Positive containment threshold for use in glass manufacturing apparatus

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR MAKING FLAT GLASS COMPRISING A GLASSMAKING FURNACE FOR SUPPLYING MOLTEN GLASS AND, CONNECTED TO THE FURNACE THROUGH A MOLTON GLASS DELIVERY MEANS, A GLASS FORMING CHAMBER FOR FORMING A CONTINUOUS SHEET OF FLAT GLASS WHEREIN THE FORMING CHAMBER INCLUDES A POOL OF MOLTON METAL FOR SUPPORTING THE GLASS DURING FORMING, THE POOL OF MOLTON METAL BEING MAINTAINED ON A BOTTOM BETWEEN SIDEWALLS AND AT THE END OF FORMING CHAMBER CONNECTED TO THE FURNACE BY A THRESHOLD, AND WHEREIN THE THESHOLD COMPRISES AN ELONGATED MEMBER EXTENDING ACROSS THE DELIVERY MEANS AND PROVIDING AN UPWARDLY FACING MOLTEN GLASS SUPPORTING SURFACE HAVING A LONG DIMENSION EXTENDING ACROSS THE DELIVERY MEANS AND A SHORT DIMENSION EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION FROM THE FURNACE TO THE FORMING CHAMBER, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN THE TRESHOLD COMPRISES: A. AN ELONGATED, IMPERVIOUS METAL BASE MEMBER EXTENDING ACROSS THE DELIVERY MEANS AND CONNECTED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FORMING CHAMBER B. AN UMPERVIOUS METAL DIVIDING MEMBER CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID BASE MEMBER, SAID DIVIDING MEMBER EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICUARLY UPWARDLY FROM SAID BASE MEMBER, C. A PAIR OF IMPERVIOUS METAL END MEMBERS, EACH CONNECTED TO SAID BASE MEMBER AND TO SAID DIVIDING MEMBER AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULARLY FROM BOTH SAID BASE MEMBER AND SAID DIVIDING MEMBER, ONE OF SAID END MEMBER BEING IN THE VICINITY OF ONE END OF SAID BASE MEMBER AND THE OTHER OF SAID END MEMBER BEING IN THE VICINITY OF THE OTHER END OF SAID BASE MEMBER, SAID D. TWO REFRACTORY BLOCKS POSITIONED ONE ON EACH SIDE OF SAID DIVIDING MEMBER AND HELD IN FIXED RELATION THERETO TO FROM A GLASS CONTAINING SURFACE COMPRISING THE SURFACE OF SAID BLOCKS FACING AWAY FROM SAID BASE MEMBER.