Patent ID: 7337633

Claim:
A process for producing a flat glass, said process comprising: forming a fixed bed including a plurality of supports formed by a base made of a material capable of containing a liquid therein or formed into a structure capable of containing a liquid therein; continuously supplying a glass ribbon in a molten state, to the fixed bed; introducing to the supports a steam film forming agent which is not gaseous at a temperature in the vicinity of room temperature and which is gaseous at a temperature of at least the glass transition point of the glass, in a liquid state; making the supports and the glass ribbon at a temperature of at least the glass transition point slide on each other, via a thin layer of a steam film generated by vaporization of the steam film forming agent, to form the glass ribbon into a flat glass, wherein the forming of the fixed bed includes: arranging the supports so that they will not move in a direction in parallel with the glass ribbon moving direction during sliding of the glass ribbon on the supports, forming grooves between respective supports to let loose the steam generated by vaporization of the steam film forming agent, and configuring the grooves and supports so that the amount of the steam let loose along the fixed bed is adjusted to vary in accordance with the glass temperature distribution in the moving direction of the glass ribbon on the fixed bed.