Patent ID: 8453479

Claim:
A method for bending a heated flat glass sheet comprising: (a) conveying the heated flat glass sheet along a direction of conveyance into a forming station having a framework and to between lower and upper deformable molds having lower and upper linkages supported by the framework, with each linkage including connector links having pivotal connections to each other about axes parallel to the direction of conveyance and parallel to the shape defined by the connector links between the lower and upper linkages, the lower and upper linkages also including control links pivotal on the connector links about axes perpendicular to the shape defined between the lower and upper linkages and having universal connections to adjacent control links to move the connector links from flat shapes to curved shapes defining a constant radius between the connector links of the lower and upper linkages, but with one pair of vertically aligned connector links of the lower and upper linkages having control links configured to permit the lower and upper linkages to have different shapes on opposite lateral sides thereof with respect to the direction of conveyance, with a pair of vertically aligned connector links having the connector link of the lower linkage including a fixed mounting location on the framework and with the connector link of the upper linkage having a support on the framework, and with the connector links having connections to mold members extending along the direction of conveyance and supporting roll assemblies that extend laterally with respect to the direction of conveyance and contact the heated glass sheet for conveyance and forming thereof; (b) moving the lower and upper linkages vertically on one lateral side of said one pair of vertically aligned connector links so the connector links thereof are moved to define a shape of a constant radius between the lower and upper linkages that is different than the shape defined between the connector links of the lower and upper linkages on the other lateral side of said one pair of vertically aligned connector links; and (c) wherein the lower and upper linkages on both lateral sides of said one pair of vertically aligned connector links are moved vertically on the framework by a primary actuating mechanism and wherein the lower and upper linkages on said one lateral side of said one pair of vertically aligned connector links are also moved farther vertically by a secondary actuating mechanism.