Trailing-blade-coater including adjustable drag-blade

Claim 1

IN A COATER HAVING A BACKING ROLL AROUND WHICH A TRAVELING WEB TO BE COATED IS DRAWN, A LIQUID COATING RESERVOIR AND DOCTOR BLADE ASSEMBLY WHICH COMPRISES A LIQUID COATING ENCLOSURE HAVING AN OPEN FACE DISPOSED AGAINST SAID WEB AND SUPPORTING BACKING ROLL; TRAILING TYPE DOCTOR BLADE FORMING A BASE PORTION OF SAID ENCLOSURE AND HAVING THE TRAILING EDGE THEREOF YIELDABLE SUPPORTED WITH RELATION TO SAID TRAVELING WEB IN POSITION CLOSING THE LEAVING EDGE OF SAID OPEN FACE; A DRAG BLADE DISPOSED IN NARROWLY SPACED RELATION TO SAID TRAVELING WEB ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE WEB AND HAVING THE FACE THEREOF CONFORMED GENERALLY TO THE WEB AND BACKING ROLL OVER WHICH THE WEB PASSES; SAID DRAG BLADE EXTENDING FROM ABOVE THE TOP FACE OF SAID LIQUID COATING MATERIAL AND TERMINATING IN AN INNER SUBMERGED EDGE SPACED FROM SAID DOCTOR BLADE THUS FORMING A WALL OF SAID ENCLOSURE AND GENERALLY PREVENTING CONTACT OF SAID MATERIAL WITH THE TRAVELING WEB PORTION CONTIGUOUS TO SAID DRAG BLADE SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY THAT PORTION ONLY OF THE TRAVELING WEB EXTENDING FROM SAID INNER SUBMERGED EDGE OF THE DRAG BLADE TO THE LEAVING EDGE DEFINED BY SAID DOCTOR BLADE IS IN CONTACT WITH SAID LIQUID COATING; AND AJUSTABLE SUPPORTING MEANS ON WHICH SAID DRAG BLADE IS SHIFTABLE RELATIVELY TO SAID BACKING ROLL TO VARY THE WIDTH OF THE SPACE BETWEEN THE INNER SUBMERGED EDGE OF THE DRAG BLADE AND THE DOCTOR BLADE AND THEREBY THE THICKNESS OF COATING MATERIAL DRIVEN PAST THE YIELDABLE TRAILING EDGE OF SAID DOCTOR BLADE.