Pressure seal structure and pressure sealed transfer mechanism

Claim 1

A pressure sealed transfer mechanism for transferring a sheet between an outside space of said transfer mechanism containing a fluid at a higher pressure and an inside space of said transfer mechanism containing a fluid at a lower pressure, comprising; two rollers, whose central rotational axes extend generally parallel to one another, and which are in sealing contact along a line which is a generatrix of both of them; and two sealing structures, one corresponding to each one of said rollers, each said seal structure comprising: a fixed member which extends generally parallel to said one roller; and a flexible seal member, extending generally parallel to said one roller and said fixed member, formed with two opposite edges also extending generally parallel to said one roller and said fixed member, one of said two edges being sealing fixed to said fixed member, and the other of said two edges lying against and sealingly contacting said one roller generally along a generatrix thereof, a free part of said flexible seal member between said two edges thereof being generally bent so that said outside space is defined on the generally concave sides of said flexible seal members and said inside space is defined on the generally convex sides of said flexible seal members; whereby the higher fluid pressure present in said outside spaces presses said contact edges of said flexible seal members firmly against said rollers.