Cooling tube mechanism operation in a post-manufacture glass container thermal strengthening station

An apparatus for thermally strengthening glass containers each having a neck after they are formed in an I.S. machine, comprising:

• a tempering Lehr that reheats the glass containers to increase their temperature to a temperature that is sufficiently high to obtain adequate compressive stresses in the glass containers but not so high that the glass containers may become deformed;
• and
• a cooling station that simultaneously cools the outer and inner surfaces of a glass container located in the cooling station rapidly so that all of the stresses in the glass container are locked in, the cooling station comprising:
• a cylindrical cooling shroud extending from an upper end to a lower end, the cooling shroud directs cooling air onto the outer sides of the glass container located in the cooling station;
• a bottom cooler that directs cooling air upwardly onto the bottom of the glass container located in the cooling station;
• and
• a cooling tube having a tube nozzle located at the distal end thereof for the delivery of cooling air provided to the cooling tube from a source of cooling air;
• wherein the apparatus for thermally strengthening glass containers after they are formed in an I.S. machine further comprises:
• a cooling tube operating assembly for operating the cooling tube and the tube nozzle to move them between a first position in which they are located above the glass container in the cooling station to allow the glass container to be brought into the cooling station after it is reheated and to allow the glass container to be removed from the cooling station after it has been thermally strengthened, a second position in which the tube nozzle is located in the neck of the glass container in the cooling station, and a third position in which the tube nozzle is located nearer the bottom of the glass container in the cooling station, wherein the cooling tube and the cooling tube nozzle are oscillated between the second position and the third position, and wherein the stroke of the cooling tube and the tube nozzle between the second position and the third position may be varied to accommodate glass containers of different size;
• and
• a cooling shroud mechanism configured to raise the cooling shroud and bottom cooler to thereby move the bottle through the upper end of the cooling shroud into the cooling shroud.

An apparatus for thermally strengthening glass containers after they are formed in an I.S. machine, comprising:

• a tempering Lehr that reheats the glass containers to increase their temperature;
• a cooling station that simultaneously cools the outer and inner surfaces of a glass container located in the cooling station rapidly so that all of the stresses in the glass container are locked in, the cooling station comprising:
• a cooling tube having a tube nozzle located at the distal end thereof for the delivery of cooling air provided to the cooling tube from a source of cooling air;
• a cooling shroud extending from an upper end to a lower end configured to surround the glass container;
• a cooling tube operating assembly for moving the cooling tube and the tube nozzle between a first position in which they are located above the glass container and at least a second position in which the cooling tube and the tube nozzle are inserted into the glass container located in the cooling station to deliver cooling air into the interior of the glass container;
• and
• a cooling shroud mechanism configured to raise the cooling shroud and bottom cooler to thereby move the bottle through the upper end of the cooling shroud into the cooling shroud.