Piston ring assembly

Claim 1

A PISTON RING ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN AND WITH CYLINDER PISTON OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE OR THE LIKE COMPRISING A SINGLE ANNULAR RAIL, SAID RAIL HAVING A TOP SURFACE FOR ESTABLISHING INTERMITTENT CONTACT WITH THE TOP OF A PISTON GROOVE, SAID RAIL HAVING AT LEAST ONE RADIALLY OUTWARDLY EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIAL PROJECTION TERMINATING IN A CYLINDER WALL ENGAGING SURFACE, A LOWER SURFACE ON SAID RAIL BELOW SAID TOP SURFACE AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL THERETO, AN AXIAL SURFACE ON SAID RAIL INTERSECTING SAID LOWER SURFACE, A SPACER RING BELOW SAID RAIL, AN ANNULAR RESILIENT COMPRESSIBLE MEANS IN BIASIING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LOWER SURFACE AND SAID AXIAL SURFACE, SAID MEANS ALSO CONTACTING SAID RING, SAID MEANS BEING AN AXIALLY CORRUGATED MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED AXIALLY EXTENDING BIGHTS, SAID BIGHTS INCLUDING FIRST BIGHTS IN CONTACT WITH SAID LOWER SURFACE, SECOND BIGHTS IN CONTACT WITH SAIF RING, AND INTERMEDIATE BIGHTS BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND BIGHTS, FIRST, SECOND AND INTERMEDIATE BIGHTS BEING DISPOSED IN REPETITIVE DISTRIBUTION ABOUT THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID CORRUGATED MEMBER, SAID INTERMEDIATE BIGHTS HAVING AN AXIAL LENGTH WHICH IS SHORTER THAN THE AXIAL LENGTH OF THE FIRST AND SECOND BIGHTS SO THAT SAID INTERMEDIATE BIGHTS ARE OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE RING AND THE LOWER SURFACE, AND THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THE RING BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THE CORRUGATED MEMBER AND SAID WALL ENGAGING SURFACE ON THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL PROJECTION, SAID CORRUGATED MEMBER BEING MADE FROM A FLAT MATERIAL SO THAT SAID FIRST AND SECOND BIGHTS ON SAID MEMBER HAVE LINE CONTACT WITH SAID RING AND LOWER SURFACE, AND ADJACENT BIGHTS ON SAID MEMBER BEING INTERCONNECTED BY GENERALLY AXIALLY DIRECTED PORTIONS HAVING OUTER PERIPHERAL SURFACES IN CONTACT WITH SAID AXIAL SURFACE ON THE RAIL.