Spoilerless flat wiper blade assembly

• US 7,992,248 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2008
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal-Mogul, LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Federal-Mogul Corporation (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koppen, Scott Allen, Lytle, James Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham; Gary K
• Application Number:
  US12/124,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20090044365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 152/503.2, 152/504.3, 152/504.4, 152/502.01, 152/503.61, 15250451-250454
• US Class Current: 15/250.32
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3851 Mounting of connector to blade assembly
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3867 pin formed on the interior of side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3879 placed in side grooves in the squeegee
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3887 Mounting of end caps
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/40 Connections between blades and arms
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/382 the backing strip being an essentially planar reinforcing strip, e.g. vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/3843 equipped with removable cover or protective elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49876 by snap fit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49895 Associating parts by use of aligning means [e.g., use of a drift pin or a "fixture"]

Abstract

A wiper blade assembly has a resilient wiper element with a crown having lengthwise grooves and a tip for wiping a window. An arcuate metal flexor has inner edges disposed in the grooves of the crown and outer edges. An elongate cover has an upper wall and a pair of flanges curled inwardly in spaced relation from the upper wall to provide elongate channels. The outer edges of the flexor are disposed in the channels. The connector is configured for attachment to a wiper arm, and has a lower surface with a pair of flanges curled in spaced relation from the lower surface to provide opposite facing pockets that slidingly receive the cover flanges therein. A projection on one of the connector or the cover is received in an opening of the other of the connector or the cover to lock the connector to the cover.

Claims

1. A wiper blade assembly, comprising:

a resilient wiper element having a crown with longitudinally extending grooves therein, and a neck extending from said crown to a body having a tip for engaging a window;

an elongate flat metal flexor having a predetermined curvature, said flexor having inwardly facing edges and outwardly facing edges, with said inwardly facing edges being releasably disposed in each of said grooves of said wiper element crown;

an elongate polymeric cover having a substantially flat elongate upper wall extending between opposite ends and a pair of flanges curled inwardly toward one another in spaced relation from said upper wall to provide elongate channels between said flanges and said upper wall, said upper wall having one of an opening or a protrusion between said opposite ends with said outwardly facing edges of said flexor being releasably disposed in said channels; and

a connector adapted for attachment to a wiper arm, said connector having a lower surface for engagement with said upper wall of said cover and a pair of flanges curled toward one another in spaced relation from said lower surface to provide opposite facing pockets slidingly receiving at least a portion of said flanges of said cover therein, said lower surface having the other of said opening or protrusion, said opening and protrusion being configured to engage one another to lock said connector to said cover.

2. The wiper blade assembly of claim 1 wherein said upper wall of said cover has said opening and said connector has said protrusion, said protrusion depending from said lower surface and being snappingly received in said opening to lock said connector and said cover against relative movement with one another.

3. The wiper blade assembly of claim 2 wherein said protrusion extends through said opening and engages said crown of said wiper element to prevent relative movement between said wiper element, said cover and said connector.

4. The wiper blade assembly of claim 2 wherein said flexor includes a pair of flexors of separate strips of metal, each of said strips having one of said inwardly facing edge and outwardly facing edge.

5. The wiper blade assembly of claim 4 wherein said cover has first heat staked protrusions extending into said channels of said cover to obstruct said flexors from moving out of said channels.

6. The wiper blade assembly of claim 5 wherein said cover has second heat staked protrusions extending downwardly from said upper wall confronting said crown of said wiper element to prevent said wiper element from moving relative to said cover.

7. The wiper blade assembly of claim 5 wherein said first heat staked protrusions are formed in said upper wall of said cover.

8. The wiper blade assembly of claim 5 wherein said first heat staked protrusion are formed in said flanges of said cover.

9. The wiper blade assembly of claim 4 wherein each of said flexors has an indentation extending to said inwardly facing edges and a portion of said crown is disposed in said indentations upon said protrusion being snappingly received in said opening.

10. The wiper blade assembly of claim 4 wherein each of said flexors has a notch extending into said inwardly facing edge and further including providing an end cap having a pair of tabs snappingly received in said notches to prevent relative movement between the flexor, the wiper element and the cover.

11. A wiper blade assembly, comprising:

a resilient elongate wiper element having a crown with longitudinally extending grooves facing opposite one another and a tip for wipingly engaging a window;

a pair of elongate, arcuate metal flexors, said flexors having inwardly facing edges and outwardly facing edges extending along the length of said flexors, said inwardly facing edges being disposed in each of said grooves of said wiper element crown;

an elongate polymeric cover having a substantially flat elongate upper wall extending between opposite ends with an opening extending through said upper wall and a pair of flanges curled inwardly toward one another in spaced relation from said upper wall providing channels between said flanges and said upper wall, said channels receiving said outwardly facing edges of said flexors; and

a connector adapted for attachment to a wiper arm, said connector having a lower surface for engagement with said upper wall of said cover and a pair of flanges curled inwardly toward one another in spaced relation from said lower surface to provide opposite facing pockets slidingly receiving at least a portion of said flanges of said cover therein, said lower surface having a protrusion depending therefrom and being disposed through said opening to lock said connector to said cover.

12. The wiper blade assembly of claim 11 wherein said protrusion engages said crown of said wiper element to prevent relative movement between said wiper element, said cover and said connector.

13. The wiper blade assembly of claim 12 wherein said protrusion causes said crown to engage said flexors to prevent relative movement between said flexors, said wiper element, said cover and said connector.