Picture frame with glass mat, and/or method of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9567258-B2
Application number	US-201414268535-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2014
Priority date	Mar 12, 2013
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to picture frames with glass mats that have patterns painted and/or screen printed thereon, and/or methods of making the same. The patterns may include large blocks of one or more solid colors, textures, images, logos, licensed images/designs, arbitrary designs, and/or the like, in different example instances. The painted glass matting materials of certain example embodiments have been found to provide unique, aesthetically appealing framing-related products that enhance the quality of the original art in desirable ways.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a frame, the method comprising:
screen printing a water-inclusive paint, directly or indirectly, on a major surface of a first glass substrate in a desired pattern in connection with a screen mesh that has at least 100 threads per inch and while maintaining an environment that has a relative humidity of at least 80% over and/or proximate to the screen mesh, the water-inclusive paint at least initially comprising 20-50 wt. % sodium silicate inclusive material(s) and 15-20% potassium silicate;
bonding the paint to the first glass substrate in the desired pattern by heating the first glass substrate to a first temperature of from 125-150 degrees C. and maintaining the first temperature to cause a majority of organic components in the paint to be driven off, and thereafter heating the first glass substrate to a peak temperature that is at least twice as high as the first temperature and that is no higher than 400 degrees C.; and
thereafter heat treating the first glass substrate, following the bonding, at a temperature of at least 580 degrees C., the paint remaining on the first glass substrate in the desired pattern and with a desired coloration following said heat treating.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising following said bonding and prior to said heat treating, cutting the first glass substrate to a desired size.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first temperature is held for about 4 minutes.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the screen mesh has fewer than 200 threads per inch, the threads per inch being selected so as to achieve full flood.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relative humidity in the environment is 90-95%.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bonding fully cures the paint by driving off all organic components initially provided therein.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the paint, when fully cured, forms a colored pattern, and the first glass substrate has a surface stress less than about 250 psi in an area proximate the colored pattern.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the surface stress is less than about 150 psi in the area proximate the colored pattern.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the paint at least initially has an inorganic base.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising cutting a hole in the first glass substrate after said screen printing, the hole being sized and shaped to accommodate art or a picture of a predetermined size.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising finishing inner edges of the hole so as to provide a bevel, miter, notch, rib, and/or edge seam.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising laminating the first glass substrate to a cover substrate to form an assembly in which the screen printed major surface is provided as the second surface of the assembly.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the cover substrate is made of glass.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the cover substrate and/or the first glass substrate is/are heat treated.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising providing an antiglare and/or UV-blocking coating, directly or indirectly, on the first glass substrate and/or the cover substrate.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising affixing, using a plurality of mechanical fasteners, the first glass substrate to a cover substrate to form an assembly in which the screen printed major surface is provided as the second surface of the assembly.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising affixing the first glass substrate to a cover substrate using double-sided tape to form an assembly in which the screen printed major surface is provided as the second surface of the assembly.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing an antiglare and/or UV-blocking coating, directly or indirectly, on the first glass substrate, over the desired pattern.

Assignees

• Guardian Industries

Inventors

• Johnson C Brett

Classifications

• C03C2218/119

  by printing · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• Y10T29/49947

  by applying separate fastener · CPC title

• B32B17/10788

  containing ethylene vinylacetate · CPC title

• B41M5/007

  on glass, ceramic, tiles, concrete, stones, etc. · CPC title