Method of electrostatically coating an article

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF ELECTROSTATICALLY COATING AN ARTICLE WHICH COMPRISES SUPPLYING LIQUID COATING MATERIAL TO AN ANNULAR ATOMIZING ZONE, MOVING THE ARTICLES TO BE COATED ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH THROUGH A COATING ZONE SPACED FROM SAID ATOMIZING ZONE, ELECTROSATICALLY CHARGING THE ATOMIZING ZONE TO FORM A DEPOSITING ELECTROSTATIC FIELD HAVING LINES OF FORCE EXTENDING BETWEEN THE ATOMIZING ZONE AND AN ARTICLE IN SAID COATING ZONE, SAID FIELD BEING OF SUFFICIENT STRENGTH TO BE CAPABLE OF ELECTROSTATICALLY ATOMIZING COATING MATERIAL AT SAID ATOMIZING ZONE AND ELECTROSTATICALLY DEPOSITING THE ATOMIZED PARTICLES NORMALLY IN AN ANNULAR STATIC SPRAY PATTERN, SO SHAPED AS TO CAUSE SUCH DEPOSITION OF ATOMIZED PARTICLES NORMALLY IN AN ANNULAR STATIC SPRAY PATTERN, MAINTAINING CLOSELY ADJACENT SAID ATOMIZING ZONE A PLURALITY OF ELECTRODE TERMINAL PORTIONS CHARGED TO THE SAME SIGN AS SAID ATOMIZING ZONE WITH AT LEAST TWO PORTIONS BEING MAINTAINED SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND ON EITHER SIDE OF THE SPRAY AXIS, SAID PREDETERMINED PATH OF ARTICLE MOVEMENT IN THE COATING ZONE BEING ALONG A LINE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO A LINE JOINING SAID TWO ELECTRODE TERMINAL PORTIONS AND SUBSTANTIALLY NORMALL TO THE SPRAY AXIS, SAID ELECTRODE TERMINAL PORTIONS BEING ARRANGED TO RESHAPE SAID ANNULAR STATIC PATTERN INTO A NON-ANNULAR PATTERN MORE UNIFORMLY TO DEPOSIT COATING MATERIAL ON THE ARTICLES.