Patent ID: 7240519

Claim:
An apparatus for shaping at least one heat softened glass sheet comprising: an upper mold comprising a full surface press face having a shaping surface generally contoured to the desired curvature of at least one preliminarily shaped glass sheet; a support device comprising a lower mold comprising a shaping rail and sidewalls extending downwardly from the shaping rail, the shaping rail comprising an upper glass sheet supporting surface that supports selected peripheral portions of the at least one glass sheet, the sheet supporting surface having a profile generally corresponding to desired elevational contours of the selected peripheral portions of the at least one glass sheet and generally complimenting corresponding portions of the upper mold shaping surface; a chamber positioned below the shaping rail; a moving device to move the upper mold and the lower mold relative to each other so as to press at least a periphery of the at least one glass sheet against the upper mold shaping surface, wherein the moving device comprises a lifting frame to move the lower mold between a first position and a second position, the lifting frame having a lower wall, wherein when the lower mold is at the first position, the lower wall is spaced from lower edges of the sidewall of the lower mold and the lower mold is spaced from the upper mold, and when the lower mold is at the second position, the lower wall is positioned against the lower edges of the sidewall of the lower mold to form the chamber and the lower mold is adjacent the upper mold such that the selected peripheral portions of the at least one glass sheet are pressed between the shaping rail of the lower mold and the corresponding portions of the upper mold, and a connector to direct pressurized gas into the chamber at least when the lower mold is in the second position to urge at least central portions of the at least one glass sheet towards the upper mold press face.