Electrically conducting coated glass or ceramic articles suitable for use as a lens, a window or a windshield, or the like

Claim 1

AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE TRANSPARENT ARTICLE COMPRISING A BODY OF TRANSPARENT MATERIAL HAVING A SMOOTH CONTINUOUS SURFACE, AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE CONTINUOUS TRANSPARENT LAYER ON SAID SMOOTH SURFACE AND CARRIED BY SAID BODY, SAID LAYER COMPOSED ESSENTIALLY OF AN INTIMATE MOLECULAR MIXTURE OF METAL AND A METALLIC INORGANIC DIELECTRIC COMPOUND, IN WHICH SAID DIELECTRIC COMPOUND CONSISTS OF A METAL CATION AND AT LEAST ONE ANION SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OXYGEN, SULPHUR, SELENIUM AND TELLURIUM, THE LAYER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM IN THICKNESS, THE PROPORTION OF METAL TO THE DIELECTRIC COMPOUND IN SUCH LAYER AND THE THICKNESS OF SAID LAYER BEING SUCH THAT SAID LAYER HAS SUBSTANTIAL ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY AND SERVES TO CARRY THE MAJOR PORTION OF ELECTRICAL CURRENT CARRIED BY SAID ARTICLE WITH THE LIGHT TRANSMISSION OF THE ARTICLE BEING AT LEAST 50% AND THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID LAYER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SMOOTH.