Patent ID: 8322090

Claim:
A window assembly comprising: a. a glass panel, a sash extending around the glass panel, and a frame extending around the sash; b. wherein the frame comprises an inner frame portion configured to face an interior of a building, an outer frame portion configured to face an exterior of the building, and a frame insulating portion separating and spacing the inner frame portion from the outer frame portion, wherein the inner and outer frame portions comprise a relatively high thermal conductivity and the frame insulating portion comprises a relatively low thermal conductivity; c. wherein the sash comprises an inner sash portion configured to face the interior of the building, an outer sash portion configured to face the exterior of the building, and a sash insulating portion separating and spacing the inner sash portion from the outer sash portion, wherein the inner and outer sash portions comprise a relatively high thermal conductivity and the sash insulating portion comprises a relatively low thermal conductivity; d. a glass stop extending along an inner surface of the sash, the glass stop configured to retain the glass panel in the window assembly, wherein the glass stop is separated from the glass panel by a glass insulating member, wherein the glass stop, the glass insulating member, and the sash at least partially define a cavity, wherein a sash insulating element comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending chambers extends through the cavity, around an entire perimeter of the sash, and extends between and abuts the sash insulating portion and the glass stop; e. wherein an inner surface of the frame faces an outer surface of the sash; f. wherein a frame insulating element having a relatively low thermal conductivity extends along an entire perimeter of the inner surface of the frame and a second sash insulating element having a relatively low thermal conductivity extends along an entire perimeter of the outer surface of the sash; g. wherein the glass panel, glass insulating member, frame insulating portion, sash insulating portion, frame insulating element, sash insulating element and second sash insulating element are part of a conductive and convective thermal barrier continuously separating the inner frame and sash portions from the outer frame and sash portions.