Coating method and apparatus

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF COATING AN ARTICLE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND SURFACE PORTIONS DISPOSED GENERALLY AT AN ANGLE TO EACH OTHER, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF MOVING THE ARTICLE THROUGH A COATING ZONE ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH PAST AND IN SPACED RELATION TO AN ELECTROSTATIC ATOMIZING HEAD, MAINTAINING BETWEEN THE HEAD AND THE ARTICLE MOVING PAST IT A HIGH-POTENTIAL ELECTROSTATIC FIELD TO CAUSE LIQUID COATING MATERIAL TO BE ELECTROSTATICLLY ATOMIZED AS A SPRAY FROM THE HEAD AND ELECTROSTATICALLY DEPOSITED ON THE ARTICLE, ORIENTING THE ARTICLE SO THAT IT ENTERS THE COATING ZONE WITH ITS FIRST SURFACE PORTION DISPOSED GENERALLY TRANSVERSELY OF THE SPRAY, CHANGING THE ORIENTATION OF THE ARTICLE WHILE IN THE COATING ZONE TO BRING ITS SECOND SURFACE PORTION INTO TRANSVERSE RELATION WITH THE SPRAY, AND MAINTAINING THE THUS CHANGED CONDITION OF ORIENTATION OF THE ARTICLE AS IT CONTINUES TO MOVE THROUGH THE COATING ZONE.