Patent ID: 7497443

Claim:
An apparatus including: a resilient seal adapted to be positioned between a relatively high fluid pressure and a relatively lower fluid pressure, wherein the seal comprises: at least two seal elements, wherein each seal element is located radially adjacent to another seal element, wherein each seal element includes a sheet having a pattern comprising slots formed by removal of material from the sheet and strips of sheet material extending between the slots, wherein at least some of the strips of an outer seal element of the at least two seal elements respectively overlap at least some of the slots of an adjacent inner seal element of the at least two seal elements, wherein at least some of the strips of the inner seal element respectively overlap at least some of the slots of the outer seal element, at least one barrier strip attached to an outer surface of the inner seal element, wherein the at least one barrier strip is respectively aligned with at least one slot of the outer seal element, wherein the seal is responsive to a sealing activation pressure differential across the seal to cause the seal elements to be biased in a radially outward direction.