Patent ID: 9663071
Date: 2017-05-30
CPC Classifications: B60S

Claim:
1. An adapter for use in releasably attaching a wiper assembly to a wiper arm having a hook including a top part and a bottom part with an aperture disposed in the bottom part, said adapter comprising: a body having a pair of sides spaced from each other so as to accommodate the hook of the wiper arm therebetween; a deck extending between said sides for engaging the top part of the hook of the wiper arm; a resilient release tab spaced vertically below said deck, disposed laterally between said sides, and extending longitudinally under said deck from a proximal end supported on said body to a distal end, which is displaceable vertically upwardly relative to said body and is accessible from an exterior of said adapter; a tooth depending from said release tab vertically downwardly away from said deck for engaging the aperture of the bottom part of the hook of the wiper arm; and a biasing element depending from said release tab vertically downwardly away from said deck and disposed longitudinally under said deck between said tooth and said distal end for engaging the bottom part of the hook of the wiper arm; said tooth having a base end, a shoulder spaced longitudinally away from said base end toward said distal end, and a tapered portion extending vertically downwardly from said base end to said shoulder to define a tapered tooth face which faces longitudinally towards said proximal end of said release tab such that said release tab is displaced vertically upwardly toward said deck and the top part of the hook of the wiper arm from an initial, first position to a deflected, second position when said tooth engages the bottom part of the hook of the wiper arm, said tooth having a proximal-side tooth height defined between said base end and said shoulder which defines said second position, and said shoulder defining a shoulder face which faces longitudinally towards said distal end and projects downwardly below said biasing element to define a distal-side tooth height that is less than said proximal-side tooth eight, said tooth being engagable with the aperture of the bottom part of the wiper arm such that said release tab returns vertically downwardly to a deflected third position disposed angularly between said first and second positions wherein said biasing element maintains said release tab in said third position and said distal-side tooth height defines said third position of said release element.