Coating apparatus having slidable flow control member

Claim 1

A COATING APPARATUS FOR DEPOSING RELATIVELY SMALL PARTICLES OF SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL ON AN OBJECT COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A STORAGE CONTAINER FOR HOLDING A SUPPLY OF PARTICULATE MATERIAL, A METERING MEANS, SAID METERING MEANS INCLUDING A HOUSING HAVING A CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER AND A ROTOR MOUNTED THEREIN FOR ROTATION, A DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID ROTOR, SAID ROTOR INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED AND RADIALLY EXTENDING BLADES, THE OUTWARD ENDS OF SAID BLADES BEING POSITIONED IN SEALING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WALL OF SAID CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER, A SECOND CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH THE LOWER END OF SAID METERING MEANS, A DUCT MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SECOND CHAMBER FOR SUPPLYING AIR UNDER PRESSURE THERETO, A DISCHARGE NOZZLE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SECOND CHAMBER, SAID BLADES BEING ADAPTED TO PREVENT THE FLOW OF AIR FROM SAID SECOND CHAMBER INTO SAID STORAGE CONTAINER, AND A FLOW CONTROL MEMBER COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL AIR SUPPLY PIPE SLIDABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID SECOND CHAMBER FOR REGULATING THE SIZE OF OPENING BETWEEN IT AND SAID METERING MEANS TO THEREBY CONTROL THE FLOW OF SAID PARTICULATE MATERIAL THERETHROUGH.