Multi-port regenerative glass melting furnace

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS GLASS MELTING FURNACE OF THE CROSSFIRED TYPE HAVING AN OBLONG MELTING TANK WITH A BATCH FEEDING END AND A MOLTEN GLASS DISDCHARGE END, A SERIES OF PORTS ALONG A SIDE OF SAID TANK FOR CONDUCTING COMBUSTION AIR THERETO, SAID PORTS DISCHARGING GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE MELTING TANK ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE GLASS CHARGE THEREIN, THE UPPER AND LOWER WALLS OF EACH PORT CONVERGING TOWARD SAID TANK AND THE LOWER WALL TERMINATING A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE SHORT OF THE TANK PROPER IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL DEPENDING FACE EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY ACROSS SAID PORT, A LEDGE EXTENDING FROM THE BASE OF SAID DEPENDING FACE TO SAID MELTING TANK, A PLURALITY OF RELATIVELY SMALL UNIFORMLY SPACED OPENING EXTENDING ACROSS SAID FACE TO DISCHARGE FUEL GAS IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE MELTING TANK ALONG SAID LEDGE TO FORM A HORIZONTAL CURTAIN OR STRATUM OF FUEL GAS AT THE BASE OF EACH PORT WITH THE COMBUSTION AIR FLOWING TOWARD THE MELTING TANK OVER SAID STRATUM.