Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Attachments – Optical-member-attachable cleaner
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-22
2001-09-11
Graham, Gary K. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Attachments
Optical-member-attachable cleaner
C015S250351, C239S284100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286174
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a nozzle arrangement and a windshield wiper arm for receiving the nozzle arrangement. It is already known for water spray nozzles to be secured as additional components on the wiper blade and thus to enable distributing the water directly in the region of the wiper blade. This has the advantage that the hindrance division presented by the sprayed water is of only brief duration and is limited to a region concentrated in the vicinity of the wiper blade, which is wiped off again extremely quickly by the wiping motion. A disadvantage of such systems is that whether factors, and especially hail and extreme sunlight action, greatly influence the necessarily flexible parts of this arrangement for bridging the articulated regions between the wiper arm and the wiper blade. This shortens the surface life and lessons the reliability.
It is also known for these arrangements to be solidly go integrated with the windshield wiper arm, for instance with the connection piece to the wiper blade or in the fastening part secured to the wiper shaft. If such an arrangement fails, for instance because it becomes plugged up, broken, or the like, then the entire wiper arm has to be replaced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a nozzle arrangement which eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art.
In keeping with these objects, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated, in a nozzle arrangement which has a first nozzle body connected to a second nozzle body so that a nozzle of the first nozzle body is disposed in the vicinity of the hinge for folding out a wiper arm, and a nozzle of the second nozzle body is disposed in the vicinity of the connection means for connecting the wiper arm to a wiper blade in the wiper arm, and the first and second nozzle body are solidly connected to one another.
The nozzle arrangement having the characteristics of the invention has the advantage that it enables optimal distribution of the sprayed water from two points far apart from one another on the wiper arm, and that it can be disposed replaceably inside the space enclosed by the wiper arm in a way that it is not visible from outside. The good replaceability of the known systems disposed on the wiper blade is thus combined with the properties of good protection and compactness of the permanently installed systems.
Also the nozzles can be replaced easily if the first and second nozzles are solidly joined together. This creates an easily manipulated structure that stays together. If the nozzle bodies are integrally joined together, preadjustment of the direction of the water stream is also possible. An economical embodiment is obtained if the nozzles can be made as a plastic injection-molded part.
The nozzle arrangement can be optimally supplemented with a heater, which extends both through the two nozzle bodies and through the device that connects the nozzle bodies. This is especially easily possible whenever the nozzle bodies are solidly joined together.
Simple installation, which can be performed even by someone not skilled in the art, is obtained if the nozzle bodies have means for clipping and/or detent-locking them in a wiper arm.
Advantageously, to receive the nozzle arrangement, a windshield wiper arm has a hinge for folding the windshield wiper out and a connection device for the wiper blade; a receptacle for the first nozzle body is provided in the vicinity of the foldout hinge, and a receptacle for the second nozzle is provided in the vicinity of the connection device for the wiper blade. Such a wiper arm also has the advantage that it can be disposed on motor vehicles even without a built-in nozzle arrangement, without being in the way of the driver's view. The nozzle arrangement can be installed by retrofitting, for instance by the vehicle owner, or can be mounted by the manufacturer before or after the windshield wiper arm is mounted on the vehicle.
To that end, the wiper arm has merely a small opening through which the washer fluid dispensed by a nozzle can flow, so that there is no visual impairment to a given technical function. For receiving the nozzle body, the windshield wiper arm may be bellied, and it is advantageous if the opening is made in a region of the bulge whose wall points toward the receptacle for the wiper blade. This makes it possible to aim the stream of sprayed water directly in front of the wiper blade in a lower region. By disposing the second nozzle the vicinity of the receptacle for the wiper blade, which is advantageously embodied as a hook-like receptacle in this narrow region, the distribution of the washing water over the windshield can be further optimized. This makes short stream lengths feasible, so that even at relatively high vehicle speeds, the oncoming wind has only little influence on the distribution of the sprayed water. The distribution of the sprayed water by the two streams of sprayed water preferably takes place along the length of the wiper arm or wiper blade, so that the view through the windshield is in fact impaired only minimally when the water is applied only upstream of the wiper blade in the wiping direction.
The hook-like receptacle grasps the nozzle body in clip-like fashion and holds it in position. It may be advantageous if the wiper blade to be disposed on the wiper arm has a recess for receiving the downward-protruding nozzle body. The nozzle body can then be designed with corresponding freedom, so that optimal washer fluid distribution through one or more built-in, adjustable nozzles is made possible. This increases the protection of the nozzle body from environmental factors.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5239726 (1993-08-01), Bianco
patent: 5327614 (1994-07-01), Egner-Walter et al.
patent: 6094772 (2000-08-01), West
patent: 1901407 (1970-08-01), None
patent: 3323004 (1985-01-01), None
patent: 4142163 (1992-07-01), None
patent: 689977 (1996-01-01), None
patent: 2047079 (1980-11-01), None
Graham Gary K.
Robert & Bosch GmbH
Striker Michael J.
LandOfFree
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