Patent
Apparatus for bending glass sheets
| العنوان: | Apparatus for bending glass sheets |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 4,983,204 |
| تاريخ النشر: | January 08, 1991 |
| Appl. No: | 07/453,678 |
| Application Filed: | December 20, 1989 |
| مستخلص: | A press bending mold having an improved shaping element comprising a flexible, continuous shaping surface that is readily adjustable and easy to fabricate. The shaping element is mounted on a support plate by a plurality of adjustable connectors, and includes a resilient body having an expanded metal grid encapsulated therein. The resilient body may be covered by one or a plurality of sheets of a fibrous, heat-resistant material which, in turn, is covered by a layer of fiberglass cloth, or the such. One or more of the fibrous sheets may be treated with a rigidizer. |
| Inventors: | Borer, John W. (Toledo, OH); Conner, Lowell J. (Lathrop, CA) |
| Assignees: | Libbey-Owens-Ford Co. (Toledo, OH) |
| Claim: | What is claimed is |
| Claim: | 1. An adjustable mold for use in bending a heat-softened glass sheet, comprising a rigid base plate, a continuous shaping element having a surface configuration corresponding generally to the curvature to which the glass sheet is to be bent, said shaping element including a sheet of flexible expanded metal, a resilient body portion covering said expanded metal, and a plurality of spaced, adjustable support means affixed to said rigid base plate for adjustably supporting said sheet of expanded metal in spaced relation to said rigid base plate, each said adjustable support means being adapted for selectively varying the distance between an associated area of said sheet of expanded metal and said rigid base plate to maintain said surface configuration in conformity with said curvature to which said glass sheet is to be bent. |
| Claim: | 2. An adjustable mold for use in bending a heat softened glass sheet, comprising a rigid base plate, a continuous shaping element having a surface configuration corresponding generally to the curvature to which the sheet is to be bent, said shaping element including a sheet of flexible expanded metal having a peripheral margin corresponding generally to the outline of said shaping element, a flexible band affixed to and extending around said peripheral margin, a resilient body encapsulating at least a portion of said sheet of expanded metal, a plurality of adjustable support means affixed to said rigid base plate adjustably supporting said sheet of expanded metal in spaced relation to said rigid base plate, each said adjustable support means including an actuating rod affixed at one end to said sheet of expanded metal, and a fibrous, heat resistant material disposed on said resilient body portion and defining said surface configuration. |
| Claim: | 3. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said adjustable support means comprises an actuating rod affixed at one end to said sheet of expanded metal and means for extending and retracting said actuating rod. |
| Claim: | 4. An adjustable mold as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheet of flexible expanded metal is encapsulated in said resilient body portion. |
| Claim: | 5. An adjustable mold as claimed in claim 1, including an insulating layer disposed on said resilient body portion and defining said surface configuration. |
| Claim: | 6. An adjustable mold as defined in claim 5, wherein said insulating layer comprises a fibrous, heat resistant, normally pliable material that is treated with a rigidizer material for increasing the stiffness thereof. |
| Claim: | 7. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheet of flexible expanded metal comprises a peripheral margin corresponding generally to the outline of said shaping element, and a plurality of flexible bands affixed to at least a portion of said peripheral margin, whereby said flexible bands maintain said peripheral margin of said sheet of expanded metal at a generally smooth, continuous contour corresponding to the desired contour for said glass sheet. |
| Claim: | 8. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 7, wherein a plurality of said adjustable support means is affixed at spaced intervals to said plurality of flexible bands. |
| Claim: | 9. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said adjustable support means comprises an actuating rod, said actuating rods affixed at one of their ends to said sheet of expanded metal at spaced intervals thereover, at least one of said actuating rods including an enlarged generally planar member attached to said one end, and means for extending and retracting said actuating rods. |
| Claim: | 10. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 9, wherein said enlarged, generally planar member includes means adapted for attachment to said one end of said actuating rod. |
| Claim: | 11. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 3, wherein each said extending and retracting means includes a gear assembly operatively connected to said actuating rod at the end opposite said one end, and a control shaft connected at a first end thereof to said gear assemblies whereby rotation of said control shaft will effect axial displacement of said actuating rod. |
| Claim: | 12. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of said control shafts includes a second end and a torque transmitting universal joint disposed intermediate said first and said second ends. |
| Claim: | 13. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 1, wherein said shaping element comprises a sheet of flexible expanded metal having a peripheral margin corresponding generally in outline to said shaping element, a skeletal framework affixed to said sheet of flexible expanded metal, said skeletal framework comprising a plurality of spaced flexible bands forming a grid-like assembly and including a peripheral margin corresponding generally to the outline of said sheet of flexible expanded metal. |
| Claim: | 14. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 13, wherein each said adjustable support means comprises an actuating rod affixed at one end to said skeletal framework. |
| Claim: | 15. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 14, wherein said spaced flexible bands are disposed in an overlapping abutting relationship defining a plurality of intersections and each said actuating rod is affixed to said grid-like assembly at one end of said intersections. |
| Claim: | 16. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 14, wherein said one end of said actuating rod includes an enlarged portion adapted for attachment to said skeletal framework. |
| Claim: | 17. An adjustable shaping mold as claimed in claim 12, wherein said fibrous, heat resistant material is treated with a rigidizing material for increasing the stiffness thereof, said fibrous, heat resistant material being adhesively secured over its surface to said resilient body. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 65/273; 65/287; 65/348 |
| Current International Class: | C03B 2302 |
| Patent References Cited: | 4357156 November 1982 Seymour 4522641 June 1985 Hagedorn et al. 4897102 January 1990 Modesitt et al. |
| Primary Examiner: | Lindsay, Robert L. |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Marshall and Melhorn |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.04983204 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |