Window meeting rail

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The meeting rail of the invention is intended for use as a component part of a window having a frame made from hollow, rigid plastic extrusions.
The principal component of such extrusions is generally polyvinyl chloride together with various organic and inorganic additives.
Such windows are commonly called "vinyl windows" because they usually contain polyvinyl chloride.
The frame comprises a pair of jambs and a head, a sill and a meeting rail all joined to the jambs.
The jambs each define a narrow channel having an end wall and two side walls extending laterally inwardly from the end wall.
As used herein, the term "laterally inwardly" refers to a direction toward the center of the window, in the plane of the window.
The meeting rail comprises an elongated body defining a longitudinally extending opening and a clip for joining the meeting rail to the window frame.
The body is preferably hollow and extruded from a plastic material and the clip is preferably solid and molded from plastic material.
A particularly preferred clip is injection molded from nylon.
The plastic clip includes a principal portion having an outer contour sized for insertion into the meeting rail opening.
The principal portion also defines a longitudinally extending bore for receiving a screw, and at least two wings extending radially outward from the bore.
A screw inserted into the bore spreads the wings radially outward from the principal portion of the clip when the screw is tightened.
In a preferred embodiment of the meeting rail, a metal cross rail is inserted into the opening in the hollow body.
The cross rail is preferably an aluminum alloy extrusion.
The cross rail defines an aperture having an interior wall.
In a preferred embodiment, the interior wall of the cross rail defines a pair of opposed slots.
Two wings on the clip each have a hook sized for insertion into a slot.
When the hooks are pressed into the slots, the clip is locked into engagement with the cross rail.
When the clip is inserted into the aperture in the cross rail, tightening the screw spreads the clip wings radially outward from the principal portion so that the hooks engage the slots in the cross rail, thereby preventing removal of the cross rail from the opening in the hollow body