Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Attachments – Optical-member-attachable cleaner
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-09
2001-10-30
Graham, Gary K. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Attachments
Optical-member-attachable cleaner
C015S250451, C015S250320
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308373
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based on a wiper blade. In a known wiper blade of this type (German Patent Application DE 26 14 457 A1), the load bearing element that distributes the contact pressure of the wiper blade on the window over the entire length of the wiper strip is provided with a slitlike longitudinal opening, through which a longitudinal rib of the wiper strip body extends outward from one side of the load bearing element, and its free end is thickened in such a way that on the other side it forms a retaining or securing means to prevent unintended loosening of the wiper strip from the load bearing element. The longitudinal rails of the load bearing element come to rest in longitudinal grooves of the wiper strip, which grooves are defined on their long sides on the one hand by the body of the wiper strip and on the other by the thickening of the longitudinal rib. For mounting the wiper strip to the load bearing element, the wiper strip must be threaded by hand into its longitudinal slit through a partial widening thereof, but this is very complicated and tedious and thus expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In keeping with these objects, the wiper blade in accordance with the present invention has a load bearing element formed as a hairpin with two legs forming longitudinal rails, the free ends of the longitudinal rails are held together by stabilizing means formed as a separate component, and the separate component is a clamp which is compressable so as to form a wiper blade body and thereby to secure the clamp on the wiper strip.
Because of the embodiment of the load bearing element in the shape of a hairpin, there is an open mouth of the longitudinal slit on one end of the load bearing element, which enables simple and possibly even automatic mounting of the wiper strip on the load bearing element. The disposition and securing of the clamps, made as mass-produced parts, to the free ends of the longitudinal rails can also be done by means of an automatic assembler.
A cross-sectional reduction in the load bearing element can be attained especially simply and hence economically if it is realized by reducing the width or of the load bearing element, with the greatest width located in the middle portion of the load bearing element.
However, such a cross-sectional reduction of the load bearing element can also be attained, however, by reducing the thickness of the load bearing element, with the greatest thickness located in the middle portion of the load bearing element.
Depending on the selection of materials for the clamp of the embodied stabilizing means, it can be expedient if this means is joined to the longitudinal rails nonpositively or positively. Naturally, a connection that is both nonpositive and positive is also possible.
If the longitudinal length of the load bearing element exceeds a certain amount, causing a certain instability of the longitudinal rails, the requisite stability of the load bearing element can be assured by providing that at least one further intermediate clamp is disposed between the clamp that is disposed on the free ends of the longitudinal rails and a strut that forms the base of the hairpin shape; this intermediate clamp, with claw attachments, fits around the long edges, remote from one another, of the longitudinal rails.
A further simplification of the wiper blade is obtained if in a feature of the invention the further clamp is equipped with a connection device for the driven wiper arm.
If at least the longitudinal rails of the load bearing element are made from spring band steel, then a wiper blade with an especially low structure can be attained, which has good properties in terms of the flow conditions of the oncoming air that exist ahead of the windshield.
Further advantages of and improvements to the wiper blade can be learned from the ensuing description of an exemplary embodiment, which will be described in conjunction with the drawing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3035298 (1962-05-01), Scinta
patent: 3192551 (1965-07-01), Appel
patent: 3430285 (1969-03-01), Rickett
patent: 3626544 (1971-12-01), Lopez et al.
patent: 3659310 (1972-05-01), Rosen
patent: 3696497 (1972-10-01), Quinlan
patent: 4336625 (1982-06-01), Maiocco
patent: 276738 (1965-06-01), None
patent: 1446657 (1996-06-01), None
patent: 862036 (1961-03-01), None
Kotlarski Thomas
Merkel Wilfried
Graham Gary K.
Robert & Bosch GmbH
Striker Michael J.
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