Patent ID: 8490982

Claim:
A windback device comprising: an annular collar having an opening therethrough wherein said opening is sized to receive a rotatable runner without contact; and a plurality of ridges defining a plurality of inclined threads oriented circumferentially, each said inclined thread separately extending from an inner face of said annular collar toward said rotatable runner and oriented along said inner face at an oblique pitch angle with respect to a rotational axis of said rotatable runner, any two adjacent said inclined threads partially overlapping along a portion of a circumference of said annular collar, each said inclined thread having a leak-off slot at one end of said annular collar, each said inclined thread separated from said rotatable runner via a radial clearance, each said inclined thread separately assists a lubricant away from a seal, wherein a depth along each said ridge varies so as to create a positive incline angle or a negative incline angle from one end of each said inclined thread to another end thereof and between adjacent said inclined threads.