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:
Dec. 17, 2002
Filed:
Aug. 21, 2000
Mark R. Tipping, Bowling Green, OH (US);
Dan M. Hayes, Waterville, OH (US);
Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc., Toledo, OH (US);
Abstract
An inclined trough assembly ( ) for conveying, by gravity, formable gobs of glass at an elevated temperature to a section of a glass container forming machine of the I.S. type, the trough assembly having a trough member ( ) configured, in cross-section, generally corresponding to that of an upwardly facing V and a manifold ( ) at least partly underlying the trough member and having a configuration, in cross-section, generally corresponding to that of an upwardly facing U. The trough member is inserted into the manifold partly to the bottom thereof, and the manifold has a compressed air inlet ( ) for receiving compressed or fan air to flow along the manifold in cooling contact with the trough member to cool the trough member and thereby reduce the coefficient of friction between the gobs of glass flowing through the trough assembly and the trough member thereof. The trough member has an opposed pair of legs ( ) joined at the bottoms thereof in a bight ( ), the upper free ends of the legs being spaced apart a greater distance than the width of gobs of the largest size in a wide range of sizes of gobs to be passed through the trough assembly, the bight having a radius greater than the width of gobs of the smallest size in the range of sizes. The trough member has a plurality of apertures ( ) extending therethrough, to permit compressed or fan air flowing in the manifold to flow into the trough member, to thereby further cool the trough member and at least partly levitate the gobs in the trough member to further reduce frictional forces acting on the gobs as they flow through the trough assembly.