Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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S P E C I F I C A T I O N
IMPROVED WINDS~IIELD WIPER INSTALLATION
This invention relates to windshield wipers and, more particularly,
to a means for holding a windshield wiper out of contact with abutment
surfaces when in a good wea-ther position and stabilized in a predetermined
attitude.
As is perhaps well known, in use windshield wipers are spring
; biased into firm wiping engagement with the glass surface; however, this
load or pressure also causes the wiping surfaces of the windshield wiper
to be bowed under the load or pressure when not in use. In the hot sun
when under pressure they often stick and crack. It is desirable that the
blade be free from loads when not in use; and, accordingly, this invention
has as an object the provision of means -to hold the blade in a stored
position in which it is stabilized away from abu-tting surfaces when not in
use, tha-t is when in a good weather position -to prolong the life of -the
blade.
According to the present invention there is provided in combination
with a vehicle having a windshield including an arcuate, convex outer surface
and a lower horizontal margin, a windshield wiper shaft adjacent -the margin
~ and a windshield wiper assembly for wiping an arcuate sector of the upper
1 convex sur~ace bordered by a por-tion of the lower horizontal margin, said
windshield wiper assembly includlng: a support arm with a rirs-t end zone
and a second end zone and said arm being normally disposed below the
horizontal margin of the windshield at an "at rest" parked position, means
to mount the second end zone to said shaft for cyclical movement of said
arm -through an arc over a portion of said convex outer surface adjacent
said lower horizontal margin; an elongate wiper blade holder portion
having a first end, a second end and an intermediate length with a mid-zone,
and means mounting the mid-zone to the firs-t end zone of said support arm
for movement therewith from said normal "at rest" parked position below the
horizon-tal margin and cyclically through said arc; said assembly including
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a resilient blade portion extending longitudinally of said elongate blade
holder portion and projecting toward said horizontal margin and convex
outer surface, means holding said blade portion to said holder portion
and including means normally spring urging the resilient blade outwardly
of the holder portion and toward wiping engagemen-t with the convex outer ~:
surface, a blade parking means on the vehicle and means to fix the blade .parking means below the horizontal margin and said parking means including
structure projecting laterally toward the elongate blade holder portion
on said support arm when said arm is at the at rest position, said blade
parking means comprising a first and a second cam block element in spaced
relation with respect to one another and each including a cam track extend-
ing vertically and diverging angularly from said convex outer surface
adjacent the horizontal margin of the windshield and having a portion
comprising a support portion when said wiper blade is in the at rest position,
said elongate blade h.older portion having a first and a second cam follower
surface each adjacent said first and second ends respec-tively and each
engaging respectively said first and second cam block element a-t said
support portions when at the at rest position and said cam follower surfaces
being adapted to progressively bias the elonga-te wiper blade holder portion
and the resilient wiper blade ou-t of engagement with the vehicle upon
movement below the horizontal margin of the windshield to the at rest
position, whereby movemen-t of the at rest position of the windshield wiper
assembly results in the resilient wiper blade being spring urged into
engagement with the outer convex windshi.eld surface portion, said follower
surfaces each comprising outwardly projecting portions and said cam tracks
each including said cam surface and side guide surfaces sized to receive
said proJecting portions of the cam follower surfaces therebetween to
constrain the same to movement to the a-t rest position and to maintain the
assembly against lateral forces.
It is a specific object of the disclosure herein to provide a
means for relaxing the pressure or load on a windshield wiper blade when
in a good weather condition which includes spaced dual cam means and cam
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~ollower means mutually intercooperating in the path of movement of the
blade and at the good weather position whereby the blade is stored in a
position wherein the ~iper surface is spaced slightly from the surface to
be wiped and in a normal
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relaxed or unstressed condition and in which position the
' blade is stabilized so as not to wobble or cause undesired
noises.
In accordance with these and other objec~s which will
become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now
be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in
;: which: .
: Figure 1 is a partial front elevational view o~ a
~, windshield and associated windshield wiper assembly, with
; 10 the assembly in a stored position;
." Figure 2 is a partial view in cross section taken along
,~ the plane indicated along the line 2-2 o~ Figure 1 and
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lookiny in the direction of the arrows;
.: Figure 3 is a partial and enlarged view of the portion
of Figure 1 with the arrowed line 3-3 therearound; and
Figure 4 is a view in cross s~ction taken on the plane
indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3.
Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters
designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several
views and referring par~icularly to Figure 1, the numeral 12
indicates a windshield wiper assembly which is connected in
a conventional manner to a drive sha~t as at 16 for cyclical
wiping movement over the windshield surface 18. The assembly,
i as is conventional, includes an arm 20 conventionally spring
~ biased to urge the wiper blade 24 into wiping engagement
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. with the glass and it includes the blade holder portion 26
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of the arm so that in use firm wiping engagement of the blade
with the surface of the windshield is achieved. In the past,
the wiper portion of the blade 24 which is relatively thin
as seen in cross section is bowed under the in-Eluence of
spring biasiny, not only when in use but, also, when in a
good weather position. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the
present invention, as seen, includes dual cam means to hold
the wiper portio~ away from all surfaces of abutment so that
the wiper portion is not under a load and bowed about its
longitudinal axis wheniin the "at rest" position, illustrated.
As seen in the drawings a preferred embodiment may comprise
a first and a second cam 36-36' in the path of travel of the
blade to the good weather position to cam and urye pins 38 and
38' in the holder with the blade outwardly over the cam
surface 40 and 40' coacting with dual cam follower surfaces
on the blade assembly, a distance away from all surfaces
- greater than thellimi~ of movement of the blade caused by the
spring to preserve the blade thus providing longer life.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated the cams 36 and
~i 20 36' are fastened to a strip 42, beneath the windshield, on
; opposite sides of the blade centerpoint when in a stored or
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parked condition with the respective cam surfaces being
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grooved to define guide tracks for the pins or cam followers
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to the stored condition shown in Figure 4.
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