Gasket ring and conduit coupling

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED GASKET RING FOR SEALING A CONDUIT COUPLING OF THE TYPE HAVING TWO OPPOSED ANNULAR FACES, SAID GASKET RING COMPRISING: A RELATIVELY HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH ANNULAR MEMBER HAVING: AN OUTER RING PORTION CHARACTERIZED IN HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL, RADIALLY EXTENDING SURFACES AND A THICKNESS BETWEEN SAID SURFACES; AND TWO SPRING METAL, DIVERGING, ANNULAR SEALING LIPS SECURED TO THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID OUTER RING PORTION AND EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID SPRING METAL SEALING LIPS BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER TO DEFINE AN INWARDLY FACING ANNULAR GROOVE IN SAID HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH ANNULAR MEMBER BETWEEN THE SEALING LIPS, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SPRING METAL SEALING LIPS AT THEIR DIVERGENT, RADIALLY INNER ENDS IN THE UNFLEXED POSITION THEREOF BEING GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID OUTER RING PORTION BETWEEN SAID SURFACES EACH OF SAID LIPS FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE CROSS-SECTIONAL THICKNESS THEREOF DECREASES UNIFORMLY FROM THE POINT WHERE SAID LIP JOINS SAID OUTER RING PORTION TO THE RADIALLY INWARD PORTION OF SAID LIP WHEREBY A RADIALLY INWARD, RELATIVELY SHARP EDGE IS FORMED; AND AN ANNULAR RESILIENT SEALING RING PARTIALLY DISPOSED IN SAID ANNULAR GROOVE BETWEEN SAID SPRING METAL SEALING LIPS AND HAVING TWO INWARDLY EXTENDING, ANNULAR SEALING LIPS DEFINING AN INWARDLY FACING ANNULAR GROOVE IN SAID ANNULAR RESILIENT SEALING RING, SAID GROOVE IN SAID RESILIENT SEALING RING HAVING PRESSURE SURFACES EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE SURFACE DEFINING AND FORMING THE ANNULAR GROOVE IN SAID HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH MEMBER, AND THE SEALING LIPS OF SAID RESILIENT SEALING RING BEING FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY FURTHER THAN SAID SPRING METAL SEALING LIPS AND IN BEING MORE FLEXIBLE THAN SAID SPRING METAL SEALING LIPS TO RESPOND BY FLEXURE TO LOWER PRESSURES THAN SAID SPRING METAL SEALING LIPS, WHEREBY WHEN THE GASKET RING IS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID ANNULAR FACES AND SAID FACES ARE DRAWN TOGETHER, THE ANNULAR SPRING METAL SEALING LIPS WILL BE PRESSED TOGETHER BY THE ANNULAR FACES AND FORM A HIGH PRESSURE SEAL THEREWITH, AND THE SEALING LIPS OF SAID RESILIENT SEALING RING WILL CONTACT AND SEAT ON SAID ANNULAR FACES AND FORM A LOW PRESSURE SEAL THEREWITH.