Corner connector for sliding doors

In a corner connector for a sliding door slidable along top and bottom tracks, said connector comprising a rigid connector member for locking engagement with a vertical stile and a horizontal rail of such a door whereby to hold them together, and an elongated arm movable vertically within said connector member whereby to control the extension of the distal end of said arm beyond the connector member, said distal end having a track engaging guide member, the connector member being a one-piece stamping formed from metal sheet, the general plane of which is located when in use in a vertical plane behind and parallel to a panel of the door, said connector member including a portion at one vertical margin bent rearwardly out of the general plane of the sheet and configured for locking engagement with the stile and a portion at an opposite vertical margin configured for engagement with a slot in the rail, the arm being supported for vertical sliding movement in contact with the rear surface of the sheet, the improvement wherein the arm is separable from the connector member, and is normally guided longitudinally and retained in contact with the rear surface of the sheet solely by a plurality of portions of the sheet struck rearwardly out of the plane of the sheet and presenting guiding and retaining surfaces to the arm which restrict it to vertical sliding movement in contact with the rear surface of the connector throughout its normal range of movement, the rearwardly struck portions being so located and configured relative to the location and configuration of the arm that the latter can be disengaged therefrom but only when moved vertically to a position beyond one end of its normal range of movement.