초록 ▼

An improved window sash latch which has a locking mechanism and a keeper is provided with a handle that rotates from a “locked” to an “unlocked” position. An inner cavity of the handle has a spring assembly having a sliding part that can be forced into a detent as the handle slides around a cylindri

An improved window sash latch which has a locking mechanism and a keeper is provided with a handle that rotates from a “locked” to an “unlocked” position. An inner cavity of the handle has a spring assembly having a sliding part that can be forced into a detent as the handle slides around a cylindrical extension of an outer surface of the latch. The detents correspond to a “locked” and an “unlocked” position of the latch. The latch also provides two cams where both cams revolve relative to each other; one cam is activated by the handle through the handle's shaft, the other cam engages the keeper, and both cams engage each other.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A window latch securable to a window sash that provides a locking function to at least one sliding sash, said latch comprising: a handle, said handle comprising a stem and a manually graspable portion, said manually graspable portion having a cavity formed therein, said handle having a top surfac

1. A window latch securable to a window sash that provides a locking function to at least one sliding sash, said latch comprising: a handle, said handle comprising a stem and a manually graspable portion, said manually graspable portion having a cavity formed therein, said handle having a top surface and a pair of side surfaces extending from said top surface, said surfaces forming said cavity in said handle, said cavity extending from at least said stem of said handle to an area of said handle opposite from said stem, said cavity having a sliding member disposed therein, said sliding member being adapted to move within said cavity between an engaged position and a disengaged position, said sliding member being biased toward said engaged position;a housing, said housing comprising an orifice, said housing further comprising a raised portion around at least a portion of said orifice, said handle stem mounting in said orifice, said raised portion having at least one recess for receiving at least a portion of said sliding member when in said engaged position, said sliding member engaging said recess serving to signal whether said latch is in a locked or an unlocked position, said sliding member engaging said housing recess in a direction transverse to said mounting of said stem, said engaged sliding member providing resistance to forced unlocking of said latch;a first cam and a delay cam; said delay cam being fixed to said stem; said first cam being adapted for movement relative to said stem, said relative movement selectively comprising pivotal movement and sliding movement; andwherein when said latch is in said unlocked position, rotation of said handle causes said delay cam to rotate and cause rotation of said first cam from said unlocked position to a position where at least a portion of said first cam protrudes out from said housing, said protruding portion of said first cam comprising an arcuate groove; and wherein further rotation of said shaft causes said delay cam to cause sliding movement of said first cam into a locked position in which a recess in said first cam engages a housing protrusion. 2. The latch according to claim 1 wherein said handle cavity has a spring for providing a force to move said sliding member into said recess. 3. The latch according to claim 1 wherein said sliding member has a body portion and a stem portion, and wherein a spring is positioned on said stem portion, said spring biasing said sliding member into said at least one recess. 4. The latch according to claim 3 wherein said body portion has a tip that mates with said at least one recess. 5. The latch according to claim 4 wherein said recess and said tip are “V” shaped. 6. A window latch handle for use in a window latch mechanism to provide a locking function, said window latch handle comprising: a handle, said handle comprising a stem and a manually graspable portion extending transverse to said stem, said manually graspable portion having a cavity formed therein;a sliding member, said sliding member being disposed within said handle cavity and being adapted to move therein between an engaged position and a disengaged position, said sliding member being biased toward said engaged position; andwherein when said handle stem is pivotally mounted in a latch housing and said sliding member is in said engaged position, said sliding member engages a recess in said latch housing, said engagement of said sliding member providing a signal to indicate whether said latch handle is in a locked or an unlocked position, said engagement of said sliding member being in a direction transverse to said mounting of said stem, said engaged sliding member providing resistance to forced unlocking of a locking mechanism, said locking mechanism comprising a first cam and a delay cam; said delay cam being fixed to said stem; said first cam being adapted for movement relative to said stem; andwherein when said latch handle is in said unlocked position, rotation of said handle causes said delay cam to rotate and cause rotation of said first cam from said unlocked position to a position where at least a portion of said first cam protrudes out from said housing, said protruding portion of said first cam comprising an arcuate groove; and wherein further rotation of said shaft causes said delay cam to cause movement of said first cam into a locked position in which a recess in said first cam engages a housing protrusion. 7. The window latch handle according to claim 6 wherein said sliding member comprises a body portion and a stem portion, and wherein a spring is positioned on said stem portion, said spring biasing said sliding member relative to said handle. 8. The window latch handle according to claim 7 wherein said body portion has a tip that mates with said recess. 9. The window latch handle according to claim 8 wherein said recess of said tip are “V” shaped. 10. The window latch handle according to claim 6 wherein said sliding member engaging a recess in said housing comprises a raised portion in said housing in the form of a ring extending upwardly from a top surface of said housing, said ring surrounding an orifice that provides for said pivotal mounting of said stem, said recess being located in said raised ring portion of said housing. 11. The window latch handle according to claim 10 wherein said recess in said raised ring portion comprises a first recess and a second recess, said first recess providing indication of when said latch handle has been rotated into said locked position, and said second recess providing indication of when said latch handle has been fully rotated into said unlocked position. 12. A latch that is securable to a window to provide a locking function to at least one sliding sash, said latch comprising: a handle said handle comprising a stem and a manually graspable portion extending from said stem, said manually graspable portion having an inner surface and an outer surface and with a cavity formed therein by said inner surface;a sliding member, said sliding member being slidably mounted within said cavity and being therein biased relative to said handle to move from a disengaged position to an engaged position;a housing, said housing comprising a raised portion extending above a top surface of said housing, said raised portion surrounding an opening in said housing, said opening accommodating pivotal mounting of said handle stem, said raised portion having an outer surface and an inner surface, said outer surface of said raised portion having at least one recess therein for receiving at least a portion of said sliding member, said sliding member engaging in said recess serving to signal whether said latch is in a locked or an unlocked position, said sliding member engaging said recess in said raised portion of said housing in a direction transverse to said mounting of said stem, said engaged sliding member providing resistance to forced unlocking of said latch;a locking mechanism comprising a first cam and a delay cam; andwherein when said latch is in an unlocked position, rotation of said handle causes said delay cam to drive said first cam from said unlocked position to a position where at least a portion of said first cam protrudes out from said housing cavity, said protruding portion of said first cam comprising an arcuate groove; and wherein further rotation of said shaft causes said delay cam to drive said first cam into a locked position, said locked position comprising a recess in said cam engaging a protrusion of said housing. 13. The latch according to claim 12 wherein said raised portion comprises a protruding annular ring, and wherein said at least one recess comprises a first recess and a second recess in said protruding annular ring. 14. The latch according to claim 13 wherein said first and second recesses are V-shaped, and wherein and said portion of said sliding member being received in said recess is “V” shaped. 15. The latch according to claim 14 wherein said sliding member has a shaft for receiving a spring, and wherein said spring provides said biasing of said sliding member into said first and said second recess. 16. The latch according to claim 15, wherein when said handle is positioned so said sliding member is engaged in said first recess, said latch is locked; and wherein when said handle is positioned so said sliding member is engaged in said second recess, said latch is unlocked. 17. A window latch securable to a window that provides a locking function to at least one sliding sash of said window, said latch comprising: a handle, said handle comprising a stem and a manually graspable portion, said manually graspable portion extending transverse from said stem, a bottom surface of said manually graspable portion having an opening into a cavity;a sliding member, said sliding member being slidably disposed within said handle cavity and biased to move from a disengaged position to an engaged position, said sliding member having a first end and a second end, said first end receiving a spring that contacts said cavity of said manually graspable portion to provide said biasing;a housing, said housing comprising one or more walls to create a housing cavity; a top surface of said one or more walls having a raised ring protruding upward with an orifice into said housing cavity, said orifice providing for pivotal mounting therein of said handle stem, said raised ring having at least one recess for receiving at least a tip of said sliding member, and wherein said sliding member moving to said engaged position in said recess signals whether said latch is in a locked or an unlocked position, said sliding member engaging said housing recess in a direction transverse to said mounting of said stem;a delay cam; said delay cam being fixed to said stem in said housing cavity;a first cam, said first cam being adapted for movement relative to said stem; andwherein when said latch is in an unlocked position, rotation of said handle causes said delay cam to drive said first cam from said unlocked position to a position where at least a portion of said first cam protrudes out from said housing cavity, said protruding portion of said first cam comprising an arcuate groove; and wherein further rotation of said shaft causes said delay cam to drive said first cam into a locked position, said locked position comprising a recess in said cam engaging a protrusion on said housing. 18. A window latch securable to a window that provides a locking function to at least one sliding sash, said latch comprising: a handle, said handle comprising a stem and a manually graspable portion extending transverse to said stem and with a cavity formed in said manually graspable portion, said cavity having a sliding member disposed therein that is adapted to move between an engaged position and a disengaged position, said sliding member having a first end and a second end;a housing with a locking mechanism, said housing having a raised portion extending above a top surface of said housing, said raised portion having an opening to receive said stem for pivotal mounting of said handle, said sliding member being biased to contact a side of said raised portion, said raised portion having at least one recess for receiving at least a portion of said sliding member; and wherein when said handle moves to have said at least a portion of said sliding member engaged in said recess, said engagement serving as a detent to signal whether the latch is in a locked or an unlocked position, said sliding member engaging said recess in a direction transverse to said stem, said detent providing resistance to forced unlocking of said locking mechanism, said locking mechanism comprising a delay cam and a first cam; andwherein when said latch is in an unlocked position, rotation of said handle causes said delay cam to drive said first cam from said unlocked position to a position where at least a portion of said first cam protrudes out from said housing cavity, said protruding portion of said first cam comprising an engagement means; and wherein further rotation of said shaft causes said delay cam to drive said first cam into a locked position. 19. A window latch, said latch being securable to a window to provide a locking function for at least one sliding sash, said window latch comprising: a housing, said housing comprising one or more walls to create a cavity, at least a portion of said one or more walls having an opening into said cavity, said housing further comprising an orifice and a raised ring concentric to said orifice, said raised ring comprising a first recess and a second recess;a handle, said handle comprising a shaft and an arm extending laterally from said shaft, said shaft being pivotally mounted in said housing orifice, said handle further comprising a spring-biased bar that is slidably mounted to said handle;a locking mechanism, said locking mechanism comprising a first cam and a delay cam; said delay cam being fixedly mounted to said shaft within said housing cavity, to thereby permit said delay cam to pivot concurrent with said handle; said first cam comprising an oblong opening, said oblong opening permitting said first cam to be mounted upon said shaft to selectively achieve pivotal movement and lateral sliding movement relative to said shaft; said delay cam and said first cam selectively interacting therebetween according to a position of said locking mechanism; andwherein when said locking mechanism is in an unlocked position, rotation of said handle causes said delay cam to drive said first cam, with said first cam rotating from said unlocked position to an engaged position, said engaged position being a position in which at least a portion of said first cam protrudes out from said opening in said housing, said protruding portion of said first cam comprising a slot; and wherein further rotation of said handle toward a closed position causes said delay cam to drive said first cam to move laterally, said lateral movement causing a groove in said first cam to engage a protrusion in said housing, with said first recess being engaged by said bar when said handle is in said unlocked position, and said second recess being engaged by said bar when said handle is in said closed position. 20. The latch according to claim 19, wherein said means of fixedly mounting said delay cam to said shaft comprises at least a portion of said shaft being formed to have a rectangular cross-section, and with said rectangular cross-section of said shaft engaging a rectangular shaped opening in said delay cam. 21. The latch according to claim 20, wherein said protrusion on said housing is a trapezoidal shaped protrusion, and said groove on said housing is a trapezoidal shaped groove. 22. The latch according to claim 19, wherein when said rotation of said handle causes said delay cam to drive said first cam, said driven motion is caused by a first side of a protrusion on said delay cam engaging a first edge of an actuate groove on said first cam. 23. The latch according to claim 22, wherein when said delay cam has driven said first cam to engage said protrusion on said housing, further rotation of said handle to be in said closed position is by said first side of said delay cam protrusion disengaging from said first edge of said arcuate groove, and said delay cam protrusion rotating within said arcuate groove relative to said first cam. 24. The latch according to claim 23, wherein said housing further comprises a raised ring concentric to said orifice, said ring comprising a first and a second V-shaped recesses comprise, said first and second V-shaped recesses; and wherein said spring biased bar in said handle comprises one end having a V-shape being capable of engaging said first and second V-shaped recesses being engaged by a spring-biased V-shaped bar that is slidably mounted to said handle, said first recess being engaged by said bar when said handle is in said unlocked position, and said second recess being engaged by said bar when said handle is in said closed position. 25. The latch according to claim 24, wherein when said handle is in said closed position, counter-rotation of said handle causes said delay cam to drive said first cam into reverse lateral movement, said reverse lateral movement causing said groove in said first cam to disengage from said housing protrusion; and wherein further counter-rotation of said handle toward said unlocked position causes said delay cam to drive said first cam, with said first cam counter-rotating to return to said unlocked position. 26. The latch according to claim 25, wherein said delay cam causing said first cam to counter-rotate is by said delay cam protrusion counter-rotating within said arcuate groove relative to said first cam until a second side of said delay cam protrusion engages a second edge of said arcuate groove of said first cam. 27. The latch according to claim 26, wherein when said at least a portion of said first cam protrudes out from said opening of said housing in said engaged position, said slot in said protruding portion of said first cam straddles a catch on a keeper installed on a window. 28. The latch according to claim 27, wherein when said delay cam drives said first cam laterally to engage said housing protrusion in said locked position, said slot in said protruding portion of said first cam engages said catch on said keeper. 29. A latch comprising: a housing, said housing comprising: a cavity, an orifice, and a protrusion extending inward into said cavity; said housing further comprising a raised ring concentric to said orifice, said ring comprising a first and a second recess;a shaft, said shaft being pivotally mounted to said housing and being actuable therein by a handle portion extending laterally from said shaft, said handle portion comprising a slidable bar being spring biased toward said shaft;a first cam and a delay cam; said delay cam being fixed to said shaft; said first cam being adapted for movement relative to said shaft, said relative movement selectively comprising pivotal movement and sliding movement; andwherein when said latch is in an unlocked position, rotation of said shaft by actuating said handle portion causes said delay cam to rotate and to thereby cause rotation of said first cam from said unlocked position to a position where at least a portion of said first cam protrudes out from said housing cavity, said protruding portion of said first cam comprising a slot; and wherein further rotation of said shaft causes said delay cam to cause sliding movement of said first cam into a locked position in which said first cam engages said housing protrusion, said first recess of said raised ring being engaged by said spring-biased bar when said handle is in said unlocked position, and said second recess being engaged by said bar when said handle is in said locked position. 30. The latch according to claim 29, wherein said protrusion on said housing is a trapezoidal shaped protrusion, and said groove on said housing is a trapezoidal shaped groove. 31. The latch according to claim 30, wherein when said first cam is in said locked position, continued rotation of said shaft causes said shaft to rotate into a closed position. 32. The latch according to claim 31, wherein said shaft rotation from said unlocked position to said closed position comprises rotation of approximately 180 degrees. 33. The latch according to claim 32, wherein when said rotation of said shaft causes said delay cam to drive said first cam, said driven motion is caused by a first side of a protrusion on said delay cam engaging a first edge of an actuate groove on said first cam. 34. The latch according to claim 33, wherein when said delay cam has driven said first cam to engage said protrusion on said housing, further rotation of said delay cam and said shaft to be in said closed position is by said first side of said delay cam protrusion disengaging from said first edge of said arcuate groove, and said delay cam protrusion rotating within said arcuate groove relative to said first cam. 35. The latch according to claim 34, wherein pivotal mounting of said shaft is by mounting said shaft in an orifice in said housing. 36. The latch according to claim 35, wherein said housing further comprises a raised ring concentric to said orifice, said ring comprising a first and a second V-shaped recesses, said first and second comprise V-shaped recesses; capable of being engaged by a and wherein said spring-biased V-shaped bar has a first end comprising a corresponding V-shape for said engagement with said first and second recesses that is slidably mounted to said handle, said first recess being engaged by said bar when said handle is in said unlocked position, and said second recess being engaged by said bar when said handle is in said closed position. 37. The latch according to claim 36, wherein said first cam being adapted for pivotal and sliding movement relative to said shaft, is by said first cam comprising an oblong opening. 38. The latch according to claim 37, wherein said sliding movement comprises shifting said first cam in a direction perpendicular to its rotation axis. 39. A latch comprising: a housing, said housing comprising: a cavity, and a protrusion extending inwardly into said cavity, said housing further comprising an orifice into said cavity, and a raised ring being concentric to said orifice, said raised ring comprising a first recess and a second recess,a shaft, said shaft being rotatably mounted to said housing orifice and being rotatable therein using a handle portion extending laterally from said shaft, said handle portion comprising a spring-biased bar being slidably mounted within said handle portion, said first and second recesses in said housing ring being configured to be engaged by a first end of spring-biased bar,a delay cam; said delay cam being fixedly mounted to said shaft within said cavity;a first cam, said first cam comprising an orifice for mounting said cam onto said shaft; andwherein when said latch is in an unlocked position, rotation of said shaft causes said delay cam to co-rotate and drive said first cam from said unlocked position to an engaged position, said engaged position comprising engagement of a recess in said first cam with said housing protrusion, and comprising a portion of said first cam protruding out said housing with said protruding portion of said first cam comprising an engagement means; and wherein continued rotation of said shaft causes a portion of said delay cam to secure said engagement of said housing protrusion in said recess of said first cam; wherein when said first cam is in said engaged position, continued rotation of said shaft causes said latch to rotate into a handle-securing closed position; said first recess in said housing ring being engaged by said first end of said spring-biased bar when said handle is in said unlocked position, and said second recess being engaged by said bar when said handle is in said handle-securing closed position. 40. The latch according to claim 39, wherein said protrusion in said housing is trapezoid-shaped; and wherein said recess in said first cam has a corresponding trapezoid shape. 41. The latch according to claim 39, wherein said delay cam driving said first cam into said engaged position comprises said shaft rotation causing co-rotation of said delay cam, with said delay cam co-rotation causing corresponding co-rotation of said first cam from said unlocked position to a position where said engagement means on said portion of said first cam protrudes out from said housing cavity; and wherein further rotation of said shaft causes said corresponding co-rotation of said delay cam to thereafter cause sliding movement of said first cam into said engaged position. 42. The latch according to claim 41, wherein when said delay cam drives said first cam in said sliding movement to engage said housing protrusion, a hood of said housing overhangs a keeper being engaged by said engagement means on said protruding portion of said first cam. 43. The latch according to claim 39, wherein said orifice of said first cam comprises an oblong opening for receiving said shaft, said oblong opening permitting said co-rotation of said delay cam to cause rotation of said first cam for approximately 82 degrees, and with continued co-rotation of said delay cam for approximately 16 degrees more then causing translation of said first cam and said engagement of said recess of said first cam with said housing protrusion. 44. The latch according to claim 39, wherein said delay cam driving said first cam is by a protrusion on said delay cam contacting an end of a groove on said first cam. 45. The latch according to claim 44, wherein when said delay cam has driven said first cam to engage said housing protrusion, further rotation of said shaft with said co-rotation of said delay cam causes said delay cam protrusion to disengage from said end of said groove on said first cam, with said delay cam protrusion rotating within said groove relative to said first cam, said delay cam protrusion mating with said groove to thereafter provide said securing of said first cam by said delay cam. 46. The latch according to claim 45, wherein said groove in said first cam comprises an arcuate groove; and wherein when said shaft is rotated from said unlocked position to said handle-securing closed position, said rotation comprises approximately 180 degrees and results in said delay cam protrusion being generally positioned on a side of said shaft being opposite to said engagement means on said protruding portion of said first cam, to thereby accomplish said securing of said first cam in said engaged position.