Windscreen wiper device

• US 8,505,152 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2011
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trico Belgium SA
• Original Assignee: Federal-Mogul SA (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boland, Xavier
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAHAM, GARY K
• Application Number:
  US13/160,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20110239396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 152/503.2, 152/503.1, 152/504.3, 152/504.4, 152/503.51, 152/502.01, 403/326, 403/329
• US Class Current: 15/250.32
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3848 Flat-type wiper blade, i.e. without harness
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/40 Connections between blades and arms
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4038 for arms provided with a channel-shaped end
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4045 comprising a detachable intermediate element mounted on the channel-shaped end
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/4048 the element being provided with retention means co-operating with the channel-shaped end of the arm
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/42 resilient
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/22 Arrangements for sorting or merging computer data on continuous record carriers, e.g. tape, drum, disc
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/606 Leaf spring

Abstract

A windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade includes opposing longitudinal groove on its longitudinal sides, in which grooves spaced-apart longitudinal strips of the carrier element are disposed, wherein neighboring ends of said longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connection piece, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating arm, wherein said oscillating arm is pivotally connected to said connecting device about a pivot axis near one end, with the interposition of a joint part, wherein said joint part comprises at least one resilient tongue engaging in a correspondingly shaped hole provided in said oscillating arm, and wherein said resilient tongue is rotatable along an hinge axis between an outward position retaining the wiper blade onto the oscillating arm and an inward position releasing the wiper blade form the oscillating arm, characterized in that said resilient tongue is forced in the outward position under the influence of a moment in case a force is exerted on the wiper blade in a direction away from the oscillating arm.

Claims

1. A windscreen wiper comprising:

a longitudinally extending wiper element and support structure supporting said wiper element;

a generally u-shaped joint part pivotally connected to said support structure for relative pivotal movement about a pivot axis transverse to said longitudinal direction of said wiper element;

said joint part including a top wall, two side walls, an open bottom and opposite longitudinal ends spaced from said pivot axis;

said joint part including at least one resilient latching tongue formed in at least one of said walls having an integral hinge adjacent one of said ends and extending therefrom to an opposite free end of said tongue; and

wherein said free end of said resilient tongue is disposed longitudinally between said hinge axis of said tongue and said pivot axis of said joint part and each of said free end and said integral hinge are arranged closer to said one end than they are to said pivot axis.

2. A windscreen wiper comprising:

a longitudinally extending wiper element and support structure supporting said wiper element said support structure being in the form of at least one spring elastic band of metal pre-shaped to impart a curvature to the wiper element when in a relaxed state but elastically flexible to enable the wiper element to conform to the shape of a windscreen to be wiped;

a joint part pivotally connected to said support structure for relative pivotal movement about a pivot axis transverse to said longitudinal direction of said wiper element;

said joint part being generally u-shaped and having a top wall, two side walls and an open bottom and including opposite longitudinal ends spaced from said pivot axis;

said joint part including at least one resilient latching tongue having an integral hinge adjacent one of said ends and extending therefrom to an opposite free end of said tongue in a direction toward the opposite end of said joint part; and

wherein said free end and said integral hinge of said latching tongue are each arranged closer to said one end than they are to said pivot axis.