Glass assembly for refrigerator doors and method of manufacture

Abstract

A multiple pane glass assembly having at least one pane that is electrically heatable. The glass panes of the assembly are disposed in closely spaced, side-by-side relation with a spacer interposed between adjacent panes. The spacers include a plurality of hollow tubular members disposed near the peripheral edges of the panes with adjacent ends of the tubular members connected by corner key elements. Electrical lead wires extending from an interior electrically heatable surface of one of the panes are directed through respective apertures or passageways in the corner key elements, into the end of a respective tubular member connected to the corner key element, and through the tubular spacer members to a common egress location. The corner key elements are adapted to retain desiccant material in at least some of the tubular members, which together with sealant applied about the periphery of the assembly, enables an air-tight sustantially vapor-free condition to be maintained in the space between panes. Because the electrical lead wires are trained through the tubular spacer members, sealant may be applied about the outer periphery of the assembly and the assembly efficently handled without the impediment of exposed lead wires. The apertured corner key elements further permit easy filling of the interior of the assembly with an inert gas to improve its insulating efficiency.