Glass bending

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF BENDING GLASS SHEETS WHEREIN A FLAT GLASS SHEET IS SUPPORTED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE BY A CURVED SHAPING SURFACE AND ALSO AT ADDITIONAL POINTS INTERMEDIATE ITS LONGITUDINAL EXTREMITIES, WHICH ADDITIONAL POINTS ARE IN SAID SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE AND ABOVE SAID CURVED SHAPING SURFACE, AND WHEREIN SAID GLASS SHEET IS HEATED TO ITS SOFTENING POINT AND BENT INTO A FINAL CONFIGURATION CONFORMING TO SAID SHAPING SURFACE BY HEAT SAGGING, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING MAINTAINING SAID INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT POINTS IN CONTACT WITH THE GLASS SHEET DURING A FIRST STATE OF BENDING WHEREIN THE GLASS SHEET SAGS PART WAY TOWARD SAID SHAPING SURFACE, AND IS RELATIVELY FREE FROM SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DEFORMATION FROM CONTACT BY SAID SUPPORT POINTS, RETRACTING SAID INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT POINTS FROM CONTACT WITH THE GLASS AFTER THE GLASS SHEET HAS SAGGED PART WAY BETWEEN ITS INITIAL FLAT POSITION AND ITS FINAL CONFIGURATION IN CONTACT WITH SAID SHAPING SURFACE AND WHEN SAID GLASS SHEET HAS BEEN HEATED TO BE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DEFORMATION FROM SAID CONTACT THAN DURING SAID FIRST STAGE, AND MAINTAINING SAID INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT POINTS OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID GLASS SHEET DURING A SECOND STAGE OF BENDING WHEREIN THE GLASS SHEET COMPLETES ITS BENDING TO ITS FINAL CONFIGURATION.