Patent ID: 8833107
Filing Date: 2014-09-16
Classification: C03B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for thermally strengthening glass containers after they are formed in an I.S. machine, comprising: a special 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 having a first longitudinal axis, the 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: wherein the cooling shroud and the bottom cooling element are configured to move between a first position in which they are located below the glass container and a second position in which the glass container is located entirely within the cooling shroud and above the bottom cooling element; wherein the cooling shroud, the cooling tube and the tube nozzle, and the bottom cooling element simultaneously cool the outer and inner surfaces of the glass container located in the cooling station rapidly so that all of the stresses in the glass container are locked in.