Patent ID: 7354046
Filing Date: 2008-04-08
Classification: B63H,F16J,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A seal assembly for sealing a shaft within a housing, comprising: a) a plurality of resilient seal members radially biased towards said shaft and mounted with respect to said housing, at least one of said resilient seal members disposed to assume a preloaded condition out of contact with said shaft and a loaded condition in sealing contact with said shaft; b) a barrier member in axial alignment with said shaft and defining a clearance space between said shaft and said at least one resilient seal member in its preloaded condition, said barrier member physically interposed between said shaft and said at least one resilient seal member in its preloaded condition, said barrier member mounted for movement relative to said shaft; wherein said at least one resilient seal member deploys from said preloaded condition to said loaded condition in response to movement of said barrier member relative to said shaft, and wherein said movement effects sealing engagement between said at least one resilient seal member and said shaft further comprising a mechanism for effecting movement of said barrier member relative to said shaft, wherein said mechanism is a motor.