BEAM BLADE WINDSHIELD WIPER ASSEMBLY HAVING A FLUID MANIFOLD MOUNTING SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A beam blade windshield wiper assembly comprising:
- a wiping element that contacts the surface to be wiped;
at least one elongated beam operatively attached to said wiping element and having a pair of longitudinal ends;
an airfoil assembly operatively supported on said elongated beam;
a fluid manifold for distributing fluid across the surface to be wiped, said manifold having an inlet in fluid communication with a source of fluid, a plurality of outlets disposed along the longitudinal length of said manifold and an internal passage extending between said inlet and said plurality of outlets; and
a fluid manifold mounting system adapted to support said fluid manifold on said elongated beam.
20 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A beam blade windshield wiper assembly including a wiping element that contacts the surface of the vehicle to be wiped. An elongated beam is operatively attached to the wiping element and has a pair of longitudinal ends. An airfoil assembly is operatively supported on the elongated beam. The assembly also includes a fluid manifold for distributing fluid across the surface to be wiped. The manifold has an inlet in fluid communication with a source of fluid, a plurality of outlets disposed along the longitudinal length of the manifold and an internal passage extending between the inlet and the outlets. A fluid manifold mounting system is adapted to support the fluid manifold on the elongated beam.
22 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A beam blade windshield wiper assembly comprising:
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a wiping element that contacts the surface to be wiped; at least one elongated beam operatively attached to said wiping element and having a pair of longitudinal ends; an airfoil assembly operatively supported on said elongated beam; a fluid manifold for distributing fluid across the surface to be wiped, said manifold having an inlet in fluid communication with a source of fluid, a plurality of outlets disposed along the longitudinal length of said manifold and an internal passage extending between said inlet and said plurality of outlets; and a fluid manifold mounting system adapted to support said fluid manifold on said elongated beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A beam blade windshield wiper assembly comprising:
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a wiping element that contacts the surface to be wiped; at least one elongated beam operatively attached to said wiping element having a pair of longitudinal ends; a coupler mounted to said elongated beam between said longitudinal ends of said elongated beam, said coupler including first and second ends and acting to interconnect said wiper assembly to a wiper arm; an airfoil assembly operatively supported on said elongated beam, said airfoil assembly having two segments with one of each of the two segments disposed between said coupler and one of said pair of longitudinal ends of said elongated beam; a fluid manifold for distributing fluid across the surface to be wiped, said manifold having an inlet in fluid communication with a source of fluid, a plurality of outlets disposed along the longitudinal length of said manifold and an internal passage extending between said inlet and said plurality of outlets; and a fluid manifold mounting system adapted to support said fluid manifold on said elongated beam, said fluid manifold system including a pair of bodies adapted to be operatively mounted to said elongated beam, each body being disposed between said first and second ends of said coupler and an adjacent segment of said airfoil assembly in nesting relation thereto, a clip portion adapted to removably support said fluid manifold relative to said body, and a stabilizer extending between and interconnecting said body and said clip portion of said manifold mounting system. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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13. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said two segments of said airfoil assembly have a contoured profile, said first and second ends of said coupler have a contoured exterior surface that substantially corresponds to said contoured profile of said two segments of said airfoil assembly, said body of said manifold mounting system defining a spoiler portion that substantially corresponds to said contoured profile of said airfoil segments and said contoured exterior surface of said coupler, said spoiler portion adapted to utilize air flow to increase downward force on said windshield wiper assembly during operational movement across the surface to be wiped.
Specification