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US-12625311-B2 - Asymmetric patterned reflective coating

US12625311B2US 12625311 B2US12625311 B2US 12625311B2US-12625311-B2

Abstract

A coated article includes: a substrate having a first side and a second side; and a patterned coating over at least a portion of the second side of the substrate. The patterned coating includes: a first dielectric layer over at least a portion of the second side of the substrate; an absorbing layer over a first portion of the first dielectric layer and including a first reflected aesthetic, and absent over a second portion of the first dielectric layer and including a second reflected aesthetic; and a second dielectric layer over at least a portion of the absorbing layer. A contrast between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic forms a pattern. The contrast between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic is greater when viewing the coated article from a first direction, compared to viewing the coated article from a second direction.

Inventors

  • Patrick Fisher

Assignees

  • VITRO FLAT GLASS LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20230606

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A coated article comprising: a substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; and a patterned coating over at least a portion of the second side of the substrate, wherein the patterned coating comprises: a first dielectric layer over at least a portion of the second side of the substrate; an absorbing layer over a first portion of the first dielectric layer and comprising a first reflected aesthetic, and absent over a second portion of the first dielectric layer and comprising a second reflected aesthetic; and a second dielectric layer over at least a portion of the absorbing layer and over the second portion of the first dielectric layer, wherein the second dielectric layer is a single layer or comprises more than one film of antireflective materials and/or dielectric materials selected from metal oxides, oxides of metal alloys, metal nitrides, halides, nitrides of metal alloys metal, oxynitrides, oxynitrides of metal alloys metal or mixtures thereof; wherein a contrast between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic forms a pattern; and wherein the contrast between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic is greater when viewing the coated article from a first direction, as compared to viewing the coated article from a second direction.
  2. 2 . The coated article of claim 1 , wherein the contrast between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic is greater when viewing the coated article from the second side, as compared to viewing the coated article from the first side.
  3. 3 . The coated article of claim 2 , wherein a ratio of a thickness of the second dielectric layer to a thickness of the first dielectric layer is in the range of from 2:1 to 20:1.
  4. 4 . The coated article of claim 2 , wherein the second dielectric layer has a thickness in the range of from 25 nm to 100 nm.
  5. 5 . The coated article of claim 2 , wherein the first dielectric layer has a thickness in the range of from 2 nm to 20 nm.
  6. 6 . The coated article of claim 1 , wherein the absorbing layer comprises nickel, chromium, iron, stainless steel, niobium, sub-critical silver, or a combination thereof.
  7. 7 . The coated article of claim 1 , further comprising a functional coating over at least a portion of the substrate and over and/or under the patterned coating.
  8. 8 . The coated article of claim 7 , wherein the functional coating is a solar control coating.
  9. 9 . The coated article of claim 1 , wherein the absorbing layer comprises a thickness in the range of from greater than 0 nm to 5 nm.
  10. 10 . The coated article of claim 1 , wherein the absorbing layer comprises a gradient thickness.
  11. 11 . The coated article of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a glass or a plastic material.
  12. 12 . The coated article of claim 1 , wherein a combined thickness of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer is in the range of from 40 nm to 60 nm.
  13. 13 . The coated article of claim 7 , wherein the functional coating comprises a continuous silver infrared reflective layer.
  14. 14 . The coated article of claim 7 , wherein the functional coating comprises an indium tin oxide layer and/or a fluorine-doped tin oxide layer.
  15. 15 . The coated article of claim 7 , wherein the functional coating comprises a halogenated layer.
  16. 16 . The coated article of claim 1 , wherein the coated article is an architectural glazing or a laminate.
  17. 17 . The coated article of claim 2 , wherein the contrast between the first reflected aesthetic and second reflective aesthetic is visible in reflection to birds when viewed from the second side of the coated article.
  18. 18 . The coated article of claim 2 , wherein the first dielectric layer comprises a thickness such that the pattern is not visible in reflection when viewed from the first side of the coated article; and wherein the second dielectric layer comprises a thickness such that the pattern is visible in reflection when viewed from the second side of the coated article.
  19. 19 . The coated article of claim 2 , wherein the ΔECMC in reflection between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic when viewed from the first side is less than 4.
  20. 20 . The coated article of claim 2 , wherein the ΔECMC in reflection between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic when viewed from the second side is greater than 8.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/349,652, filed Jun. 7, 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to reflective coatings and articles coated with reflective coatings. Technical Considerations Reflective coatings are known in the field of architectural transparencies. Various methods are known for imparting a pattern onto a transparency or coating which is visible when viewing the transparency. However, due to the light transmittance of the transparency, the pattern is visible when viewed from both directions. This is not advantageous for many transparency applications because the pattern is only desired to be visible from one direction, with the view through the transparency from a second direction being unobstructed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect of the present invention, a coated article includes: a substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; and a patterned coating over at least a portion of the second side of the substrate, where the patterned coating includes: a first dielectric layer over at least a portion of the second side of the substrate; an absorbing layer over a first portion of the first dielectric layer and including a first reflected aesthetic, and absent over a second portion of the first dielectric layer and including a second reflected aesthetic; and a second dielectric layer over at least a portion of the absorbing layer; where a contrast between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic forms a pattern; and where the contrast between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic is greater when viewing the coated article from a first direction, as compared to viewing the coated article from a second direction. Various non-limiting examples and aspects of the present invention will now be described and set forth in the following numbered clauses: Clause 1: A coated article comprising: a substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; and a patterned coating over at least a portion of the second side of the substrate, wherein the patterned coating comprises: a first dielectric layer over at least a portion of the second side of the substrate; an absorbing layer over a first portion of the first dielectric layer and comprising a first reflected aesthetic, and absent over a second portion of the first dielectric layer and comprising a second reflected aesthetic; and a second dielectric layer over at least a portion of the absorbing layer; wherein a contrast between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic forms a pattern; and wherein the contrast between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic is greater when viewing the coated article from a first direction, as compared to viewing the coated article from a second direction. Clause 2: The coated article of clause 1, wherein the contrast between the first reflected aesthetic and the second reflected aesthetic is greater when viewing the coated article from the second side, as compared to viewing the coated article from the first side. Clause 3: The coated article of clause 1 or clause 2, wherein a ratio of a thickness of the second dielectric layer to a thickness of the first dielectric layer is in the range of from 2:1 to 20:1. Clause 4: The coated article of clause 3, wherein the ratio of the thickness of the second dielectric layer to the thickness of the first dielectric layer is in the range of from 3:1 to 5:1. Clause 5: The coated article of any of clauses 1-4, wherein the second dielectric layer has a thickness in the range of from 25 nm to 100 nm. Clause 6: The coated article of any of clauses 1-5, wherein the first dielectric layer has a thickness in the range of from 2 nm to 20 nm. Clause 7: The coated article of any of clauses 1-6, wherein the absorbing layer comprises nickel, chromium, iron, stainless steel, niobium, sub-critical silver, or a combination thereof. Clause 8: The coated article of any of clauses 1-7, further comprising a functional coating over at least a portion of the substrate and over and/or under the patterned coating. Clause 9: The coated article of clause 8, wherein the functional coating is a solar control coating. Clause 10: The coated article of any of clauses 1-9, wherein the absorbing layer comprises a thickness in the range of from greater than 0 nm to 5 nm. Clause 11: The coated article of any of clauses 1-10, wherein the absorbing layer comprises a gradient thickness. Clause 12: The coated article of any of clauses 1-11, wherein the substrate comprises a glass. Clause 13: The coated article of any of clauses 1-12, wherein the substrate comprises a plastic material. Clause 14: The coated article of any of clauses 1-13, wherein the coated arti