Patent ID: 7676990

Claim:
A latch mechanism for a sliding window comprising: a housing including a base having a front wall, a rear wall, a top wall, and an open bottom, the rear wall defining an opening therein; a latch bolt slidably disposed in the housing and selectively positionable between an extended position wherein a portion of the latch bolt extends outwardly from the housing through the opening and a retracted position wherein the latch bolt is entirely contained in the housing; a biasing element operably coupled to the latch bolt and arranged to bias the latch bolt toward the extended position; a bottom housing cover closing the open bottom of the housing, the bottom housing cover having a resilient latching element the resilient latching element arranged to automatically engage and retain the latch bolt in the retracted position as the latch bolt is positioned from the extended to the retracted position; and a trigger mechanism comprising: a camshaft having a first lobe and a second lobe, the camshaft disposed in the housing and being rotatable between a first position wherein a portion of the first lobe extends outwardly from the housing and a second position wherein the first lobe is contained in the housing, the second lobe arranged such that when the camshaft is rotated from the first to the second position, the second lobe contacts and disengages the resilient latching element from the latch bolt.