Patent ID: 7779577

Claim:
An operator window comprising: a perimeter frame arranged to be mounted about a perimeter of a window opening, the perimeter frame including a latching side; a sash supported on the perimeter frame and arranged to be movable relative to the perimeter frame between opened and closed positions of the window, the sash including a latching side arranged to engage the latching side of the perimeter frame in the closed position of the window, the latching side comprising an elongate hollow member having an integral enclosed hollow channel extending in a longitudinal direction of the elongate hollow member; a latching mechanism including a plurality of first mating connectors supported at spaced positions along the latching side of the perimeter frame and a plurality of second mating connectors supported at spaced positions along the latching side of the sash, the second mating connectors being arranged to mate with respective ones of the first mating connectors so as to latch the sash in relation to the perimeter frame in the closed position of the window; and a plurality of separate elongate reinforcement members fully received within the enclosed hollow channel of the elongate hollow member forming the latching side of the sash; the reinforcement members being located at spaced positions along the elongate hollow member so as to be arranged to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the elongate hollow member; the reinforcement members being fastened by respective fasteners to respective ones of the second mating connectors such that each-reinforcement member is spaced apart from the other reinforcement members; and each of the fasteners being fastened between the respective reinforcement member fully received within the enclosed hollow channel of the elongate hollow member and the respective second mating connector supported fully externally of the enclosed hollow channel of elongate hollow member; and a spacer received within the enclosed hollow channel of the elongate hollow member between each adjacent pair of reinforcement members; each spacer fully spanning a cross section of the enclosed hollow channel receiving the reinforcement members in the elongate hollow member forming the latching side of the sash so as to be arranged to prevent the reinforcement members from overlapping one another in the enclosed hollow channel of the elongate hollow member; and each spacer being formed of a material which is softer than the material forming the reinforcement members and the material of the elongate hollow member forming the latching side of the sash such that the force required to compress each spacer is arranged to be less than the force which would be required to cause the sash to bow resulting from any differences in expansion and contraction between the reinforcement members and the latching side of the sash.