Apparatus for drying web material

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DRYING WEB MATERIAL COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, MEANS FOR FEEDING A WEB OF A GIVEN WIDTH IN A GIVEN DIRECTION; A HOOD HAVING AN OPEN OUTLET END ARRANGED CLOSELY ADJACENT TO AND FACING ONE SURFACE OF THE WEB FED IN SAID GIVEN DIRECTION, SAID OPEN OUTLET END OF SAID HOOD HAVING A WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THAT OF SAID WEB AND SAID OUTLET END EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY IN SAID GIVEN DIRECTION; A FIRST PARTITION EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID HOOD AND DIVIDING THE LATTER INTO TWO LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING HALVES; A PLURALITY OF ADDITIONAL PARTITIONS ARRANGED SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN SAID LONGITUDINALLY DIRECTION AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSE TO SAID FIRST PARTITION AND DIVIDING EACH OF SAID HALVES IN A PLURALITY OF SECTIONS; AND A PLURALITY OF BLOWER MEANS EACH COOPERATING WITH ONE OF SAID SECTIONS FOR INDIVIDUALLY BLOWING A DRYING MEDIUM THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE SECTION ON TO SAID SURFACE OF SAID WEB WHILE THE LATTER IS FED IN SAID GIVEN DIRECTION, THE ROTATIONAL SPEED OF EACH OF SAID BLOWER MEANS BEING INDIVIDUALLY ADJUSTABLE SO THAT THE AMOUNT OF DRYING MEDIUM PASSING THROUGH EACH SECTION ON TO SAID WEB IS ADJUSTABLE INDEPENDENT OF THE AMOUNT PASSING THROUGH THE OTHER SECTIONS.