High pressure fluid seals

Claim 1

IN A HIGH PRESSURE SEALING DEVICE FOR USE WITH A MACHINE HAVING HIGH PRESSURE FLUID BETWEEN TWO ELEMENTS, ONE OF WHICH IS MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (1) A LOW FRICTION, LONG WEARING SEALING RING DISPOSED BETWEEN THE MACHINE ELEMENTS SO AS TO BE FIXED WITH RESPECT TO ONE AND IN ABUTTING CONTACT WITH THE OTHER; (2) AN ELASTICALLY DEFORMABLE RING MEMBER CIRCUMJACENT SAID SEALING RING, SAID RING MEMBER OPERABLE TO MAINTAIN SAID SEALING RING IN CONTACT WITH THE OTHER OF THE MACHINE ELEMENTS EVEN IN THE ABSENCE OF HIGH PRESSURE FLUID; AND (3) A CONTINUOUS BACK-UP RING JOURNALLED TO BE DISPOSED FACIALLY ADJACENT SAID SEALING RING, SAID BACK-UP RING HAVING ONE OF ITS PERIPHERIES CIRCUMJACENT THE MACHINE ELEMENT WITH WHICH SAID SEALING RING IS IN ABUTTING CONTACT AT A SUFFICIENTLY CLOSE DISTANCE TO PREVENT EXTRUSION OF SAID SEALING RING AND HAVING ITS OPPOSITE PERIPHERY DISPOSED AT A DISTANCE FROM THE MACHINE ELEMENT WITH WHICH SAID SEALING RING IS FIXED, AND SUPPORTED BY SAID DEFORMABLE RING MEMBER SO AS TO BE FREE TO FLOAT WITH THE MACHINE ELEMENT WITH WHICH SAID SEALING RING IS IN ABUTTING CONTACT, SAID BACK-UP RING BEING FORMED OF A MATERIAL WHICH IS DIMENSIONALLY STABLE UNDER HIGH PRESSURE CONDITIONS.