Sealing of internal high pressure vessels

Claim 1

A SEAL FOR A VESSEL ADAPTED TO MAINTIN A HIGH INTERNAL PRESSURE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A HIGH PRESSURE VESSEL, SAID VESSEL HAVING AN INTERNAL CHAMBER THEREWITHIN, SAID INTERNAL CHAMBER HAVING AN OPENING, SAID VESSEL HAVING A GENERALLY FLAT SEAT SURFACE SURROUNDING SAID OPENING, SAID VESSEL HAVING AN UPWARDLY DISPOSED GROOVE RECESSED WITHIN SAID SEAT SURFACE, SAID GROOVE HAVING CONCENTRIC CYLINDRICAL INNER AND OUTER SURFACES PERPENDICULAR TO SAID SEAT SURFACE AND AN ANNULAR BOTTOM PORTION; (B) A SOURCE OF PRESSURIZED HYDROSTATIC FLUID, SAID SOURCE CONNECTED TO SAID ANNULAR BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID GROOVE BY A FLUID PASSAGE; (C) A RESILIENT ANNULAR GASKET MEMBER SLIDEABLY POSITIONED IN SAID GROOVE, SAID GASKET MEMBER HAVING A GENERALLY U-SHAPED CROSS-SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION WITH ONE LEG OF SAID U POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID INNER FACE OF SAID GROOVE, THE OTHER LEG OF SAID U POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID OUTER FACE OF SAID GROOVE AND THE CONNECTING PORTION OF SAID U POSITIONED TOWARD SAID SEAT SURFACE OF SAID VESSEL; (D) A UNITARY RIGID ANNULAR METALLIC CONTAINER SLIDEABLY POSITIONED WITHIN SAID GROOVE, SAID CONTAINER HAVING A GENERALLY WITHIN SAID GROOVE, SAID CONTAINER FIGURATION WITH ONE SIDE ELEMENT OF SAID U OF SAID CONTAINER POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID INNER FACE OF SAID GROOVE AND THE OTHER SIDE ELEMENT OF SAID U OF SAID CONTAINER POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID OUTER FACE OF SAID GROOVE AND THE CONNECTING PORTION OF SAID U OF SAID CONTAINER POSITIONED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID CONNECTING PORTION OF SAID GASKET MEMBER; (E) AN ANNULAR DEFORMABLE SEALING RING POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY WITHIN SAID CONTAINER, SAID RING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR IN CROSS-SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION AND OF SUCH DIAMETER AS TO PROTRUDE SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE SAID CONTAINER WHEN NOT DEFORMED AND TO SUBSTANTIALLY FILL THE INTERIOR OF SAID CONTAINER WHEN DEFORMED TO A POSITION ENTIRELY WITHIN SAID CONTAINER; (F) A RIGID METALLIC COVER MEMBER HAVING A GENERALLY FLAT INNER SURFACE, SAID INNER SURFACE POSITIONED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID SEAT SURFACE OF SAID VESSEL; (G) A PLURALITY OF BOLTS SECURED TO SAID VESSEL TO RETAIN SAID INNER SURFACE OF SAID COVER MEMBER UPON SAID SEAT SURFACE OF SAID VESSEL; AND (H) SAID VESSEL, SAID GASKET MEMBER, SAID CONTAINER, SAID SEALING RING, AND SAID COVER MEMBER SO ORIENTED AN CORRELATED THAT WHEN SAID COVER MEMBER HAS BEEN POSITIONED AND SECURED UPON SAID SEAT SURFACE OF SAID VESSEL, SAID PRESSURIZED HYDROSTATIC FLUID HAS BEEN UTILIZED TO PRESS SAID GASKET MEMBER AGAINST SAID CONTAINER, SAID LEG PORTIONS OF SAID CONTAINER HAVE BEEN PRESSED DIRECTLY AGAINST SAID INNER SURFACE OF SAID COVER MEMBER AND SAID SEALING RING HAS BEEN DEFORMED TO LIE ENTIRELY WITHIN SAID CONTAINER, THEN SAID INTERNAL CHAMBER OF SAID VESSEL WILL MAINTAIN A HIGH INTERNAL PRESSURE.