A B737-300 WAS DISPATCHED WITH A CRACKED #4 COCKPIT WINDOW DEFERRED WITHOUT THE REQUIRED INSPECTION.

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IN PREPARATION FOR DEP DURING PREFLT INSPECTION; THE FO NOTICED A CRACK IN THE OUTER PANE OF WINDOW R4. WE LOOKED UP THE PROCS IN THE QRH AND FOUND ONLY A 250 KT SPD RESTR BELOW 10000 FT IF THE WINDOW HEAT WAS INOP. I NEXT LOOKED IN OUR COMPANY MEL TO FIND NO RELIEF FOR THIS CONDITION. HOWEVER; UNDER MEL FOR ELECTRICALLY HEATED WINDSHIELDS; THERE IS A NOTE STATING: CRACKED OR DELAMINATED WINDOWS ARE NOT DEFERRABLE USING MEL RELIEF. CONTACT MAINT CTL CTR THROUGH DISPATCH. MAINT MANUAL PROCS WILL DETERMINE ACFT AIRWORTHINESS. I CALLED DISPATCH AND ESTABLISHED A 3-WAY CONVERSATION BTWN DISPATCH; A MAINT CTLR AND MYSELF. I ASKED MAINT WHAT WE HAD TO DO TO FIX OUR PROB. MAINT STATED THAT HE HAD A 'MAINT NOTE' FROM THE MAINT MANUAL THAT COVERED THIS CONDITION AND IF I LOOKED AT THE WINDOW AND ESTABLISHED IT TO BE THE OUTER PANE CRACKED ONLY; THEN ALL WE HAD TO DO WAS MEL UNDER XX-YY WINDOW HEAT INOP; PULL AND COLLAR CIRCUIT BREAKERS FOR #R4 AND #R5 WINDOWS; AND PLACE A PLACARD AT THE WINDOW HEAT CTL SWITCHES. I ASKED MAINT IF WE HAD TO GET A LCL CONTRACT MAINT PERSON TO LOOK AT THE WINDOW. HE STATED 'NO' BECAUSE OF THE SPECIAL MAINT NOTE PROC. WE DEPARTED CLE TO BNA. WE ARRIVED BNA TO FIND THAT OUR MAINT CTR HAD ARRANGED FOR LCL CONTRACT MAINT IN BNA TO INSPECT AND SIGN OFF OUR CRACKED WINDOW. HE DID THIS AND WE DEPARTED BNA-LAS. I TALKED TO MAINT CTL AND HE STATED HE HAD MISREAD THE MANUAL AND THAT WE SHOULD HAVE HAD IT INSPECTED BY MAINT PRIOR TO DEPARTING CLE. I AM NOT SURE WHAT THE FIX IS FOR THIS PROB; BUT IF PERSONS IN MAINT CTL WHO WORK WITH THIS KIND OF THING DAY IN AND DAY OUT FIND IT CONFUSING; MAYBE THE MEL AND MAINT MANUALS ARE NOT CLR ENOUGH IN THEIR EXPLANATIONS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THE ACFT WAS A B737-300 AND ONLY THE OUTER PANE WAS CRACKED.