Combination sash lock and tilt latch with improved interconnection for blind mating of the latch to the lock

A combination locking and tilt latching fastener, for use on a sash window that is configured to be slidable and tiltable with respect to a master window frame, with a portion of said fastener configured to extend transversely into a hollow meeting rail of the sash window, said fastener configured to occupy a first position for the sash window to be locked and latched, a second position for the sash window to be unlocked and still latched to only permit sliding, and a third position for the sash window to be unlocked and unlatched to further permit tilting of the sash window, said fastener comprising:

• a lock assembly configured to be releasably mounted onto a portion of a top wall of the hollow meeting rail of the sash window, said lock assembly comprising:
• a housing comprising an opening into a cavity;
• a cam pivotally mounted within said cavity of said housing to travel between at least three cam positions respectively corresponding to said first fastener position, said second fastener position, and said third fastener position, said cam comprising:
• a drive portion and a hook portion, said cam configured to be rotated for said hook portion to move from being retracted within said housing cavity at each of said second fastener position and said third fastener position, to being extended out of said cavity through said opening, to releasably engage a keeper on the master window frame, at said first fastener position;
• and
• an arm pivotally mounted within said cavity and comprising:
• a first arm portion and a second arm portion, said first arm portion comprising a follower surface selectively driven by said drive portion of said cam;
• an entirety of said second arm portion extends orthogonally to the first arm portion in a transverse direction into the hollow meeting rail from the top wall toward an opposingly positioned bottom wall of the hollow meeting rail, the bottom wall separated from the top wall by a pair of side walls, with a distal end of said second arm portion separated from an inner surface of the bottom wall by a distance in the transverse direction;
• a latch assembly, said latch assembly comprising a latch housing, a latch member having a portion thereof slidably disposed within a portion of said latch housing, and a compression spring, said latch housing configured to be received through a side of a stile of the sash window, said latch member comprising a tongue, and a beam configured to extend away from said tongue, said beam comprising a fixed funnel member and a flexible funnel member at an end distal from said tongue, said fixed funnel member and said flexible funnel member configured to form a V-shape oriented substantially transversely to said second arm portion to blindly engage said second arm portion within the hollow meeting rail, and for said flexible funnel member to deflect to receive a portion of said second arm portion in an opening formed by said fixed funnel member and said flexible funnel member, at least one of said fixed funnel member and said flexible funnel member comprising a thickness in the transverse direction being greater than said distance, to ensure said blind engagement;
• said compression spring configured to normally bias a portion of said tongue to protrude out from said latch housing and beyond the hollow meeting rail;
• and
• wherein said drive portion of said cam is configured to engage and drive said follower surface of said first arm portion to oppose said bias of said compression spring to retract said latch member, when said cam is moved from said cam position corresponding to said second fastener position, to said cam position corresponding to said third fastener position.

A combination locking and tilt latching fastener, for use on a sash window configured to be slidable and tiltable with respect to a master window frame, with a portion of said fastener configured to extend transversely into a hollow meeting rail of the sash window, said fastener comprising:

• a lock assembly configured to be mounted onto a portion of a top wall of the hollow meeting rail of the sash window, said lock assembly comprising:
• a housing;
• a cam pivotally mounted within a cavity of said housing to travel between a locked position, a latched position, and an unlatched position;
• and
• an arm pivotally mounted within said cavity and comprising:
• a first arm portion and a second arm portion, said first arm portion comprising a follower surface, an entirety of said second arm portion extends orthogonally to the first arm portion in a transverse direction into the hollow meeting rail from the top wall toward an opposingly positioned bottom wall of the hollow meeting rail, the bottom wall separated from the top wall by a pair of side walls, with a distal end of said second arm portion separated from an inner surface of the bottom wall by a distance in the transverse direction;
• a latch assembly comprising:
• a latch housing configured to be received through a side of the sash window, a latch member slidably disposed within said latch housing, and means for biasing said latch member to protrude out from said latch housing, said latch member comprising a tongue, and a beam configured to extend away from said tongue, a distal end of said beam comprising a fixed funnel member and a flexible funnel member configured to form a V-shape oriented substantially transversely to said second arm portion, to blindly engage said second arm portion within the hollow meeting rail, to cause said flexible funnel member to deflect to permit a portion of said second arm portion to be received in a recess in said fixed funnel member through an opening temporarily formed by said deflection;
• at least one of said fixed funnel member and said flexible funnel member comprising a thickness in the transverse direction being greater than said distance, to ensure said blind engagement;
• and
• wherein said cam is configured to selectively contact said follower surface to drive said arm and oppose said biasing, for said tongue to correspondingly occupy a latched tongue position with said cam in said latched position, and for said tongue to correspondingly occupy an unlatched tongue position with said cam in said unlatched position.