Glass manufacturing – Processes – Reshaping or surface deformation of glass preform
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-19
2001-01-16
Derrington, James (Department: 1731)
Glass manufacturing
Processes
Reshaping or surface deformation of glass preform
C065S287000, C065S323000, C065S357000, C029S428000, C029S464000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173587
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a method for installing a mold assembly for cyclically forming heated glass sheets.
BACKGROUND ART
Glass sheets are conventionally formed by heating within a furnace and then forming within a heated chamber prior to delivery for cooling. Such cooling can be slow cooling to provide annealing or faster cooling that provides heat strengthening or tempering. In connection with heating of the glass sheets, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,806,312 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,242 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,711 McMaster; U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,011 McMaster; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,460 McMaster. In connection with glass sheet forming, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,026 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,871 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,390 McMaster; U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,141 Nitschke et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,491 McMaster et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,470 Kormanyos et al. In connection with the cooling, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,291 McMaster; U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,838 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,193 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,491 Barr; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,786 Shetterly et al.
During the forming process, the heated glass sheets can be supported by a vacuum generated at a downwardly facing mold whose initial support of the glass sheet upon being received from a heating conveyor can be assisted by an upwardly directed heated gas flow that can be provided by gas jet pumps, such as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,854 McMaster et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,763 McMaster.
For effective high yield glass sheet forming, it is important for cooperable molds to be properly positioned upon mounting and aligned with each other during each cycle of operation therebetween, which is made more difficult due to the heated environment in which the glass sheet forming takes place. See, U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,745 Mumford; U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,592 Buckingham; U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,916 McMaster; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,728 McMaster. The heated environment also makes it more difficult to change molds between different production runs that cannot utilize the same molds. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,561 Schnabel, Jr. which discloses changing a cloth ring on a glass sheet heating furnace.
After forming, heat strengthening or tempering can be performed by rapid cooling at a quench section between lower and upper quench modules thereof and may have provision for transferring the glass sheet during such cooling by blowing a greater amount of gas upwardly so as to permit the associated quench ring that carries the glass sheet to move back to the heated forming station in preparation for the next cycle. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,432 McMaster et al.
All of the above cited patents are hereby incorporated by reference.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for installing a mold assembly for cyclically forming heated glass sheets.
In carrying out the above object, the improved method for installing a mold assembly for cyclically forming heated glass sheets is performed by aligning a lower mold having an upwardly oriented mold face with an upper mold having a downwardly oriented mold face that opposes the upwardly oriented mold face of the lower mold to form a heated glass sheet during movement of the molds toward each other. The molds are detachable connected to each other and the lower mold is suspended from the upper mold for installation in a glass sheet forming station. The molds are disconnected from each other for use in forming of glass sheets in the glass sheet forming station.
In performing the installation, the molds are subsequentially again detachably connected to each other to suspend the lower mold from the upper mold for removal from the glass sheet forming station.
In one practice of the invention, latches are moved between latched and unlatched positions to detachably connect and disconnect the molds. In another practice, retainers are engaged with and disengaged from the molds to connect and disconnect the molds.
The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best modes for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 3936291 (1976-02-01), McMaster
patent: 3947242 (1976-03-01), McMaster et al.
patent: 3994711 (1976-11-01), McMaster
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patent: 4512460 (1985-04-01), McMaster
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patent: 4575390 (1986-03-01), McMaster
patent: 4661141 (1987-04-01), Nitschke et al.
patent: 4711654 (1987-12-01), Iida
patent: 4775402 (1988-10-01), Letemps
patent: 4781745 (1988-11-01), Mumford
patent: 4946491 (1990-08-01), Barr
patent: 5004491 (1991-04-01), McMaster et al.
patent: 5092916 (1992-03-01), McMaster
patent: 5137561 (1992-08-01), Schnabel, Jr.
patent: 5158592 (1992-10-01), Buckingham
patent: 5230728 (1993-07-01), McMaster
patent: 5385786 (1995-01-01), Shetterly et al.
patent: 5472470 (1995-12-01), Kormanyos et al.
Mumford Eustace Harold
Nitschke Dean M.
Odneal, Jr. Mace L.
Brooks & Kushman P.C.
Derrington James
Glasstech, Inc.
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