Patent ID: 7293778

Claim:
A seal for use between a housing and a shaft having an axis, said seal comprising a first monolithic member and a second monolithic member engageable with each other and rotatable relative to each other about the axis; said first member and said second member being configured to be received in a cavity between the shaft and the housing; said first member being engageable with the shaft such that said first member is substantially stationary relative to the shaft and to inhibit passage of contaminants from an exterior of the cavity through the cavity toward the axis; said second member being engageable with the housing such that said second member is substantially stationary relative to the housing and to inhibit passage of the contaminants from the exterior through the cavity toward the axis; said first member comprising a first engaging portion and said second member comprising a second engaging portion engaged with said first engaging portion; said first member comprising a first leg and said second member comprising a second leg, said first leg having a first lateral portion and said second leg having a second lateral portion, said first lateral portion extending in a direction substantially opposite said second lateral portion; said first leg having a first vertical portion connected to said first lateral portion and said second leg having a second vertical portion connected to said second lateral portion; said first leg having a first wall contacting portion connected to said first vertical portion and said second leg having a second wall contacting portion connected to said second vertical portion, said first wall contacting portion and said second wall contacting portion extending away from each other; said first leg and said second leg being elastically deformable toward each other in response to a plurality of stresses being placed on said first wall contacting portion and said second wall contacting portion by at least one of the housing and the shaft; and means for transmitting the plurality of stresses from said first wall contacting portion and said second wall contacting portion to said first engaging portion and said second engaging portion to maintain said first engaging portion and said second engaging portion in contact with each other.