Granted Patent B2

US 12,578,609 · App. 17/931,014 · Granted Mar 17, 2026

Inventors: Erich Robert Klawuhn (Santa Barbara, CA); Stephen Clark Brown (San Mateo, CA); Dhairya Shrivastava (Los Altos, CA); Douglas S. Silkwood (San Jose, CA); Jason David Zedlitz (Rancho Cordova, CA); Trevor Gustav Frank (San Jose, CA); Charudatta Joshi (Fremont, CA); Thomas Anthony Gubiotti (Mountain View, CA)

Assignee: View Operating Corporation

G02F1/163E06B3/6722E06B9/24G02F1/133504G02F1/133514G02F1/133553E06B2009/2405E06B2009/2411E06B2009/2464G02B5/23G02F1/157

Abstract

Claims (18)

1 . A multi-zone electrochromic window comprising a monolithic electrochromic device, the monolithic electrochromic device configured to provide multiple tint regions comprising:

a lightly tinted region in a first vertical position on the multi-zone electrochromic window;

a darkly tinted region in a second vertical position on the multi-zone electrochromic window, having a programmably changeable tint state; and

a gradient tinting region in a third vertical position between the first vertical position and the second vertical position, wherein the gradient tinting region separates the lightly tinted region from the darkly tinted region by a width of about 2-20 inches;

wherein the lightly tinted region and the darkly tinted region are uniformly tinted, and the gradient tinting region has a tinting gradient between a tint state of the lightly tinted region and the programmably changeable tint state of the darkly tinted region;

wherein the gradient tinting region comprises a resistive zone; and

wherein an electrical resistivity and/or resistance to ion movement for the resistive zone is greater than an electrical resistivity and/or resistance to an ion movement for the lightly tinted region and the darkly tinted region.

2 . The multi-zone electrochromic window of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the lightly tinted region and a portion of the darkly tinted region overlap to form the gradient tinting region.

3 . The multi-zone electrochromic window of claim 1 , wherein the lightly tinted region is at a higher altitude than the darkly tinted region.

4 . The multi-zone electrochromic window of claim 1 , wherein the lightly tinted region is at a lower altitude than the darkly tinted region.

5 . The multi-zone electrochromic window of claim 1 , wherein the gradient tinting region separates the lightly tinted region from the darkly tinted region by a width of about 10-15 inches.

6 . The multi-zone electrochromic window of claim 1 , wherein the gradient tinting region separates the lightly tinted region from the darkly tinted region by a width of about 5 inches.

7 . The multi-zone electrochromic window of claim 1 , wherein the gradient tinting region reduces contrast between the lightly tinted region and the darkly tinted region.

8 . The multi-zone electrochromic window of claim 1 , wherein the lightly tinted region comprises a daylighting tinting zone.

9 . The multi-zone electrochromic window of claim 8 , wherein the daylighting tinting zone comprises a zone in a bleached state.

10 . The multi-zone electrochromic window of claim 1 , wherein the darkly tinted region blocks between 95% and 99% of a solar spectrum.

11 . The multi-zone electrochromic window of claim 1 , configured to change the programmably changeable tint state of the darkly tinted region from a first uniform tint state to a second uniform tint state lighter than the first uniform tint state.

12 . The multi-zone electrochromic window of claim 1 wherein the darkly tinted region and lightly tinted region are adjacent on opposite sides to the resistive zone, and wherein the ion movement is at a given rate in the darkly tinted region, and wherein the resistive zone reduces ion movement from the darkly tinted region to the lightly tinted region to a rate lower than the given rate.

Assignments (3)

Continuity (10)

References Cited (400)