Abstract:
A connection system comprising an anchor connected to the window frame, a meeting rail having ends that may be snap fit to the anchor, and a single screw to tighten and true-up the connection once it is installed in the anchor. The connection system allows the meeting rail to be removed and replace from inside the building. In an alternative embodiment the disclosure details a kit for detachably securing a meeting rail to a frame jamb. The kit comprises separate anchors that are removably secured to the first and second side of the jamb frame and a profiled pin for insertion into the anchor for securing the meeting rail to the anchor and upon manual rotation of the pin the meeting rail and frame jambs are secured together.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 61/746,220 and 61/865,798 filed respectively on Dec. 27, 2012 and Aug. 14, 2013. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to devices for the easy connection and disconnection of a meeting rail of a window. 
     BACKGROUND 
     During the construction or remodeling of a building it is frequently necessary or desirable to remove the meeting rail of a window to allow building materials such as drywall, fixtures, and other objects to be moved into or out of the building through the window instead of through a door. This is especially true if the door is a long distance from the current or desired location of the objects being moved into or out of the building, or due to obstacles near the entrance that make it difficult to move large objects into or out of the structure. For the same reasons, it may also be desirable to move certain large objects such as furniture, appliances, and the like into an existing older structure through a window instead of a door. 
     Under normal conditions, a single hung window only allows access through the approximate bottom half by removing the sash. But by removing the meeting rail and top glass, the available space is approximately doubled. Meeting rails are frequently attached to the window frame or jamb via several screws or other attachment devices, and in order to remove the meeting rail to allow a large object to pass through the window, it is necessary to disassemble the meeting rail at both ends to remove it from the window frame and jamb and, of course, also necessary to reassemble the meeting rail once the moving operation has been completed. 
     Prior art exists of various mechanisms to accomplish this removal/reinstallation, but most designs have either too many fasteners to be customer-friendly, are not self-locating, or are not structurally sound enough for all weather conditions. It would be very useful to have a window meeting rail connection system that meets all these criteria. 
     SUMMARY 
     A connection system comprising an anchor connected to the window jamb, a meeting rail having ends that may be snap fit to the anchor, and a single screw or pin to tighten and true-up the connection once it is installed in the anchor. The connection system allows the meeting rail to be removed and replaced from inside the building. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a meeting rail connector secured to a jamb of a window by an anchor; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the anchor of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the anchor of  FIG. 1  partially installed in the jamb of the window; 
         FIG. 4  is side view of the anchor of  FIG. 1  installed in the jamb of the window; 
         FIG. 5  is perspective view of the connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the connector of  FIG. 5  installed on the anchor; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a single hung window with an adjacent enlarged image of the profiled pin inserted into the meeting rail and depicting the lever arm; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a profiled pin with lever arm; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a cross section of a frame jamb of a window; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a cross section of a frame jamb of a window with an embodiment of the anchor fastened inserted into openings in the frame jamb; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a cross section of a frame jamb of a window with a meeting rail inserted onto the anchor; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a cross section of a frame jamb of a window with the lever arm of a profiled pin shown atop the section of meeting rail; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a cross section of a frame jamb of a window with the lever arm of a profiled pin shown atop the section of meeting rail and the profiled pin rotated to a locking position securing the meeting rail to the anchor and the frame jamb; 
         FIG. 14  is a side elevation view of an embodiment of the anchor disposed adjacent the frame jamb prior to insertion of the locking legs into openings in the frame jamb; 
         FIG. 15  is a side elevation view of an embodiment depicting two of the three anchor legs inserted into openings in the frame jamb; 
         FIG. 16  is a side elevation view of an embodiment depicting all three of the anchor legs inserted into openings in the frame jamb; 
         FIG. 17  is a plan view of a cross section of the frame jamb an embodiment of the anchor, meeting rail and profile pin prior to rotation of the profile pin to the locking position; 
         FIG. 18  is a plan view of a cross section of the frame jamb an embodiment of the anchor, meeting rail and profile pin in a locked position securing the meeting rail to the frame jamb; 
         FIG. 19  is a plan view of a cross section of the frame jamb at the level of the meeting rail with the lever of the profile pin in the unlocked position; 
         FIG. 20  is a plan view of a cross section of the frame jamb at the level of the meeting rail with the lever of the profile pin in the locked position; 
         FIG. 21  is an elevation view of the meeting rail secured to an embodiment of the anchor which in turn is inserted into the frame jamb and the profile pin is inserted into the anchor in an unlocked orientation; and 
         FIG. 22  is an elevation view of the meeting rail secured to an embodiment of the anchor which in turn is inserted into the frame jamb and the profile pin is inserted into the anchor in a locked orientation. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The terms “top”, “bottom”, “upper”, “lower”, “upward”, and “downward”, as used in this detailed description, refer to the same directions on the properly oriented drawings. The term “front”, as used in this detailed description refers to the side of a structure that is on or closest to the interior of a building or other structure. The term “back”, as used in this detailed description refers to the side of a structure that is on or closest to the exterior of a building or other structure. It is understood, however, that the structure disclose herein may be oriented in any direction in actual use such as horizontally or vertically or even at an angle. These definitions, thus, only refer to this description in relation to the drawings. 
     As generally shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a meeting rail connection system  1  of a window  2  comprises an anchor  3  and a rail connector  4 . The connector  4  is incorporated in an end of a meeting rail  5 . The anchor  3  is installed in a jamb  6  of the window  2 . The meeting rail connection system  1  is located at the junction of the meeting rail  5  and the jamb  6  at each of the opposite sides of the window  2  and is operable from the interior of the structure in which the window  2  is installed. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 , the anchor  3 , which is preferably made of injection molded polycarbonate or some other flexible material, comprises a plate  7 , an upper rail support  8   a , a lower rail support  8   b , and attachment hooks  9 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the upper rail support  8   a  has a top tab  10   a , and the lower rail support  8   b  has a bottom tab  10   b ; the top and bottom tabs  10   a  and  10   b  are used to deform the respective rail supports  8   a  and  8   b  when the connector  4  of the meeting rail  5  is attached to the anchor  3 . The upper rail support  8   a  has an upper surface  8   c ; the lower support rail  8   a  has a lower surface  8   d.    
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the anchor  3  is connected to the jamb  6  by inserting the hooks  9  into slots  11  of the jamb  6 . Projections  12  of the plate  7  are inserted into holes  13  in the jamb  6  and positively locate the anchor vertically once it is installed. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the rail connector  4  at the end of the meeting rail  5  comprises a top wall  20 , a bottom wall  21 , a front wall  22 , and a back wall  24 . The top wall  20  has a lower surface  20   a  and a hole  25  is disposed in the top wall  20 . The bottom wall  21  has an upper surface  21   a  and a hole  26  is disposed within the bottom wall below and opposite the hole  25  of the top wall  20 . The front wall  22  also includes a screw hole  27 . 
     The distance between the lower surface  20   a  of the top wall  20  and the upper surface  21   a  of the bottom wall  21  of the connector  4  is approximately the same as the distance between the upper surface  8   c  of the upper rail support  8   a  and the lower surface  8   d  of the lower rail support  8   b , creating a slip fit while still facilitating alignment of the connector  4 . Alternately, the distance between the lower surface  20   a  of the top wall  20  and the upper surface  21   a  of the bottom wall  21  of the connector  4  can be less than the distance between the upper surface  8   c  of the upper rail support  8   a  and the lower surface  8   d  of the lower rail support  8   b , creating a slight interference fit between connector  4  and the anchor  3 . In either condition, when the upper tab  10   a  of the anchor  3  is pressed downward and the bottom tab  10   b  of the anchor  3  is press upward, for example, when the tabs  10   a  and  10   b  are pressed toward one another, the anchor  3  deforms so as to reduce the distance between the upper surface  8   c  of the upper rail support  8   a  and the lower surface  8   d  of the of the lower rail support  8   b , allowing the upper and lower rail supports  8   a  and  8   b  of the anchor  3  to slide between top and bottom walls  20  and  21  of the connector  4 . 
     The connector  4  is installed on the anchor  3  from the interior of the structure. The connector  4  slides onto the anchor  3  by sliding the connector  4  toward the exterior of the window while pressing the tabs  10  of the anchor toward each other, that is, the bottom tab  10   a  is pressed upward and the bottom tab  10   b  is pressed downward. The top wall  20  of the connector  4  slides over the top of the upper rail support  8   a , and the bottom wall  21  of the connector  4  slides below the lower rail support  8   b . The upper and lower rail supports  8   a  and  8   b  are being pressed or squeezed together while the connector  4  is being moved onto the anchor  3 , and, when the connector  4  is in position on the anchor  3 , the upper tab  10   a  is released and moves upward into hole  25  in the top wall  20 , and the lower tab  10   b  moves downward into the hole  26  of in the bottom wall  21 , locking the rail connector  4  onto the anchor  3 . 
     In addition, when the upper tab  10   a  is released and moves up into hole  25 , the upper surface  8   c  of the upper rail support  8   a  moves into contact with the lower surface  20   a  of the top wall  20  of the connector  4 . Similarly, when the lower tab  10   b  is released and moved downward into hole  26 , the lower rail support  8   b  moves into contact with the upper surface  21   a  of the bottom wall  21 . When the walls  20  and  21  are so positioned, the meeting rail is positively located along with the anchor. 
     Once the connector  4  is installed on the anchor  3 , a screw  30  may be inserted into the screw hole  27  and screwed into the window jamb  6  to tighten and/or true-up the connection. The screw  30  is installed at an oblique angle with respect to the connector  4  and the anchor  3 , thus allowing the connector  4  and the anchor  3  to be simultaneously aligned along any arbitrary x, y, and z axes representing the height, width, and length of the connector  4  installed on the anchor  3 . 
     In order to remove the connector  4  from the anchor  3 , the screw  30  is removed from the screw hole  27 , the tabs  10   a  and  10   b  are pressed downward and upward respectively so that the upper and lower tabs  10   a  and  10   b  are moved out of their respective holes  25  and  26  and the upper and lower rail supports  8   a  and  8   b  are moved out of contact with the respective upper and lower surfaces  20   a  and  21   a  of the top and bottom walls  20  and  21  of connector  4 . When the tabs  10   a  and  10   b  are moved out of holes  25  and  26 , the rail connector  4  may be moved toward the interior of the structure and out of the anchor  3 . When this procedure is performed at both sides of the meeting rail  5 , the meeting rail  5  may be removed from the window  2 . 
     In an alternative embodiment of the connection system,  FIG. 7  depicts a system  100  for quickly removing and reinstalling a meeting rail  120  in a single hung window  140 . The two ends  160 ,  180  of the meeting rail  120  each engage an anchor  200  that mounts to the frame jambs  220 ,  240  on each side of the window sash. 
       FIG. 9  provides a perspective view of the slots  280 ,  300  and locking holes  320  in the frame jamb  240  that are used to secure the anchor  200  in position.  FIG. 10  depicts the anchor  200  in position on the frame jamb  240 .  FIG. 11  depicts the meeting rail  120  installed over the anchor  200  with a through hole  340  in the top of the mounting rail  120 .  FIG. 12  depicts the insertion of a profiled pin  360  (as best seen in perspective in  FIG. 8 ) into the meeting rail  120  with the pin lever  380  in the unlocked orientation.  FIG. 13  depicts the pin lever  380  rotated to the locking position securing the meeting rail  120  to the anchor  200  and ultimately to the frame jamb  240 . 
       FIG. 14  depicts a side elevation view of the anchor  200  prior to the insertion of the anchor legs  400 ,  420  into the slots  280 ,  300  in the frame jamb  240 .  FIG. 15  details the insertion of the anchor legs  400 ,  420  into the slots  280 ,  300 ; however, the locking plug  480  has not entered into the through hole  320  within the frame jamb  240 .  FIG. 16  details the insertion of the locking plug  480  into the through hole  320  of the frame jamb  240  thereby securing the anchor  200  in position on the frame jamb  240 . 
       FIG. 17  is a plan view cross section of the frame jamb  240  and the anchor  200  depicting the profile pin inserted into the anchor hole  340 . In this orientation the meeting rail  120  is not fully engaged at the frame jamb  240  as shown by the gaps G 1  and G 2 . The profile pin  360  is inserted into the hole  340  that passes through the meeting rail  120  and into the anchor  200 . Once inserted, the pin lever  380  is rotated from the position shown in  FIG. 19  to that shown in  FIG. 20  thereby drawing the meeting rail  120  tight against the frame jamb  240  and preventing inadvertent displacement of the meeting rail from the frame jambs. 
       FIG. 21  depicts the orientation of the profiled pin when initially inserted through the opening  340  in the meeting rail  120  and in an unlocked orientation. The profiled pin  360  utilizes a cam lobe  560  (as best seen in  FIG. 8 ) that when rotated there is a slight narrowing of the profile of the pin  360 .  FIG. 22 ; however, depicts the pin rotated to the locked orientation and the recess  580  (seen also in  FIG. 8 ) is rotated around to the opposite side of the anchor  200  thereby allowing the recess  580  to engage a flange  600  thereby locking the pin vertically. 
     No additional hardware beyond the anchor  200  and the profiled pin  360  are required to install and remove the meeting rail from the frame jambs  220 ,  240 . 
     Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from its scope. A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing the aforementioned improvements without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Not all steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in the specific order described.