Method and apparatus for bending and annealing glass sheets to be laminated

A method of consecutively and similarly bending at least two glass sheets to be united into a curved laminated glass member and annealing the curved glass sheets obtained by bending, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) heating a first glass sheet to a shaping temperature suitable for bending of the glass sheet;
• (b) in a shaping zone of a furnace bending the heated first glass sheet into a first curved glass sheet and holding the first curved glass sheet generally horizontally in a lifted position;
• (c) bringing a ring-like holder into said shaping zone and laying the first curved glass sheet on said holder;
• (d) transferring said holder with the first curved glass sheet laid thereon from said shaping zone into a high-temperature section of an auxiliary furnace which is located adjacent to said furnace, said high-temperature section being maintained at a predetermined temperature close to said shaping temperature;
• (e) heating a second glass sheet to said shaping temperature;
• (f) in said shaping zone bending the heated second glass sheet into a second curved glass sheet while the first curved glass sheet on said holder is kept in said high-temperature section of said auxiliary furnace and holding the second curved glass sheet generally horizontally in a lifted position;
• (g) bringing said holder with the first curved glass sheet laid thereon into said shaping zone and laying the second curved glass sheet on the first curved glass sheet lying on said holder;
• and
• (h) transferring said holder on which the curved glass sheets to be united into said laminated glass member are lying from said shaping zone into a low-temperature section of said auxilary furnace;
• and
• (i) annealing the curved glass sheets lying on said holder in said low-temperature section.