Apparatus for processing strip material

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING A CONTINUOUSLY MOVING STRIP COMPRISING, A CHAMBER FILLED WITH AN ATMOSPHERE OF GASEOUS MATERIAL, A FIRST PASS FOR PERFORMING A PRELIMINARY OPERATING ON SAID STRIP, A SECOND PASS FOR PERFORMING A FINISHING OPERATING ON SAID STRIP, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID PASSES BEING IN SAID CHAMBER, SAID PASSES, THE STANTIALLY VERTICAL AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, AND MEANS FOR GUIDING SAID STRIP BETWEEN SAID PASSES, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: SAID MEANS INCLUDING A SUPPORT HAVING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL SURFACE, AN ORIFICE NETWORK COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID SURFACE AND DEFINING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR STRIP SUPPORT PORTION AND SAID SURFACE, AND POWER MEANS FOR FORCING SAID GASEOUS MATERIAL FROM SAID NETWORK TOWARD SAID STRIP IN SUFFICIENT VOLUME AND UNDER SUFFICIENT PRESSURE TO MAINTAIN THE STIP SPACED FROM SAID SURFACE, SAID SUPPORT INCLUDING A PLENUM CHAMBER COEXTENSIVE THEREWITH, SAID NETWORK INCLUDING ELONGATED ORIFICES COMMUNICATING SAID PLENUM CHAMBER WITH SAID SURFACE, AND SAID POWER MEANS COMPRISING A MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SAID FLUID UNDER LOW PRESSURE AND IN HIGH VOLUME TO SAID PLENUM CHAMBER, A FIRST AND SECOND SHUTTER PLATE SPACED TRANSVERSELY FROM EACH OTHER, SAID PLATE BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID SURFACE AND ADAPTED TO CLOSE SAID ORIFICES, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PLATES TRANSVERSELY ON SAID SURFACE FOR LIMITING THE TRANSVERSE WIDTH OF SAID ORIFICE NETWORK.