Patent ID: 8656741

Claim:
An apparatus for thermally strengthening glass containers after they are formed in an I.S. machine, comprising: a special tempering Lehr that reheats the glass containers to increase their temperature to a temperature that is sufficiently high to obtain adequate compressive stresses in the glass containers but not so high that the glass containers may become deformed; and a cooling station that simultaneously cools the outer and inner surfaces of glass containers in the cooling station rapidly so that all of the stresses in the glass container are locked in, the cooling station comprising: a cooling tube for insertion into the interior of the glass container located in the cooling station, the cooling tube having a tube nozzle at the distal end thereof that delivers cooling air into the interior of the glass container; a cooling shroud that directs cooling air onto the outer sides of a glass container located in the cooling station; and a bottom cooling apparatus that directs cooling air upwardly onto the bottom of the glass container located in the cooling station; wherein the bottom cooling apparatus includes a bottom cooler defining an open central aperture and an annular cooling gap located radially outwardly from the open central aperture, the bottom cooler being configured to direct cooling air from the annular cooling gap toward the glass container.