Patent ID: 8938847
Filing Date: 2015-01-27
Classification: B60S

Abstract:
1. A beam blade windshield wiper assembly having a universal coupler assembly, said windshield wiper assembly comprising: a wiping element that contacts the surface to be wiped, at least one elongated beam having a pair of longitudinal ends, and a coupler assembly; said coupler assembly including a carrier that is mounted to said at least one elongated beam between said longitudinal ends; a saddle that is removably received and retained by said carrier; and a coupler that is adapted to be mounted to said saddle, said coupler including a pair of sidewalls, and a deck disposed between said sidewalls, said deck serving to cooperate with said sidewalls to define a rest that is adapted to operatively receive a track of an attachment member, said coupler further including a nose and an elevated platform that are disposed between said sidewalls, said deck also including a slanted mid-deck that is slanted with respect to the elevated platform and defined by a cross-rib and a pair of rectangular openings disposed on either side of said cross-rib between said elevated platform and a back wall, said mid-deck cooperating with said back wall to define a locking shoulder, said slanted mid-deck further providing clearance for an arm on an attachment member having a pin and arm/bent tab combination, a pair of flanges extend outwardly beyond each of said sidewalls to provide releasable engagement with an attachment member, said deck including a cantilevered beam disposed between said flanges so as to define a distal end of said deck, said distal end acting as a retaining tab for the pinch-type attachment member; and said saddle further including a main deck and a coupler mount having a pair of aligned apertures, each of said side walls of said coupler including an inward surface that face one another, said inward surfaces adapted to operatively engage a portion of said coupler mount of said saddle, said inward surface further including posts that extend transversely from their respective inward surface and toward one another, said posts operatively adapted to engage said aligned apertures of said coupler mount and provide a bearing surface about which said coupler may pivot relative to said saddle.