Treating glass sheets

Claim 1

IN THE ART OF PRODUCING PARTLY COATED GLASS SHEETS, WHEREIN A SHEET HAVING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND A PAIR OF SIDE EDGES IS SUPPORTED IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE, IS CONVEYED THROUGH A HOT ENCLOSED ATMOSPHERE FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO REACH A SURFACE TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO FORM A METAL OXIDE FILM ON SPRAYING A HYDROLIZABLE METAL COMPOUND THEREON, IS PARTIALLY COATED BY SPRAYING A HYDROLIZABLE METAL COMPOUND ONTO AN AREA OF THE HEATED SHEET BONDED BY ONE OF SAID PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND SPACED FROM THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL EDGES TO FORM A BAND OF METAL OXIDE FILM ON A SURFACE THEREOF WITHIN SAID AREA AND IS THEN COOLED, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING MAINTAINING A BODY ADJACENT THE PERIPHERY OF THE GLASS SHEET WITH A PORTION THEREOF DISPOSED OUTWARDLY OF A PORTION ONLY OF SAID PERIPHERY ABOVE SAID HORIZONTAL PLANE TO SHIELD A PORTION ONLY OF SAID BODY HAVING THERMAL CAPACITY SUFFICIENT TO ABSTRACT HEAT FROM THE ADJACENT GLASS SHET PERIPHERY TO RETARD THE HEATING RATE OF SAID ADJACENT PERIPHERY DURING THE HEATING PORTION OF THE CYCLE AND COOLING SAID SHEET IN AN OPEN ATMOPSHERE AFTER SIAD FILM IS FORMED WHILE CONTINUING TO MAINTAIN SAID BODY IN SAID RELATION TO SAID PERIPHERY DURING THE SUBSEQUENT COOLING TO RETARD TH COOLING RATE OF SAID PERIPHERY DURING THE COOLING PORTION OF THE CYCLE, THEREBY TENDING TO EQUALIZE THE RATE OF HEATING AND COOLING THE GLASS SHEET PERIPHERY AND THAT OF ITS AREA ENCOMPASSED WITHIN SAID PERIPHERY WITHOUT REQUIRING AN EXPENSIVE LEHR TO CONTROL IT COOLING.