US3579853A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Circuit board drier
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1968-12-05
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Granted: 1971-05-25
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Expires: 1988-12-05
Abstract
Abstract In an apparatus for drying circuit boards, two sets of rollers convey a circuit board past a set of air knives of novel configuration. Each air knife comprises a pair of planar blade members converging to form adjacent their apex an elongate orifice having a width on the order of 0.085 inches. A deflector lip projects from one edge of the orifice. Air forced through the orifice forms an air knife edge having an anemometer static pressure of greater than 10 inches of water, providing exceptionally quiet, highly effective drying of the board. In some embodiments, a plurality of upper and lower horizontally disposed guidewires facilitate drying of thin, flexible boards.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph J Martino
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 13:03
CPC Classifications
F; F26; F26B; F26B21/00; F26B21/50; F26B21/55; H; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; H05K3/22; H05K3/227
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
74 words
An air knife adapted for drying an article, and characterized by a body, the cross-sectional area of which converges to a slitlike orifice, comprising a cylindrical duct having a longitudinally extending opening therein, and a pair of elongate planar blade members extending from opposite edges of said opening and converging to form said slitlike orifice adjacent their apex, and a deflector lip extending from one edge of said blade member at an angle thereto.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
74 words
An air knife adapted for drying an article, and characterized by a body, the cross-sectional area of which converges to a slitlike orifice, comprising a cylindrical duct having a longitudinally extending opening therein, and a pair of elongate planar blade members extending from opposite edges of said opening and converging to form said slitlike orifice adjacent their apex, and a deflector lip extending from one edge of said blade member at an angle thereto.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
An air knife as defined in claim 1 wherein the length of said deflector lip is at least one-eighth inch.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus for drying a circuit board, said apparatus comprising: at least one air knife of the type defined in claim 1; and conveyor means for transporting said circuit board past said orifice.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said air knife is oriented so that a radius extending from the axis of said cylindrical duct through the center of said orifice intersects the surface of said transported circuit board at an angle of from 10* to 20*.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 4, and comprising a plurality of said air knives, at least one of said air knives being directed toward the top surface of said transported circuit board, at least one other of said air knives being directed toward the bottom surface of said transported circuit board.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 5 further comprising means for exhausting air through the orifices of each of said air knives at a rate sufficient to produce an air knife edge having a static pressure of at least 10 inches of water.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 6 where said conveyor means comprises a first set of rollers having their upper edges disposed in a first horizontal plane, and means for rotating said rollers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said conveyor means further comprises a second set of rollers having their lower edges disposed in a second horizontal plane above said first horizontal plane, each roller of said second set being adapted to be displaced vertically as said circuit board is transported therebeneath.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
147 words
A device for conveying a thin flexible circuit board past a drier, said device comprising: a first set of rollers having their upper edges disposed in a first horizontal plane, each roller of said first set having plural circumferential grooves therein; means for rotating said first set of rollers; a first plurality of guidewires aligned perpendicular to the axes of, and disposed within the grooves of said first set of rolleRs; a second set of rollers having their lower edges disposed in a second horizontal plane disposed immediately above said first horizontal plane, each roller of said second set being adapted independently to be displaced vertically as said circuit board is conveyed thereunder, each roller of said second set having plural circumferential grooves therein; and a second plurality of guidewires aligned perpendicular to the axes of, and disposed within the grooves of said second set of rollers.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
147 words
A device for conveying a thin flexible circuit board past a drier, said device comprising: a first set of rollers having their upper edges disposed in a first horizontal plane, each roller of said first set having plural circumferential grooves therein; means for rotating said first set of rollers; a first plurality of guidewires aligned perpendicular to the axes of, and disposed within the grooves of said first set of rolleRs; a second set of rollers having their lower edges disposed in a second horizontal plane disposed immediately above said first horizontal plane, each roller of said second set being adapted independently to be displaced vertically as said circuit board is conveyed thereunder, each roller of said second set having plural circumferential grooves therein; and a second plurality of guidewires aligned perpendicular to the axes of, and disposed within the grooves of said second set of rollers.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
57 words
A device as defined in claim 9 wherein said drier comprises one or more air knives each characterized by a body the cross-sectional area of which converges to a slitlike orifice and a deflector lip extending from one edge of said orifice at an acute angle with respect to a normal to the plane of said orifice.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
144 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said conveyor means comprises: a first set of rollers having their upper edges disposed in a first horizontal plane, each roller of said first set having plural circumferential grooves therein; means for rotating said first set of rollers; a first plurality of guidewires aligned perpendicular to the axes of, and disposed within the grooves of said first set of rollers; a second set of rollers having their lower edges disposed in a second horizontal plane disposed immediately above said first horizontal plane, each roller of said second set being adapted independently to be displaced vertically as said circuit board is conveyed thereunder, each roller of said second set having plural circumferential grooves therein; and a second plurality of guidewires aligned perpendicular to the axes of, and disposed within the grooved of said second set of rollers.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-05-24 | 1974-11-23 | 1975-05-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-05-24 | 1978-11-23 | 1979-05-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-05-24 | 1982-11-23 | 1983-05-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |