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:
Oct. 07, 2003
Filed:
Nov. 03, 2000
W. Jason Skeen, Export, PA (US);
Rudolph A. Karlo, Creighton, PA (US);
Steven M. Horcicak, Lower Burrell, PA (US);
Mark M. Savka, Sewickley, PA (US);
Lawrence S. Letzkus, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Irvin A. Wilson, Apollo, PA (US);
Michael Zibert, Saxonburg, PA (US);
DeWitt W. Lampman, Gibsonia, PA (US);
PPG Industries Ohio, Inc., Cleveland, OH (US);
Abstract
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for thermal treatment of glass and method and thermally treated glass therefrom. The apparatus is capable of supporting the glass during thermal treatment such as tempering, annealing, bending, and/or shaping which can include any cooling or quenching to remove heat or any combination of these. The apparatus is a support member like a ring or outline mold with a horizontal surface suitable for contacting the glass. The support member has at least a surface with or without a coating for contact with the glass of one or more metals having a thermal conductivity such that the glass heated for shaping cools at a rate not much slower than the cooling rate of unsupported sections of the glass. Suitable metals include those with a thermal conductivity of greater than around 16 BTU/(hour×feet×° F.). When a coating covers at least a portion of the support, the coating can give the support member more heat resistance and/or anti-corrosiveness and/or abrasion resistance to improve durability. Also the support member can be the shaping rail of a windshield or backlite shaping iron.