MUNTIN BAR INSERT, MUNTIN BAR HOLDER AND SPACER STRIP FOR AN INSULATING GLASS PANE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

Abstract

An insulating glass pane includes at least two glass plates, a frame-shaped spacer made of a synthetic-based material and a muntin bar insert attached to the spacer. The spacer and the muntin bar insert are located between the two glass plates. The insulating glass pane contains at least one pair of magnets being two magnets which cooperate to position and hold the muntin bar insert in the insulating glass pane.

Claims

1. An insulating glass pane comprising: at least two glass plates; a frame-shaped spacer made of a synthetic-based material and a muntin bar insert attached to the spacer, the spacer and the muntin bar insert being located between the two glass plates; wherein the insulating glass pane comprises at least one pair of magnets containing two magnets which cooperate to position and hold the muntin bar insert in the insulating glass pane.

2. The insulating glass pane according to claim 1, in which one of the magnets of the magnet pair is a hard magnet and the other magnet of the magnet pair is a soft magnet.

3. The insulating glass pane according to claim 1, wherein one of the magnets of the pair of magnets is attached to the spacer and the other magnet of the pair of magnets is arranged in the muntin bar insert or fastened to the muntin bar insert.

4. A muntin bar insert for an insulating glass pane with at least one muntin bar having at least one end configured to be attached to a frame-shaped spacer of the insulating glass pane, wherein at least one magnet is arranged at the at least one end configured to be attached to the spacer in a manner movable along a longitudinal direction of the at least one muntin bar.

5. The muntin bar insert according to claim 4, which comprises a linear guide for the at least one magnet.

6. The muntin bar insert according to claim 4, which has a plurality of muntin bars, wherein at least one magnet is arranged at each end being configured to be attached to the spacer.

7. A muntin bar holder configured for fastening a muntin bar insert to a synthetic-based spacer in an insulating glass pane, wherein the muntin bar holder includes at least one magnet, wherein the at least one magnet is arranged in the muntin bar holder in a manner movable along a longitudinal direction of the muntin bar insert.

8. The muntin bar holder according to claim 7, which comprises said at least one magnet and a magnet holder.

9. The muntin bar holder according to claim 7, in which the at least one magnet has a recess for contacting another magnet of a pair of magnets in the insulating glass pane.

10. A method for producing an insulating glass pane comprising at least two glass plates held at a distance by a spacer, having the following steps: the spacer made of a synthetic-based material is applied in the form of a frame onto a first of the glass plates; at least one magnet is inserted into the spacer before or after the spacer is applied to the first glass plate; a muntin bar insert containing at least one magnet is placed on the frame-shaped spacer wherein in each case a magnet in the muntin bar insert cooperates with a magnet in the spacer and forms a pair of magnets which holds the muntin bar insert in position; after the muntin bar insert has been put in place, the frame-shaped spacer is joined to a second of the glass plates wherein the spacer and the muntin bar insert are located between the first and second glass plates.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a plastic strand is applied as a spacer onto the first glass sheet and then said at least one magnet is inserted into the strand.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein a spacer strip is used as a spacer, wherein said at least one magnet is first inserted into the spacer strip and subsequently the spacer strip is applied to the first glass plate.

13. A spacer strip made of a plastic-based material for application onto a first glass plate during assembly with at least one second glass plate to form an insulating glass pane, wherein the spacer strip has a rectangular cross-section with two opposite wide sides and two narrow sides, each of the narrow sides being configured to be placed on one of the glass plates, wherein at least one magnet is inserted in one of the wide sides.

14. The spacer strip according to claim 13, wherein the spacer strip includes a plurality of magnets inserted at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the spacer strip.

15. The spacer strip according to claim 13, wherein a muntin bar holder is inserted, which is integrally formed with the magnet and comprises a projection having a tip for piercing into the spacer strip.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Further details and advantages of the invention are explained by means of examples of embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Identical and corresponding components are indicated therein with matching reference numbers.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an insulating glass pane according to the invention.

[0028] FIG. 2 shows a front view of the insulating glass pane of FIG. 1.

[0029] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged representation of area III of FIG. 2.

[0030] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the area shown in FIG. 3 without muntin bar insert.

[0031] FIG. 5 shows a top view of a muntin bar holder according to the invention for insertion into a spacer.

[0032] FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of the muntin bar holder of FIG. 5.

[0033] FIG. 7 shows a sectional view of a muntin bar holder according to the invention for insertion into a muntin bar insert.

[0034] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the muntin bar holder of FIG. 7.

[0035] FIG. 9 shows an enlarged and sectional view of a section of a variant of an insulating glass pane according to the invention.

[0036] FIG. 10 shows four variants of muntin bar holders according to the invention for insertion into a spacer.

[0037] FIG. 11 shows a view similar to FIG. 9 of a further variant of the invention.

[0038] FIG. 12 shows a view similar to FIG. 9 of a further variant of the invention.

[0039] FIG. 13 shows a view similar to FIG. 9 of a further variant of the invention.

[0040] FIG. 14 shows a view similar to FIG. 7 of a variant of a muntin bar holder for insertion into a muntin bar insert.

[0041] FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of the muntin bar holder of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0042] FIGS. 1 and 2 show an insulating glass pane 1 according to the invention, comprising a first glass plate 2, a second glass plate 3, a frame-shaped spacer 4 and a muntin bar insert 5. The muntin bar insert 5 contains a plurality of muntin bars 6. The muntin bars 6 have ends 7 which are configured to be attached to the spacer 4. The spacer 4 is made of a synthetic material and is applied to the first glass plate 2 along the edges in the shape of a frame. As a spacer, a plastic strand of a pasty mass with a predetermined nominal thickness can be applied onto the first glass plate 2 in a manner known per se. Alternatively, a spacer strip can be used as spacer 4 in a manner known per se.

[0043] The muntin bar insert 5 is positioned and held in the frame-shaped spacer 4 by means of muntin bar holders 8 and 9, cf. FIGS. 3 to 8. The muntin bar holder 8 is inserted into the end 7 of the hollow muntin bar 6. The muntin bar holder 9 is inserted into the spacer 4. The muntin bar holder 8 contains two magnets 10 and 12 and a magnet holder 20. The muntin bar holder 9 contains two magnets 11 and 13 and a magnet holder 21. The magnets 10 and 11 attract each other and form a pair of magnets 28 which holds the muntin bar insert 5 to the spacer 4. The magnets 12 and 13 also attract each other and form a further pair of magnets 29. For fixing purposes, the magnet holder 20 has several projections 22 which are designed as barbs to make it more difficult to pull the muntin bar holder 8 out of the muntin bar 6. The muntin bar holder 8 thus forms an end piece of the muntin bar 6. The magnet holder 21 has projections 23 which are pressed into the spacer 4. The projections 23 are pointed and/or sharp-edged in order to anchor the muntin bar holder 8 in the still plastic strand of the spacer 4.

[0044] The muntin bar holder 8 contains additional magnets 24 and 25 which are fixed in the magnet holder 20. The additional magnet 24 is associated with the magnet 10 and the additional magnet 25 with the magnet 12. The magnet holder 20 also contains linear guides 26. The linear guides 26 run in the longitudinal direction of the muntin bar 6. Each of the magnets 10, 12 is mounted with a cylindrical section in the respective linear guide 26 so as to be displaceable relative to the magnet holder 20. The magnets 10 and 12 are hard magnets. The magnets 11 and 13 and the additional magnets 24 and 25 are soft magnets. Before the muntin bar holder 8 is installed in the end 7, the magnets 10 and 12 are fully seated in the magnet holder 20 and are in contact with the additional magnets 24, 25, cf. FIG. 7. The additional magnets 24, 25 prevent the magnets 10, 12 from unintentionally falling out of the linear guides 26 when the muntin bar insert 5 is installed.

[0045] After applying the frame-shaped spacer 4 to the first glass plate 2, a muntin bar holder 9 is inserted into the spacer 4 at the corresponding position for each end 7. If necessary, counter-pressure can be applied to prevent unintentional displacement of the spacer 4. Then the prepared muntin bar insert 5, which contains a bar holder 8 at each end 7, is attached to the spacer 4. When the muntin bar insert 5 is placed on the spacer 4, the magnet 10 is attracted by the magnet 11. If, due to dimensional tolerances, there is a small gap 31 between the two muntin bar holders 8 and 9, the magnet 10 is pulled a little way out of the linear guide 26 until it is in contact with the magnet 11, cf. FIG. 3. To ensure this, a greater attractive force acts between the magnets 10 and 11 than between the magnets 10 and 24. To this end, the additional magnet 24 can have a much smaller cross-section than the magnets 10 and 11. The magnet cross-section is determined in a section perpendicular to the linear guide 26. The cross-section of the additional magnet 24 may be less than a quarter of the cross-section of the magnet 10. The same applies in relation to magnets 12, 13 and the corresponding additional magnet 25. By means of the pairs of magnets 28, 29 at each end 7, the muntin bar insert 5 is held securely and precisely between the glass plates and 2 and 3. In a manner known per se, a sealing compound can then be applied to the area outside the spacer 4 between the two glass plates 2 and 3.

[0046] FIG. 9 shows an intermediate state in the manufacture of the insulating glass pane 1, which is prepared for the second glass plate 3 to be placed on the spacer 4. The spacer 4 has been applied to the first glass plate 2 in the shape of a frame. The muntin bar holder 9 is integrally formed with the magnet 15 from a soft magnetic material. The magnet 15 contains a projection or extension 23 in the form of a pointed spike 33, cf. top left in FIG. 10, with which the muntin bar holder 9 has been pierced into the spacer 4. The muntin bar holder 8 is inserted into the end 7 of the hollow muntin bar 6 and contains only one magnet 14, cf. FIGS. 14 and 15, and is otherwise similar in design to the muntin bar holder of FIGS. 7 and 8 described above. The muntin bar insert 5 was then placed against the spacer 4 so that the magnet 14 interacts with the magnet 15 to form the magnet pair 28. In the illustration of FIG. 9 it can be seen that the spacer 4 has a rectangular cross-section with two opposite wide sides 41 and 42 and two opposite narrow sides 43 and 44. If the spacer 4 is designed as a spacer strip, the narrow sides 43, 44 are each configured to be placed on the respective glass plate 2, 3. For this purpose, the narrow sides 43, 44 may have grooves and/or steps in a manner not shown but known per se for receiving adhesive which bonds the spacer 4 to the glass plates 2, 3. The magnet 15 is inserted into the spacer 4 from the wide side 42 facing the inside of the insulating glass pane 1. The opposite wide side 41 remains intact. This can be advantageous if the spacer strip is provided with a film impermeable to water vapor on its wide side 41 in a manner known per se.

[0047] As a variant to improve the fastening, the magnet 15 can be provided with barbs 34 on its spike 33, cf. bottom left in FIG. 10. In another variant, the magnet 17 contains a recess 36, which is cone-shaped, cf. top right in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. The end of the magnet 16 facing the magnet 17 is shaped to match the recess 36 and contains a cone for this purpose. This improves the positioning of the muntin bar insert 5 and increases the holding force of the pair of magnets 28 consisting of magnets 16 and 17. In the variant shown at the bottom right in FIG. 10 and in FIG. 12, the recess 36 in the magnet 17 and the associated end of the magnet 16 are spherical. Otherwise, the embodiments in FIGS. 11 and 12 are designed in the same way as the embodiment in FIG. 9.

[0048] In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 13, the muntin bar holder 9 is also formed integrally with the magnet 19, but is inserted into the spacer 4 from the wide side 41 facing outwards. This can be advantageous if the spacer 4 has been applied to the glass plate 2 as a plastic strand and then the magnet 18 is inserted into the still plastic strand. More space is available on the outside of the spacer 4 for a device for inserting the magnet 19. The pointed spike 33 is pierced through the spacer 4 and protrudes from the spacer 4 on the wide side 42 facing inwards. A corresponding distance 45 of the end 7 from the spacer 4 is therefore required for inserting the muntin bar insert 5. In this embodiment example, the magnet 18 is also mounted in the muntin bar holder 8 by means of a linear guide 26. In a manner not shown, an additional magnet 24 can also be provided here. The magnet pair 28 consisting of the magnets 18 and 19 thus holds the muntin bar insert 5 in position with a positive fit.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0049] 1 Insulating glass pane [0050] 2 Glass plate [0051] 3 Glass plate [0052] 4 Spacer [0053] 5 Muntin bar insert [0054] 6 Muntin bar [0055] 7 End [0056] 8 Muntin bar holder [0057] 9 Muntin bar holder [0058] 10 Magnet [0059] 11 Magnet [0060] 12 Magnet [0061] 13 Magnet [0062] 14 Magnet [0063] 15 Magnet [0064] 16 Magnet [0065] 17 Magnet [0066] 18 Magnet [0067] 19 Magnet [0068] 20 Magnet holder [0069] 21 Magnet holder [0070] 22 Projection [0071] 23 Projection [0072] 24 Additional magnet [0073] 25 Additional magnet [0074] 26 Linear guide [0075] 28 Pair of magnets [0076] 29 Pair of magnets [0077] 31 Gap [0078] 33 Spike [0079] 34 Barbs [0080] 36 Recess [0081] 41 Wide side [0082] 42 Wide side [0083] 43 Narrow side [0084] 44 Narrow side [0085] 45 Distance