Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Light transmissive sheets – with gas space therebetween and...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-21
2001-09-18
Loney, Donald (Department: 1772)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Light transmissive sheets, with gas space therebetween and...
C156S107000, C156S109000, C052S786130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06291036
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a vacuum insulating glass (IG) unit, and a method of making the same. More particularly, this invention relates to a vacuum IG unit including a peripheral seal including at least one spacer therein.
Vacuum IG units are known in the art. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,664,395, 5,657,607, 5,891,536 and 5,902,652, the disclosures of which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Prior art
FIGS. 1-2
illustrate a conventional vacuum IG unit. IG unit
1
includes two spaced apart sheets of glass
2
and
3
which enclose an evacuated or low pressure space
11
therebetween. Glass sheets
2
and
3
are interconnected by peripheral or edge seal of fused solder glass
4
and an array of support pillars
5
.
Pump out tube
6
is sealed by solder glass
7
to an aperture or hole which passes from an interior surface of glass sheet
2
to the bottom of recess
9
. Cavity
8
in sheet
3
accommodates the stump of tube
6
. A vacuum is attached to tube
6
(prior to the tube being sealed) so that the interior cavity
11
between sheets
2
and
3
can be evacuated to create a low pressure area. After evacuation, tube
6
is melted to seal the vacuum.
As illustrated in
FIGS. 1-2
, spacers or pillars
5
are typically provided between the glass sheets
2
and
3
through the viewing area of the unit, but not at edges thereof where peripheral or edge seal
4
is located. This results in the thickness of gap or space
11
potentially varying from one thickness near the edge(s) of the glass sheet(s) to a different thickness near the center where more spacers are provided. In other words, there is a potential for substantial undesirable gap variation at the edges relative to center areas of the unit. If the gap or thickness of the low pressure space
11
between the substrates is lower or higher at the edge than proximate the center of the unit, then the edge seal and/or glass substrate(s) can have higher stress than if the gap is approximately equal throughout the unit. The higher the stress, the more likely it is for either of the glass substrates to crack or break, and the more likely it is for the edge seal to delaminate.
It is apparent from the above that there exists a need in the art for a vacuum IG unit, and corresponding method of making the same, designed so as to reduce the potential for significant gap variation of the thickness of the space between the two substrates.
This invention will now be described with respect to certain embodiments thereof, accompanied by certain illustrations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a vacuum insulating glass (IG) unit including a peripheral or edge seal including at least one spacer or pillar embedded therein.
Another object of this invention is to mix a plurality of spacers into a seal material and thereafter deposit or otherwise provide the mixture around a periphery or edge of at least one substrate in the formation of a vacuum IG unit.
Another object of this invention is to fulfill any and/or all of the above-listed objects.
Generally speaking, this invention fulfills any or all of the above described objects or needs in the art by providing a thermally insulating glass panel comprising:
first and second spaced apart glass substrates defining a low pressure space therebetween having a pressure less than atmospheric pressure;
a first plurality of spacers disposed between said first and second glass substrates for spacing said substrates from one another in order to maintain said low pressure space therebetween;
a hermetic peripheral seal including at least one sealing material; and
a second plurality of spacers for spacing said substrates from one another, at least some of said spacers of said second plurality being in contact with said sealing material.
This invention further fulfills any or all of the above described needs or objects by providing a method of making a vacuum IG unit comprising the steps of:
providing first and second substrates;
providing a plurality of spacers in a sealing material to form a sealing mixture;
applying the sealing mixture to at least a major surface of the first substrate proximate an edge thereof;
providing additional spacers proximate a central area of the first substrate;
moving the second substrate into a position such that at least some of the spacers proximate the central area of the first substrate and the spacers in the sealing mixture are disposed between the first and second substrates;
creating a seal using the sealing mixture so that a seal of the vacuum IG unit includes spacers therein; and
evacuating a space between the first and second substrates so that the space has a pressure less than atmospheric pressure.
In certain embodiments, the seal may be a hermetic seal, while in other embodiments it need not be.
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Thomsen Scott V.
Wang Yei-Ping (Mimi) H.
Guardian Industries Corporation
Loney Donald
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
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