Axially biased rotary face seal

Claim 1

A ROTARY MECHANICAL FACE SEAL ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: FIRST AND SECOND RELATIVELY ROTATABLE BODIES; A FIRST SEAL FACE MEMBER ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF SAID BODIES; A SECOND SEAL FACE MEMBER ASSOCIATED WITH THE OTHER OF SAID BODIES, EACH OF SAID SEAL FACE MEMBERS BEING OF ANNULAR SHAPED AND SAID MEMBERS BEING IN MUTUAL FACE-TO-FACE ENGAGEMENT OVER RADIAL FACES THERETO, SAID FIRST SEAL FACE MEMBER COMPRISING A SERIES OF ARCUATE SECTIONS IN END-TO-END ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP; A CARRIER, SAID CARRIER BEING OF ANNULAR SHAPED; MEANS SEALING SAID CARRIER TO THAT BODY WITH WHICH SAID FIRST SEAL FACE MEMBER IS ASSOCIATED, SAID CARRIER HAVING FORMED THEREIN AN INTERNAL COUNTERBORED RECESS, SAID FIRST SEAL FACE MEMBER HAVING FORMED ON THE EXTERNAL SURFACE THEREOF A SHOULDER, AND SAID FIRST SEAL FACE MEMBER BEING RECEIVED IN SAID CARRIER SO THAT SAID SHOULDER AND COUNTERBORE DEFINE BETWEEN THEM AN ANNULAR SPACE OF RECTANGULAR CROSS-SECTION; A SEALING RING OF RESILIENTLY DEFORMABLE BUT SUBSTANTIALLY INCOMPRESSIBLE MATERIAL FILLING SAID SPACE; AND RESILIENT MEANS ACTING AXIALLY ON SAID CARRIER IN A DIRECTION TO URGE SAID CARRIER AXIALLY TOWARDS SAID SECOND SEALS FACE MEMBER, SAID SECOND SEAL FACE MEMBER AND SAID CARRIER, IN THE ABSENCE OF SAID SEALING RING, BEING FREELY AXIALLY MOVEABLE WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, SAID SEALING RING CONSTITUTING THE SOLE MEDIUM FOR TRANSMITTING AXIAL FORCES OF SAID RESILIENT MEANS FROM SAID CARRIER TO SAID SECOND SEAL FACE MEMBER FOR BIASING SAID SEAL FACE MEMBERS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER.