Patent ID: 7108123

Claim:
A contact-free plate conveyor comprising an areal arrangement of suction nozzles ( 1 ) each having a conical cup-like shape widening from an apex toward a planar rim thereof forming with a plate (P) an outlet nozzle structure ( 3 ) and means supplying air under pressure via an inlet nozzle structure ( 2 ) disposed at the apex to the interior of the suction nozzles in the areal nozzle arrangement such that the air flows toward and through the thin gap outlet nozzle structure ( 3 ) formed between the planar rim of the cup and the plate (P) at high speed in a direction parallel to the plate supported on the conveyor whereby a vacuum is generated between the rim area of the cups and the plate (P) thereby holding the plate at a predetermined distance from the nozzle arrangement against a pressure generated within the nozzle cups by the air supplied thereto.