Patent ID: 8522576
Filing Date: 2013-09-03
Classification: C03B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A glass sheet bending station for bending heated glass sheets, the bending station comprising: a framework; lower and upper deformable molds for receiving therebetween a glass sheet to be bent; lower and upper linkages that respectively support the lower and upper deformable molds on the framework and that are configured to respectively control movement of the lower and upper deformable molds from a first shape to a second bent shape, each linkage including connector links that are connected to the associated deformable mold and that each have a pivotal connection to another one of the connector links, wherein the pivotal connections define pivot axes that are parallel to a shape defined by the connector links between the lower and upper linkages throughout the bending, each linkage also having control links that have respective pivotal connections to the connector links thereof such that the control links are pivotable about axes that extend perpendicular to the shape defined between the lower and upper linkages throughout the bending, wherein at least one of the control links of each linkage is configured to allow relative movement between portions of the at least one control link to permit glass sheet bending by linkage movement on one side thereof independently of the other side thereof; and an actuating mechanism that is operable to move each linkage on the one side of the associated at least one control link to provide bending of the glass sheet independently of the other side of the at least one control link.