Patent ID: 6852166

Claim:
A coating apparatus comprising: a supporting device comprising a holder support movable in an up-and-down direction, a plurality of holder members affixed to said holder support for supporting a plurality of cylindrical bodies, and a flexible hood affixed to said holder support in such a manner as to surround said plurality of cylindrical bodies, said holder support in combination with the flexible hood defining a space that is closed at an upper portion and open at a bottom thereof for discharging vapor of a solvent, which is contained in a coating liquid, produced during immersion or drying to touch; and a bath positioned below said supporting device and storing the coating liquid; wherein each of the cylindrical bodies is positioned in the space that is closed at an upper portion; said flexible hood folds or contracts at a top of said bath, rises together with the plurality of cylindrical bodies when said plurality of cylindrical bodies are lifted out of said bath at a constant speed or a varying speed, and has a bottom positioned at a level coincident with or below a level of bottoms of said plurality of cylindrical bodies when said flexible hood is brought to a stop after a lift; and said bath comprises a plurality of chambers each being positioned beneath one of the plurality of cylindrical bodies and each storing the coating liquid.