High-speed roadway vacuum cleaner

Claim 1

A ROADWAY VACUUM CLEANER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A WHEELED VEHICLE ADAPTED TO TRANSVERSE THE ROADWAY IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION OF TRAVEL; A VACUUM INTAKE NOZZLE CARRIED BY SAID VEHICLE AND DISPOSED A PREDETERMINED, SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED DISTANCE ABOVE THE ROADWAY SURFACE; AN AIR BLAST NOZZLE CARRIED BY SAID VEHICLE AND DISPOSED BEHIND SAID INTAKE NOZZLE FOR DIRECTING AN AIR BLAST UPON THE ROADWAY SURFACE; PRIMARY AGITATION MEANS CARRIED BY SAID VEHICLE AND DISPOSED BEHIND SAID AIR NLAST NOZZLE FOR DISLODGING HEAVY PARTICLES NOT PICKED UP FROM THE ROADWAY SURFACE WHEN INITIALLY TRAVERSED BY SAID INTAKE NOZZLE; A PAIR OF AIR-SKIRTING MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SID VEHICLE ON RESPECTIVE SIDES OF SAID INTAKE NOZZLE; THIRD AIR SKIRTING MEANS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY BEHIND SAID PRIMARY AGITATION MEANS, SAID THREE AIR SKIRTING MEANS TOGETHER PROVIDING A PROTECTED AREA WITHIN WHICH THE DESIRED COOPERATIVE ACTION OF SAID INTAKE NOZZLE, SAID AIR BLAST NOZZLE, AND SAID PRIMARY AGITATION MEANS, MAY TAKE PLACE WITHOUT INTERFERENCE FROM THE AMBIENT ATMOSPHERE, AND DESPITE VARIATIONS IN THE FORWARD SPEED OF THE VEHICLE AND UNEVENNESS IN THE ROADWAY SURFACE; EACH OF SAID AIR SKIRTING MEANS INCLUDING A CHAMBER HAVING AN ELONGATED, RELATIVELY NARROW OPENING DISPOSED AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME ELEVATION AS THE OPENING OF SAID INTAKE NOZZLE; AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING A CURTAIN OF AIR FLOWING CONTINUOUSLY THROUGH SAID OPENINGS DOWNWARDLY ONTO THE ROADWAY SURFACE.