Boneless wiper blade

• US 8,413,291 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2009
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xiamen Meto Auto Parts Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Xiamen Meto Auto Parts Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Wu, Sheng-Zhu
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAHAM, GARY K
• Application Number:
  US12/557,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20110056041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 152/502.01, 152/504.3, 152/504.4, 152/503.61, 15250451-250454, 152/503.2
• 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 1/3858 with protrusions cooperating with holes
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/387 the connector being suitable for receiving different types of adapter
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3879 placed in side grooves in the squeegee
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4003 Multi-purpose connections for two or more kinds of arm ends
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4019 the retention means being protrusions or holes
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4074 with means provided on the blade for locking the side pin
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4087 the end being provided with protrusions or holes
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/4022 the element being provided with a locking element movable thereon
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/4051 the intermediate element engaging the side walls of the arm
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/4054 the intermediate element engaging the back part of the arm

Abstract

The prevent invention discloses a boneless wiper blade, which mainly consists of a pivot socket, two end ferrules, spring steel sheet and rubber strip, wherein the spring steel sheet is used to support and fix the rubber strip, and the pivot socket, on which the connecting adaptors are installed to connect with wiper arms, is mounted on the center of the spring steel sheet and the rubber strip, with end ferrules mounted at both ends of them. The upper part of the wind-pressure sheathes featuring specially curved surface is designed to prevent the wiper blade from lifting off from the surface of the windshield at highway speeds. The said spring steel sheet is so parabolically designed that the rubber strip can firmly and closely contact the various windshield glasses. Both connecting structures between the connecting adaptor and the pivot socket, and the pivot socket and the spring steel sheet and rubber strip are removable, it is same with the connecting structure between end ferrule and spring steel sheet and rubber strip. In this way, it is easy to assemble, dismount and replace them, and even facilitate use of them. The wiper blade has strong compatibility in that the pivot socket can be mounted with various kinds of connecting adaptors to be compatible with multiple wiper arm configurations.

Claims

1. A boneless wiper blade comprising a pivot socket, two end ferrules, a spring steel sheet and a rubber strip, wherein the spring steel sheet is used to support and fix the rubber strip, and the pivot socket, on which a connecting adaptor is installed to connect with wiper arms, is installed on a center of the spring steel sheet and the rubber strip, with the two end ferrules mounted at both ends of the spring steel sheet and the rubber strip;

characterized in that a crest section of each end ferrule is eccentrically set so that a longer side of the crest section forms an inwardly curved surface;

the crest section and the curved surface is integrated as a smooth curve;

an externally curved surface, whose cross section is upwardly convex arc-shaped and integrated with the crest section and the curved surface, is provided at an outer end of each end ferrule;

the spring steel sheet is in parabolic shape with a gradually changing curvature, and has no arch section joint;

one piece of the spring steel sheet is placed on the rubber strip which features first grooves and second grooves longitudinally at both ends;

two spacers are mounted into the first grooves, and barbs of several clips are threaded through square holes in the spring steel sheet, and fitted into the second grooves to assemble the spring steel sheet, the rubber strip and the spacers together.

2. A boneless wiper blade as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each of said end ferrules has inwardly kinked grooves at its lower part to fit onto both ends of the spring steel sheet;

the grooves have sticking points at their external ends, which fit into gaps at both sides of both ends of the spring steel sheet;

the end ferrules have downwardly extended higher sides at their respective external ends.

3. A boneless wiper blade as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the pivot socket has two walls, between which an inner groove is formed, and has a column;

the pivot socket has a slot and slot points at a lower part, and the slot fits onto both sides of a middle part of the spring steel sheet;

the spring steel sheet has a slot at its middle part to fit onto the slot point at the lower part of the pivot socket.

4. A boneless wiper blade as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said pivot socket can be removably connected to a first connecting adaptor, wherein the adaptor has a slot with a downward opening provided at its lower part to match the column of the pivot socket;

a square hole is provided at a back end within a notch which is formed within the first connecting adaptor, and a round hole is provided at an upper wall of the square hole to match a flat-type wiper arm;

a gap is provided nearly at an upper part of the first connecting adaptor, and a clamp column which matches the gap is provided on a connecting adaptor cover which is pivoted to the adaptor, and also a block piece is provided at an inner side of the cover to fix a hook-type wiper arm;

a wedge is provided in front of the slot in the first connecting adaptor.

5. A boneless wiper blade as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that a socket cover is provided over the pivot socket, which is, in turn, covered by a square hole provided at a middle of the socket cover, and both ends of the socket cover are formed into curved surfaces similar to that of inside ends of the end ferrules to cover such inside ends;

a hook section is provided at a lower part of the socket cover to hook a lower part of the pivot socket and end ferrules.