Seal devices and wellhead members embodying the same

Claim 1

IN A SEAL DEVICE FOR ESTABLISHING A FLUID-TIGHT SEAL BETWEEN TWO TELESCOPICALLY RELATED WELL MEMBERS, THE COMBINATION OF A FIRST METAL MEMBEAR HAVING AN UPPER PORTION HAVING A CYLINDRICAL OUTER SURFACE AND A DEPENDENT LOWER PORTION OF SMALLER TRANSVERSE DIMENSION THAN SAID UPPER PORTION, SAID FIRST MEMBER ALSO INCLUDING A DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY SLANTING FRUSTO-CONICAL SEAL-SUPPORTING SURFACE, AND A TRANSVERSE DOWNWARDLY FACING STOP SURFACE; A SECOND METAL MEMBER OF ANNULAR FORM SURROUNDING SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID FIRST MEMBER AND HAVING UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY SLANTING FURSTO-CONICAL SEAL-SUPPORTING SURFACE, A TRANSVERSE UPWARDLY FACING STOP SURFACE, AND DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED SHOULDER MEANS DISPOSED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH A SUPPORTING SHOULDER ON THE OUTER ONE OF THE TWO WELL MEMBERS; RELEASABLE MEANS ENGAGED BETWEEN SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID FIRST MEMBER AND SAID SECOND MEMBER AND RETAINING SAID SECOND MEMBER INITIALLY IN A POSITION IN WHICH SAID SEAL-SUPPORTING SURFACES AND SAID STOP SURSURFACE ARE SPACED AXIALLY APART; A SEAL RING COMPRISING ANNULAR METAL SUPPORT EMBRACING SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID FIRST MEMBER AND DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID STOP SURFACES, AND RESILIENTLY FLEXIBLE SEALING ELEMENT CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORT AND HAVING AN UPPER ANNULAR SEALING LIP PROJECTING FROM SAID SUPPORTING TOWARD SAID DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY SLANTING SURFACE AND A LOWER ANNULAR SEALING LIP PROJECTING FROM SAID SUPPORT TOWARD SAID UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY SLANTING SURFACE; AND RELEASABLE MEANS ENGAGED BETWEEN SAID SUPPORT AND SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID FIRST MEMBER AND RETAINING SAID SEAL RING INITIALLY IN A POSITION BETWEEN SAID UPPER PORTION OF SAID FIRST MEMBER AND SAID SECOND MEMBER,