PREFORMED SELF-SUPPORTING, FLEXIBLE AND COHERENT ELECTRICALLY HEATABLE LAMINAR STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF

• US 3,718,535 A
• Filed: 03/26/1970
• Issued: 02/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Herbert Hoover III, Ramsey C. Armstrong
• Original Assignee: Herbert Hoover III, Ramsey C. Armstrong
• Inventors: Armstrong, Ramsey C., Hoover, Herbert III
• Primary Examiner(s): Burnett, Robert F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gil, Joseph C.
• Application Number:
  US05/022,878
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 161/214,218,189,190,192,194,197,203,204,198,199,45,41,43,44,165 219/202,203,528,543,544,546,547,548,549,553 156/87,99,102,104,106,47,150,151 52/171 117/211
• US Class Current: 428/339
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10005 laminated safety glass or glazing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/30 comprising vinyl (co)polymers; comprising acrylic (co)polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/013 Heaters using resistive films or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/86 the heating conductors being embedded in the transparent or reflecting material H05B3/845 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/269 including synthetic resin or polymer layer or component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 Of metal

Abstract

Flexible sublaminates suitable for lamination between rigid transparent dielectric plies to form electrically powerable transparent safety glass-type constructions are prepared by first disposing on at least one surface of a carrier film a thin, adherent electrically conductive metallic coating and subsequently laminating to the metal-coated surface an interlayer film to form a flexible coherent laminar structure transparent when its exterior surfaces are smooth. Carrier films employed have an ultimate elongation of less than about 150 percent and tensile strength greater than about 5000 psi; interlayer films have ultimate elongation greater than about 150 percent and tensile strength less than about 6500 psi. Exemplary conductive metals are gold, silver, chromium, copper, and Inconel.

Claims

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said interlayer film presents a textured exterior surface which is adapted to be made smooth by said further lamination of said structure between said plies.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein but one surface of the carrier film bears a metal coating and further wherein a second interlayer film is adhered to the surface of the carrier film opposite the metal-coated surface thereof such that the non-adhered surfaces of the interlayer films present the exterior surfaces of the said laminar structure.

4. The structure of claim 2 wherein but one surface of the carrier film bears a metal coating, and further wherein an interlayer film is adhered only to the metal-coated surface of the carrier film.

5. The structure of claim 2 wherein the said carrier film is a polyethylene terephthalate polyester film, and wherein said interlayer film is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl chloride, and polyurethane films.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein said conductive metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, chromium, copper and Inconel.

7. The structure of claim 6 wherein said interlayer film is polyvinyl butyral.

8. The structure of claim 7 wherein said conductive metal is gold.

9. The structure of claim 7 wherein said polyvinyl butyral contains from about 5 to 65 percent by weight plasticizer therefor, based on the total weight of plasticizer and polyvinyl butyral.

10. The structure of claim 2 wherein the said carrier film has an ultimate elongation of less than about 150 percent and tensile strength greater than about 5,000 psi, and wherein said interlayer film has an ultimate elongation of greater than about 150 percent and tensile strength less than about 6,500 psi.

11. The structure of claim 10 wherein said conductive metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, chromium, copper and Inconel.

12. A method which comprises disposing a thin adherent electrically conductive metallic coating on at least one surface of a carrier film and subsequently laminating To the side of said carrier film which bears the said coating a first interlayer film, said first interlayer film being at least about 0.015 inch in thickness, thereby forming a flexible, self-supporting and coherent electrically heatable laminar structure primarily defined in two dimensions and transparent when its exterior surfaces are smooth, said laminar structure consisting essentially of the metal-coated carrier film and said interlayer film, the surface of said interlayer film opposite that laminated to said metal-coated side presenting an exterior surface of the laminar structure, said laminar structure being adapted for further lamination between rigid plies to form a transparent safety glass-type laminate.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein but one surface of the carrier film is metal-coated.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein an interlayer film is laminated only to the metal-coated surface of the carrier film.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein a second interlayer film is laminated to the surface of the carrier film opposite the metal-coated surface thereof such that the non-adhered surfaces of the interlayer films present the exterior surfaces of the laminar structure.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the interlayer films present textured exterior surfaces which are adapted to be made smooth by said further lamination of said structure between said plies.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the said carrier film is a polyethylene terephthalate polyester film and wherein said interlayer film is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane films.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said conductive metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, chromium, copper and Inconel.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said interlayer film is polyvinyl butyral.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said conductive metal is gold.

21. The method of claim 12 wherein the said carrier film has an ultimate elongation of less than about 150 percent and tensile strength greater than about 5,000 psi, and wherein said interlayer film has an ultimate elongation of greater than about 150 percent and tensile strength less than about 6,500 psi.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said conductive metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, chromium, copper and Inconel.