Curtain coating apparatus

Claim 1

IN CURTAIN COATING APPARATUS FOR SELECTIVELY COATING A PORTION OF A PLANAR OBJECT WITH A LIQUID COATING MATERIAL COMPRISING CONVEYOR MEANS FOR CONVEYING PLANAR OBJECTS IN SUCCESSION ALONG A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PATH OF TRAVEL FROM A FIRST LOCATION TO A SECOND LOCATING, CURTAIN FORMING MEANS ABOVE THE PATH OF TRAVEL BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND LOCATIONS AND EXTENDING GENERALLY LATERALLY ACROSS THE PATH OF TRAVEL FOR ESTABLISHING A THIN VERTICALLY FALLING CURTAIN OF SAID LIQUID MATERIAL, AND RECEIVER MEANS VERTICALLY ALIGNED WITH THE CURTAIN FORMING MEANS AT AN ELEVATION BETWEEN THE CURTAIN FORMING MEANS AND THE PATH OF TRAVEL FOR INTERCEPTING A PORTION OF THE FREE-FALLING CURTAIN AND FOR DIVERTING THE INTERCEPTED PORTION AWAY FROM THE PATH OF TRAVEL TO PREVENT THE INTERCEPTED PORTION FROM CONTACTING THE PLANAR OBJECT, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING MEANS FOR EFFECTING ACCURATE LATERAL POSITIONING OF THE PLANAR OBJECTS WITH RESPECT TO THE RECEIVER MEANS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND UPRIGHT SIDE WALL MEMBERS DISPOSED ABOVE THE PATH OF TRAVEL AND PROXIMATE TO THE FIRST LOCATION, SAID FIRST AND SECOND SIDE WALL MEMBERS BEING SPACED APART FROM ONE ANOTHER A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO CLOSELY CONTAIN THE PLANAR OBJECTS AND HAVING THEIR HORIZONTAL LONGITUDINAL AXES EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF TRAVEL, SAID MEANS FURTHER COMPRISING SUPPORT MEANS UNDER THE PLANAR OBJECTS FOR SUPPORTING A STACK OF PLANAR OBJECTS BETWEEN THE SIDE WALL MEAMBERS AT LOCATION REARWARD THEREOF AND FOR GUIDING AN INDIVIDUAL PLANAR OBJECT AT A FORWARD LOCATION THEREBETWEEN AS IT IS BEING TRANSFERRED ALONG THE PATH OF TRAVEL TO THE CONVEYOR MEANS.