Patent ID: 6263705
Filing Date: 2001-07-24
Classification: C03B

Abstract:
Apparatus for handling hot glass sheets, comprising:a roll conveyor including a plurality of horizontally extending conveyor rolls spaced along a direction of conveyance along which hot glass sheets are conveyed on the conveyor rolls, and the roll conveyor having a downstream end toward which the hot glass sheets are conveyed by the conveyor rolls; anda topside transfer platen that is fixedly mounted at the downstream end of the roll conveyor, the topside transfer platen having a downwardly facing planar surface that is located at an elevation just slightly higher than the conveyor rolls, the downwardly facing planar surface having a first set of holes through which a vacuum is drawn to support a hot glass sheet received thereby from the roll conveyor, the downwardly facing planar surface having a second set of holes to which pressurized gas is supplied to space the hot glass sheet from the downwardly facing planar surface, and the topside transfer platen having an upstream end that overlaps the downstream end of the roll conveyor and the downstream end of the roll conveyor underlapping the upstream end of the topside transfer device with at least one conveyor roll located entirely below the downwardly facing planar surface to support the hot glass sheet upon initially being received by the downwardly facing planar surface from the roll conveyor.