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:
Jun. 25, 2002
Filed:
Apr. 28, 2000
Vladislav E. Sklyarevich, Feasterville, PA (US);
Mykhaylo Shevelev, Feasterville, PA (US);
Gyrotron Technology, Inc., Bristol, PA (US);
Abstract
A method of thermally treating a glass or glass-like material, preferably a glass sheet, without the use of conventional tunnel-type furnaces, to effect rapid heating of glass and glass-like materials from any initial temperature to any required temperature so that the glass sheet can be processed by shaping, bending, tempering, annealing, coating and floating of the glass sheet without cracking of the glass sheet is described. In the inventive method a microwave radiation with appropriate uniformity, frequency and power density is chosen so as to accomplish glass heating from any initial temperature to any required (e.g., softened) temperature in a selected short time while ensuring that the temperature distribution on the external surfaces and in the interior of the glass sheet that arises from microwave exposure is uniform enough to prevent the exposed glass sheet's internal thermal stress from exceeding its modulus of rupture, thereby avoiding glass breakage.