Automotive vehicle windshields are made of laminated glass having a resin interface. When the windshield is struck at a point on its outer surface a break is usually formed which is in the form of a bullseye or a star having cracks radiating, from a point opening on the surface, outwardly and downwardly through the outer lamination to the resin interface. Differing methods and devices have been developed which enable such cracks to be repaired. One such method and device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,520 issued Nov. 23, 1976 in the name of Werner et al, in which the resin is inserted in the sleeve of the device and a pressure screw forces the resin into the windshield crack. The pressure is applied for several minutes and then the pressure screw is retracted to form a vacuum which allows dissolved air bubbles in the resin to leave the break. The problem with such a device is that the structure is complicated in that a special sleeve must be used in the cylinder to obtain the vacuum and there is no way to reestablish atmospheric pressure, i.e. the device acts like a syringe.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for filling a bullseye crack or a star break in an automotive windshield.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds