Jet sheet enclosure for compressed gases

Claim 1

A GROUND EFFECT VEHICLE FOR TRAVEL OVER AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A SURFACE, COMPRISING: A BODY HAVING ITS BOTTOM ADAPTED TO BE VERTICALLY SPACED ABOVE SAID SURFACE AND HAVING A SUFFICIENT PORTION TO BE ACTED UPON BY UNDERLYING FLUID PRESSURE SO THAT THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE MAY BE SUSTAINED, MEANS ON SAID BODY TO SEALINGLY AND LATERALLY CIRCUMSCRIBE A SPACE BETWEEN SAID SURFACE AND SAID BOTTOM PORTION, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A JET NOZZLE HAVING AN ORIFICE SIZED AND SHAPED TO ESTABLISH A RELATIVELY THIN JET SHEET; SAID JET NOZZLE BEING POSITIONED IN A MANNER TO DIRECT THE JET SHEET DOWNWARDLY TOWARDS SAID SURFACE AND, IN ISSUING FROM SAID NOZZLE, WITH INCLINATION TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE CIRCUMSCRIBED SPACE; SHIFTABLE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NOZZLE ADAPTED TO VARY THE DEGREE OF SUCH INCLINATION; AND MEANS ON SAID BODY FOR SUPPLYING PRESSURIZED FLUID TO SAID JET NOZZLE; SAID SHIFTABLE MEANS INCLUDING A CONTROL MEMBER ROTATABLY ADJUSTABLE ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE JET NOZZLE AND HAVING A SURFACE EXTENDING BELOW SAID NOZZLE ORIFICE ALONG WHICH THE JET FLOWS AND TO WHICH IT ADHERES DUE TO THE COANDA EFFECT, THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID CONTROL MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH A RELATIVELY SHARP ANGLE SO THAT THE JET SHEET LEAVES SAID MEMBER IN THE DIRECTION IMPARTED THERETO BY SAID SURFACE OF SAID MEMBER.