Fluid cushioning systems

Claim 1

A STRIP TREATMENT LINE COMPRISING A TANK FOR HOLDING A LIQUID BATH, A LIQUID OUTLET PORT FOR SAID TANK, A PRESSURE CHAMBER DISPOSED IN SAID BATH, AND AT LEAST ONE INLET PORT FOR PRESSURIZED LIQUID ENTRY INTO SAID CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER HAVING A PART-CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT, THE CURVED SURFACE THEREOF DEFINING A BEARING SURFACE OVER WHICH SAID STRIP MATERIAL IS PASSED; SAID BEARING SURFACE BEING BOUNDED BY TWO OPPOSITE, PARALLEL SIDE EDGES FORMED BY THE INTERSECTION OF SAID CURVED SURFACE WITH THE OPPOSITE, PARALLEL SIDES OF SAID PART-CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT, AND BY TWO OPPOSITE, PARALLEL, LONGITUDINAL EDGES PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID PART-CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT, SAID LONGITUDINAL EDGES DEFINING THE EXTENT OF SAID CURVED SURFACE ABOUT SAID AXIS; ONE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL EDGES DEFINING A LEADING EDGE CORRESPONDING TO THE FIRST PORTION OF SAID CURVED SURFACE OVER WHICH THE STRIP PASSES AND THE OTHER OF SAID LONGITUDINAL EDGES DEFINING A TRAILING EDGE CORRESPONDING TO THE LAST PORTION OF SAID CURVED SURFACE OVER WHICH THE STRIP PASSES; SAID BEARING SURFACE HAVING A PATTERN OF OUTLET ORIFICES FOR PRESSURIZED LIQUID EXIT FROM SAID CHAMBER TO MAINTAIN STRIP PASSING OVER SAID CURVED SURFACE SUPPORTED ON A LIQUID CUSHION AND OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID BEARING SURFACE; SAID PATTERN OF ORIFICES CONSISTING OF A FIRST AREA SPACED INWARDLY FROM SAID SISDE EDGES AND EXTENDING AROUND THE MEDIAN OF SAID CURVED SURFACE SUBSTANTIALLY FULLY BETWEEN SAID LEADING AND TRAILING EDGES AND CONTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF ORIFICES OF CONSTANT DIAMETER ARRANGED IN COLUMNS OVER THE ENTIRETY OF SAID FIRST AREA; SECOND AND THIRD AREAS EACH RESPECTIVELY ADJACENT TO ONE OF SAID SIDE EDGES AND AXIALLY SPACED FROM SAID FIRST AREA AND EXTENDING AROUND SAID CURVED SURFACE SUBSTANTIALLY FULLY BETWEEN SAID LEADING AND TRAILING EDGES AND CONTAINING A UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF ORIFICES OF CONSTANT DIAMETER ARRANGED IN COLUMNS OVER THE ENTIRETY OF SAID SECOND AND THIRD AREAS; FOURTH AND FIFTH AREAS, EACH ADJACENT TO SAID LEADING EDGE AND EXTENDING A SHORT DISTANCE THEREFROM AROUND SAID CURVED SURFACE AND CONTAINING A UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF ORIFICES OF CONSTANT DIAMETER ARRANGED IN COLUMNS OVER THE ENTIRETY OF SAID FOURTH AND FIFTH AREAS, SAID FOURTH AREA BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN AND CONTIGUOUS TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND AREAS, SAID FIFTH AREA BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN AND CONTIGUOUS TO SAID FIRST AND THIRD AREAS, SIXTH AND SEVENTH AREAS, EACH ADJACENT TO SAID TRAILING EDGE AND EXTENDING A SHORT DISTANCE THEREFROM AROUND SAID CURVED SURFACE AND CONTIANING A UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF ORIFICES OF CONSTANT DIAMETER ARRANGED IN COLUMNS OVER THE ENTIRE SAID SIXTH AND SEVENTH AREAS, SAID SIXTH AREA BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN AND CONTIGUOUS TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND AREAS, SAID SEVENTH AREA BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN AND CONTIGUOUS TO SAID FIRST AND THIRD AREAS; SAID FIRST, THIRD, FIFTH AND SEVENTH AREAS ENCLOSING A FIRST SPACE ON SAID CURVED SURFACE HAVING NO ORIFICES AND SAID FIRST, SECOND, FOURTH AND SIXTH AREAS ENCLOSING A SECOND SPACE ON SAID CURVED SURFACE HAVING NO ORIFICES, THE AXIAL DIMENSION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND SPACES BEING SEVERAL TIMES GREATER THAN THE AXIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN ANY TWO ADJACENT COLUMNS OF SAID ORIFICES, AND THE DIAMETER OF SAID ORIFICES IN SAID SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH, SIXTH AND SEVENTH AREAS BEING DIMENSIONALLY SMALLER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID ORIFICES IN SAID FIRST AREA.