Method of and apparatus for bending glass sheets

Apparatus for bending a glass sheet comprising:

• a frame, at least one movable bending member mounted on said frame, said bending member comprising an outline shaping rail provided with a shaping surface conforming to the marginal outline of the glass to be bent and at least one shaping pad mounted within said shaping rail and having a shaping surface thereon engageable with an interior portion of the sheet, a plurality of conveyor rolls mounted on said frame for supporting and conveying a glass sheet above said shaping surfaces, said shaping pad mounted between adjacent conveyor rolls, said conveyor rolls having contoured surfaces for preliminarily bending said glass sheet, and means for moving said bending member and thereby said shaping surfaces upwardly relative to said conveyor rolls to effect final bending of said glass sheet.

A method of bending a glass sheet comprising:

• heating the glass sheet to the softening point thereof, supporting and conveying said heated sheet on a series of conveyor rolls to an advanced position in spaced relation to a press member having a first shaping surface corresponding to the marginal outline of said heated sheet and at least one second shaping surface located within the outline of said first shaping surface, preliminarily bending glass sheet as said sheet advances to said advanced position, moving said first and second shaping surfaces relative to said rolls for engaging said sheet and moving the same toward and against an opposed press member to impart a final desired shape to said sheet, said conveyor rolls having arcuately shaped supporting portions lying in a common horizontal plane, and swinging said conveyor roll supporting portions downwardly at angular attitudes relative to said common plane to conjointly define a curved shaping surface for imparting said preliminary bend to said sheet prior to engagement thereof with said first and second shaping surfaces.

A method of bending glass sheet comprising:

• heating a glass sheet to the softening point thereof, supporting and conveying said heated sheet on a series of conveyor rolls to an advanced position in spaced relation to a press member having a first shaping surface corresponding to the marginal outline of said heated sheet and at least one second shaping surface located within the outline of said first shaping surface, preliminarily bending said glass sheet as said sheet advances to said advanced position, moving said first and second shaping surfaces relative to said rolls for engaging said sheet and moving the same toward and against an opposed press member to impart a final desired shape to said sheet, said conveyor rolls being provided with central portions having arcuately shaped curvatures in one plane thereof adapted to support said sheet in one position thereof and pivotal to an angular position disengaging said roll central portions from said sheet, said conveyor roll central portions additionally formed with irregular curvatures in another plane of said central portions for imparting said preliminary bend to said glass sheet prior to engagement thereof with said first and second shaping surfaces.

Apparatus for bending a glass sheet comprising:

• a frame, at least one bending member mounted on said frame and having an outline shaping rail provided with a shaping surface conforming to the marginal outline of the glass sheet to be bent, at least one shaping element mounted within said shaping rail and having a shaping surface thereon engageable with an interior portion of the sheet, a plurality of conveyor rolls mounted on said frame for supporting and conveying the glass sheet above said shaping surfaces, said conveyor rolls having contoured surfaces for preliminarily bending said glass sheet prior to effecting the final bending thereof by said bending member, said conveyor roll contoured surfaces formed by arcuately curved central portions adapted to support said sheet in a horizontal plane in one position thereof and pivotable to angular positions conjointly defining a curved shaping surface for imparting said preliminary bend to said sheet prior to engagement thereof by said rail and element shaping surfaces of said bending member.

Apparatus for bending a glass sheet comprising:

• a frame, at least one bending member mounted on said frame and having an outline shaping rail provided with a shaping surface conforming to the marginal outline of the glass sheet to be bent, at least one shaping element mounted within said shaping rail and having a shaping surface thereon engageable with an interior portion of the sheet, a plurality of conveyor rolls mounted on said frame for supporting and conveying a glass sheet above said shaping surfaces, said conveyor rolls having contoured surfaces for preliminarily bending said glass sheet prior to effecting the final bending thereof by said bending member, said conveyor rolls being provided with central portions having arcuately shaped curvatures in one plane thereof adapted to engage and support said sheet in one position thereof and pivotable to an angular position disengaging said roll central portions from said sheet, said conveyor roll contoured surfaces being defined by irregular curvatures in another plane of said central portions for imparting said preliminary bend to said glass sheet prior to engagement thereof by said rail and element shaping surfaces of said bending member.