Abstract: An insulating glass unit comprising a pair of generally parallel, spaced apart glass panes and a spacer-sealant assembly peripherally joining the glass panes to one another and defining with the glass panes a gas-containing interpane space. The spacer comprises a first web whose edges are joined to confronting surfaces of the glass panes by primary sealant strips, the first web and sealant providing a barrier having a permeance to air and interpane gas of not greater than about 0.06 cubic inches/year-inch-arm, and providing a first thermal path having a thermal resistance of not less than about 8 hr-.degree.F.-ft/Btu. The unit is free from peripheral structure providing a separate parallel thermal path having a thermal resistance less than about two and one-half times that of the first thermal path.

Abstract: A layer of silver metal or the like, included as one of a plurality of transparent coating layers upon a glass pane, is protected from staining by providing the pane with a barrier layer comprising the oxides of at least two metals of which one is Me(1) and another is Me(2) wherein Me(1) is titanium, zirconium or hafnium and Me(2) is zinc, tin, indium or bismuth. The barrier layer is non-transmissive of moisture and other staining agents, is amorphous and is free of grain boundaries.

Abstract: The present invention provides a coating for a transparent substrate which exhibits a neutral color through a wide range of angles of incidence a light. The coating employs a base coat adjacent to the transparent substrate having a thickness of no more than about 275 Angstroms and may include two reflective metal layers having an intermediate layer of an anti-reflective metal oxide therebetween and an outer anti-reflective layer of metal oxide over the second reflective metal layer. If so desired, the coating of the invention may include an abrasive-resistant overcoat as its outer most layer. This overcoat is desirably formed of an abrasive-resistant metal oxide, such as zinc oxide, applied at a thickness which does not significantly affect the optical properties of said coated substrate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a high transmittance, low emissivity film stack having an overcoat of an oxide of a metal chosen from the group of zinc, tin, indium, or bismuth, or an alloy including one or more of these metals, the oxide being applied in a thickness sufficiently low as to have no significant affect upon the optical properties of the coated substrate. That is, if the overcoat is lost through abrasion or chemical attack, the loss will not significantly affect the optical properties of the coating. The resulting film stack exhibits significantly enhanced durability as compared to a film stack without such an overcoat. In a preferred embodiment, a film stack of the invention includes at least one reflective metal layer, an outer, scratch-resistant metal oxide overcoat, and a metal oxide layer between the silver layer and the overcoat which is less scratch resistant than the overcoat.

Abstract: A method of producing multi-pane glass units having a non-air gas in the interpane space. The method includes the steps of assembling several glass units, each of which has a pair of spaced glass panes and a peripheral spacer. A separator device is interposed between one of the panes and the peripheral spacer of each of the units. When the units have been so assembled, a vacuum is drawn on the units in an evacuable chamber to remove substantially all of the air from the interpane spaces. The chamber is then refilled with a suitable gas, such as argon, to refill the interpane space of each of the units. The separator is then removed from the glass units, to close the opening between the pane and the peripheral spacer of each unit, thereby completely sealing the interpane space of each unit from the vacuum chamber environment. The units can then be removed from the vacuum chamber and further processed.

Abstract: The inventon relates to a method of producing a plurality of multi-pane insulating glass assemblies in which the assemblies are formed into a self-supporting unit for further fabrication. Each assembly is provided with at least one exteriorly accessible opening, and the assemblies, supporting one another in surface-to-surface contact, are moved along a conveyor as a unit into a vacuum chamber. Vacuum is drawn on the unit to evacuate each interpane space, following which a gas having coefficient of thermal conductivity lower than that of air is introduced into the chamber to fill the interpane spaces of the glass assemblies. The assemblies as a unit are then conveyed out of the vacuum chamber and the exteriorly accessible openings are sealed.