Wiper blade for motor vehicle windshields

• US 6,308,373 B1
• Filed: 02/09/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Merkel, Wilfried, Kotlarski, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham, Gary K.
• Application Number:
  US09/011,286
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 152/504.51, 152/504.52, 152/504.53, 152/503.2, 152/504.3, 152/503.61
• US Class Current: 15/250.43
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/38 Wiper blades provided with liquid spreading means B60S1/524; provided with gas spreading means B60S1/546
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3856 Gripping the blade
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3879 placed in side grooves in the squeegee
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4006 for arms provided with a hook-shaped end
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/382 the backing strip being an essentially planar reinforcing strip, e.g. vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/3822 characterised by additional means to prevent longitudinal sliding of squeegee in support, e.g. clips

Abstract

A wiper blade is proposed, which is used to clean motor vehicle windows. The wiper blade has an elastic, elongated load bearing element for an elongated wiper strip, made of a flexible material, that can be pressed against the window to be washed, which strip, on its long sides, has longitudinal grooves facing one another, in which spaced-apart longitudinal rails of the load bearing element are located, whose middle portion has a connection device for a driven wiper arm, and the cross section of the two longitudinal rails decreases from its middle region out toward the ends of the rails. A wiper blade that is especially easy to mount is obtained if the load bearing element takes the form of a hairpin, the two legs of which form the longitudinal rails, and the free ends of the two longitudinal rails are held together, in particular being joined together, by stabilizing means embodied as a separate component.

Claims

1. A wiper blade for motor vehicle windows, comprising an elongated wiper strip adapted to be pressed against a window to be washed, said wiper strip having a wiper strip body and being composed of a fexible material, said wiper strip on its long sides being provided with longitudinal grooves facing one another;

an elastic, elongated load bearing element having space-apart longitudinal rails located in said longitudinal grooves of said wiper strip;

a one piece connection device provided only in a middle portion of said load bearing element for a driven wiper arm and mounted directly to said load bearing element, said connection device having an elongate planar bottom wall defining an upper and lower surface with walls extending upwardly from said upper surface, said lower surface engaging said wiper strip body, each end of said bottom wall having an intermediate clamp thereon extending downwardly which engages said spaced rails, said load bearing element being formed as a hair pin with two legs which form said longitudinal rails having free ends;

stabilizing means holding at least said free ends of said longitudinal rails together and formed as a separate component, said separate component being formed as a first clamp located at said free ends.

2. A wiper blade as defined in claim 1, wherein said longitudinal rails have a transverse cross-section decreasing from a middle region toward ends of said rails.

3. A wiper blade as defined in claim 1, wherein said load bearing element has a reducing transverse cross-section such that a width of said load bearing element reduces with a greater width located in a middle portion of said load bearing element.

4. A wiper blade as defined in claim 1, wherein said load bearing element has a reducing transverse cross-section so that a thickness of said load bearing element reduces with a greater thickness located in a middle portion of said load bearing element.

5. A wiper blade as defined in claim 1, wherein said first clamp is joined to said longitudinal rails of said load bearing elements.

6. A wiper blade as defined in claim 1, and further comprising a strut which forms a base of said hair pin.

7. A wiper blade as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of said clamps has claw attachments formed so that said at least one clamp together with said claw attachments fits around long edges of said longitudinal rails.

8. A wiper blade as defined in claim 1, wherein said load bearing element is composed of spring band steel.