Preliminary pressing of bent glass laminated assemblies

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PRESSING A BENT LAMINATE COMPRISING TWO MATCHED COMPOUNDLY CURVED GLASS SHEETS AND A THERMOPLASTIC INTERLAYER, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A PAIR OF ROLL SUPPORT MEMBERS, A PAIR OF RADIALLY SPACED PARALLEL SHAFTS ROTATABLY MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID ROLL SUPPORT MEMBERS IN SPACED RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER, A SET OF RINGS HAVING RESILIENT PERIPHERAL SURFACES MOUNTED ALONG EACH SAID SHAFT IN CLOSELY SPACED RELATION ALONG ITS LENGTH, THE DIAMETER OF THE RINGS DISPOSED ALONG ONE OF SAID PAIR OF SHAFTS BEING LARGER AT THE ENDS OF SAID ONE OF SAID SHAFTS AND SMALLER TOWARD THE CENTER THEREOF, THE DIAMETER OF THE RINGS DISPOSED ALONG THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF SHAFTS BEING SMALLER AT THE ENDS OF SAID OTHER OF SAID SHAFTS AND LARGER TOWARD THE CENTER THEREOF, SAID OPPOSED RINGS DISPOSED ABOUT THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID SHAFTS BEING HARDER THAN THE RINGS DISPOSED ABOUT THE END PORTIONS OF SAID SHAFTS, MEANS FOR DIRECTLY DRIVING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID HARDER RINGS MOUNTED CENTRALLY OF ONE OF SAID SHAFTS, SAID SOFTER RINGS BEING FREELY ROTATABLE ABOUT SAID SHAFTS, THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SHAFTS BEING SO RELATED TO THE SUM OF THE DIAMETERS OF OPPOSING RINGS AS TO PRODUCE A CURVED LINE OF NIPPING BETWEEN OPPOSED SETS OF RINGS CORRESPONDING TO THE CURVATURE OF A BENT LAMINATE TRANSVERSE TO ITS PATH OF MOVEMENT, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OUTER PERIPHERIES OF SAID OPPOSED RINGS DISPOSED CENTRALLY OF SAID SHAFTS BEING LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OUTER PERIPHERIES OF SAID OPPOSED RINGS MOUNTED AT THE ENDS OF THE SHAFTS.