Unbalanced pressure shaft seal

Claim 1

IN A STRUCTURE IN WHICH A ROTATABLE SHAFT IS JOURNALED IN A HOUSING WALL UNDER OPERATING CONDITIONS WHICH SUBJECT DIFFERENT CIRCUMFERENTIAL PORTIONS OF THE SHAFT JOURNAL TO DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURES FROM WITHIN THE HOUSING, AN ANNULAR SEAL ASSEMBLY FOR SEALING BETWEEN THE SHAFT JOURNALING SURFACE OF THE HOUSING WALL AND THE ADJACENT SURFACE OF THE SHAFT TO PREVENT FLUID FROM TRAVELING FROM A HIGHER PRESSURE REGION IN THE HOUSING THROUGH THE BEARING CLEARANCE SPACE AND INTO A LOWER PRESSURE REGION IN THE HOUSING, SAID SEAL ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: AN ANNULAR GROOVE RECESSED INTO THE SHAFT JOURNALING PORTION OF THE HOUSING WALL NEAR THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF, SAID GROOVE HAVING A CONICAL INNER END WALL SURROUNDING THE SHAFT, THE APEX OF WHICH, IF THE WALL WAS EXTENDED, WOULD LIE ON THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE SHAFT AT A LOCATION INSIDE THE HOUSING, THE INNER EDGE OF SAID CONICAL END WALL OF THE GROOVE DEFINING A CIRCULAR OPENING CLOSELY ENCIRCLING SAID SHAFT IN A PLANE COMMON TO THE PLANE OF THE INNER SURFACE OF THE SHAFT JOURNALING HOUSING WALL; AND AN ANNULAR SEAL OF FLEXIBLE, RESILIENT MATERIAL SEATED IN SAID GROOVE, THE CROSS SECTIONAL SHAPE OF SAID SEAL BEING LOOSELY COMPLEMENTAL TO THE CROSS SECTIONAL SHAPE OF SAID GROOVE, AND INCLUDING A GENERALLY WEDGE SHAPED INNER END DEFINED BY (A) AN AXIALLY EXTENDING CYLINDRICAL SURFACE WHICH IS IN CONTINUOUS ENCIRCLING CONTACT WITH SAID SHAFT, AND (B) AN ADJOINING CONICAL SURFACE WHICH IS INCLINED TOWARD THE SHAFT AXIS AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME ANGLE AS THE CONICAL END WALL OF SAID GROOVE, AND LIES ADJACENT TO AND COOPERATES THEREWITH, WHEREBY FLUID FROM A HIGHER PRESSURE REGION WITHIN THE HOUSING FORCES IT WAY INTO THAT CIRCUMFERENTIAL PORTION OF THE SEAL GROOVE WHICH IS COEXTENSIVE WITH THE HIGH PRESSURE REGION, INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SEAL AND THE WALLS OF THE SEAL GROOVE, TRAVELS AROUND THE GROOVE AND SHAFT IN THAT SPACE, AND EXERTS AN AXIAL INWARD PRESSURE AGAINST THAT CIRCUMFERENTIAL PORTION OF THE SEAL WHICH IS COEXTENSIVE WITH AND ADJACENT TO A LOWER PRESSURE REGION IN THE HOUSING, AND URGES THE WEDGE SHAPED INNER END OF THE LAST MENTIONED PORTION OF THE SEAL INTO WEDGING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COOPERATING CONICAL WALL OF THE SEAL GROOVE AND WITH THE ADJOINING SURFACE OF THE SHAFT, THEREBY BLOCKING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HIGHER AND LOWER PRESSURE REGIONS IN THE HOUSING THROUGH THE MINUTE BEARING CLEARANCE SPACE SURROUNDING THE SHAFT.