Dryer for a film processing machine

Claim 1

IN A SELF-THREADING DRYER FOR GELATIN-COATED FILM, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) MEANS DEFINING A DRYING CHAMBER HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET FOR UNOBSTRUCTED PASSAGE OF GELATINCOATED FILM INTO AND OUT OF THE CHAMBER; (B) A ROLLER-TRANSPORT SYSTEM DISPOSED IN SAID CHAMBER BETWEEN THE INLET AND THE OUTLET AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART PAIRS OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED ROLLERS HAVING SURFACES FOR ENGAGING OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FILM THEREBETWEEN, AND DRIVE MEANS ONLY AT THE ENDS OF THE ROLLERS AND INCLUDING GEAR MEANS TO POSITIVELY DRIVE THE ROLLERS FOR SELF-THREADING AND A SHAFT CONTAINING WORM GEARS DISTRIBUTED ALONG ITS LENGTH FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RESPECTIVE GEAR MEANS FOR POSITIVE DRIVING THEREOF FOR TRANSPORTING THE FILM THROUGH SAID CHAMBER BETWEEN THE SURFACES OF THE PAIRS OF ROLLERS; (C) A SOURCE MEANS OF PRESSURIZED WARM AIR; SAID SOURCE MEANS COMPRISING: (1) A SINGLE BLOWER; (2) A PAIR OF PLENUMS ONE DISPOSED ON EACH SIDE OF SAID DRYING CHAMNBER AND EXTENDING ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID DRYING CHAMBER TRANSVERSELY TO SAID ROLLERS OF SAID ROLLER-TRANSPORT SYSTEM; (3) A DUCT CONNECTING SAID BLOWER TO BOTH OF SAID PLENUMS; AND (4) A HEATER FOR WARMING THE AIR PASSING THROUGH SAID DUCT; AND (D) A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED AIR DIRECTING MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN ADJACENT PAIRS OF SAID ROLLERS WITH EACH CONNECTED TO RECEIVE AIR FROM BOTH OF SAID PLENUMS, AND POSITIONED TO DIRECT UNOBSTRUCTED SYMMETRICAL SHEETS OF WARM AIR SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO AND EXTENDING ACROSS THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF EACH SIDE OF THE FILM TRANSPORTED BETWEEN SAID ROLLERS BY SAID ROLLER-TRANSPORT SYSTEM.