Delivering and aligning glass sheets in a bending station

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, wherein said upstream and downstream rolls simultaneously engage the entire width of at least two glass sheets delivered along said path of travel in side-by-side relation.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the glass sheet or sheets is (are) additionally engaged across its (their) entire width by additional rotating rolls intermediate said upstream rotation conveyor roll and said downstream rotating conveyor roll along lines of engagement longitudinally spaced from one another a distance sufficient to provide minimum interference with the supply of gas from said gas support bed against the surface of said glass sheet or sheets engaged by said rolls.

Claim 5

Apparatus for orienting and aligning a glass sheet while delivering said glass sheet to a bending station along a path of travel on a gas support bed comprising means for supporting said glass sheet on a layer of hot gas along said path of travel, an upstream conveyor roll and a downstream conveyor roll extending completely across said path of travel and mounted for rotation about axes extending normal to said path of travel at an elevation to contact the lower surface of said glass sheet and longitudinally spaced from one another along said path of travel a distance less than the length of said glass sheet for rotatably engaging said glass sheet along said path of travel simultaneously for at least a portion of the length of said glass sheet, means for rotating said rolls in unison while both rolls drivingly engage said glass sheet completely across its width along lines spaced longitudinally of said path of travel, and aligning means for engaging the leading edge of said glass sheet located downstream of said downstream conveyor roll and spaced longitudinally from said downstream conveyor roll a longitudinal distance approximately the length of said glass sheet, whereby the simultaneous rotating engagement of said conveyor rolls on said gas supported glass sheet en route to said aligning means minimizes the amount that the glass sheet is misoriented and/or misaligned en route to nest with said aligning means and said upstream and downstream rolls are longitudinally spaced from one another a distance sufficient to provide minimum interference with the supply of gas from said gas support bed against the surface of said glass sheet engaged by said rolls.

Claim 6

Apparatus for orienting and aligning a glass sheet while delivering said glass sheet to a bending station along a path of travel on a gas support bed comprising means for supporting said glass sheet on a layer of hot gas along said path of travel, an upstream conveyor roll and a downstream conveyor roll extending completely across said path of travel and mounted for rotation about axes extending normal to said path of travel at an elevation to contact the lower surface of said glass sheet and longitudinally spaced from one another along said path of travel a distance less than the length of said glass sheet for rotatably engaging said glass sheet along said path of travel simultaneously for at least a portion of the length of said glass sheet, means for rotating said rolls in unison while both rolls drivingly engage said glass sheet completely across its width along lines spaced longitudinally of said path of travel, and aligning means for engaging the leading edge of said glass sheet located downstream of said downstream conveyor roll and spaced longitudinally from said downstream conveyor roll a longitudinal distance approximately the length of said glass sheet, whereby the simultaneous rotating engagement of said conveyor rolls on said gas supported glass sheet en route to said aligning means minimizes the amount that the glass sheet is misoriented and/or misaligned en route to nest with said aligning means and said upstream and downstream rolls are longitudinally spaced from one another a distance sufficient to provide minimum interference with the supply of gas from said gas support bed against the surface of said glass sheet engaged by said rolls.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 4, further including an enclosed furnace and glass sheet conveyor means to deliver said glass sheet to said upstream conveyor roll, the latter being located near the end of said furnace, said gas support bed extending beyond said furnace.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein said aligning means for engaging the leading edge of said glass sheet is transversely aligned with additional aligning means for engaging the leading edge of another glass sheet, said glass sheet conveyor means has sufficient width to accommodate at least two glass sheets side by side, and said upstream and downstream conveyor rolls are sufficiently long to simultaneously engage the entire widths of a plurality of glass sheets disposed side by side with minimum misorientation and/or misalignment.

Claim 9

Apparatus as in claim 6, further including at least one additional conveyor roll extending completely across said path of travel intermediate said upstream and downstream conveyor rolls disposed at said elevation to contact the lower surface of said glass sheet or sheets, said additional roll or rolls being longitudinally spaced from one of said rolls adjacent thereto a longitudinal distance sufficient to provide minimum interference with the supply of gas from said gas support bed against the surface of said glass sheet or sheets engaged by said rolls.