Appliance such as a refrigerator or freezer with a transparent viewing door and a method of manufacture of a refrigerator or freezer with a transparent viewing door

• US 6,268,594 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1999
• Issued: 07/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Schott AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: SCHOTT Glass
• Inventors: Melson, Sabine, Leutner, Kurt, Leroux, Roland
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa
• Assistant Examiner(s): FUQUA, SHAWNTINA T
• Application Number:
  US09/405,863
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 219/200-205, 219/219, 219/522-548, 312/236, 521/712
• US Class Current: 219/522
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/02 Doors; Covers F25D23/08 takes precedence locks or fastenings E05B65/0042
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/013 Heaters using resistive films or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/017 Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2214/02 Heaters specially designed for de-icing or protection against icing
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/84 Heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas, e.g. for demisting or de-icing windows, mirrors or vehicle windshields

Abstract

A multipane insulating glass for appliances having an inner-chamber temperature which is lower than the ambient temperature, in particular for viewing doors of refrigerators and freezers comprises at least two panes which are of approximately equal size and are arranged at a distance from one another. The distance is maintained by a spacer which runs continuously around the vicinity of the edge. One of the two outer panes is provided with an electrically conductive, transparent coating on its side which faces towards the space between the panes. In this glass, the coating, which is applied to the entire surface, is deactivated in the peripheral area of the pane, containing the contact surface for the spacer. Also, a process for producing coated flat glass materials for such insulating glass materials, as described above.

Claims

1. An appliance such as a refrigerator or freezer having a lower internal temperature than the ambient temperature, said appliance comprising a transparent viewing door, said transparent viewing door comprising:

at least two panes;

each of said at least two panes having substantially equal height dimensions and substantially equal width dimensions;

a spacer;

said spacer being disposed between said at least two panes to separate said at least two panes from one another and to hold said at least two panes with respect to each other;

a coating disposed on one of said at least two panes to remove condensation from said at least two panes;

electrical connections to connect said coating to a power supply;

said coating being substantially transparent;

said coating being electrically conductive;

said coating being disposed on a side of said one of said at least two panes facing another of said at least two panes;

said coating being disposed on substantially all of said side of said one of said at least two panes;

said coated side of said coated pane comprising a peripheral area and a central area, said peripheral area being disposed about said central area; and

said originally electrically conductive peripheral area coating comprising an area of destroyed electrically conductive coating having been destroyed to render said electrically conductive coating in said peripheral area non-conductive.

2. The appliance according to claim 1 wherein:

each of said at least two panes has an edge about said pane; and

said spacer is disposed to continuously contact at least a portion of said peripheral area of said pane.

3. The appliance according to claim 2 wherein said coating is a hard coating.

4. The appliance according to claim 3 wherein said coating comprises SnO₂:

F.

5. The appliance according to claim 4 wherein said destroyed coating of said peripheral area of said coated pane comprises one of (a) and (b):

(a) a glaze applied to said peripheral area and fired on said peripheral area to render said electrically conductive coating in said peripheral area non-conductive; and

(b) a ground-off area of said electrically conductive coating in said peripheral area to render said electrically conductive coating in said peripheral area non-conductive.

6. The appliance according to claim 5 wherein said coated one of said at least two panes is nearer the interior of the appliance than said another of said at least two panes.

7. The appliance according to claim 6 comprising:

a sealed space between said at least two panes; and

said sealed space between said at least two panes containing argon.

8. An appliance such as a refrigerator or freezer having a lower internal temperature than the ambient temperature, said appliance comprising a transparent viewing door, said transparent viewing door comprising:

at least one pane;

a structure;

said structure being disposed adjacent said at least one pane;

a coating disposed on said at least one pane to remove condensation from said at least one pane;

said coating being substantially transparent;

said coating being electrically conductive;

said coating being disposed on substantially all of a side of said one of said at least one pane;

said coated side of said at least one pane comprising a peripheral area and a central area, said peripheral area being disposed about said central area; and

said originally electrically conductive peripheral area coating comprising an area of destroyed electrically conductive coating having been destroyed to render said electrically conductive coating in said peripheral area non-conductive.

9. The appliance according to claim 8 wherein said coating is a hard coating.

10. The appliance according to claim 9 wherein said coating comprises SnO₂:

F.

11. The appliance according to claim 10 wherein said destroyed coating of said peripheral area of said coated side comprises one of (a) and (b):

(a) a glaze applied to said peripheral area and fired on said peripheral area to render said electrically conductive coating in said peripheral area non-conductive; and

(b) a ground-off area of said electrically conductive coating in said peripheral area to render said electrically conductive coating in said peripheral area non-conductive.

12. The appliance according to claim 11 wherein said at least one pane comprises at least two panes.

13. The appliance according to claim 12 wherein said structure comprises a spacer to separate said at least two panes.

14. The appliance according to claim 13 wherein only one of said at least two panes is coated.

15. The appliance according to claim 14 wherein said coated one of said at least two panes is nearer the interior of the appliance than another of said at least two panes.

16. The appliance according to claim 15 comprising:

a sealed space between said at least two panes;

said sealed space between said at least two panes comprising argon disposed in said sealed space to insulate the appliance; and

each of said at least two panes having substantially the same dimensions as the others of said at least two panes.

17. A method of making an appliance such as a refrigerator or freezer, the appliance having a lower internal temperature than the ambient temperature and a transparent viewing door, the transparent viewing door comprising:

at least two panes, a spacer, the spacer being disposed between the at least two panes to separate the at least two panes from one another and to hold the at least two panes with respect to each other, the at least two panes having a peripheral area adjacent the spacer;

said method comprising the steps of;

coating substantially all of a side of one of the at least two panes with an electrically conductive transparent coating;

destroying said electrically conductive transparent coating in the peripheral area of the pane to render the peripheral area of the pane non-conductive; and

mounting the coated pane in the appliance.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein said step of destroying said electrically conductive transparent coating in the peripheral area of the pane to render the peripheral area of the pane non-conductive comprises one of the steps of (a) and (b):

(a) grinding off said coating in the peripheral area of the pane to render the peripheral area of the pane non-conductive; and

(b) applying a glaze to the peripheral area of the pane, and firing the glaze in the peripheral area of the pane into the coating to destroy the electrical conductivity of the coating in the peripheral area.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein said step of firing the glaze in the peripheral area of the pane into the coating to destroy the electrical conductivity of the coating in the peripheral area simultaneously pre-stresses the pane of glass.

20. An appliance such as a refrigerator or freezer having a lower internal temperature than the ambient temperature and a transparent viewing door made by the method of claim 19.