Wall device for bounding an air cushion

Claim 1

A GROUND EFFECT MACHINE MOVABLE ALONG A BEARING SURFACE AND COMPRISING A RIGID STRUCTURE HAVING A SIDE FACING SAID BEARING SURFACE AND INCLUDING A RIGID PORTION PROTRUDING FROM SAID STRUCTURE TOWARD SAID BEARING SURFACE AND FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID RIGID STRUCTURE WIHT A PROJECTED SECTION SPACED FROM SAID SIDE, AND WALL MEANS FOR CONFINING LATERALLY A PRESSURE FLUID CUSHION FORMED AGAINST SAID BEARING SURFACE, WHEREIN THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISES A SYSTEM FOR SUPPORTING SAID CUSHION CONFINING WALL MEANS RELATIVELY TO SAID PROTRUDING PORTION, COMPRISING: A PRESSURE RESPONSIVE, DEFORMABLE PLATE DEVICE IN THE GENERALLY SHAPE OF AN ANNULUS WITH AN INNER PERIPHERY ADJACNET SAID PROJECTED SECTION OF SAID PROTRUDING PORTION AND AN OUTER PERIPHERY ADJACENT SAID CUSHION CONFINING WALL MEANS, SAID PLATE DEVICE EXTENDING TO FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY FLUIDTIGHT, CUSHION BOUNDING PHYSICAL WALL ON THE SIDE OF SAID PRESSURE FLUID CUSHION OPPOSITE TO SAID BEARING SURFACE WHEREBY SAID PRESSURE FLUID CUSHION IS BOUNDED ENDWISE BY SAID PLATE DEVICE AND SAID BEARING SURFACE AND SIDEWISE BY SAID CONFINING WALL MEANS, SAID PLATE DEVICE BEING DEFLECTABLE CONICAL-WISE UPON EXERTION OF PRESSURE THEREON WITH SAID OUTER PERIPHERY THEREOF MOVING BODILY TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID RIGID STRUCTURE WHILE SAID INNER PERIPHERY THEREOF REMAINS IN PROXIMITY TO SAID PROJECTED SECTION OF SAID PROTRUDING PORTION, WHEREBY SAID OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID PLATE DEVICE EXTENDS ENTIRELY ON A SAME SIDE OF SAID INNER PERIPHERY THEREOF, FIRST MEANS FOR HINGEDLY CONNECTING SAID INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID PLATE DEVICE TO SAID PROJECTED SECTION OF SAID PROTRUDING PORTION IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID RIGID STRUCTURE WHEREBY SAID PLATE DEVICE IS DEFLECTABLE CONICAL-WISE TO ADOPT GENERALLY V-SHAPED CROSS SECTIONS OF VARYING ANGULAR EXTENTS, AND SECOND MEANS FOR HINGEDLY CONNECTING SAID OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID PLATE DEVICE TO SAID CUSHION CONFINING WALL MEANS, WHEREBY SAID WALL MEANS MOVE BODILY WITH RESPECT TO SAID INNER PERIPHERY UPON CONICAL-WISE DEFLECTION OF SAID DEFORMABLE PLATE DEVICE.