Electro spray apparatus and method

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF ELECTROSTATICALLY DISTRIBUTING LIQUID AS A COATING ON ARTICLES WHEREIN A STREAM OF LIQUID COATING MATERIAL FROM A SUPPLY SOURCE IS FLOWED ONTO A SUPPORTING SURFACE ROTATED FOR TRANSFORMING SAID MATERIAL INTO A THIN FILM AND ADVANCING IT ALONG SAID SURFACE TO AN ATOMIZING ZONE TO PROVIDE A THIN CIRCULAR FILM EDGE HAVING THE COATING MATERIAL UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THEREALONG, A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES ARE LOCATED ABOUT SUCH CIRCULAR FILM EDGE WITH A PORTION OF EACH ARTICLE IN THE PLANE OF SUCH FILM EDGE, AND AN ELECTOSTATIC FIELD IS CREATED BETWEEN THE ARTICLES AND FILM EDGE AND CONCENTRATED THEREAT OF SUFFICIENT STRENGTH TO AFFECT THE ATOMIZATION, DISPERSION AND DEPOSITION ON THE ARTICLE SURFACES WHILE STILL IN LIQUID STATE OF FINE SPRAY PARTICLES ATOMIZED FROM SAID FILM EDGE, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE ARTICLES AND THE ATOMIZING ZONE BEING GREAT ENOUGH TO PERMIT SUBSTANTIAL DISPERSION OF THE SPRAY PARTICLES AS THEY PROCEED TOWARD THE ARTICLES, THE METHOD OF IMPROVING QUALITY OF ATOMIZATION AND EFFICIENCY OF DEPOSITION OF COATING MATERIALS DIFFICULT TO ATOMIZED ELECTROSTATICALLY, COMPRISING ROTATING SAID FILM SUPPORTING SURFACE SUFFICIENTLY RAPIDLY TO MAKE MECHANICAL FORCES APPRECIABLY AFFECT THE QUALITY OF ATOMIZATION, AND PREVENTING AIR FLOW AGAINST SAID RAPIDLY ROTATING SURFACE SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY THEREOVER TO THEREBY PREVENT THE CREATION OF AIR VELOCITIES BY SAID ROTATION AND AT THE ARTICLE SURFACES OF SUFFICIENT VELOCITY AS TO CAUSE PARTICLES WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE BE ELECTROSTATICALLY DEPOSITED ON THE ARTICLE SURFACES TO BE CARRIED AWAY FROM SAID ARTICLES SURFACES.