Sheet delivery mechanism

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL OF A LIGHT WEIGHT ANALOGOUS TO THAT OF PAPER, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING LATERALLY SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL BELTS, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID BELTS IN UNISON, MEANS FORMING AN ELONGATE AIR CHAMBER EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BELTS AND HAVING AN OPEN AIR OUTLET END AND FURTHER HAVING A LOWER SIDE OVERLYING AND SPANNING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID BELTS, SAID CHAMBER LOWER SIDE HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING OPENING OF A WIDTH APPROXIMATING THE WIDTH OF THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID BELTS, MEANS FOR DELIVERING A SHEET OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL TO A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION IN SPANNING RELATION WITH SAID SPACED BELTS ON THE SIDES OF THE BELTS OPPOSITE FROM THE SAID LOWER SIDE OF SAID CHAMBER, AND MEANS FOR INTRODUCING AIR UNDER PRESSURE INTO SAID CHAMBER ABOVE SAID LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING OPENING AND TOWARD SAID AIR OUTLET END FOR CREATING A FLOW OF AIR LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID CHAMBER TOWARD AND FOR DISCHARGE THROUGH THE SAID OPEN OUTLET END TO THEREBY PRODUCE A REDUCED AIR PRESSURE ABOVE THE SAID SHEET OF MATERIAL TO ELEVATE THE SHEET INTO CONTACTING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID MOVING BELT AND SUPPORT THE SAID SHEET ON AN AIR CUSHION AGAINST SAID BELTS AND FOR MOVEMENT BY SAID BELTS IN THE DIRECTION OF AIR FLOW THROUGH THE CHAMBER.