Sealed bearing

Claim 1

A SEALED BEARING COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND BEARING MEMBERS JOURNALLED TOGETHER FOR ROTATION IN REALTION TO EACH OTHER ABOUT A COMMON AXIS, SAID FIRST BEARING MEMBER DEFINING THEREON A CYLINDRICAL SEALING SURFACE OF SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH CONCENTRIC WITH SAID AXIS, A FLEXIBLE ANNULAR SEAL FORMED OF A YIELDABLE POLMERIC MATERIAL AND DISPOSED IN CONCENTRIC RELATION TO SAID AXIS, SAID FLEXIBLE ANNULAR SEAL BEING SUPPORTED ON SAID SECOND BEARING MEMBER AT AN ANNULAR SEAL SUPPORT POSTION OF THE LATTER LOCATED AXIALLY INWARD OF SAID SEALING SURFACE, SAID FLEXIBLE ANNULAR SEAL CANTILEVRING FROM SAID SEAL SUPPORT POSITION ON SAID SECOND BEARING MEMBER AND HAVING A MARGINAL EDGE CANTILEVERING IN AN AXIALLY OUTWARD DIRECTION AND SLIDABLY OVERLAPPING SAID SEALING SURFACE ON SAID FIRST BEARING MEMBER, SAID FLEXIBLE ANNULAR SEAL HAVING A RESIDUAL STRESS THEREIN CONTINUOUSLY URGING SAID MARGINAL EDGE OF THE SEAL AGAINST SAID SEALING SURFACE WITH SUBSTANTIAL FIRMNESS TO FORM A SLIDABLE SEAL WITH SAID SEALING SURFACE AND SAID CANTILEVERING MARGINAL EDGE OF SAID FLEXIBLE ANNULAR SEAL BEING SHAPED TO HAVE A THICKNESS WHICH DECREASES PROGRESSIVELY FROM THE INNER EDGE TOWARD THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID SEALING SURFACE THAT IS SLIDABLY OVERLAPPED BY THE SEAL SO THAT BY VIRTUE OF THE PROGRESSIVE DECREASE IN AN OUTWARD DIRECTION IN THE THICKNESS OF SAID MARGINAL SEAL EDGE THE PRESSURE FORCE EXERTED BY THE SEAL ON THE SEALING SURFACE PROGRESSIVELY DECREASES FROM THE INNER EDGE TOWARD THE OUTER EDGE OF THE SEALING SURFACE TO EFFECT AS AN INCIDENT TO ROTATION OF SAID BEARING MEMBERS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER OUTWARD EXPLUSION FROM BETWEEN SAID SEALING SURFACE AND SAID MARGINAL SEAL EDGE ANY SOLID PARTICLES INTERVENING THEREBETWEEN.