Patent ID: 7765738

Claim:
A sliding window assembly comprising, in combination: at least one sliding pane mounted for travel along a travel path between a closed position in a first plane, and an open position in an offset second plane substantially parallel to the first plane; and travel guide apparatus for guiding the sliding pane as it moves along the travel path between the open and closed positions, comprising: a plurality of tracks, each track forming at least one elongate slot comprising a main elongate portion extending along the travel path in a plane corresponding to the offset second plane, and at least one slot end portion extending at an angle from the main elongate portion; the plurality of tracks collectively forming at least four of the at least one slot end portions; a plurality of fixed guide surfaces, each fixed guide surface having a fixed position relative to and being located proximate to a corresponding one of the at least one slot end portion; and four cam and slide movements, each cam and slide movement being located proximate to a corner of the sliding pane and comprising a traveler slidably mounted in a corresponding one of the tracks for longitudinal travel along a corresponding one of the at least one elongate slot and having a first elongate traveler slot extending longitudinally at an angle of 30° to 90° to the main elongate portion of the corresponding one of the at least one elongate slot, a travel pin extending into the corresponding one of the at least one elongate slot and the traveler slot, and a cam integral with the travel pin and rotatably mounted to the sliding pane and operative to contact a corresponding one of the fixed guide surfaces as the sliding pane approaches the closed position and to rotatably bear against the corresponding one of the fixed guide surfaces to guide the sliding pane from the offset second plane toward the first plane as the sliding pane then travels further toward the closed position.