Patent ID: 9611165
Date: 2017-04-04
CPC Classifications: C03B,H05K

Claim:
1. A method of bending a glass sheet, comprising: placing the glass sheet on a support such that a flat region of the glass sheet rests on a flat surface of the support and a bend region of the glass sheet overhangs the support; heating the flat region and the bend region of the glass sheet to a first viscosity; applying and translating a band of heat only along a selected region of the bend region of the glass sheet in which a predetermined bend with a select bend angle is to be formed over a time period to form the predetermined bend in the selected region, the selected region comprising a plurality of contiguous sections, each section being separately heated to a second viscosity that is lower than the first viscosity by the band of heat, wherein applying and translating the band of heat comprises translating a heater providing the band of heat relative to the glass sheet while maintaining the flat region of the glass sheet on the flat surface of the support, and wherein the flat region remains substantially at the first viscosity during the applying and translating of the band of heat; and applying an actuated force to the bend region of the glass sheet while translating the band of heat along the selected region of the bend region by translating the heater providing the band of heat relative to the glass sheet such that the actuated force produces an elementary bend in each section of the selected region when the section is at the second viscosity without deforming the flat region on the support, wherein the elementary bends are contiguous and together form the predetermined bend with the select bend angle.