Latch for tiltable sash windows

• US 8,220,846 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2008
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vision Industries Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vision Industries Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Liang, Luke, Liang, Tong, Chen, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Estremsky, Gary
• Application Number:
  US12/228,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20100037524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 292/163, 292/DIG.41
• US Class Current: 292/163
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 63/12 with means carried by the bolt for interlocking with the keeper
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 1/10 with operating handle or equivalent member rigid with the latch
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 15/22 allowing an additional movement E05D15/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/148 Windows
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/41 Door latch separation prevention
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/0969 Spring projected

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.

Claims

1. 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.

2. The latch according to claim 1 wherein a first end of said groove face intersects said front bearing face of said tongue at a location being in proximity to said top surface of said tongue, with a depth of said groove increasing in a downward direction;

or wherein said first end of said groove face intersects said front bearing face of said tongue at a location being in proximity to said bottom surface of said tongue, with a depth of said groove increasing in an upward direction.

3. The latch according to claim 2 wherein said groove face is flat and said front bearing face is flat.

4. The latch according to claim 3 wherein an angle between said flat front bearing face and said flat groove face is set to resist deformation and twist-out effect based upon a size of the sash window and a design pressure level.

5. The latch according to claim 4 wherein said first and second lateral faces are each flat.

6. The latch according to claim 5 wherein said first and second lateral faces are each perpendicular to both said groove face and perpendicular to said front bearing face of said tongue.

7. The latch according to claim 6 wherein said groove further comprises a fillet radius between said flat groove face and each of said first and second flat lateral faces.

8. The latch according to claim 6 further comprising a button, said button protruding upward from said top plate of said housing.

9. The latch according to claim 8 wherein said button is integrally formed with said top plate.

10. The latch according to claim 1 wherein said spring comprises a helical compression spring.

11. 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.

12. A latch, for use in a tiltable sash window, said latch comprising:

a latch bolt, said latch bolt comprising;

a housing formed by a top plate and one or more walls extending from a bottom surface of said top plate to form a cavity, a first end of said housing having an opening into said cavity;

a tongue, said tongue extending laterally 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;

a fixed member, said fixed member being slidably disposed within said cavity of said housing of said latch bolt, wherein at least a portion of said fixed member protrudes from said first opening in said latch bolt housing; and

a spring, said spring biasing said latch bolt relative to said fixed member.

13. A latch according to claim 12 wherein a first end of said groove face intersects said front bearing face of said tongue at a location being in proximity to said top surface of said tongue, with a depth of said groove increasing in a downward direction;

or wherein said first end of said groove face intersects said front bearing face of said tongue at a location being in proximity to said bottom surface of said tongue, with a depth of said groove increasing in an upward direction.

14. A latch according to claim 12 wherein said groove face is flat.

15. A latch according to claim 14 wherein said first and second lateral faces are each flat.

16. A latch according to claim 15 wherein said first and second lateral faces are each perpendicular to both said groove face and perpendicular to said front bearing face of said tongue.

17. A latch according to claim 12 wherein said groove further comprises fillet radius between said groove face and each of said first and second lateral faces.

18. A latch according to claim 12 further comprising a button, said button protruding upward from said top plate of said housing.

19. A latch according to claim 18 wherein said button is integrally formed with said top plate.