Electrostatic coating method

Claim 1

A METHOD OF ELECTROSTATICALLY COATING ARTICLES EACH HAVING AN ELECTROSTATICALLY SHIELDABLE PORTION OF RELATIVELY LARGE AREA AND, SPACED FROM SAID SHIELDABLE PORTION, AN ELECTROSTATICALLY SHIELDING PORTION OF SMALLER AREA, COMPRISING MOVING THE ARTICLES OVER A FIXED PREDETERMINED PATH PAST AND IN SPACED RELATION TO ELECTRODES LOCATED IN FACING RELATIONSHIP ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE ARTICLE PATH, ONE OF WHICH ELECTRODES IS OF IONIZING CHARACTER, MAINTAINING THE ARTICLES AS THEY PASS BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES SO ORIENTED THAT THE SHIELDING PORTION OF EACH ARTICLE IS DISPOSED BETWEEN THE SHIELDABLE PORTION AND SAID IONIZING ELECTRODE WHEREBY SAID SHIELDABLE PORTION BECOMES ELECTROSTATICALLY SHIELDED, FORMING AT A POINT ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID IONIZING ELECTRODE FROM SAID PATH A SPRAY OF FINELY DIVIDED LIQUID COATING MATERIAL, MAINTAINING A HIGH DIFFERENCE OF ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES AND ARTICLES TO CREATE AN ELECTROSTATIC FIELD BETWEEN THE ELECTRODES AND THE ARTICLES, WITH SAID FIELD CREATING AN ELECTROSTATIC SHIELD OVER SAID SHIELDABLE PORTION OF AN ARTICLE, PROPELLING SAID SPRAY APPROXIMATELY NORMAL TO SAID PATH AT THE POSITION OF CLOSEST APPROACH OF THE PATH TO SAID FORMATION POINT TOWARD BOTH SAID ELECTRODES AND PAST, AND IN PARTICLE CHARGING PROXIMITY TO SAID IONIZING ELECTRODE TO CAUSE PARTICLES PASSING THE IONIZING ELECTRODE TO ACQUIRE AN ELECTRIC CHARGE OPPOSITE IN SIGN TO THAT OF THE ARTICLES AND THEREBY TO CAUSE A PORTION OF THE SPRAY TO BE ELECTROSTATICALLY DEPOSITED ON ARTICLE SURFACES PRESENTED TOWARD SAID IONIZING ELECTRODE, WITHION ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID SPRAY BEING PROPELLED TOWARD AT LEAST A PART OF SAID SHIELDED PORTION AND PAST SAID SHIELDING PORTION WITH A VELOCITY SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE DEPOSITION ON SUCH PART OF SAID SHIELDED PORTION OF THE LAST MENTIONED PORTION OF THE SPRAY IN SPITE OF THE EXISTENCE OF SAID ELECTROSTATIC SHIELD, SAID ARTICLES BEING SPACED APART TO PERMIT A FURTHER PORTION OF THE SPRAY TO ENTER THE SPACE BETWEENON THE ARTICLES AND BECOME ELECTROSTATICALLY DEPOSITED ON ARTICLES SURFACES PRESENTED TOWARDS SAID OTHER ELECTRODEBWITH ALL OF THE PORTIONS OF THE SPRAY BEING DEPOSITED SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE DRYING OF ANY OF SAID PORTIONS.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF ELECTROSTATICALLY COATING ARTICLES EACH HAVING AN ELECTROSTATICALLY SHIELDABLE PORTION OF RELATIVELY LARGE AREA AND, SPACED FROM SAID SHIELDABLE PORTION, AN ELECTROSTATICALLY SHIELDING PORTION OF SMALLER AREA, COMPRISING MOVING THE ARTICLES OVER A FIXED PREDETERMINED PATH PAST AND IN SPACED RELATION TO ELECTRODES LOCATED IN FACING RELATIONSHIP ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE ARTICLE PATH, ONE OF WHICH ELECTRODES IS OF IONIZING CHARACTER, MAINTAINING THE ARTICLES AS THEY PASS BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES SO ORIENTED THAT THE SHIELDING PORTION OF EACH ARTICLE IS DISPOSED BETWEEN THE SHIELDABLE PORTION AND SAID IONIZING ELECTRODE WHEREBY SAID SHIELDABLE PORTION BECOMES ELECTROSTATICALLY SHIELDED, FORMING AT A POINT ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID IONIZING ELECTRODE FROM SAID PATH A SPRAY OF FINELY DIVIDED LIQUID COATING MATERIAL, MAINTAINING A HIGH DIFFERENCE OF ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODES AND ARTICLES TO CREATE AN ELECTROSTATIC FIELD BETWEEN THE ELECTRODES AND THE ARTICLES, WITH SAID FIELD CREATING AN ELECTROSTATIC SHIELD OVER SAID SHIELDABLE PORTION OF AN ARTICLE, PROPELLING SAID SPRAY APPROXIMATELY NORMAL TO SAID PATH AT THE POSITION OF CLOSEST APPROACH OF THE PATH TO SAID FORMATION POINT TOWARD BOTH SAID ELECTRODES AND PAST, AND IN PARTICLE CHARGING PROXIMITY TO SAID IONIZING ELECTRODE TO CAUSE PARTICLES PASSING THE IONIZING ELECTRODE TO ACQUIRE AN ELECTRIC CHARGE OPPOSITE IN SIGN TO THAT OF THE ARTICLES AND THEREBY TO CAUSE A PORTION OF THE SPRAY TO BE ELECTROSTATICALLY DEPOSITED ON ARTICLE SURFACES PRESENTED TOWARD SAID IONIZING ELECTRODE, WITHION ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID SPRAY BEING PROPELLED TOWARD AT LEAST A PART OF SAID SHIELDED PORTION AND PAST SAID SHIELDING PORTION WITH A VELOCITY SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE DEPOSITION ON SUCH PART OF SAID SHIELDED PORTION OF THE LAST MENTIONED PORTION OF THE SPRAY IN SPITE OF THE EXISTENCE OF SAID ELECTROSTATIC SHIELD, SAID ARTICLES BEING SPACED APART TO PERMIT A FURTHER PORTION OF THE SPRAY TO ENTER THE SPACE BETWEENON THE ARTICLES AND BECOME ELECTROSTATICALLY DEPOSITED ON ARTICLES SURFACES PRESENTED TOWARDS SAID OTHER ELECTRODEBWITH ALL OF THE PORTIONS OF THE SPRAY BEING DEPOSITED SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE DRYING OF ANY OF SAID PORTIONS.