Spring-loaded, hollow, elliptical ring seal

Claim 2

A canted-coil spring-loaded ring seal assembly comprising: a plurality of elliptical coils having a major and a minor axis and canted along a center line defined by an intersection of a major and minor axes; elastic material means for modifying the force exerted by the spring assembly in response to deflection of the spring assembly along a loading direction and for providing a sealing surface, said elastic material means being disposed around and within said plurality of coils and having a void therein disposed within said plurality of coils, said void having a maximum dimension substantially smaller than a coil diameter measured along the minor axis; and groove means for noninvasively supporting the plurality of coils and elastic material in an orientation for controlling the resilient characteristics of the plurality of coils and for orienting said sealing surface for sealing contact with a loading member.

Claim 3

The canted-coil spring assembly according to claim 1 wherein said coils are interconnected in a manner forming a garter-type resilient canted-coil spring and said groove means comprising a cavity for deflecting the spring along the coil minor axis and enabling said garter-type resilient coil spring to be loaded along the coil major axis.

Claim 4

The canted-coil spring assembly according to claim 2 wherein said cavity is sized and configured for supporting and orienting said garter-type resilient coiled spring with a turn angle of greater than 0° and less than 90°.

Claim 5

The spring assembly according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of coils is disposed within said elastic material means in a stretched spaced-apart relationship, the elastic material means having sufficient resistance to hold the plurality of coils in said stretched spaced-apart relationship, the spacing between coils in said stretched spaced-apart relationship being greater than the spacing between coils when not held in a stretched-apart relationship by the elastic material means.

Claim 6

The spring assembly according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of coils is disposed within said elastic material means in a preloaded condition in which the plurality of coils are deflected along the loading direction.

Claim 7

The spring assembly according to claim 1 further comprising means, defining an open passage through the elastic material and between adjacent coils, for enabling passage of fluid into the void.

Claim 8

The spring assembly according to claim 1 wherein, said void has a circular cross-section.

Claim 9

The spring assembly according to claim 1 wherein said elastic material means includes a plurality of voids within the elastic material means and inside of said plurality of coils.

Claim 10

The canted-coil spring assembly according to claim 1 wherein said void has a generally rectilinear cross-section.

Claim 11

A spring-loaded ring seal assembly comprising: a plurality of coil means, interconnected with one another in a spaced-apart relationship, for causing the spring assembly to exert a generally constant force in a loading direction approximately normal to a tangent to a center line of said plurality of coil means in response to deflection of the spring assembly along said loading direction; elastic material means for modifying the magnitude of the generally constant force exerted by the plurality of coils in response to deflection of the spring assembly along said loading direction and for providing a sealing surface, said elastic material means being disposed around and within said plurality of coils and having a void therein disposed within said plurality of coils, said void having a maximum dimension substantially smaller than a coil diameter measured along the minor axis; and groove means for noninvasively supporting the plurality of coil means and elastic material means in an orientation for controlling the resilient characteristics of the plurality of coil means and for orienting said sealing surface for sealing contact with a loading member.

Claim 12

A spring-loaded ring seal assembly comprising: a plurality of coil means, interconnected with one another in a spaced-apart relationship, for causing the spring assembly to exert a generally constant force in a loading direction approximately normal to a tangent to a center line of said plurality of coil means in response to deflection of the spring assembly along said loading direction; elastic material means for modifying the magnitude of the generally constant force exerted by the plurality of coils in response to deflection of the spring assembly along said loading direction and for providing a sealing surface, said elastic material means being disposed around and within said plurality of coils and having a void therein disposed within said plurality of coils, said void having a maximum dimension substantially smaller than a coil diameter measured along the minor axis; and groove means for noninvasively supporting the plurality of coil means and elastic material means in an orientation for controlling the resilient characteristics of the plurality of coil means and for orienting said sealing surface for sealing contact with a loading member.

Claim 13

The canted-coil spring assembly according to claim 10 wherein said plurality of coil means are interconnected in a manner forming a garter-type resilient canted-coil spring and said groove means comprises a cavity for deflecting the spring along the coil minor axis and enabling said garter-type resilient coil spring to be loaded along the coil major axis.

Claim 14

The canted-coil spring assembly according to claim 11 wherein said cavity is sized and configured for supporting and orienting said garter-type resilient coiled spring with a turn angle of greater than 0° and less than 90°.

Claim 15

The spring assembly according to claim 10 wherein said plurality of coil means is disposed within said elastic material means in a stretched spaced-apart relationship, the elastic material means having sufficient resistance to hold the plurality of coil means in said stretched spaced-apart relationship, the spacing between coils in said stretched spaced-apart relationship being greater than the spacing between coil means when not held in a stretched-apart relationship by the elastic material means.

Claim 16

The spring assembly according to claim 10 wherein said plurality of coil means is disposed within said elastic material means in a preloaded condition in which the plurality of coils is deflected along the loading direction.

Claim 17

The spring assembly according to claim 10 further comprising means, defining an open passage through the elastic material and between adjacent coils, for enabling passage of fluid into the void.

Claim 18

The spring assembly according to claim 10 wherein said void has a circular cross-section.

Claim 19

The spring assembly according to claim 10 wherein said elastic material means includes a plurality of voids within the elastic material means and inside of said plurality of coil means.

Claim 20

The spring assembly according to claim 10 wherein said void has a generally rectilinear cross-section.