Patent ID: 7380418

Claim:
A continuous glass forming system, comprising: a forming room having a first port; a first loading/unloading station disposed within said forming room proximate to said first port; at least one first heating station disposed proximate to said first loading/unloading station; at least one first forming station disposed proximate to said first heating station; a first cooling station disposed proximate to said first forming station; a forming device which is advanced successively through said first loading/unloading, first heating, first forming, and first cooling stations, said forming device including at least one forming unit, said forming unit including a lower mold unit, an upper mold unit, and a sleeve member removably assembled between said lower and upper mold units, said sleeve member including a sleeve wall which defines a slot, said sleeve wall having a first shoulder face disposed around said slot and adapted to support a glass blank, and a second shoulder face disposed around said slot and adapted to support a lens formed from the glass blank, said lower and upper mold units respectively having first and second forming faces which are adapted to form the glass blank into the lens within said slot; a first transfer device disposed proximate to said first port and moving toward and away from said lower and upper mold units to transport said sleeve member; and a first suction device disposed outwardly of said forming room proximate to said first port and adapted to hold and place the glass blank into said sleeve member or to hold and pick up the lens from said sleeve member; said first transfer device transporting said sleeve member from said lower and upper mold units to said first suction device and vice versa.