20080067819 | Striker plate, a door jamb assembly and a method of securing a striker plate to a door surround structure | March, 2008 | Farrell |
20080127599 | Reinforced structural component | June, 2008 | Chen |
20080222984 | DEVICE FOR EQUIPPING AN EXPANSION JOINT BETWEEN CONCRETE SLABS | September, 2008 | Michiels |
20060101758 | Composite building material | May, 2006 | Egan |
20090255208 | Reduced eccentricity guardrail post connector for decking structure | October, 2009 | Vayghn |
20040006944 | Structure and method for floor-surface covering | January, 2004 | Miyamoto |
20060123723 | Wall finishing panel system | June, 2006 | Weir et al. |
20080216416 | PORTABLE MODULAR INFLATABLE BARRIER | September, 2008 | Leano |
20090084065 | Method for the production of profiled floor elements from a timber material | April, 2009 | Neuhofer |
20050050832 | Connector for steel reinforcement | March, 2005 | Comerford |
20100043330 | Functional ceiling system | February, 2010 | Svensson et al. |
[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application filed Aug. 28, 2001 and assigned Ser. No. 09/940,970, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the present application claims priority to the U.S. patent application filed Feb. 12, 2002 and assigned Ser. No. 10/076,211, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0002] The present invention relates generally to spandrels comprising non-visionary masking material carried by insulating glass units, monolithic panes, and other substrates. More particularly, this invention relates to spandrels carrying particularly advantageous configurations of non-visionary masking material.
[0003] In most industrialized countries, windows touch people's lives everyday. Wherever people work and live there are windows. Windows allow occupants of a building to view the outside world while allowing sun light to enter the interior of the building. Sunlight is a natural antidepressant and helps the human body produce vitamin D. Thus, a certain amount of sunshine is essential to mental and physical well being. Since windows deliver sunshine, they can be seen to contribute to the mental and physical well being of the community.
[0004] Many skyscrapers and other buildings have exterior facades that are defined largely by glass (e.g., curtainwalls). In such buildings, the glass facades commonly include both visionary and non-visionary areas. Visionary areas are referred to as windows, while non-visionary areas are referred to as spandrels. Spandrels are designed to visually conceal portions of a building that are preferably not visible from the exterior of the building (e.g., floor slabs, areas between floors, vertical spans between floors and ceilings or between successive viewing closures, insulation, heating and air conditioning components, etc.).
[0005] Spandrels are commonly either monolithic or insulating glass. That is, a spandrel commonly includes either a single pane or a multiple-pane insulating glass unit (i.e., an IG unit). The pane or IG unit of a spandrel is rendered opaque, commonly by one of two basic methods. The first method involves applying a ceramic frit onto a glass surface and subsequently firing the pane in a tempering furnace to form a permanent bond between the frit and the pane. Ceramic frit is somewhat limited in its applicability, though, since it may burn or otherwise damage any underlying coating when fired. As a consequence, ceramic frit is typically only used on the uncoated surfaces of IG units because most coated glasses cannot withstand the temperatures required for firing the frit. Thus, the versatility of ceramic frit is somewhat limited.
[0006] The second basic method of creating a spandrel involves applying an opacifier film to a glass surface. The opacifier film, which is commonly black or otherwise opaque, may be formed of plastic, vinyl, polyester, polyethylene, or the like. The film is typically applied to the glass with a water or solvent based adhesive. When opacifier film is used in a monolithic spandrel, the film is typically applied over the #2 surface of the glass, commonly over a reflective coating born directly on the #2 surface. When opacifier film is used in an insulating glass spandrel, the film is commonly applied to the #2 surface, #3 surface, or #4 surface. The terms used to denote the particular surfaces of a pane or IG unit (e.g., “#1 surface”, “first surface”, “#2 surface”, etc.) are defined below.
[0007] Opacifier film is conventionally applied in the form of a single sheet sized to cover the whole of the pane surface that is to be opacified. Using one large sheet on each opacified surface, however, has its limitations. For example, consider a sheet of opacifier film that is discarded after being inadvertently miscut (e.g., cut to dimensions not matching the intended surface), mislaid (e.g., poorly applied to the intended surface), damaged, or otherwise rendered unusable. If this sheet has been sized to cover the whole opacified surface, then a relatively large amount of opacifier film will be discarded. This wastes an unnecessary amount of opacifier film, which then must be removed from the manufacturing facility and thrown out, recycled, or otherwise discarded, thus increasing costs in multiple respects.
[0008] Further, applying large, single sheets of opacifier film is unnecessarily complicated for manufacturers who produce a variety of spandrels of different sizes and shapes. For example, such manufacturers would either have to stock film of different widths to accommodate panes of different size, or stock film of great enough width to accommodate their largest pane size and then, when smaller panes are to be covered, cut the width of each sheet to match the particular width of a given smaller pane. The former alternative is less than ideal in that the manufacturer has to stock rolls of opacifier film of different widths (e.g., possibly one roll size per each pane size produced). The former alternative also renders the film-application process unduly complicated, particularly if the process is automated, in that it imposes an additional roll-selection/changing step on the film-application process. The latter alternative is less than ideal in that it involves an additional width-cutting step, creates unnecessary waste (i.e., the cut-away portions of film), and may require an additional waste-removal step (e.g., removing the cut-away film from the pane and/or from the film-application station). Thus, it can be appreciated that the conventional methods of applying opacifier film, and the resulting spandrel constructions, are less than ideal.
[0009] Certain embodiments of the invention provide a spandrel comprising at least one pane having first and second generally-opposed major surfaces at least one of which is a covered surface bearing a non-visionary covering comprising a plurality of strips of opacifier film.
[0010] Further, certain embodiments of the invention provide a method of constructing a spandrel. The method comprises: providing a pane having first and second generally-opposed major surfaces; and applying a plurality of strips of opacifier film to one of the major surfaces of the pane to define a covered surface bearing a non-visionary covering.
[0011]
[0012]
[0013]
[0014]
[0015]
[0016]
[0017]
[0018] The following detailed description is to be read with reference to the drawings, in which like elements in different drawings have been given like reference numerals. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
[0019] The invention provides a spandrel comprising at least one pane. As can be appreciated with reference to
[0020] Thus, the spandrel comprises a pane having first and second generally-opposed major surfaces. A non-visionary covering (described below) is disposed over one of the major surfaces of the pane (this major surface is referred to herein as the “covered surface”). In certain embodiments (e.g., where the whole area of the pane is opaque), the non-visionary covering is disposed over substantially the entire area of the covered surface. For example, the covered surface of the pane may have an uncovered peripheral apron (i.e., the non-visionary covering may have a “cut-back”), but otherwise may be entirely covered by the non-visionary covering. In one such embodiment, the non-visionary covering is disposed over a central portion of the covered surface, which central portion spans at least about 75%, more preferably at least about 80%, and perhaps optimally at least about 85%, of the area of the covered surface. In embodiments where the non-visionary covering has a cut-back, sealant can be applied directly to the pane at its uncovered peripheral apron. In other embodiments, the non-visionary covering does not have a cut-back, but rather is disposed over the entire area of the covered surface. In such cases, sealant may be bonded directly to the non-visionary covering. Further, the invention provides embodiments wherein there is provided a pane or IG unit having both a non-visionary spandrel area and a visionary window area, as described with reference to
[0021] As noted above, the present spandrel may be monolithic or it may be insulating glass. In embodiments where the spandrel is monolithic, the non-visionary covering is preferably carried on the #2 surface of the pane, optionally over a reflective coating
[0022] The terminology used to refer to particular major surfaces will now be described. As is conventional in the art, the terms “first surface” and “#1 surface” refer to the major surface that is exposed to (i.e., communicates with) the outdoor environment. In
[0023]
[0024] With continued reference to
[0025] In the embodiment of
[0026] The overlapped strips of opacifier film can be configured to extend in any direction across the covered surface of the pane. In the embodiment of
[0027] Thus, the non-visionary covering
[0028] As noted above, the non-visionary covering
[0029]
[0030] In embodiments like that shown in
[0031] For example,
[0032] In the embodiments of
[0033]
[0034] In the present insulating glass spandrel embodiments, the non-visionary covering
[0035]
[0036] The non-visionary covering
[0037] The non-visionary covering
[0038] The invention provides simplified processes for applying opacifier film to panes of varying size. For example, a supply (e.g., a roll) of opacifier film can be selected such that the width of the opacifier film corresponds to a known minimum pane size. In one embodiment, there is provided a roll of opacifier film having a width that corresponds to (e.g., is equal to or slightly less than) the width of a known minimum pane size. When it is desired to apply the film to a pane of the known minimum size, the whole non-visionary covering
[0039] Thus, it can be appreciated that a supply of opacifier film can be conveniently used to opacify panes of many different sizes. For example, the present method avoids the need to stock rolls of opacifier film of different widths to accommodate panes of different size. In fact, it is only necessary to stock rolls of opacifier film having a single width corresponding to a known minimum pane size. Moreover, in embodiments where an uncovered apron is left on the pane, the opacifier film can be applied without having to cut or otherwise affirmatively remove marginal portions of the non-visionary covering. This affords significant efficiency in terms of time, labor, and money. It also prevents any damage that might otherwise be done to the pane during removal (e.g., cutting) of marginal portions of the opacifier film. This may be particularly advantageous in cases where the covered surface bears a reflective coating, which may be vulnerable to abrasion by cutting wheels and the like.
[0040]
[0041] The method of
[0042] The method of
[0043] The method of
[0044] The present invention is concerned with the configuration of opacifier film on a substrate in a way that is new in the present art, hence producing a spandrel that is also new in this art. The present methods of constructing a spandrel involve applying a plurality of opacifier strips over a substrate, preferably in a sequentially-overlapped fashion, such that a lateral edge portion (i.e., a side portion) of each strip is covered by, or covers, a lateral edge portion of another strip. While this technique leaves two overlapped layers of opacifier film at each overlap area, the opacifier film is preferably opaque such that the overlapped areas are not more visible than the non-overlapped areas.
[0045] In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the overlapped opacifier strips that are utilized in constructing the spandrel generally have the same width (e.g., have substantially equal widths). For example, the width of each individual strip may not vary (i.e., may be uniform) from one strip to the next (e.g., all of the strips of the spandrel may have the same, or substantially the same, width). In embodiments of the invention in which the widths of different strips do vary from one strip to the next, it will generally be preferred that no one strip has a width (the term width is used here to refer to the distance between the lateral edges of an opacifier strip) that is more than twice as wide as another strip of the same spandrel. Preferably, no one strip will have a width that varies by more than 50% from any other strip of the same spandrel. More preferably, no one strip will have a width that varies by more than 20% from any other strip of the same spandrel. In certain particularly preferred embodiments, the spandrel comprises a plurality of overlapped strips of opacifier film, all of which have the same (or substantially the same) width.
[0046] In selected embodiments of the invention, the assembled spandrel does not have any portion where more than two opacifier strip plies are overlapped (i.e., no portion of the spandrel has a thickness that is formed by more than two plies of opacifier film). This can be appreciated with reference to the embodiment in
[0047] In certain embodiments of the invention, whether a spandrel is utilized with an IG unit or a monolithic pane, the glazing surface that caries the opacifier film is oriented towards an enclosed (or “encased”) environment, such that this surface is exposed to a protected environment (i.e., not an outdoor environment). For example, in an insulating-glass spandrel, the opacifier film, if mounted on the #2, #3, or #4 surfaces as previously described, will be oriented toward either a pane of glass or a building interior, and thus, will either be exposed to the between-pane space of the IG unit or the protected atmosphere between the building and the spandrel. In regards to a monolithic spandrel, which only has a single pane, the spandrel, if mounted on the #2 surface as previously described, will likewise be oriented toward a building interior, and thus, be exposed to the protected atmosphere between the building and the spandrel. Thus, in both IG and monolithic applications, the spandrel is constructed with the opacifier strips being applied to a surface that is protected against (i.e., concealed from) exposure to environmental elements, such as periodic contact with rain and other inclement weather, even though in certain embodiments, the opacifier strips are formed of a material that is not permeable (e.g., non-porous) to water.
[0048] In certain embodiments of the invention, the overlapped opacifier strips of an assembled spandrel generally have the same thickness (the term thickness is used here to refer to the distance between the top and bottom major surfaces of an opacifier strip, where the thickness is the smallest dimension of a strip). Preferably, the thickness of each individual strip does not vary substantially from one strip to the next. This can help to establish a highly uniform, opaque appearance. Each strip will commonly be at least {fraction (1/64)}″ thick. However, the thickness of each opacifier strip may vary from spandrel to spandrel; for example, film thicknesses may range between about {fraction (1/256)}″ and about ¼″. Thus, while the thickness encountered in differing spandrels may vary, the thickness of the opacifier strips utilized on any particular spandrel preferably does not vary substantially. In certain embodiments, the thickness of the opacifier film forming to the spandrel is less than about ¼″, preferably less than about ⅛″, and perhaps optimally less than about {fraction (1/16)}″. Preferably, though, the opacifier film forming the present spandrel is thick enough to be self-supporting (e.g., well above 10,000 angstroms, preferably above 50,000 angstroms, more preferably above 10 microns, and perhaps optimally above 100 microns).
[0049] In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the overlapped opacifier strips are held down (i.e., secured to the pane) exclusively by adhesive or static cling. In these embodiments, no other attachment device is utilized. For example, no nails, tacks, anchors, or other fasteners are used. As indicated previously, the strips are typically applied to the pane with a water or solvent based adhesive. Other embodiments utilize other adhering mechanisms, e.g., cling wrap, static wrap, tacking, or a combination of these mechanisms. Further, the overlapped opacifier strips preferably are adhered permanently to the window. In other words, the strips are adapted for permanent attachment to the pane, and ultimately are permanently adhered to the pane (e.g., such that trying to pull the strips off the pane results in tearing of the strips). Referencing U.S. Pat. No. 6,489,024, the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference, the degree to which an adhesive may be removed can be evaluated on a scale from 0-10. A score of 0 indicates that the adhesive was readily transferred and showed little anchorage, scores of 5-7 indicate some anchorage, and a score of 10 indicates little or no transfer of adhesive and significant anchorage, even under stress. Using this scale in regards to the adhesive used in this invention on the opacifier strips in fabricating a spandrel, it should be understood that the adhesive preferably exhibits an “adhesivity score” ranging from 7 to 10, more preferably at least 8 or 9, and perhaps optimally 10, indicating significant anchorage even under stress. Thus, while there is always some potential to remove the opacifier strips from the window even after the spandrel is assembled, the opacifier film preferably is adhered permanently to the pane, as will be well understood by skilled artisans. Thus, the attempted removal of opacifier strips should preferably result in the opacifier strips being ripped, as a result of the permanent manner in which they are adhered to the pane.
[0050] In selected embodiments of the invention, the whole pane area is opacified and thus, the whole pane has an opaque appearance. In other words, the pane has no vision area, but rather is entirely opacified by the overlapped strips. As such, a building portion can be readily concealed entirely simply by placing a spandrel in front of that building portion. In turn, the spandrel would have no frontal visual or viewing area through which a passerby could see with the naked eye. Further, the spandrel of the invention preferably has no visibly-perceptible variance in terms of color (including lightness, hue, and chroma). Preferably, all of the opacifier strips have a uniformly opaque appearance (and the strips preferably have no gaps therebetween and holes or other openings therein). The entire area of each opacifier strip on the spandrel may be opaque, such that the entire area of the pane/spandrel is opacified. Thus, the appearance of the whole spandrel area may have substantially uniform lightness, hue, and chroma. In light of the foregoing, the spandrel preferably comprises a plurality of overlapping opaque strips that are applied to the pane surface such that little if any visible radiation (i.e., “light”) passes through the spandrel. That is, substantially the entire area of a major surface of a pane is preferably covered by the overlapped strips of opacifier film such that the spandrel as a whole allows substantially no visible radiation to pass through the spandrel. The material from which the opacifier film is formed preferably has a low transmission of visible radiation (i.e., no or substantially no transmission), and in turn, since the strips are overlapped and preferably cover substantially the entire pane, the spandrel as a whole allows little if any transmission of visible radiation. The opacifier film is preferably formed of material that (at one ply thickness) has an overall transmission of visible radiation of less than 20%, more preferably less than 10%, and perhaps optimally 5% or less (e.g., about 0-2%). Preferably, all of the overlapped strips of opacifier film are applied (i.e., positioned) so as to form a single contiguous opacified area, which opacified area preferably covers substantially the entire vision area of a pane so substantially no visible radiation is able to pass between any of the strips. For example, the overlapped strips of opacifier film are preferably arranged on the pane such that there are no gaps between adjacent strips.
[0051] In certain preferred embodiments of the invention, a majority of the opacifier strips of a spandrel are laid out in a parallel (or at least substantially parallel) orientation to one another as the spandrel is assembled. For example, all of the opacifier strips of such a spandrel may be parallel to one another. Certain particularly preferred embodiments of the invention provide a spandrel comprising a plurality of opacifier strips together forming an opacified pane area where all (or all but a few, e.g., all but 3-7) of the overlapped strips are generally parallel to one another. In certain embodiments, the spandrel comprises at least one pane (which may be transparent prior to the application of the strips of opacifier film), wherein the entire area (or at least a major portion thereof, or substantially the entire area) of at least one major surface of the pane is covered by a plurality of overlapped strips (which preferably are generally parallel to one another) of opacifier film, wherein the pane is so covered by at least two but no more than ten such strips, preferably between two and eight strips, more preferably between three and six strips.
[0052] Several forms of invention have been shown and described, and other forms will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. It will be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of invention.