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AssigneeLibbey-Owens-Ford Co.
InventorsRobert B. Nikodem, Peter J. Tausch, Ronald D. Goodman, Robert M. Felt, Michael J. Grogan
Estimating the term…
A method for forming a vehicle window assembly includes applying a band of an opaque ceramic enamel material to a predetermined peripheral portion of a sheet of relatively flat glass, and heating the glass to a prefire temperature to fuse the opaque material to the glass. An electrically conductive material is applied to the band in a predetermined pattern to form a pair of bus bars typically along the top and bottom edges of the sheet of glass. The glass is again heated to fire the bus bar material and soften the glass for bending into a desired window shape. A mask is applied to the bus bars for later connection of electrical leads and the sheet of glass is washed prior to the next operation. An electrically conductive film is applied to the second surface of the sheet of glass and electrically connected to the bus bars. The sheet of glass is laminated to a sheet of plastic material which covers the electrically conductive film and, typically, the plastic sheet is laminated to a second sheet of glass which has been preformed, i.e., bent, to conform to the first sheet. Electrical leads are attached to the bus bars to complete the window assembly. The electrically conducting film and glass sheet composition and thickness are chosen to maximize for the window assembly the desired performance characteristics of resistance, transmission, reflection and color-all of which are mutually interactive.
A method of forming an electrically heated window assembly, comprising the steps of:
A method of forming an electrically heated vehicle window assembly, comprising the steps of:
A window assembly adapted to be heated electrically, comprising a first transparent sheet, a transparent electrically conductive film stack on a surface of said sheet, said stack including a layer of silver metal interposed between layers of zinc oxide, said silver metal layer having a thickness between 70 and 100 angstroms and each said zinc oxide layers having a thickness in the range of 350 to 500 angstroms, a bus bar in contact with said film stack, a plastic interlayer adhered to the filmed surface of said first sheet, and a second transparent sheet adhered to the interlayer opposite said first sheet, said transparent sheet and film layer thicknesses being selected to provide said window assembly with an Illuminant A transmittance greater than or equal to 70 percent, an Illuminant C reflectance from either exposed assembly surface of less than or equal to 9 percent, a total solar transmittance less than or equal to 45 percent, and a sheet resistance measured across said film stack of less than or equal to 10 ohms per square, the window being substantially free of reflected color and being neutral in color transmittance.
A window assembly adapted to be heated electrically, comprising a first glass sheet, a film stack on a surface of said sheet, said stack including a layer of silver metal interposed between layers of zinc oxide, said silver metal layer having a thickness between 70 and 100 angstroms and each said zinc oxide layers having a thickness in the range of 350 to 500 angstroms, a pair of spaced bus bars, each positioned adjacent a peripheral edge of the first sheet in contact with said film stack, a layer of polyvinyl butyral adhered to the filmed surface of said first glass sheet, and a second glass sheet adhered to the polyvinyl butyral layer opposite said first glass sheet, said glass sheet and film layer thicknesses being selected to provide said window assembly with an Illuminant A transmittance greater than or equal to 70 percent, an Illuminant C reflectance from either exposed glass surface of less than or equal to 9 percent, a total solar transmittance less than or equal to 45 percent, and a sheet resistance measured across said film stack of less than or equal to 10 ohms per square, the window being substantially free of reflected color and being neutral in color transmittance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.