Web drier

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF DRYING A DRYABLE WET COATING APPLIED TO A TRAVELING WEB OF SHEET MATERIAL WITHOUT CONTACT OF SAID COATING WITH OTHER THAN GASEOUTS SUBSTANCES UNTIL DRYNESS IS ATTAINED, WHICH CONSISTS IN PASSING SAID WEB TO AND THROUGH COATING MEANS TO APPLY SAID WET COATING THERETO; THEREAFTER PASSING SAID WEB SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY UNDER TENSION SUFFICIENT TO ENSURE SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT LINE TRAVEL OF SAID WEB TO A POINT OF NEAR TANGENCY WITH A FIRST CYLINDRICAL ARRAY OF RADIALLY DIVERGENT CLOSELY SPACED RAPIDLY MOVING STREAMS OF AIR SUBTENDING IN THEIR ANGULAR DIVERGENCE NOT LESS THAN APPROXIMATELY ONE SEMICIRCLE; PASSING SAID WEB AROUND SAID ARRAY OF STREAMS IN A CURVED PATH NORMAL TO SAID STREAMS TO CAUSE SAID STREAMS TO IMPINGE ON THE COATING ON ONE SIDE OF SAID WEB AND TO APPLY AN ARC DISTENDING FORCE TO SAID WEB IN OPPOSITION TO AND BALANCED BY THE TENSION THEREIN TO STABILIZE THE POSITION THEREOF WITHOUT CONTACT OF THE WEB WITH ANY SOLIDE MEMBER; CAUSING SAID WEB THEREAFTER TO PASS SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY IN THE OPPOSITE SENSE TO A POINT OF NEAR TANGENCY WITH A SECOND CYLINDRICAL ARRAY OF RADIALLY DIVERGENT STREAMS SIMILAR TO THE FIRST, FACING AND IMPINGING ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID WEB; CAUSING SAID WEB TO PASS ABOUT SAID SECOND SET OF STREAMS WHILE UNDER SAID TENSION AND WHILE STABILIZED IN POSITION BY SAID STREAMS WITHOUT CONTACT WITH ANY SOLID MEMBER TO PASS AGAIN APPROXIMATELY VERTICALLY IN THE OPPOSITE SENSE; CONTINUING TO PASS SAID WEB IN ALTERNATE VERTICAL PASSES AND ARCUATE PATHS AROUND DIVERGENT STREAMS ARRAYS ON ALTERNATE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID WEB UNTIL DRYING IS COMPLETED AND THEN WITHDRAWING SAID WEB AT A RATE COORIDINATED WITH THE RATE OF PASSAGE OF SAID WEB THROUGH SAID COATING MEANS WHILE MAINTAINING SAID TENSION THEREIN SUFFICIENT TO ENSURE SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT LINE TRAVEL OF SAID WEB BETWEEN THE ARCUATE PASSES THEREOF.