Continuous vacuum drying apparatus for cloth and associated method

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS OPERATION VACUUM DRYING APPARATUS FOR CLOTH COMPRISING A CASING HAVING A DRYING CHAMBER WHICH IS ADAPTED FOR BEING SUBJECTED TO A VACUUM, SAID CASING HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET FOR THE PASSAGE OF CLOTH THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, A PLURALITY OF ROTARY HEATING DRUMS IN SAID CHAMBER FOR HEATING THE CLOTH DURING ITS PASSAGE THERETHROUGH TO DRY THE CLOTH, HANDLING MEANS FOR SAID CLOTH AT SAID INLET AND OUTLET FOR RESPECTIVELY FEEDING THE CLOTH INTO AND REMOVING THE CLOTH FROM THE CHAMBER WHILE MAINTAINING A HERMETIC SEAL AT SAID INLET AND OUTLET, EACH HANDLING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED ROTATABLE ROLLERS, EACH ROLLER HAVING END SURFACES AND A PERIPHERAL SURFACE IN HERMETICALLY SEALED CONTACT WITH THE CASING, AN IDLE ROLLER HAVING END SURFACES IN HERMETICALLY SEALED CONTACT WITH THE CASING, SAID IDLE ROLLER HAVING AN ELASTIC PERIPHERAL SURFACE AND EXTENDING BETWEEN AND IN CLOSE CONTACT AT SAID ELASTIC PERIPHERAL SURFACE WITH THE PERIPHERAL SURFACES OF SAID PAIR OF ROTATABLE ROLLERS, AND A PRESSURE ROLLER APPLIED TO THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID IDLE ROLLER TO URGE THE IDLE ROLLER AGAINST THE ROTATABLE ROLLERS.