The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 02, 2002
Filed:
Nov. 30, 1999
Hideo Yoshizawa, Osaka, JP;
Shunji Kuramoto, Sagamihara, JP;
Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A roll-forming unit of a curved glass manufacturing apparatus includes a cooperating pair of upper and lower forming roll mechanisms. Each mechanism includes a forming roll having a resilient rod covered with a cover member except opposite end portions thereof, a pair of support members rotatably supporting the opposite end portions of the resilient rod while allowing the resilient rod to tilt about said support members, a bending unit coupled with at least one of the opposite end portions of the resilient rod for applying to the one end portion an external force tending to flex the forming roll into either an upwardly arched configuration or a downwardly arched configuration, and at least one backup roller unit being in rolling engagement with the forming roll to maintain the arched configuration of the forming roll. The roll-forming unit of the foregoing construction is able to bend a heated flat glass sheet into a desired curvature without producing a slip between forming rolls and the glass sheet and is readily adaptable to the manufacture of various batches of curved glass sheets of different curvatures. A conveyor roll mechanism particularly suitable for use in combination with the roll-forming unit is also disclosed.