Process and apparatus for drawing glass in sheet form

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR DRAWING SHEET GLASS FROM A MOLTEN GLASS BATH SO AS TO PROTECT THE SHEET BEING FORMED FROM THE COLD AMBIENT GAS CURRENTS IN THE DRAWING CHAMBER THAT ARE CAPABLE OF DISSTRUBING THE REQUIRED THERMAL HOMOGENEITY OF THE GLASS IN SUCH SHEET, COMPRISING DRAWING THE GLASS IN SHEET FORM FROM THE GLASS BATH UPWARDLY THROUGH A MASS OF MATERIAL NON-ADHERENT TO GLAS AND CAPABLE OF PROTECTING THE GLASS WHILE IT IS BEING DRAWN THERETHROUGH AGAINST SAID AMBIENT GAS CURRENTS, THE MATERIAL IN SAID MASS BEING INERT TO MOLTEN GLASS AND HAVING A DENSITY LESS THAN THAT OF THE MOLTEN GLASS, AND SAID MASS OF MATERIAL FLOATING AS A LIQUID LAYER ON THE GLASS BATH SO AS TO COVER THE AREA THEREOF FROM WHICH THE GLASS SHEET IS DRAWN AT THE DRAWING STATION AND BEING OF SUFFICIENT DEPTH TO COVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE GATHER FROM WHICH THE SHEET IS FORMED, THE MOLTEN GLASS DRAWN UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID MASS OF MATERIAL BEING IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH SUCH MATERIAL DURING ITS PASSAGE THROUGH SUCH MASS, AND SAID LIQUID LAYER OF MATERIAL SHIELDING THE MOLTEN GLASS BEING DRAWN THERETHROUGH AGAINSST SAID COLD AIR CURRENTS AND INCREASING THE RATE OF SURFACE CONGEALMENT OF THE GLASS SHEET SO AS TO REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF SUCH COLD AIR CURRENTS THEREON.