Patent ID: 7367205

Claim:
A system for heating, forming, and tempering a glass sheet comprising: a pre-heating section having at least one heat source positioned over and/or below the glass sheet and adapted to raise a temperature of the glass sheet to a temperature substantially at or above a softening temperature of the glass sheet; a heating/cooling section having at least one radio-frequency energy source positioned over and/or below the glass sheet and adapted to raise a temperature of the pre-heated glass sheet to a temperature substantially at or above a forming temperature of the pre-heated glass sheet; a cooling section to maintain a desired temperature differential between a center and an outer surface of the glass sheet with the center having a higher temperature than a temperature of the outer surface, the heating and cooling combining to form a tempered-glass sheet; and wherein said at least one radio-frequency energy source includes a bus bar having a plurality of electrodes extending therefrom toward the glass sheet, each of said electrodes having a terminal portion positioned as closely as possible to and in non-contacting relationship with an outer surface of the glass sheet and adapted to heat glass sheet.