Air cushion vehicle construction including control valves

Claim 1

AN AIR BORNE GROUND VEHICLE COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A DEPENDING PERIPHERAL WALL HAVING FRONT, REAR AND TWO SIDE WALL PORTIONS TO FORM A CHAMBER HAVING AN OPEN GROUND-FACING BOTTOM SIDE, THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL FORMING THE PERIPHERY OF THE OPEN BOTTOM OF SAID CHAMBER SUCH THAT SAID OPEN BOTTOM HAS AN AREA APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE VEHICLE AND, WHEN THE VEHICLE IS AT REST, SAID LOWER EDGE OF THE PERIPHERAL WALL BEING DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND TO CLOSE THE BOTTOM SIDE OF SAID CHAMBER; A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL PARTITION DISPOSED ACROSS SAID CHAMBER ADJACENT TO BUT SPACED UPWARDLY FROM ITS OPEN BOTTOM, SAID PARTITION TERMINATING SHORT OF THE PERIPHERAL WALL OF SAID CHAMBER TO LEAVE A NARROW ELONGATE SLOT THEREBETWEEN FORMING A PASSAGE CONNECTING THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID PARTITION WITH ITS UNDERSIDE; MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AIR UNDER PRESSURE INTO SAID CHAMBER ABOVE SAID PARTITION SO THAT SAID AIR FLOWS DOWN FROM SAID CHAMBER THROUGH SAID SLOT TO THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID PARTITION FROM WHENCE IT ESCAPES IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION UNDER THE BOTTOM EDGE OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, SAID SLOT BEING SUFFICIENTLY SMALL IN CROSS-SECTION TO AIR FLOW THERETHROUGH SO THAT, WHEN THE VEHICLE IS SUPPORTED ABOVE THE GROUND FOR HORIZONTAL PROPULSION THEREOVER BY AIR PRESSURE UNDER THE PARTITION, THE FLOW RESISTANCE OFFERED BY SAID SLOT TO AIR FLOW THERETHROUGH IS SUFFICIENTLY HIGH SO THAT A SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER ABOVE-ATMOSPHERIC AIR PRESSURE IS MAINTAINED IN SAID CHAMBER ABOVE SAID PARITION AS COMPARED TO THE ABOVE-ATMOSPHERIC AIR PRESSURE IN SAID CHAMBER BELOW SAID PARTITION AND SAID AIR FLOW PROVIDING A PRESSURE BETWEEN THE VEHICLE AND THE GROUND SUFFICIENT TO RAISE THE VEHICLE OFF THE GROUND TO AN EXTENT SUCH THAT A SMALL CLEARANCE IS PROVIDED BETWEEN THE VEHICLE PERIPHERAL WALL AND THE GROUND AND SUCH THAT THE PRESSURE BETWEEN THE VEHICLE AND THE GROUND PROVIDES AN AIR CUSHION THEREBETWEEN WHICH PROVIDES THE MAIN FORCE SUPPORTING THE VEHICLE OFF THE GROUND, SAID PERIPHERAL WALL HAVING AT LEAST ONE CONTROLLABLE OPENING FOR COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CHAMBER ABOVE SAID PARTITION SUCH THAT WHEN OPEN THE AIR DISCHARGING THROUGH EACH OPENING HAS A HORIZONTAL VELOCITY COMPONENT TO PROVIDE THE VEHICLE WITH HORIZONTAL THRUST; AND VALVE MEANS OPERABLE TO CONTROL EACH SAID PERIPHERAL WALL OPENING.