System and means for automatically air drying vehicles

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DRYING THE UPPER SURFACES OF FRESHLY WASHED VEHICLES DURING MOVEMENT THEREOF COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SOURCE OF COMPRESSED AIR; STATIONARY FRAMING BENEATH WHICH VEHICLES MAY BE MOVED; A NOZZLE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING AN AIR-JET DISCHARGING NOZZLE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF AND ABOVE THE VEHICLE, AND A PANTOGRAPH SUPPORT FOR THE NOZZLE; SAID NOZZLE HAVING INDUCTION AND EDUCTION PORTS; MEANS CONNECTING THE INDUCTION PORT WITH THE SOURCE OF COMPRESSED AIR; THE EDUCTION PORT BEING ELONGATED TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLES AND DIRECTING A JET OF COMPRESSED AIR GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY UPON THE UPPER SURFACES OF A VEHICLE PASSING BENEATH; SAID PANTOGRAPH SUPPORT BEING PIVOTED TO AND SUSPENDED FROM SAID FRAMING AND IN TURN PIVOTALLY SUSPENDING SAID NOZZLE, AND BEING SO CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED THAT THE NOZZLE MAY BE SWUNG IN PLANES PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLES BEING DRIED, AND WHEN SO SWUNG, THE PANTOGRAPH SUPPORT MAINTAINS THE NOZZLE ALWAYS IN THE SAME ANGULAR POSITION, WHICH IS NEARLY VERTICAL; A TRIP ARM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE NOZZLE AND HAVING A ROLLER AT ITS LOWER END ALWAYS DISPOSED BELOW THE LOWEST PART OF THE NOZZLE AND ALWAYS IN ADVANCE OF THE NOZZLE, SO THAT SAID ROLLER, NOT THE NOZZLE, WILL BE CONTACTED BY A PART OF THE VEHICLE MOVING BENEATH; A PILOT VALVE MOUNTED ON THE NOZZLE ASSEMBLY ABOVE THE TRIP ARM; MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SWINGING OF SAID TRIP ARM BY SAID VEHICLE CONTACT TO OPERATE SAID PILOT VALVE; A PNEUMATIC-HYDRAULIC SYSTEM INCLUDING A HYDRAULIC CYLINDER AND PISTON ASSEMBLY CONNECTED TO THE FRAMING AT ITS UPPER END AND TO THE NOZZLE ASSEMBLY AT ITS LOWER END AND ADAPTED TO RAISE AND LOWER THE NOZZLE RELATIVE TO THE VEHICLE BENEATH; AND VALVES AND PIPING CONNECTING SAID PILOT VALVE WITH SAID PENUMATIC-HYDRAULIC SYSTEM TO EFFECT AUTOMATIC AND RAPID ELEVATION OF THE NOZZLE ASSEMBLY WHENEVER THE ROLLER IS STRUCK BY A PART OF A MOVING VEHICLE; AUTOMATIC MEANS BEING PROVIDED AS PART OF SAID SYSTEM TO CAUSE THE NOZZLE ASSEMBLY TO DESCEND SLOWLY AFTER SAID ELEVATION.