Patent ID: 7228717

Claim:
Apparatus for forming glass sheets comprising: a forming station including a lower upwardly facing deformable roll bed and an upper downwardly facing deformable roll former between which heated flat glass sheets are cyclically conveyed along a direction of conveyance in preparation for forming, the lower deformable roll bed including lower deformable rolls that are movable between straight shapes and curved shapes, the lower roll bed having upstream and downstream ends and an intermediate portion extending therebetween with the deformable rolls at the intermediate portion positioned lower than a straight line extending between the deformable rolls adjacent the upstream and downstream ends to provide a curved shape along a central conveying axis extending along the direction of conveyance, the upper deformable roll former including upper deformable rolls that are movable between straight shapes and curved shapes, the upper deformable roll former having a downwardly facing shape that opposes and is complementary to the lower upwardly facing deformable roll bed, and the upper deformable roll former being deformable as the lower deformable rolls are deformed from their straight shapes to their curved shapes so as to have a continually complementary relationship therewith; an actuating mechanism that provides relative vertical movement of the lower deformable roll bed and the upper deformable roll former toward each other after receiving each heated flat glass sheet therebetween and that actuates the lower deformable roll bed and the upper deformable roll former to provide deformation thereof to cyclically form the heated glass sheets with major and minor curvatures transverse to and along the conveying axis; the lower deformable roll bed and the upper deformable roll former of the forming station each including a plurality of elongated rails having opposite ends, the actuating mechanism respectively supporting the rails of the lower deformable roll bed and the rails of the upper deformable roll former while permitting vertical adjustment thereof to adjust the curvature of the deformable rolls along the direction of conveyance, and a pair of lower linkages and a pair of upper linkages that respectively support the opposite ends of the rails of the lower deformable roll bed and the rails of the upper deformable roll former to provide movement of the rails that moves the deformable rolls between the straight and curved shapes to provide the glass sheet forming; and a shape retaining quench for cooling the formed glass sheet to freeze its curved shape while between the lower deformable roll bed and the upper deformable roll former prior to delivery thereof from the forming station, and the shape retaining quench having quench heads mounted on the rails of the lower deformable roll bed and the upper deformable roll former to supply the pressurized gas that freezes the curved shape of the formed glass sheet.