Patent ID: 8182887

Claim:
A vacuum insulating glass unit comprising: (a) a first glass sheet and a second glass sheet with a vacuum space in between at a pressure less than atmospheric pressure; (b) at least one spacer in between the first and second glass sheets configured to contribute to the separation of the first and second glass sheets and the maintenance of the vacuum space; and (c) an edge seal comprising: (i) a viscous material, wherein the viscous material restricts the rate at which gas permeates into the vacuum space; the edge seal being configured to allow the first and second glass sheets to move laterally relative to one another when the first and second glass sheets experience differential thermal strain and further configured such that viscous shear occurs within at least a portion of the viscous material when there is relative lateral movement between the first and second glass sheets; and (ii) at least one barrier whose configuration constrains the viscous material.