Method and apparatus for bending and tempering glass sheets

Claim 2

A method as defined in claim 2 in which said contiguous areas include heating areas and chilling areas, heated gases are directed in streams toward and substantially perpendicular to the opposite surfaces of said sheet in said heating area to heat the same to at least the bending temperature thereof, cooling gases are directed toward and substantially perpendicularly to the opposite surfaces of said sheet in said chilling area to cool the same to a temperature below the annealing range, the pressure being sufficiently greater against said one surface than against the other surface in said heating and chilling areas to create said force counterbalancing said gravitational force, whereby said sheet is gravity balanced on said lower edge and in said substantially vertical plane in said heating area against said streams of heated gases directed toward and substantially perpendicular to said one surface thereof, and said sheet is gravity balanced on said edge and in said substantially vertical plane in said chilling area against said cooling gases directed toward and substantially perpendicularly to said one surface thereof.

Claim 3

A method as defined in claim 2, in which said contiguous areas include a heating area and a bending area beyond said heating area, said sustaining gas directed towards said one surface in said heating area is at a temperature sufficient to heat said glass to bending temperature and said sheet is gravity balanced on said lower edge and in said substantially vertical plane in said heating area against said heated sustaining gas, said sheet is bent to a predetermined curvature in said bending area, and said sheet is gravity balanced on said lower edge and in said substantially vertical plane during movement into and out of bending position in said bending area by supportingly contacting said one surface thereof adjacent its upper edge and only along a line substantially parallel with said path.

Claim 4

In a method of heat treating a glass sheet wherein said sheet is moved along a substantially horizontal path through contiguous areas of differing temperatures to heattreat the same, the steps of orienting said sheet in a substantially but not the true vertical plane and supporting said oriented sheet on the lower edge thereof for said movement, directing a gas toward and substantially perpendicularly to at least one surface of a sheet so oriented and supported as it moves along said path under pressure sufficient to sustain said sheet in said oriented position, and gravity-balancing said oriented and supported sheet on said lower edge and in said substantially vertical plane during movement thereof along said path against said sustaining gas directed toward and substantially perpendicularly to said one surface thereof, said contiguous areas including heating areas and chilling areas, heated gases being directed in streams toward and substantially perpendicular to the opposite surfaces of said sheet in said heating area to heat the same to at least the bending temperature thereof, cooling gases being directed toward and substantially perpendicularly to the opposite surfaces of said sheet in said chilling area to cool the same to a temperature below the annealing range, said sheet being gravity balanced on said lower edge and in said substantially vertical plane in said heating area against said streams of heated gases directed toward and substantially perpendicular to said one surface thereof, and said sheet being gravity balanced on said edge and in said substantially vertical plane in said chilling area against said cooling gases directed toward and substantially perpendicularly to said one surface thereof, said contiguous areas also including a bending area between said heating and said chilling areas, said heated sheet being pressed between complemental surfaces in said bending area to bend said sheet to a predetermined curvature, linear guide means being positioned in said bending area to contact said one surface of said sheet adjacent its upper edge along a line substantially parallel with said path when said sheet is in said substantially vertical plane, and said sheet being gravity balanced on said lower edge and in said substantially vertical plane against said contact when out of engagement with said complemental surfaces in said bending area.

Claim 5

A method as defined in claim 5 in which said sheet is transferred from said heating area into said bending area while in contact with said linear guide means, is laid back into said contact after being pressed between said complemental surfaces in said bending area, and is transferred from said bending area to said chilling area while in said contact.

Claim 6

Apparatus for heattreating a glass sheet while moving the same along a substantially horizontal predetermined path through contiguous areas of differing temperature of heattreat the same, comprising means for supporting said sheet on its lower edge and moving the same through said areas, and heat treating means comprising a panel having a plurality of apertures in at least one of said areas disposed parallel to said path but in a plane inclined upwardly therefrom at an angle less than a 45* angle from the vertical plane to an angle slightly less than the vertical such that a gravitational force normally tends to bias said sheet to fall toward a horizontal position, means for supplying a gas at a predetermined temperature to said apertures to force said gas outwardly from said panel toward a sheet moving therepast under sufficient pressure to exert a force upon said sheet counterbalancing said gravitational force to maintain said sheet in spaced reLation to said panel and to balance said sheet on its lower edge on a cushion of said gas between said sheet and said panel.

Claim 7

Apparatus as defined in claim 7 in which said contiguous areas include a heating area, heated gases are supplied to said panel in said heating area, the apertures in said heating area panel are arranged in spaced parallel rows extending across said panel in rows inclined upwardly in the direction of the movement of said sheet along said path and with the spacing between adjacent rows increasing progressively upward from the lower edge of said sheet, and said panel also has outwardly opening grooves formed therein between said adjacent rows of apertures and between adjacent apertures in each of said rows to thereby surround each of said apertures.

Claim 8

Apparatus as defined in claim 7, in which said contiguous areas include a heating area and a bending area, said gas-supplying means includes means for heating the gas supplied to said panel apertures in said heating area, and said apparatus also includes means within said bending area for bending said sheet to a predetermined curvature and thin elongated guide means extending from said heating area through said bending area and positioned to engage one surface of said sheet along a line adjacent its upper edge when said sheet is in a plane parallel to said upwardly inclined plane of said panel to balance said sheet on its lower edge during movement of said sheet toward and away from said bending means in said bending area.

Claim 9

Apparatus for bending and tempering glass sheets, having, in combination, conveyor means adapted to support a glass sheet on its lower edge and carry it along a predetermined substantially horizontal path through contiguous heating, bending, and cooling areas; means defining an enclosed chamber disposed in said heating area adjacent said path and having a planar surface parallel to and upstanding from said path; means supplying heated gases to said chamber under pressure to flow outwardly through said surface toward said path and against a surface of a glass sheet moving along said path thereby creating a cushion of gas between said sheet and said surface to float said sheet in a plane parallel to said planar surface with one edge of said sheet resting on said conveyor; mold parts disposed in said bending area on opposite sides of said path; complemental shaping surfaces formed on opposed faces of said mold parts; means moving said mold parts relative to each other between a first position wherein said mold parts are disposed on opposite sides of said path and a second position wherein said shaping surfaces are in close proximity and in pressing engagement with opposite sides of a glass sheet disposed therebetween; means defining a second enclosed chamber disposed in said cooling area adjacent said path and having a panel parallel to and upstanding from said path, said panel having a plurality of apertures formed therein and communicating with said chamber; means introducing cooling gases under pressure into said chamber to escape outwardly through said apertures and toward said path thereby to create a cushion of gas between said panel and a glass sheet moving thereby to float said sheet in a plane parallel to said panel with one edge resting on said conveyor; and a thin elongated guide element extending from the end of said heating area through said bending area and to said cooling area and operable to engage the upper portion of a glass sheet to receive and balance said sheet on its lower edge on said conveyor as it moves from said heating area into said bending area, as it leaves said mold parts during relative movement thereof from said first to said second position, and as it moves from said bending area into said cooling area.

Claim 10

Apparatus for bending and tempering glass sheets, having, in combination, a conveyor operable to move a glass sheet along a predetermined substantially horizontal path through contiguous heating, bending, and cooling areas, means disposed in said heating area for directing heated gases against the surfaces of a glass sheet moving along said path to support said sheet in a substantially vertical plane disposed in said bending area, a lower edge thereof resting on said conveyor, bending means disposed in said bending areas said bending means including a first and second mold parts disposed on opposite sides of said path and having complemental shaping surfaces formed thereon, and means for moving said mold parts toward and away from said path thereby to press said sheet between said shaping surfaces, chilling means for directing streams of cooling gases against the surfaces of said glass sheet to support the sheet in said vertical plane with said lower edge resting on said conveyor as the sheet is carried through said cooling area, and a thin elongated guide element extending from the end of said heating area through said bending area and to said cooling area and operable to engage the upper portion of a glass sheet exiting from said heating area and to balance said sheet on its lower edge on said conveyor during its movement through said bending area and into said cooling area.

Claim 11

Apparatus for heat treating a glass sheet while moving the same along a substantially horizontal predetermined path through contiguous areas of differing temperature to heattreat the same, comprising means for supporting said sheet on its lower edge and moving the same through said areas, and heat treating means comprising a panel having a plurality of apertures in at least one of said areas disposed parallel to said path but in a plane inclined upwardly therefrom at an angle less than a 45* angle from the vertical plane, means for supplying a gas at a predetermined temperature to said apertures to force said gas outwardly from said panel toward a sheet moving therepast under sufficient pressure to maintain said sheet in spaced relation to said panel and to balance said sheet on its lower edge on a cushion of said gas between said sheet and said panel, said contiguous areas including a heating area, heated gases being supplied to said panel in said heating area, the apertures in said heating area panel being arranged in spaced parallel rows extending across said panel in rows inclined upwardly in the direction of the movement of said sheet along said path and with the spacing between adjacent rows increasing progressively upward from the lower edge of said sheet, and said panel also having outwardly opening grooves formed therein between said adjacent rows of apertures and between adjacent apertures in each of said rows to thereby surround each of said apertures, and a bending area contiguous to said heating area, means within said bending area for bending said sheet to a predetermined curvature between complemental surfaces, and linear guide means extending from said heating area through said bending area and positioned to engage said sheet along a line adjacent its upper edge when said sheet is out of contact with said surfaces to balance said sheet on said lower edge during movement thereof into and through said bending area and to receive and balance the same as it leaves said bending means.