Apparatus for drying moving webs

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DRYING A MOVING WEB COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, AN EXHAUST HOUSING COMPARTMENT EXTENDING ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE MOVING WEB AND HAVING AN ELONGATED EXHAUST OPENING POSITIONED TO RECEIVE FLUIDS FROM THE SURFACE OF THE WEB AND EXTENDING ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE MOVINGWEB, END MEMBERS EXTENDING FROM SAID HOUSING ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID MOVING WEB AND TERMINATING IN MOUNTING MEANS OVER WHICH THE WEB MOVES TO SPACEW THE EXHAUST HOUSING AWAY FROM THE WEB TO DEFINE AN OPEN TREATING ZONE ON THE SURFACE OF THE WEB AS IT MOVES THROUGH OPEN SIDES DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID END MEMBERS, TWO INLET TUBES FOR RECEIVING DRYING FLUID FLOW THERETHROUGH AND MOUNTED BETWEEN THE END MEMBERS IN A POSITION BETWEEN THE HOUSING AND MOVING WEB ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE ELONGATED EXHAUST OPENING AND EACH HAVING A SINGLE SLIT EXTENDING ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE MOVING WEB TO DIRECT THE FLUID WITH THE TWO SLITS BEING DISPOSED TO CONVERGE TWO THIN STREAMS OF FLUID ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE WEB INTERMEDIATE THE TWO INLET TUBES, ONE SAID SLIT DIRECING FLUID IN THE DIRECTION OF WEB TRAVEL AND THE OTHER SAID SLIT DIRECTING FLUID OPPOSITE THE DIRECTION OF WEB TRAVEL TO SCAVENGE THE SURFACE OF THE WEB, AND SUCTION MEANS FOR EXHAUSTING FROM SAID HOUSING THROUGH THE ELONGATED EXHAUST OPENING INTERMEDIATE SAID TUBES THE SCAVENGING AIR FLOW FROM SAID TUBES MIXED WITH SURPLUS AIR ENTERING FROM THE SIDES OF SAID OPEN TREATING ZONE.