Heat treating method and apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR HEAT TREATING A CONTINUOUS, MOVING SHEET OF MATERIAL, COMPRISING: (A) A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED DRYING ROLLS ALTERNATELY LOCATED IN FIRST AND SECOND, VERTICALLY SPACED APART DECKS AND ADAPTED TO HAVE A SHEET OF MATERIAL CONTACTING, RESPECTIVELY, THEIR UPPER AND LOWER SURFACE PORTIONS, ALL OF SAID ROLLS BEING INTERNALLY HEATED; (B) BELT MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID SHEET MATERIAL AGAINST THE ROLLS IN ONE OF SAID DECKS ONLY, THE OTHER OF SAID DECKS BEING ENTIRELY FREE OF SUCH BELT MEANS TO PERMIT VOLATILES EVOLVED FRO THE MATERIAL BEING DRIED TO ESCAPE FREELY FROM ADJACENT THE SURFACE OF SAID MATERIAL: AND (C) RADIANT HEATER MEANS FOR APPLYING RADIANT ENERGY DIRECTLY TO THE EXPOSED SURFACE OF SAID SHEET ONLY IN THE DECK WHICH IS FREE OF BELT MEANS SO THAT SAID RADIANT ENERGY IS TRANSFERRED WITH MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY FROM SAID HEATER MEANS TO SAID MATERIAL; (D) WHEREBY THERE ARE DRYING ROLLS FREE OF SAID BELT MEANS AND WITH EXTERNAL HEATER MEANS THEREAROUND TO TRANSFER RADIANT ENERGY FROM SAID HEATER MEANS TO SAID MATERIAL IN SUFFICIENTLY LARGE AMOUNTS TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE RATE AT WHICH SAID MATERIAL IS DRIED AND YET BELT MEANS PRESSING SAID MATERIAL AGAINST A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF DRYING ROLLS TO PREVENT THE FORMATION OF WRINKLES IN SAID MATERIAL AND TO INSURE A HEAT CONDUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MATERIAL AND THE DRYING ROLLS.