Apparatus for coating elongated objects

Claim 1

AN ARRANGEMENT FOR APPLYING A POWDERED RESIN COATING MATERIAL TO A SIMULTANEOUSLY ROTATING AND ADVANCING HEATED ELONGATED OBJECT, COMPRISING A COATING CHAMBER, AN APPLICATING WHEEL COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER, SAID WHEEL HAVING A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY EXTENDING BLADES; MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID WHEEL; MEANS FOR FEEDING SAID POWDERED MATERIAL TO THE RADIALLY INNER PORTION OF SUCCESSIVE BLADES WHEREBY SAID MATERIAL IS PROJECTED AGAINST SAID OBJECT AND REACTED UPON THE HEAT OF SAID OBJECT TO FORM A UNIFORM PLASTIC COATING THEREON AND WHEREIN SAID POWDERED MATERIAL FEEDING MEANS INCLUDES A HOPPER DIVIDED INTO TWO COMPARTMENTS, MEANS FOR CONVEYING EXCESS MATERIAL INTO SAID TWO COMPARTMENTS FROM SAID CHAMBER, A FIRST VALVE MEANS IN SAID FEED HOPPER FOR ACCOMMODATING FLOW OF POWDERED MATERIAL TO ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS WHILE SHUTTING OFF FLOW OF MATERIAL TO THE OTHER COMPARTMENT; AND A SECOND VALVE MEANS IN SAID HOPPER FOR PREVENTING SAID ONE COMPARTMENT FROM DISCHARGING ITS POWDERED MATERIAL CONTENTS TO SAID APPLICATING WHEEL WHILE SAID FEEDING MEANS IS FILLING SAID ONE COMPARTMENT.