Packing for fluid joint

Claim 1

A PACKING ESPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SEALING FLUIDS AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES, COMPRISING AN ANNULAR METALLIC SEAL OF GENERALLY U-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION INCLUDING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL INTERMEDIATE WALL AND A PAIR OF CONFRONTING SIDE WALLS PROJECTING FROM THE INTERMEDIATE WALL AND TERMINATING IN PERIPHERAL EDGES WHICH DEFINE THE INNER DIAMETER OF THE SEAL, AND ENERGIZER FOR THE SEAL INCLUDING A SLENDER CIRCULAR CENTRAL RIB GENERALLY ROUND IN CROSS-SECTION AND EXTENDING ABOUT THE INTERIOR OF THE INTERMEDIATE WALL, AND A PLURALITY OF SLENDER RESILIENT GENERALLY U-SHAPED FINGERS GENERALLY ROUND IN CROSSSECTION SECURED TO THE RIB IN CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RELATION THEREAROUND AND PROJECTING FROM THE RIB RADIALLY INWARDLY TOWARD SAID SIDE WALLS OF THE SEAL FOR RESILIENTLY URGING SAID SIDE WALLS APART, THE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID FINGERS WITH SAID SIDE WALLS BEING CONFINED TO THE ENGAGEMENT OF THE ENDS OF SAID FINGERS WITH SAID SIDE WALLS CLOSELY ADJACENT SAID PERIPHERAL EDGES THEREOF, EACH END OF EACH FINGER BEING SPACED FROM THE ENDS OF ADJACENT SUCH FINGERS WHEN SAID ENERGIZER IS RELAXED BUT BEING SUBSTANTIALLY CONTIGUOSU TO THE ADJACENT ENDS OF THE ADJACENT FINGERS WHEN SAID ENERGIZER IS INSTALLED, THEREBY PROVIDING AS SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS CIRCULAR LINE OF PRESSURE AGAINST EACH SIDE WALL.