Abstract: A metallic base gasket coated with elastic membrane having an outer sealing portion for sealing an outer circumference of a refrigerant compressor and an inner sealing portion for sealing boundaries between high and low pressure regions within the compressor, the outer and inner sealing portions being formed in an elastically deformable ridge, and at least one section of the ridge of the inner sealing portion being trifurcatedly connected to a portion of the ridge of the outer sealing portion to have a geometrical arrangement in which apex lines of the connected three ridges are equiangularly spaced apart from one another with respect to the center of the trifurcated connection of the ridges. The gasket may have an extended flat or curved face portion at the trifurcatedly connected ridges to permit the apexes of the connected ridges lie in the extended flat or curved face portion.

Abstract: A reciprocating piston type compressor having a cylinder block unit closed, at at least one of the axial ends thereof, by a housing having a central suction chamber and a discharge chamber arranged around the suction chamber hermetically isolated by a separation wall integral with the housing, a valve plate interposed between the end of the cylinder block unit and the housing and having suction and discharge ports, suction passageways formed in the cylinder block unit to have fluid communication with the suction chamber via openings thereof, a plurality of pressing ribs axially integrally extending from an inner face of the housing toward the valve plate so as to apply a higher pressure to the valve plate at positions of the valve plate between respective two neighboring openings of the suction passageways in cooperation with the separating wall to prevent deformation of the valve plate due to the high pressure of the refrigerant in the respective cylinder bores whereby the hermetic seal between the valve pla