WO2001087679A1

WO2001087679A1 - Triple wiper blade and blade harness assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2001087679A1
Application number: PCT/US2001/015344
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard E. Elkins
Original assignee: Elkins Richard E
Priority date: 2000-05-15
Filing date: 2001-05-14
Publication date: 2001-11-22
Also published as: AU2001261485A1

Abstract

A flexible, elongated, generally triangular in cross section, rubber-like wiper element slidably engageable with a harness for engagement with the automotive wiper blade assembly, where the wiper element may be oriented in three different orientations. The wiper blade element comprises a separate or integral core having three radially outwardly extending arms, preferably about 120 degrees from one another, about the core, where the orientation of the wiper blade element may be changed to expose a different radial arm for wiping the automotive windshield.

Description

Background of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a uniquely configured squeegee or wiper blade and harness assembly, where the wiper blade has three wiping blade segments that can significantly extend the life of the wiper blade. By way of example, windshield wiper blades, typically formed of rubber or rubber-like compound, as the contact or wiping element, are prone to wear and tear, particularly in cold environments, where snow and ice may accumulate and remain on an automotive windshield, or in coastal areas where the salt can deleteriously affect the rubber wiper element.

A wiper blade assembly, as known in the art, must be flexible to adapt to curved windshields, as typically found in automobiles today. With the wiper blade having to traverse a broad area of the automotive windshield, where the curvature thereof varies vertically and horizontally, flexure is important to ensure full contact with the windshield. A conventional wiper blade assembly, generally two in number, consists of one or two pivoting arms mounting a backing member made of a metal or plastic, for slidably receiving the rubber wiping element. The backing member and wiping element are usually supported in a superstructure by means of a plurality of longitudinally spaced claws or fingers on the superstructure adapted to engage the edges of the backing member. The claws or fingers engage the backing member at lateral edges and while there is movement of the backing member longitudinally relative to the claws or fingers, the latter usually engage some abutting means for preventing disconnection of the backing member from the claws or fingers. In order to limit the backing member against longitudinal movement relative to the superstructure, notches or abutments have been provided along lateral edges of the backing member adapted to be releasably engaged by the claws or fingers. There are a number of early attempts to improve the performance of wiper blade assemblies, as reflected in the following U.S. Patents: a.) No. 3,903,560, is directed to a wiper blade refill that includes an elastomeric flexible wiping member having a body portion terminating in a wiping lip and a retention portion joined to the body by a reduced neck. The retention portion of the squeegee registers in the housing of a channeled-type backing strip of non-uniform cross-section along its length. The backing member also includes means for slidably receiving portions of a windshield wiper super-structure longitudinally with respect to the backing member, and a pair of protrusions integral with the channeled housing and extending laterally outwardly and downwardly merefrom and located substantially at an end extremity of the backing member. The protrusions limit by intimate contact therewith endwise laying down of the body portion of the wiping member during operative use of the refill in a windshield wiper, peraiitting continued flipping of the squeegee during use. b.) No. 3,820,188, to Moorhead et al., describes a windshield wiper assembly for a curved windshield, including a pressure distributing superstructure having claws adapted to engage a blade structure at longitudinally spaced positions, together with a blade structure including a flexible holder having a pair of laterally opening slots for receiving the claws of the superstructure, and a longitudinal retention chamber receiving an enlarged retention bead along the upper edge of a resilient wiping element. c.) No. 3,418,679, to Barth et al., teaches a windshield wiper comprising a reciprocal wiper element having an elongated carrier of triangular cross-section, whose base faces the windshield. An elongated wiper blade extends from the base towards and into engagement with the windshield. Means is provided for reciprocating the wiper element and air currents which develop during such reciprocation sweep along the rearwardly tapering sides of the carrier and thereby exert a component of force thereon tending to displace the carrier in the direction toward the windshield to prevent lift-off of the blade from the windshield. d.) No. 3,238,555, to Cels, relates to a device for cleaning or de-icing a surface of a solid body, such as a glass panel, in particular to a windscreen wiper for the surface of a windscreen comprising at least one wiper, preferably in the form of a flexible blade, having at least one free edge which is displaced upon contact with this surface. e.) No. 3,104,412, to Hinder, is directed to a windshield cleaning assembly in which the squeegee element supporting linkage is eliminated, and in which the squeegee element is directly mounted upon a curved resilient member capable of exerting a balanced even pressure towards the face of the windshield, where the preferred curved resilient member is a molded plastic material, such as thermoplastic nylon resin, which retains the desired flexing characteristics under great extremes of climate conditions. f.) No. 3,099,031, to Ludwig, describes a windshield wiper assembly which is adapted for use on windshields of widely varying contours, and includes a flexibly resilient nonmetallic material, having an integral longitudinally extending rib of dovetailed section on its outer edge and a longitudinal groove of dovetail section opening at its inner edge and extending f om end to end thereof.

The present invention offers a unique opportunity for extending the life of the wiping blade element by the use of a triple bladed element slidably engaging a complementary harness to form a part of the wiper blade assembly. Additionally, the assembly hereof may be readily retrofitted to existing automobiles. None of the foregoing prior art offer the versatility of the assembly of this invention. The manner by which the present invention accomplishes the goals hereof will become more apparent from the description which follows.

Summary of the Invention

This invention relates to an improved rubber-like wiper blade element that is particularly suitable in a first embodiment for retrofitting an improved blade element for existing automotive wiper blade systems. The first embodiment is preferably directed to a triple wiper blade element, or to the combination of an automotive windsliield wiper system having a reciprocating arm, as known in the art, mounting a pair of bracket members. Each bracket member comprises a U-shaped arm terminating at each respective free end in aligned C-shaped claws for slidably receiving a wiper blade element. One feature hereof is the provision of an integral triple wiper blade assembly consisting in a first embodiment of a flexible, elongated, C-shaped channel housing or harness having an opening and a base, where the base includes a pair of opposed external longitudinal slots for slidably engaging the aligned C- shaped claws of the bracket members. For sliding receipt in the C-shaped channel housing is an elongated, generally triangular shaped, rubber-like wiper element slidably engageable merewithin in three different orientations. The rubber-like wiper element comprises a core integral with three radially, outwardly extending arms uniformly spaced, preferably about 120 degrees, thereabout, with inwardly directed slots into the core, one slot intermediate adjacent pairs of the outwardly extending arms. An alternate embodiment for the rubber-like wiper element may be a flexible core member, preferably formed of plastic, with three elastomeric wiper inserts extending radially from the core. Various means are disclosed for securing the core to a harness for engaging the respective C-shaped channel claws. A final embodiment, for use on a window surface, may be as a squeegee having a comparable C-shaped channel housing slidably receiving the elongated, generally triangular shaped, rubber-like wiper or squeegee element. To facilitate manual use, the C-shaped channel housing mounts a fixed handle. In either case, by these arrangements, the rubber-like wiper element may be oriented within the C-shaped channel housing or harness to expose one of the outwardly extending arms away from the opening of the C-shaped channel housing for wiping by the exposed wiping element.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is the provision of an improved rubber-like wiping element that offers multiple wiping edges. Another object hereof is to provide a new, extended use wiper blade assembly that may be retrofitted onto existing automotive wiper blade systems.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a multiple wiping blade assembly formed of a flexible core, such as fabricated from plastic, mounting plural radial elastomeric wiping elements.

A further object of the invention is an extended use, manually operable squeegee for wiping generally flat surfaces.

Still another object is the provision of modifying the wiping edge of the rubber-like wiping element by different configurations for varying applications.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the description which follows, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a first embodiment, showing a conventional automotive wiper blade system mounting the wiper blade element and housing according to the present invention

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the wiper blade housing of Figure 1, less the wiper blade element.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a swivel tab to removably fix the wiper blade element within the housing.

FIGURE 4 is a partial perspective view showing the housing of Figure 2 modified by the addition of an internal stabilizing arm. FIGURE 5 is a partial perspective view of the generally triangular wiper blade element for sliding engagement with the housings of Figures 2 and 4 in three different orientations.

FIGURES 6A through 6F are different proposed profiles for the wiper blade element of Figure 5, where the ends of the respective outwardly extending arms are differently configured for varying applications.

FIGURE 7 is a partial perspective view of a second embodiment for the improved wiping blade element of this invention, where the housing mounts a fixed handle to manually manipulate the assembly as a squeegee.

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a modified wiper blade element, showing a thinner profile for said element, and a second embodiment for the blade harness. FIGURE 9 is a partial perspective view of a further embodiment for the assembly hereof, where the blade element comprises a central core with plural elastomeric blade members extending radially therefrom, and the central core includes means for engaging the blade harness.

FIGURE 10 is a partial perspective view, similar to Figure 9, showing the blade harness partially protecting the inoperative blade members.

FIGURE 11 is a partial perspective view, similar to Figures 9 and 10, showing the blade harness wrapped around for protection of the wiping edges of the inoperative blade members. FIGURE 12 is a partial perspective view, similar to Figure 11, showing a modified arrangement for joining the central core to the blade harness.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment The present invention is directed to an extended life wiper blade assembly that in a first embodiment is an improved automotive wiper blade element, and as a second embodiment a new hand held squeegee, where the removable wiper blade element offers three wiping edges by proper orientation of the blade element within a housing or harness. Additionally, there are several improvements to the harness, particularly as to the application for automobiles. The various embodiments and improvements will now be described with regard to the several Figures where like reference numerals represent like components or features throughout the various views. Turning first to Figure 1, presented for purposes of background information, there is illustrated an exemplary automotive wiper blade system 10 comprising a pivoting arm 12, generally there are two working in tandem to clear the viewing area of a windshield, a pair of flexible arms 14, where the respective ends 16 mount claws or opposing fingers 18. The claws or opposing fingers, four being shown in Figure 1, define a series of aligned slots for slidably receiving a conventional automotive wiper blade, as known in the art. It is not unusual during the life of a car that the wiper blades will have to be changed a number of times. Thus, this presents a major reason for the need in developing the multi use triple blade assembly of this invention. Figure 2 illustrates a first embodiment for a housing 20, forming a part of the triple blade assembly of the invention, to receive and contain the triple blade element 22, see Figure 5. The housing 20, preferably formed of plastic, such as by ejection molding, comprises a generally planar base 24 having a pair of side walls 26, where the width of the base is of a size to be slidably received into the aligned claws or opposed fingers 18. Along the side walls 26 are a pair of inwardly directed slots 28 for engaging the fingers 18. A further feature of most wiper blade assemblies, as known in the art, includes means for temporarily locking the assemblies to the claws 18 against premature sliding movement of the wiping blade. In Figure 2 a swivel tab 30 is shown, which cooperates with a stop 32 at the opposite end to prevent premature movement.

Converging from the base 24 are a pair of angled side walls 34 terminating at free ends 36 in an elongated opening 38, or slot, to define a channel 40, the purpose of which will become apparent later. Further, since it is imperative that the housing be flexible to accommodate a curved windshield, and to ensure contact ith the glass surface during operation of the wiper system, the respective side walls 34 may include several spaced apart corrugated sections 42, see also Figure 4, which help to facilitate flexing of the housing 20. Extending inwardly from each free end 36 is an angled arm 44, where the distal end of the arm preferably features a beaded rib 46. In a preferred embodiment, the angular relationship between the respective arms 44 is 120 degrees. Figure 4 illustrates the inclusion of an optional third stabilizing arm 48 extending downwardly from the base 20, where the preferred angle of said arm to the angled arms 44 is also about 120 degrees.

Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of a preferred triple wiper blade element 22 for sliding engagement in the elongated channel 40. The triple wiper blade element 22 is formed of rubber, or a rubber-like substance, and is generally triangular in cross section, featuring three equal curved sides 50, where such sides are separated by a radially extending rib 52, which functions as the wiping edge for the system of this invention. Intermediate each of the curved sides is an inward, radial slot 54, where the internal end thereof is an expanded circular end 56. The slot 54 and end 56 are sized to slidably receive the arms 44, and optional arm 48, see Figure 4. Where the windshield to which the assembly hereof will be applied is quite curved, a series of V notches 58 (Figure 1) may be made to the housing 20, specifically 34, 44, and 46. Figures 6A through 6F illustrate different shapes or profiles for the distal end of the rib 52. For example, Figure 6A shows a conventional straight edge 60A. However, there may be applications where different end profiles may be desired, such as a broadened end 60B and 60F, or a flared end as shown in Figures 6C - 6E.

While a preferred embodiment for the assembly hereof is as a wiper blade for an automotive wiper blade system, as shown in Figures I through 5, Figure 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment. In this embodiment, a fixed, hand held handle 62 extends from the housing base 24, where the device may be used as a squeegee for cleaning windows. With either embodiment, a versatile wiping blade assembly is presented. Extended life is gained by the ability to readily orient the triple wiping element to expose a selected rib edge 52, or modified edge, see Figures 6 A - 6F, as desired. Returning to Figure 5, the assembly of this invention is accomplished by aligning the triple blade element 22 with the housing 20. That is, the user decides which rib 52 is to be the wiping element of choice, with such rib 52 extending downward, the respective slots 54 are aligned with arms 44, and arm 48, if present, and the triple blade element 22 is inserted into the channel 40, see Figure 7 showing the element fully inserted therein.

Figure 8 is an alternate embodiment illustrating a low profile triple blade element 60 to the triple blade element 22 of Figure 5, and a modified harness 62 for mounting to the conventional automotive wiper arms, as discussed relative to Figure 1. The triple blade element 60 comprises an integral body 64 having three radially extending, elongated ribs 66, the blade wiping edges, where adjacent said ribs are joined by concave surfaces 68. Intermediate each said concave surface is an elongated T-shaped extension 70 for slidably engaging the convex surface 72 and channel 74 of the harness 62. The harness 62 features a pair of wrap around edges 76 which function to provide protection to the nonoperating wiping ribs. The upper surface 78 includes a T-configured upright portion 80 for engaging the claws of the conventional pivoting arms of the wiper assembly, as discussed above. Finally, a locking tab 82, as noted above with respect to Figure 2 may be provided.

Figures 9 through 12 illustrate a further embodiment to the wiper element assembly, and to the supporting harness. Turning first to Figure 9, the wiper assembly 84 comprises an elongated central core 86, fabricated from plastic, such as TEFLON, a trademark. The elongated core 86 includes two sets of inwardly directed, axially extending slots 88, 90, where the slots within a given set are radially angled at about 120 degrees from one another, and the slots of the second set are intermediate the slots of the first set. In this embodiment, the first said set of slots 88 are T-shaped, and the second set of slots 90 have parallel sides 92 terminating in a broadened circle 94. Additionally, the periphery 96 of the elongated core 86 includes three axially extending channels 98 from which the first set of slots extend inwardly. For cooperative engagement with the first said set of slots, i.e. T- shaped slots, are complementary, elastomeric blade elements 100 having a tapered end 102 to function as the wiping edge, and a base 104 shaped to lie within a respective said channel 98. Midway along the base 104 is an axially extending T-shaped head 106 for sliding engagement with a complementary T-shaped slot 88. For attachment to the overlying harness 108, the lower surface 110 includes a complementary, elongated, axially extending rib 112 for sliding engagement with a selected slot 90. Further, the harness 108 may include a metal tap 114 to lock the wiper assembly 84. Figures 10 and 11 illustrate modifications to the harness shown in

Figure 9. The lateral harness sides 116, 118, Figures 10 and 11, respectively, show a partial and full wrap around the wiping edges of the unused tapered ends 102. This protection can be helpful in the event of snow and ice. Figure 12 is a modification of the embodiment of Figure 11. In this embodiment, the central core 120 includes axially extending ribs 122, replacing the second set of slots 90 (Figure 9). Concurrently, the lower surface 124 of the harness includes a complementary, elongated, axially extending slot 126 configured to slidably engage a selected said rib 122.

It is recognized that changes, modifications and variations may be made to the wiper blade assembly of this invention, particularly by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Accordingly, no limitation is intended to be imposed on the assembly of this invention except as set forth in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. In combination with an automotive windshield wiper system having a reciprocating arm mounting a pair of bracket members, where each said bracket member comprises a U-shaped arm terminating at each respective free end in aligned C-shaped claws for slidably receiving a wiper blade element, a triple wiper blade assembly comprising: a.) a flexible, elongated, harness having an upper surface for slidably engaging said C-shaped claws, and a lower surface for slidably engaging an elongated, generally triangular shaped, rubber-like element; and, b.) said elongated, generally triangular shaped, rubber-like wiper element for sliding engagement with said harness, said rubber-like wiper element comprising a low profile body having a core with three radial, outwardly extending arms uniformly spaced thereabout, and means for sliding engagement with complementary means along said lower surface, whereby said rubber-like wiper element may be oriented relative to said harness to expose one of said outwardly extending arms away from said harness.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said wiper element is an integral unit fabricated of a rubber-like material.

3. The combination according to claim 1 , wherein said wiper element comprises a central plastic core having a periphery mounting plural, radially extending, rubber-like wiping members, and said central core includes means for slidably engaging said lower surface.

4. The combination according to claim 3, including three rubber-like wiping members disposed about 120 degrees from one another about said periphery of said central core, where said periphery further includes an elongated channel, defined by a base and opposing side walls, for receiving each said rubber-like wiping member.

5. The combination according to claim 4, wherein an operable rubber-like wiping member is oriented essentially perpendicularly to said harness, and the inoperable rubber-like wiping members are protected by overlapping extensions from said harness.

6. The combination according to claim 4, wherein said wiping members comprise a base and a tapered wiping edge, and said base includes an outwardly extending, elongated configured rib, and said central core includes an elongated slot complementarity configured to receive said configured rib.

7. The combination according to claim 6, wherein said . configured rib is T-shaped.

8. The combination according to claim 6, wherein said wiping member base is shaped to lie contiguous with said channel base and said opposing side walls.

9. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said lower surface of said harness includes an elongated configured rib, and said central core includes a complementarily shaped elongated slot for slidably receiving said configured rib.

10. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said lower surface of said harness includes an elongated configured slot, and said central core includes a complementarily shaped, outwardly extending rib for slidably engaging said configured slot.