Packing including elastic sealing ring having a torsion axis

Claim 1

AN ARRANGEMENT FOR SEALING AN ANNULAR GAP BETWEEN TWO BODIES DEFINING SAID GAP, COMPRISING: SEALING MEANS BETWEEN SAID TWO BODIES INCLUDING AN ANNULAR SPRING RING OF RESILIENT MATERIAL AND BOUNDED BY AN OUTER ANNULAR RIM AND AN INNER ANNULAR RIM SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC THEREWITH, ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SAID BODIES BEING SO SHAPED AS TO NON-CLAMPINGLY ENGAGE RESPECTIVE RIM PORTIONS OF SAID SPRING RING, SAID SPRING RING HAVING AN ANNULAR AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC WITH SAID RIMS AND DISPOSED BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER RIMS THEREOF, AND AT LEAST THE RIM PORTIONS OF SAID SPRING RING BEING ELASTICALLY YIELDING SO THAT SAID SPRING RING CAN BE TWISTED ABOUT SAID AXIS AND IS EFFECTIVE AS STRESSED SPRING RING IN THE TWISTED CONDITION THEREOF, THE ADJACENT PORTIONS OF ONE OF SAID BODIES BEING IN YIELDING CIRCUMFERENTIAL CONTACT WITH ONE OF SAID RIM PORTIONS TO TWIST SAID ONE RIM PORTION ABOUT SAID AXIS WITHIN THE ELASTIC LIMITS OF THE RESILIENT MATERIAL AND THEREBY STRESS SAID SPRING RING, AND THE OTHER RIM PORTION BEING IN ELASTICALLY YIELDING CIRCUMFERENTIAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SAID OTHER BODY AND EXERTING A YIELDING PRESSURE AGAINST A FACE OF THE OTHER OF SAID BODIES IN ONE DIRECTION OWING TO THE STRESSING BY ENGAGEMENT OF SAID ONE RIM PORTION WITH SAID ONE BODY, AND THE ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SAID OTHER BODY BEING SO SHAPED AS TO PERMIT FREE AND UNOBSTRUCTED YIELDING OF SAID OTHER RIM PORTION IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY OPPOSITE TO SAID ONE DIRECTION.