Manufacture of flat glass

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING FLAT GLASS IN RIBBON FORM DURING WHICH GLASS IN A MOLTEN STATE IS SUPPLIED TO ONE END OF A BATH OF MOLTEN METAL, IS ADVANCED FORWARDLY ALONG THE BATH AND DURING ITS PASSAGE ALONG THE BATH IS SUFFICIENTLY STIFFENED BY COOLING BEFORE THE GLASS IN RIBBON FORM IS DISCHARGED FROM THE OTHER END OF THE BATH TO PERMIT THE RIBBON TO BE TAKEN UNHARMED FROM THE BATH, CHARACTERIZED BY DELIVERING MOLTEN GLASS IN THE FORM OF A SHEET-LIKE STREAM TO THE SURFACE OF THE BATH OF MOLTEN METAL BY A FREE FALL OF THE MOLTEN GLASS FROM A CHANNEL ONTO A REGION OF SAID SURFACE SPACED FORWARDLY OF THE REAR END OF THE BATH AND CAUSING SAID STREAM NEAR SAID REGION TO SEPARATE INTO (1) A FORWARDLY FLOWING GLASS BRANCH LAYER ON THE BATH WITH THE GLASS IN THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE BODY OF GLASS IN THE CHANNEL FLOWING CONTINUOUSLY FORWARD INTO THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE GLASS LAYER, AND (2) SIMULTANEOUSLY A REARWARDLY FLOWING GLASS BRANCH LAYER ON SAID BATH WITH THE GLASS IN THE UNDER SURFACE OF THE BODY OF GLASS IN THE CHANNEL FLOWING CONTINUOUSLY INTO THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE REARWARDLY FLOWING GLASS BRANCH LAYER, THEREBY DIVIDING THE MOLTEN GLASS WHICH IS DELIVERED TO THE BATH IN TWO BRANCH LAYERS HAVING TWO DIRECTIONS OF MOVEMENT AND GENERATING FOR THE FORWARDLY FLOWING BRANCH GLASS LAYER A BOTTOM SURFACE IN WHICH THE DISTORTION DUE TO PHYSICAL CONTACT OF THE GLASS WITH THE CHANNEL ARE MINIMAL, REGULATING THE SUPPLY TO THE CHANNEL TO MAINTAIN THE FORMATION OF THE LAYERS OF GLASS ON THE BATH, ADVANCING THE FORWARDLY FLOWING GLASS BRANCH LAYER IN RIBBON FORM ALONG THE BATH, SUFFICIENTLY COOLING THE RIBBON AS IT IS ADVANCED TO PERMIT IT TO BE LIFTED FROM THE BATH SURFACE AS THE COOLED RIBBON APPROACHES THE DISCHARGE END OF THE BATH, AND DISCHARGING THE RIBBON FROM THE BATH.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING FLAT GLASS IN RIBBON FORM DURING WHICH GLASS IN A MOLTEN STATE IS SUPPLIED TO ONE END OF A BATH OF MOLTEN METAL, IS ADVANCED FORWARDLY ALONG THE BATH AND DURING ITS PASSAGE ALONG THE BATH IS SUFFICIENTLY STIFFENED BY COOLING BEFORE THE GLASS IN RIBBON FORM IS DISCHARGED FROM THE OTHER END OF THE BATH TO PERMIT THE RIBBON TO BE TAKEN UNHARMED FROM THE BATH, CHARACTERIZED BY DELIVERING MOLTEN GLASS IN THE FORM OF A SHEET-LIKE STREAM TO THE SURFACE OF THE BATH OF MOLTEN METAL BY A FREE FALL OF THE MOLTEN GLASS FROM A CHANNEL ONTO A REGION OF SAID SURFACE SPACED FORWARDLY OF THE REAR END OF THE BATH AND CAUSING SAID STREAM NEAR SAID REGION TO SEPARATE INTO (1) A FORWARDLY FLOWING GLASS BRANCH LAYER ON THE BATH WITH THE GLASS IN THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE BODY OF GLASS IN THE CHANNEL FLOWING CONTINUOUSLY FORWARD INTO THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE GLASS LAYER, AND (2) SIMULTANEOUSLY A REARWARDLY FLOWING GLASS BRANCH LAYER ON SAID BATH WITH THE GLASS IN THE UNDER SURFACE OF THE BODY OF GLASS IN THE CHANNEL FLOWING CONTINUOUSLY INTO THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE REARWARDLY FLOWING GLASS BRANCH LAYER, THEREBY DIVIDING THE MOLTEN GLASS WHICH IS DELIVERED TO THE BATH IN TWO BRANCH LAYERS HAVING TWO DIRECTIONS OF MOVEMENT AND GENERATING FOR THE FORWARDLY FLOWING BRANCH GLASS LAYER A BOTTOM SURFACE IN WHICH THE DISTORTION DUE TO PHYSICAL CONTACT OF THE GLASS WITH THE CHANNEL ARE MINIMAL, REGULATING THE SUPPLY TO THE CHANNEL TO MAINTAIN THE FORMATION OF THE LAYERS OF GLASS ON THE BATH, ADVANCING THE FORWARDLY FLOWING GLASS BRANCH LAYER IN RIBBON FORM ALONG THE BATH, SUFFICIENTLY COOLING THE RIBBON AS IT IS ADVANCED TO PERMIT IT TO BE LIFTED FROM THE BATH SURFACE AS THE COOLED RIBBON APPROACHES THE DISCHARGE END OF THE BATH, AND DISCHARGING THE RIBBON FROM THE BATH.