAID RIGID CONTRACTIBLE COMPRESSING RINGS WITH A MAJOR OUTER PERIPHERAL SIDE IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CYLINDRICAL INNER SURFACE OF THE SAID STUFFING BOX, AND A MINER INNER PERIPHERAL SIDE ENGAGING SAID CYLINDRICAL SHAFT AND MEANS FOR AXIALLY COMPRESSING SAID COMPRESSIBLE AND EXPANDABLE RING BETWEEN SAID SPACED CONTRACTIBLE COMPRESSING RINGS FOR PROVIDING A TIGHTER SEAL BETWEEN THE SURFACE OF SAID CYLINDER AND THE ADJACENT WIDER SURFACE OF SAID COMPRESSIBLE AND EXPANDABLE RING THAN BETWEEN THE CYLINDRICAL SHAFT AND THE INNER NARROWER PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID COMPRESSIBLE AND EXPANDABLE PACKING RING, THE SPRING ACTION OF THE TWO COMPRESSION RINGS BEING SUCH AS TO CONTACT UNDER A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE TOWARD THE SHAFT AND EXPAND AGAINST THE COMPRESSIBLE PACKING RING FOR RETAINING THE SAME UNDER CONSTANT PRESSURE IN SEALED ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SAID STUFFING BOX AND SAID SHAFT.