Abstract:
A window has a frame and a movable sash mounted within the frame. The sash is formed from interconnected lineals bounding a glazing unit with at least one of the lineals being a sash rail made of a substantially hollow extrusion. A sash lock is mounted to the sash rail by means of a pair of toggle anchors projecting from the sash lock into the sash rail. A corresponding pair of lock screws is driven through the toggle anchors causing them to spread apart within the rail to form a mechanical lock that fixes the sash lock securely to the sash rail. More broadly, a component is anchored to an extrusion, which may be substantially hollow, with toggle anchors extending through holes in the extrusion and being spread apart within the holes by a screw.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    This disclosure relates generally to windows and more particularly to window components such as sash locks and snubbers secured to substantially hollow extruded lineals of windows. The disclosure also relates to components similarly attached to substantially hollow extrusions of doors. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Single and double hung windows have a lower sash that can be opened and closed. A sash lock usually is attached with screws to the top rail of the lower sash and a mating keeper is attached to the bottom rail of the upper sash. When the lower sash is closed, the sash lock and keeper align and the sash lock can be manually manipulated to engage its latch with the keeper and lock the lower sash in its closed position. Other types of windows such as casement and awning windows may have similar locking mechanisms although the sash may hinge open rather than slide open. 
         [0003]    Sash locks traditionally have been mounted to a sash rail by means of wood screws driven through holes in the sash lock and into the material of the sash rail. This works well for certain types of window sashes, such as sashes made of wood or solid composite materials. However, for vinyl or composite window sashes made with substantially hollow extruded frame members, screws do not hold sufficiently well in the material of the sash to secure a sash lock reliably in place. Manufactures have generally addressed this problem by inserting or embedding a material such as a metal reinforcing strip inside a sash rail to receive and hold the screws of a sash lock. While this works, it entails additional components, assembly steps, and costs. Other window components such as snubbers and handles have been secured to hollow extruded lineals such as window sash frames in similar ways. 
         [0004]    A need exists for window components that can be securely fixed directly to a substantially hollow extruded sash frame or other hollow lineal made of a vinyl or a composite material. Components should be attachable without the need for metal or another reinforcing material inside the sash frame to receive and hold the screws of the sash lock. It is to the provision of window components and also door components that meet this and other needs that the present disclosure is primarily directed. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    Briefly described, in one embodiment, a sash lock has a body, a latch, and a handle. The body of the sash lock is formed with lock screw holes and integral toggle anchors that depend from the bottom of the sash lock beneath the lock screw holes. The toggle anchors are formed with sets of spreadable wings and are sized to be received in preformed attachment holes in, for example, the substantially hollow upper rail of a vinyl sash. Lock screws can then be driven through the lock screw holes of the sash lock and through the toggle anchors. This causes the wings of the toggle anchors to spread apart within the substantially hollow sash rail. The spreading wings of the toggle anchors form a mechanical lock creating a strong secure engagement between the sash rail and the sash lock. The sash lock is therefore anchored securely in place on the sash rail without the need for an internal reinforcement material for receiving the screws. 
         [0006]    In another embodiment, a snubber for use with larger casement and awning windows is formed with similar toggle anchors for attachment to hollow vinyl lineals. More broadly, the invention encompasses components in general that have toggle anchors configured to facilitate attachment of the components to hollow window and door lineals without the need for internal metal strips or other reinforcement. 
         [0007]    These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the disclosed window components and methods will become more apparent to the skilled artisan upon review of the detailed description set forth below taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures, which are briefly described as follows. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a plan view from the inside of a simple double hung vinyl window incorporating a sash lock according to the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the top rail of the lower sash of the window of  FIG. 1  illustrating installation of the sash lock according to principles of the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view of the middle portion of the top rail of  FIG. 2  illustrating perhaps better the installation of a sash lock according to the invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of the middle portion of the top rail of  FIG. 2  after the sash lock has been fixed to the sash rail according to the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is an exterior plan view of a sash lock that incorporates principles of the invention in one preferred embodiment. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view from beneath the sash lock of  FIG. 5  illustrating in more detail one preferred configuration of the toggle anchors thereof. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a partially cross sectional view looking along a hollow check rail showing the spreading and locking of the toggle anchors within the hollow check rail. 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another window component in the form of a snubber that incorporates principles of this invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is a side elevational view of the snubber of  FIG. 8  illustrating in more detail the configuration of the toggle anchors thereof. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    Referring now in more detail to the drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  illustrates a simple double (or single) hung window  11  having a frame  12 , an upper sash  13 , and a lower sash  14 . The window  11  is shown as it appears from the interior side of the window; i.e. the side that faces the interior of a dwelling. The lower sash  14  has a top rail  16  (sometimes called a check rail), a bottom rail  17 , and vertical stiles  18  that together frame a glass or glazing unit  19 . Similarly, the upper sash  13  has a top rail  21 , a bottom rail  22  (hidden behind the top rail  16  in  FIG. 1 ), and vertical stiles  22  that together frame a glazing unit  24 . At least the lower sash  19  can be raised and lowered within the frame  12  to open and close the window as desired. In the case of double hung windows, both the upper and lower sashes can be raised and lowered. 
         [0018]    A sash lock  26  is mounted on a wall of hollow the top rail  16  of the lower sash and includes a base secured to the rail and an articulating handle  28  that can be selectively rotated to extend and retract a latch  29  ( FIG. 3 ). The latch  29 , when extended, engages a keeper (not shown) on the bottom rail of the upper sash  13  to lock the two sashes together. The window  11  may be a vinyl window or a composite window in which the rails, stiles, and/or frame are extruded of vinyl or a vinyl composite material and generally are substantially hollow inside. The top rail of the lower sash may be without an internal reinforcement; meaning that it may not contain an internal reinforcing strip or bar made of metal or another material to provide an anchoring substrate for receiving and holding screws. Thus, only the vinyl wall of the hollow rail is available for securing the sash lock  26  to the rail  16 . 
         [0019]      FIGS. 2 and 3  illustrate in more detail the sash lock  26  of the present embodiment and its attachment to rail  16 . The sash lock  26  has a body  27 , a rotatable handle  28 , and a latch  29  that is extended upon rotation of the handle to engage a keeper (not shown). The body  27  of the sash lock  26  is formed with a pair of depending toggle anchors  31  that extend downwardly from lock screw holes  32  formed through the body. The body  27  of the sash lock may be formed of any appropriate material, but preferably is molded of a relatively hard plastic material such as nylon or a polycarbonate. Fillers and/or rigidifiers such as glass fibers may be included to form a composite if desired. The top rail  16  of the lower sash has a pair of holes  33  punched or otherwise formed therethrough and the holes are spaced apart and shaped to receive the toggle anchors  31  of the sash lock  26 , as perhaps best illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The holes  33  are round in the illustrated embodiment, but may be any appropriate shape such as square for example. Further, the holes  33  are sized to receive the toggle anchors  31  in a relatively snug fitting relationship so that the toggle anchors of the sash lock  26  can be pressed into the holes during assembly of a window and then secured as detailed below. 
         [0020]    A pair of lock screws  34  are sized and configured to be inserted through the holes  32  in the body  27  of the sash lock and then threaded into and through the depending toggle anchors  31 . As described in more detail below, threading the lock screws  34  through the toggle anchors causes the toggle anchors to expand inside a substantially hollow lineal and thereby to lock the body of the sash lock mechanically to the sash rail  16 . It has been found that the locking of the toggle anchors within the holes attaches and anchors the sash lock  26  to the sash rail  16  firmly and securely without the need for reinforcement inside the sash rail to receive and hold the screws of the sash lock. The elimination of the internal reinforcement reduces cost, production time, and complexity of a window unit, and thereby may enhance profitability for a manufacturer. As an alternative to screws, other fastening mechanisms such as pop rivets for example may be used so long as the fastening mechanism causes the toggle anchors to expand. 
         [0021]      FIG. 4  shows the sash lock  26  of this disclosure after having been attached to the sash rail  16  as described above, and as seen from the exterior side of the window. The body  16  of the sash lock is firmly secured and anchored to the sash rail  16  and the exterior face of the sash lock is substantially aligned with the exterior edge of the sash rail  16 . The latch  29  is retracted into the body in its unlocked position; however, upon rotation of the handle in the direction indicated by arrow  36 , the latch rotates outwardly to engage with an adjacent keeper (not shown) and thereby lock the upper and lower sashes together in the traditional manner. 
         [0022]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are enlarged views of the sash lock and illustrate better one possible embodiment of the toggle anchors. It will be understood that a myriad of other embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention so long as the toggle anchors are spreadable. Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the toggle anchors  31  preferably are unitarily formed with and from the same material as the body  27  of the latch bolt  26  and depend downwardly from the bottom thereof. Each toggle anchor in the illustrated embodiment is configured with four wings  37  that are separated from each other by transverse slots  38 . A channel  41  ( FIG. 5 ) extends through the middle of each toggle anchor between the four wings and the channel  41  aligns with the lock screw holes  32  formed through the body  27  of the sash lock  26 . The channels  41  are sized smaller than the diameters of the lock screws  34 . Accordingly, driving a lock screw  31  through a lock screw hole  32  and through the corresponding channel  41  of a toggle anchor causes the wings  37  of the toggle anchor to spread apart inside a sash rail under the influence of the advancing lock screw. This, in turn, forms a secure mechanical lock between the toggle anchor and the rail without the requirement for metal or other reinforcement inside the sash rail to serve as a substrate for receiving the screw. 
         [0023]      FIG. 7  illustrates the just described spreading of the toggle anchors within a hollow sash rail to anchor the sash lock to the rail. The toggle anchors  31  have previously been inserted through corresponding holes  33  in the sash rail so that the toggle anchors reside inside the hollow rail. The anchor screws  42  have been threaded through the toggle anchors and the advancing of the screws is seen to spread out the toggle anchors as shown. The upper portions of the toggle anchors also spread against the walls of the lock screw holes  33  to wedge the toggle anchors firmly in the holes. Further, in the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , the toggle anchors are formed with locking tabs  41  that project outwardly beneath the lock screw holes  33  thereby mechanically anchoring the toggle anchors within their lock screw holes  33 . With the toggle anchors locked and anchored as described, the sash lock  26  is securely fixed to the sash rail  16 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 8  illustrates another embodiment of a component in the form of a snubber  46  that embodies principles of the invention. Snubbers are used with larger casement and awning windows to draw the mid portions of the sash frames against the window frame when the sash frames are hinged close. In  FIG. 8 , the snubber  46  includes a base  47  formed with a pair of lock screw holes  48 . A toggle anchor  49  depends from the base beneath each of the lock screw holes as in the previously described embodiment. Each of the toggle anchors is formed with wings  51  separated by slots and the wings surround a central channel that is smaller in diameter than the diameter of lock screws to be used to secure the snubber to a sash frame. A snubber latch  50  projects upwardly from the base  47  and is configured to engage with a similar and aligned snubber latch mounted to the frame of a casement or awning window in such a way that the engaging latches draw the sash frame to the window frame as the sash is hinged shut. 
         [0025]      FIG. 9  is a side elevational view of the snubber of  FIG. 8  showing perhaps better the depending toggle anchors thereof. As with the latch embodiment of  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the toggle anchors are formed with wings  51  separated by slots  53 . The wings are grouped around a central channel that is smaller in diameter than the diameter of an anchor screw to be used in securing the snubber to the hollow frame of a window sash, as detailed above. Locking tabs  52  project outwardly from the wings just beneath the base and these locking tabs wedge themselves around and beneath the preformed hole within which the toggle anchor resides in response to an advancing screw, as detailed above. 
         [0026]    It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the two illustrated embodiments, the sash lock and the snubber, are but two examples of a range of window components that might incorporate the anchoring system of the present invention. Indeed, virtually any component that needs to be attached to hollow lineals of a window unit may incorporate the present invention. Such components might include, for example, hinges, operators, openers, handles, keepers, decorative elements, and any other components. Indeed, the invention applies not only to windows, but also to door frames made of hollow lineals or to any item where a component is to be attached to a relatively thin wall of a hollow extrusion. All such variations are to be construed to be within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0027]    The invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments and methodologies considered by the inventors to represent the best modes of carrying out the invention. It will be apparent to those of skill in the art, however, that a wide range of additions, deletions, and modifications may well be made to the exemplary embodiments within the scope of the invention. For instance, the pre-punched holes  33  in the hollow lineal are illustrated as being round. They may, however, take on other shapes such as square, hexagonal, or otherwise to suit a particular need. In such cases, the toggle anchors may be shaped accordingly to be received in the holes. The toggle anchors are illustrated with four spreadable wings, but other configurations with different numbers of spreadable wings or other spreadable features might well be substituted with equivalent results. The window components may be formed from any appropriate material or combination of materials to fit a particular need. While polymeric materials or plastics have been suggested, aluminum or other metals or composite materials such as a polymer/wood fiber composite may be substituted with equivalent results. Some exemplary embodiments are illustrated with locking tabs ( 52 ) and some are illustrated without locking tabs. While the locking tabs have been found desirable in some applications to enhance the mechanical lock, locking tabs are not necessarily required and are not a limitation of the invention. Also, while the invention is particularly applicable to substantially hollow extruded lineals, it also may be applied to solid lineals made of wood or other materials. In such cases, the locking features may spread and wedge themselves against the walls of a bore in a solid lineal to hold a component in place with a mechanical lock. These and other additions, deletions, and modifications might well be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.