Bending glass sheets

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR BENDING AN ELONGATED GLASS SHEET TO A COMPLEX BEND INCLUDING A NON-UNIFORM LONGITUDINAL BEND AND A NON-UNIFORM TRANSVERSE BEND HAVING A LOCALIZED, SHARPLY BENT REGION OFFSET FROM THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER LINE OF SAID SHEET, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A SUPPORT FRAME, AN ELONGATED, SECTIONALIZED MOLD MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FRAME COMPRISING MOLDING SECTIONS, PIVOT MEANS PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTING ADJACENT MOLDING SECTIONS FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER ABOUT AXES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE MOLD INTO A SPREAD POSITION LONGITUDINALLY OF THE MOLD FOR RECEIVING UNBENT GLASS SHEETS AND INTO A CLOSED MOLD POSITION LONGITUDINALLY OF THE MOLD FORMING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS SURFACE CONFORMING IN ELEVATION AND OUTLINE TO THE SHAPE DESIRED FOR THE BENT GLASS SHEETS, SUPPORT MEANS ATTACHED TO A MOLDING SECTION AND SUPPORT MEANS FORMING PART OF SAID SUPPORT FRAME AND MECHANICALLY COACTING WITH SAID SUPPORT MEANS ATTACHED TO A MOLDING SECTION TO SUPPORT SAID MOLD AT AN ACUTE ANGLE RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT FRAME IN A PLANE EXTENDING OBLIQUELY IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSELY OF SAID SUPPORT FRAME.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF BENDING A GLASS SHEET INTO A COMPLEX CURVATURE INCLUDING A NON-UNIFORM LONGITUDINAL BEND ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE SHEET AND A NON-UNIFORM TRANSVERSE BEND ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE SHEET, SAID TRANSVERSE BEND HAVING A LOCALIZED, SHARPLY BENT REGION OFFSET FROM THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER LINE OF THE SHEET, COMPRISING SUPPORTING THE SHEET ABOVE A SUITABLE SHAPING SURFACE, IMPARTING SUFFICIENT RADIANT ENERGY DOWNWARDLY ONTO THE SHEET TO EXPOSE THE LATTER WHILE SO SUPPORTED TO GLASS SOFTENING TEMPERATURE AND APPLYING MECHANICAL FORCE TO BEND THE HEAT-SOFTENED GLASS SHEET ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THEREOF, AND CHARACTERIZED BY SUPPORTING THE SHEET WITH THE SIDE EDGE THEREOF WHICH IS CLOSER TO THE LOCALIZED, SHARPLY BENT REGION OF THE TRANSVERSE BEND AT A HIGHER ELEVATION THAN THE OTHER SIDE EDGE OF THE SUPPORTED GLASS SHEET FOR AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE TIME THE SHEET IS EXPOSED TO SAID GLASS SOFTENING TEMPERATURE.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF BENDING A GLASS SHEET INTO A COMPLEX CURVATURE INCLUDING A NON-UNIFORM LONGITUDINAL BEND ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE SHEET AND A NON-UNIFORM TRANSVERSE BEND ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE SHEET, SAID TRANSVERSE BEND HAVING A LOCALIZED, SHARPLY BENT REGION OFFSET FROM THE LONGITUDINAL CENTER LINE OF THE SHEET, COMPRISING SUPPORTING THE SHEET ABOVE A SUITABLE SHAPING SURFACE, IMPARTING SUFFICIENT RADIANT ENERGY DOWNWARDLY ONTO THE SHEET TO EXPOSE THE LATTER WHILE SO SUPPORTED TO GLASS SOFTENING TEMPERATURE AND APPLYING MECHANICAL FORCE TO BEND THE HEAT-SOFTENED GLASS SHEET ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THEREOF, AND CHARACTERIZED BY SUPPORTING THE SHEET WITH THE SIDE EDGE THEREOF WHICH IS CLOSER TO THE LOCALIZED, SHARPLY BENT REGION OF THE TRANSVERSE BEND AT A HIGHER ELEVATION THAN THE OTHER SIDE EDGE OF THE SUPPORTED GLASS SHEET FOR AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE TIME THE SHEET IS EXPOSED TO SAID GLASS SOFTENING TEMPERATURE.