Method and apparatus for laminating glass-plastic sandwiches

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR INSERTING A UNIT COMPOSED OF TWO GLASS SHEETS AND AN INTERPOSED INTERLAYER INTO A FLEXIBLE BAG, THE COMBINATION OF, A CONVEYOR FOR MOVING THE UNIT ALONG A PATH, SPREADING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CONVEYOR INTERPOSED IN THE PATH OF SAID UNIT TO INITIALLY OPEN A FLEXIBLE BAG INSERTED ABOUT SAID SPREADING MEANS, SAID SPREADING MEANS INCLUDING FOUR EXTENDABLE RODS, TWO OF SAID RODS BEING POSITIONED ABOVE THE PLANE OF THE CONVEYOR AND TWO OF THE RODS BEING POSITIONED BELOW THE PLANE OF THE CONVEYOR AND A PAIR OF AUXILIARY RODS, ONE AUXILIARY ROD BEING POSITIONED ABOVE THE PLANE OF THE CONVEYOR AND ONE AUXILIARY ROD BEING POSITIONED BELOW THE PLANE OF THE CONVEYOR, EACH OF SAID AUXILIARY RODS BEING ATTACHED TO THE CONNECTING JOINTS OF THE ADJACENT EXTENDABLE RODS SO AS TO FORM A SEPARATOR FRAME TO RECEIVE THE FLEXIBLE BAG AND TO HOLD SAID BAG IN AN EXPANDED POSITION, AND MEANS FOR FURTHER EXPANDING SAID BAG WHILE POSITIONED ON SAID SPREADING MEANS TO INSURE THAT NO PORTION OF THE UNIT MOVING ALONG THE CONVEYOR WILL CONTACT THE BAG UNTIL AFTER THE UNIT HAS BEEN FULLY INSERTED IN THE BAG, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS INCLUDING A FAN MOUNTED SO AS TO DIRECT A STREAM OF AIR INTO SAID BAG AND THROUGH THE OPEN END OF THE BAG HELD IN AN EXTENDED POSITION BY SAID SPREADING MEANS.