{
  "patent_number": "US 2911759",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How the Float Glass Process Makes Perfectly Flat Window Panes",
  "original_title": "Manufacture of flat glass",
  "summary": "This 1954 patent describes the float glass process, a method for creating high-quality, perfectly flat glass by floating molten glass on a bath of liquid metal.",
  "what_it_does": "The invention describes a continuous manufacturing process where molten glass is poured onto a bath of molten metal, typically tin. Because the glass is less dense than the tin, it floats and spreads out to form a perfectly flat surface. As the glass ribbon travels along the surface of the molten metal, it is cooled and solidified before being lifted off. This method produces glass with a uniform thickness and a fire-polished finish, eliminating the need for expensive mechanical grinding and polishing.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover the production of glass using traditional rolling or drawing methods.",
    "Does not cover the chemical composition of the glass itself, only the forming process.",
    "Does not cover the specific equipment used for cutting or tempering the glass after it has solidified."
  ],
  "filed": "1954-12-06",
  "granted": "1959-11-10",
  "expires": "1976-11-10",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Pilkington Brothers Ltd",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/pilkington-brothers-ltd",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Lionel A B Pilkington",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/lionel-a-b-pilkington"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bickerstaff Kenneth",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/bickerstaff-kenneth"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 53,
  "tags": [
    "mechanical",
    "materials",
    "automotive",
    "consumer_electronics"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2911759/float-glass-pilkington",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2911759/float-glass-pilkington/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US2911759",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "2133235",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Glass Fibers Are Spun for Insulation",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2133235/fiberglass-glass-wool-slayter"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "6033785",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Car Windows Use Special Coatings to Balance Privacy and Visibility",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/6033785/vehicular-colored-glass-pane-with-light-transmittance-and-reflectance-adjustment"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "3711262",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Corning Invented Modern Fiber Optic Cables",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3711262/optical-fiber-waveguide"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "3778335",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Chemically Strengthened Glass Works",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3778335/gorilla-glass-chemically-strengthened"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "3585356",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How the Modern Waterbed Works",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3585356/waterbed-liquid-support"
    }
  ]
}