US 8,220,846 B2Granted

Latch for tiltable sash windows

AssigneeVision Industries Group, Inc.

InventorsLuke Liang, Tong Liang, David Chen

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A latch is provided for use principally on a pivotal sash window of a double-hung sash window assembly. The latch comprises a latch-bolt slidably mounted within and biased relative to a housing, where the housing is mounted to the top rail of the sash window. The latch bolt is connected to a button for manual actuation of the latch bolt. The latch bolt, while maintaining the convenience and utility of a standard short throw latch, is contoured and designed to maintain engagement with the jam after the window has been deformed under high sustained wind loading typically experienced during extreme weather phenomena such as hurricanes and tornados. The engagement is assured in spite of twisting of the latch bolt within the corresponding opening in the jam.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A latch, for use in a frame of a tiltable single-hung or double-hung sash window to permit sliding of the sash by at least a tongue of said latch tracking against a side jamb of a master window frame, and to also permit releasable engagement of said tongue of said latch with the side jamb, where said engagement secures the sash against inadvertent sash tilting by said latch resisting twist-out effect when the window and latch experience high wind loading resulting in deformation, said latch comprising:

(a) a latch bolt;
said latch bolt comprising:
a housing, said housing comprising a top plate, a bottom wall, and first and second side walls, said first and second sidewalls extending from at least a portion of a bottom surface of said top plate, said bottom wall connecting to at least a portion of said first and second side walls, said top plate, said bottom wall, and said first and second side walls forming a cavity, a first end of said housing having an opening into said cavity;
and
a tongue, said tongue extending from a second end of said housing and having a front bearing face extending between a top surface and a bottom surface, said front bearing face comprising a groove being oriented generally in a vertical direction with said groove comprising a groove face being angled with respect to said front bearing face, said groove further comprising first and second lateral faces extending between said groove face and said front bearing face of said tongue;
(b) a fixed member, said fixed member being slidably disposed within said cavity of said latch bolt housing, wherein at least a portion of said fixed member protrudes out from said first opening in said latch bolt housing;
and
(c) a spring, said spring biasing said latch bolt relative to said fixed member.

5 more elements

A method for releasable securing one end of a tiltable sash window of a single-hung or double-hung window assembly to resist high wind loads associated with hurricanes and other extreme weather phenomena, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a pair of latches capable of resisting twist-out effect occurring as a result of convexing due to window deformation from such wind loading, said pair of latches comprising first and second latches to engage respective opposing side jamb flanges of a master window frame, where said first and second latches comprise:
(1) a latch bolt;
said latch bolt comprising:
a housing, said housing comprising a top plate, a bottom wall, and first and second side walls, said first and second sidewalls extending from at least a portion of a bottom surface of said top plate, said bottom wall connecting to at least a portion of said first and second side walls, said top plate, said bottom wall, and said first and second side walls forming a cavity, a first end of said housing having an opening into said cavity;
and
a tongue, said tongue extending from a second end of said housing and having a front bearing face extending between a top surface and a bottom surface, said front bearing face comprising a groove being oriented generally in a vertical direction with said groove comprising a groove face being angled with respect to said front bearing face, said groove further comprising first and second lateral faces extending between said groove face and said front bearing face of said tongue;
(2) an engagement member, said engagement member being slidably disposed in said cavity of said latch bolt housing, wherein at least a portion of said engagement member protrudes from said opening in said first end of said latch bolt housing;
and
(3) a spring, said spring biasing said engagement member outward from said housing;
(b) forming coordinated punched openings in the top rail and the stile on a first side of the frame of the sash window;
(c) forming coordinated punched openings in the top rail and the stile on a second side of the frame of the sash window;
(d) installing, on the first side of the sash window, said first twist-out resistant latch by:
(1) inserting said first latch, at an angle, into said coordinated punched opening in said top rail of said window, said tongue being inserted first and being inserted so as to thereafter have a portion of said tongue pass through and exit out from said coordinated punched opening in said stile;
(2) further inserting said latch, to position a gap between said top plate of said housing and a top surface of said tongue upon a thickness of a first end of said punched rail opening;
(3) applying pressure to oppose said bias between said housing and said engagement member to compress said spring and cause said engagement member to be disposed within said housing cavity;
(4) pivoting said latch until a bottom surface of said top plate is flush with a top surface of said stile;
(5) removing said pressure from said engagement member to position a recess in said engagement member upon said thickness of said punched rail opening at a second end thereof, said spring means thereby biasing said tongue out of said coordinated punched opening in said stile of said window;
and
(e) installing on the second side of the sash window said second version of said twist-out resistant latch in a similar manner as said first latch.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/228,887Filed 15 Aug 2008
Published: US 2010/0037524 A118 Feb 2010
Granted: 17 Jul 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

E05D 15/22
For wings sliding vertically more or less in their own plane: allowing an additional movement
E05B 63/12
Locks or fastenings with special structural characteristics: with means carried by the bolt for interlocking with the keeper
E05C 1/10
With latching action: with operating handle or equivalent member rigid with the latch
E05Y 2900/148
Type of wing: windows