WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADE STRUCTURE

• US 20100242204A1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unipoint Electric MFG Company Limited (Victory Industrial Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Unipoint Electric MFG Company Limited (Victory Industrial Corporation)
• Inventors: CHIEN, CHING CHUAN
• Granted Patent: US 8,544,139 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/250.201
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/381 Spoilers mounted on the squeegee or on the vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3881 in additional element, e.g. spoiler
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3891 with locking device
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/382 the backing strip being an essentially planar reinforcing strip, e.g. vertebra

Abstract

A windshield wiper blade structure includes a support strip, a wiper strip disposed below the support strip, two flexible strips set on two sides of the wiper strip, a set of clamping elements downward extended through holes formed on the support strip to clamp the support strip, the flexible strips and the wiper strip together, two wind deflector strips disposed on a top of the support strip, two elastic locking elements each including two elastic arms separately fitted near two opposite ends of the support strip, and two end caps detachably connected to the two ends of the support strip and each internally provided with two notches engaged with the elastic arms. By compressing the elastic arms toward each other to disengage them from the notches, the end caps can be removed from the support strip to allow replacement of the wiper strip with a new one.

Claims

1. A windshield wiper blade structure, comprising:

a support strip;

a wiper strip being disposed on a first face of the support strip;

a set of wind deflector strips being disposed on a second face of the support strip opposite to the wiper strip; and

a binding component;

wherein the binding component is pressed to fitted into two longitudinally opposite end of the support strip, and then the binding component is released to its original state so as to lock the binding component into the two longitudinally opposite ends of the support strip.

2. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binding component includes a pair of elastic locking elements and a pair of end caps;

each of the elastic locking elements including two elastic arms being fixed to two opposite lateral sides of the support strip near one of the two longitudinally opposite ends of the support strip, and each of the end caps being configured for detachably connecting to one of the two longitudinally opposite ends of the support strip;

whereby by compressing the two elastic arms toward each other to thereby move the elastic arms into the corresponding end cap and then releasing the elastic arms to allow them to expand outward, the elastic arms can engage with the end cap to lock the same in place.

3. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the end caps is provided at predetermined positions with two notches, and the released elastic arms of each of the elastic locking elements are extending into the notches to engage therewith.

4. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the end caps includes a main body and a shell covering the main body;

and the notches are formed on an inner side of the shell.

5. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein a space is formed between each of two opposite lateral sides of the main body and the inner side of the shell, and the space is larger than a thickness of each of the elastic arms.

6. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the elastic arms each have a free edge being further extended to provide a push portion, such that the push portions are projected from the notches when the elastic arms are extended into and engaged with the notches.

7. A windshield wiper blade structure, comprising:

a support strip;

a wiper strip being disposed on a first face of the support strip;

a set of wind deflector strips being disposed on a second face of the support strip opposite to the wiper strip; and

a binding component, which includes;

a pair of elastic locking elements being fixed to two opposite lateral sides of the support strip near two longitudinally opposite ends thereof; and

a pair of end caps being detachably connected to the two longitudinally opposite ends of the support strip;

whereby, by compressing the two elastic locking elements to deform them and then releasing them, the elastic locking elements can restore to an original state thereof and become engaged with the end caps to lock the end caps thereto.

8. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the elastic locking elements has two downward extended lateral sides to form two elastic arms, and each of the two end caps is provided on an inner side with two notches corresponding to the two elastic arms;

whereby by compressing the two elastic arms toward each other to thereby move the elastic arms into the corresponding end cap and then releasing the elastic arms to allow them to expand outward, the elastic arms can be engaged with the notches on the end cap.

9. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the support strip is provided with a longitudinally extended long slit, one of two opposite ends of the long slit extending through one end of the two ends of the support strip to forms an open end, and the other end of the long slit ending near the other end of the support strip without extending therethrough, so that a stopper portion is formed at the other end of the support strip.

10. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the support strip has an expanded through hole and a longitudinally extended long slit provided thereon;

the long slit having two ends extending toward the two longitudinally opposite ends of the support strip without extending therethrough, while one of the two ends of the long slit being communicating with the expanded through hole; and

wherein an upper part of the wiper strip is longitudinally set in the long slit.

11. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the set of wind deflector strips includes two wind deflector strips, and each of the two wind deflector strips has a plurality of guide rails being separately formed at two lower lateral edges thereof, so that the wiper strip is connected to the wind deflector strips by inserting an upper part of the wiper strip into and between the two guide rails.

12. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the set of wind deflector strips includes two wind deflector strips, and each of the two wind deflector strips has a longitudinally extended insertion channel, into which the support strip is inserted.

13. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the end caps includes a main body and a shell covering the main body therein, and the notches are formed on an inner side of the shell.

14. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 13, wherein a space is formed between each of two opposite lateral sides of the main body and the shell, and the space is larger than a thickness of each of the elastic arms.

15. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the elastic arms each have a free edge being further extended to provide a push portion, such that the push portions are projected from the notches when the elastic arms are extended into and engaged with the notches.

16. A windshield wiper blade structure, comprising:

a support strip being formed with a plurality of holes;

a wiper strip being disposed on a first face of the support strip;

a set of flexible strips being set on two opposite lateral sides of the wiper strip;

a set of clamping elements being extended through the plurality of holes on the support strip to thereby clamp the support strip, the flexible strips and the wiper strip together to form an integral body;

a set of wind deflector strips being disposed on a second face of the support strip opposite to the wiper strip; and

a binding component;

wherein the binding component can be compressed to deform, so as to be fitted to two longitudinally opposite ends of the support strip, and the binding component can be then released to restore to its original state and become locked to the two longitudinally opposite ends of the support strip.

17. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 16, wherein the binding component includes a pair of elastic locking elements and a pair of end caps;

each of the elastic locking elements including two elastic arms being fixed to two opposite lateral sides of the support strip near one of the two longitudinally opposite ends thereof, and each of the end caps being configured for detachably connecting to one of the two longitudinally opposite ends of the support strip;

whereby by compressing the two elastic arms toward each other to thereby move the elastic arms into the corresponding end cap and then releasing the elastic arms to allow them to expand outward, the elastic arms can engage with the end cap to lock the same in place.

18. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 17, wherein each of the end caps is provided at predetermined positions with two notches, and the released elastic arms of each of the elastic locking elements are extending into the notches to engage therewith.

19. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 18, wherein each of the end caps includes a main body and a shell covering the main body;

and the notches are formed on an inner side of the shell.

20. The windshield wiper blade structure as claimed in claim 19, wherein a space is formed between each of two opposite lateral sides of the main body and the inner side of the shell, and the space is larger than a thickness of each of the elastic arms.