Seal device

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS INCLUDING BEARING MEANS AND A SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN THE BEARING MEANS AND WITH A SPACE BEING PROVIDED BETWEEN SAID BEARING MEANS AND SHAFT, A DEVICE FOR SEALING SAID SPACE COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND ANNULAR MEMBERS, SAID FIRST MEMBER INCLUDING A PAIR OF OPPOSING AND SPACED WALL PORTIONS INTERCONNECTED BY A FURTHER WALL PORTION, SAID SECOND MEMBER INCLUDING INTERSECTING WALL PORTIONS, ONE OF THE WALL PORTIONS OF ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS BEING AFFIXED TO SAID BEARINGS MEANS AND ONE OF THE WALL PORTIONS OF THE OTHER OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS BEING AFFIXED TO THE SHAFT SO AS NOT TO INTERFACE WITH THE NORMAL RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS, THE SURFACES OF SAID OPPOSING AND SPACED WALL PORTIONS OF SAID FIRST MEMBER DEFINING A RECESS, THE SURFACES OF SAID INTERSECTING WALL PORTIONS OF SAID SECOND MEMBERS BEING DISPOSED IN DIRECTLY OPPOSING RELATION TO THE SURFACES OF THE FIRST MEMBER AND IN RELATION TO THE RECESS WHEREBY A TORTUOUS PATH TO THE BEARING MEANS IS FORMED IN SAID RECESS, SAID TORTUOUS PATH BEING FURTHER DEFINED BY THE DIRECTLY OPPOSING SURFACES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS EACH OF WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A SERIES OF FLANGES AND RIBS, THE FLANGES AND RIBS OF THE FIRST MEMBER BEING OFFSET WITH RESPECT TO THE FLANGES AND RIBS OF THE SECOND MEMBER, ONE OF SAID FLANGES OF THE FIRST MEMBER BEING DISPOSED ON THE FREE END OF ONE OF THE SPACED WALL PORTIONS THEREOF AND ONE OF SAID FLANGES OF THE SECOND MEMBER BEING DISPOSED ON THE FREE END OF AN INTERSECTING WALL PORTION THEREOF; SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS EACH HAVING SEPARATE APERTURES, WHEREIN THE APERTURE OF SAID FIRST MEMBER IS LOCATED ADJACENT SAID ONE OF SAID FLANGES ON THE FREE END OF SAID OTHER ONE OF THE SPACED WALL PORTIONS THEREOF AND WHEREIN THE APERTURE OF SAID SECOND MEMBER IS LOCATED ADJACENT SAID ONE OF SAID FLANGES ON THE FREE END OF THE AFOREMENTIONED WALL PORTION THEREOF, BOTH APERTURES FACILITATING FLOW FROM THE RECESS OF FOREIGN MATERIAL WHICH CONTACTS SAID FLANGES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS AND THE TORTUOUS PATH FORMED IN SAID RECESS BEING ADAPTED TO MINIMIZE THE ENTRY OF FOREIGN MATERIAL BY THE EFFECT OF GRAVITY AND CENTRIFUGAL FORCE DURING RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS.