Patent ID: 7987633

Claim:
A construction product, comprising: a frame having a frame element, the frame element comprising: an interior jamb portion fabricated from a metal material, the interior jamb portion having an outer horizontally-extending projection and an outer vertically-extending projection and being deficient of a central horizontally-extending projection; an exterior jamb portion fabricated from a metal material, the exterior jamb portion having an outer horizontally-extending projection and an outer vertically-extending projection and being deficient of a central horizontally-extending projection; and a thermal break having a horizontally-extending projection that alone forms a central horizontally-extending structural support of the frame element, wherein the thermal break is only fabricated from an insulating material, wherein the thermal break directly connects the interior jamb portion with the exterior jamb portion at a single engagement position on each of the interior jamb portion and the exterior jamb portion, and wherein the thermal break supports the interior jamb portion and the exterior jamb portion; a first moveable sash window having a first stile, wherein the first moveable sash window slides up and down within the frame; and a first moveable support member that supports the first moveable sash window in multiple positions, wherein the thermal break is multi-functional: (a) the thermal break provides an insulating function so as to limit thermal conduction between the interior jamb portion and the exterior jamb portion, and b) the thermal break alone cooperates with the interior jamb portion to (1) define at least a portion of a first cavity that accepts the first moveable support member, and (2) define a track for the first moveable support member to slide up and down within the frame.