Display case door assembly with tempered glass vacuum panel

• US 9,498,072 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2016
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anthony Incorporated (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Anthony Incorporated (Dover Corporation)
• Inventors: Artwohl, Paul J., Nicholson, Jeffery W., Rolek, Matthew, Sandnes, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Loney, Donald J
• Application Number:
  US15/058,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20160174734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 265 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/001 Devices for lighting, humidifying, heating, ventilation
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/002 Devices for protection against sunlight or theft
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/005 with glass panels
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0434 Glass or transparent panels
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/803 with vacuum spaces included in the slab
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/0081 for transmitting energy, e.g. electrical cable routing
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/061 with cams or helical tracks
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/31 for refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2003/66338 of glass
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2003/6638 with coatings
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/6612 Evacuated glazing units
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/6617 one of the panes being larger than another
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/66304 Discrete spacing elements, e.g. for evacuated glazing units
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/66309 Section members positioned at the edges of the glazing unit
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/66333 of unusual substances, e.g. wood or other fibrous materials, glass or other transparent materials
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/66357 Soldered connections or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/67339 Working the edges of already assembled units
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/677 Evacuating or filling the gap between the panes ; Equilibration of inside and outside pressure; Preventing condensation in the gap between the panes by means of spacing elements E06B3/663; Cleaning the gap between the panes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/249 Glazing, e.g. vacuum glazing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 80/22 Glazing, e.g. vaccum glazing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/231 : Filled with gas other than air; or under vacuum

Abstract

A display case door assembly for a temperature-controlled storage device includes an opening into the temperature-controlled storage device and a vacuum panel mounted within the opening. The vacuum panel includes a first vacuum pane of tempered glass, a second vacuum pane of tempered glass, and an evacuated gap between the first and second vacuum panes. The evacuated gap has a predetermined thickness within which a vacuum is drawn, thereby providing a thermal insulation effect for the vacuum panel. The vacuum panel further includes a plurality of spacers disposed within the evacuated gap and configured to maintain the predetermined thickness of the evacuated gap when the vacuum is drawn therein.

Claims

1. A display case door assembly for a temperature-controlled storage device, the display case door assembly comprising:

an opening into the temperature-controlled storage device; and

a vacuum panel mounted within the opening, the vacuum panel comprising;

a first vacuum pane of tempered glass;

a second vacuum pane of tempered glass;

an evacuated gap between the first and second vacuum panes, the evacuated gap having a predetermined thickness within which a vacuum is drawn, thereby providing a thermal insulation effect for the vacuum panel;

a plurality of spacers disposed within the evacuated gap and configured to maintain the predetermined thickness of the evacuated gap when the vacuum is drawn therein, wherein the plurality of spacers are ceramic spacers formed by printing a ceramic ink onto at least one of the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane;

a perimeter seal bonding a perimeter of the first vacuum pane to a perimeter of the second vacuum pane and providing a hermetic seal within the evacuated gap, wherein the perimeter seal comprises a ceramic frit located between the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane and formed by printing the ceramic ink onto at least one of the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane, wherein the perimeter seal is substantially lead-free;

wherein the perimeter seal is at least partially formed between the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane using an ultrasonic welding process whereby ultrasonic acoustic vibrations are locally applied to the perimeters of the first and second vacuum panes, thereby bonding the ceramic frit to the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane without melting the plurality of spacers and without detempering the tempered glass.

2. The display case door assembly of claim 1, wherein the perimeter seal has a melting temperature below a glass transition temperature of the tempered glass and is bonded to the perimeter of the first vacuum pane and the perimeter of the second vacuum pane by heating the perimeter seal to the melting temperature without detempering the tempered glass.

3. The display case door assembly of claim 1, further comprising one or more torque hinges configured to apply a closing torque to the vacuum panel, the closing torque causing the vacuum panel to move toward a closed position.

4. The display case door assembly of claim 1, wherein the predetermined thickness of the evacuated gap is approximately 0.2 millimeters.

5. The display case door assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of spacers are arranged in a grid and separated from each other by a distance greater than 50 millimeters.

6. The display case door assembly of claim 1, further comprising a film or coating laminated to a surface of the vacuum panel, the film or coating comprising at least one of an anti-condensate layer, an ultraviolet inhibiting layer, and a low emissivity layer.

7. The display case door assembly of claim 1, further comprising a heating element configured to apply heat to the vacuum panel and to prevent condensation from occurring on one or more surfaces of the vacuum panel.

8. The display case door assembly of claim 1, further comprising a getter located in the evacuated gap between the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane and configured to maintain a vacuum within the evacuated gap by combining chemically with gas molecules within the evacuated gap or by removing the gas molecules from the evacuated gap by adsorption;

wherein the getter is formed by printing a reactive getter material onto at least one of the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane along with the plurality of spacers and the perimeter seal.

9. A vacuum panel for a temperature-controlled storage device, the vacuum panel comprising:

a first vacuum pane of tempered glass,

a second vacuum pane of tempered glass,

an evacuated gap between the first and second vacuum panes, the evacuated gap having a predetermined thickness within which a vacuum is drawn, thereby providing a thermal insulation effect for the vacuum panel; and

a plurality of spacers disposed within the evacuated gap and configured to maintain the predetermined thickness of the evacuated gap when the vacuum is drawn therein;

a perimeter seal bonding a perimeter of the first vacuum pane to a perimeter of the second vacuum pane and providing a hermetic seal within the evacuated gap, wherein the perimeter seal comprises a ceramic frit located between the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane and formed by printing a ceramic ink onto at least one of the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane, wherein the perimeter seal is substantially lead-free;

a getter located in the evacuated gap between the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane and configured to maintain a vacuum within the evacuated gap by combining chemically with gas molecules within the evacuated gap or by removing the gas molecules from the evacuated gap by adsorption, wherein the getter is formed by printing a reactive getter material onto at least one of the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane along with the perimeter seal;

wherein the perimeter seal is at least partially formed between the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane using an ultrasonic welding process whereby ultrasonic acoustic vibrations are locally applied to the perimeters of the first and second vacuum panes, thereby bonding the ceramic frit to the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane without detempering the tempered glass.

10. The vacuum panel of claim 9, wherein the perimeter seal has a melting temperature below a glass transition temperature of the tempered glass and is bonded to the perimeter of the first vacuum pane and the perimeter of the second vacuum pane by heating the perimeter seal to the melting temperature without detempering the tempered glass.

11. The vacuum panel of claim 9, wherein the predetermined thickness of the evacuated gap is less than 0.5 millimeters.

12. The vacuum panel of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane is made of a low emissivity material configured to reduce radiation heat transfer through the vacuum panel.

13. The vacuum panel of claim 9, wherein the plurality of spacers are arranged in a grid and separated from each other by a distance greater than 50 millimeters.

14. A thermally-insulated vacuum panel comprising:

a first vacuum pane of tempered glass;

a second vacuum pane of tempered glass;

an evacuated gap between the first and second vacuum panes providing a thermal insulation effect for the vacuum panel;

a plurality of spacers disposed within the evacuated gap and configured to maintain the predetermined thickness of the evacuated gap when the vacuum is drawn therein, wherein the plurality of spacers are ceramic spacers formed by printing a first ceramic ink onto at least one of the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane; and

a perimeter seal bonding a perimeter of the first vacuum pane to a perimeter of the second vacuum pane and providing a hermetic seal within the evacuated gap, wherein the perimeter seal comprises a ceramic frit located between the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane and formed by printing a second ceramic ink onto at least one of the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane;

wherein the perimeter seal has a melting temperature below a glass transition temperature of the tempered glass and is bonded to the perimeter of the first vacuum pane and the perimeter of the second vacuum pane by heating the perimeter seal to the melting temperature without detempering the tempered glass and wherein the perimeter seal is at least partially formed between the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane using an ultrasonic welding process whereby ultrasonic acoustic vibrations are locally applied to the perimeters of the first and second vacuum panes, thereby bonding the ceramic frit to the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane without detempering the tempered glass.

15. The thermally-insulated vacuum panel of claim 14, wherein:

the first ceramic ink forming the plurality of spacers and the second ceramic ink forming the ceramic frit have substantially equal melting temperatures; and

the ultrasonic welding process bonds the ceramic frit to the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane without melting the plurality of spacers.

16. The thermally-insulated vacuum panel of claim 14, wherein the first ceramic ink and the second ceramic ink are different materials printed concurrently onto at least one of the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane using a printer that can switch between printing the different materials.

17. The thermally-insulated vacuum panel of claim 14, further comprising a getter located in the evacuated gap between the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane and configured to maintain a vacuum within the evacuated gap by combining chemically with gas molecules within the evacuated gap or by removing the gas molecules from the evacuated gap by adsorption;

wherein the getter is formed by printing a reactive getter material onto at least one of the first vacuum pane and the second vacuum pane along with the plurality of spacers and the perimeter seal.

18. The thermally-insulated vacuum panel of claim 14, wherein the perimeter seal is substantially lead-free.