Patent Publication Number: US-2006006090-A1

Title: Packaging for windshield wiper assemblies and method for selling the same

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to windshield wiper assemblies for vehicles in general, and more particularly to a windshield wiper packaging and method for selling windshield wiper assemblies.  
      2. Background of the Invention  
      Numerous types of designs for windshield wiper assemblies have been used in connection with removing snow, ice, rain and other material from windshields of automobile and truck vehicles. The most common type of design previously used is one in which a rubber wiper blade having a relatively small cross-section contacts the windshield along a line so as to scrape snow, ice or water that accumulates on the windshield of the vehicle.  
      Typically, a vehicle employs two windshield wiper blade assemblies each having the rubber blade adapted to scrape snow, ice, water and other material off the front windshield. These scraping blades are attached to a wiper arm on the vehicle and travel in a generally arcuate path. One blade will clean that portion of the window on the driver&#39;s side of the vehicle, and the other blade will clean that portion of the window on of the passengers side of the vehicle.  
      It is well known that the user of the vehicle has a duty to replace the whole windshield wiper due to aging and/or wear of the wiping blade thereof. Thus, the windshield wiper is one of the items that should be checked indispensably before driving in order to cope with unexpected sudden changes in weather that may happen in driving even though the windshield is not used always in driving. It is a common experience to an every vehicle user that even the wiping blade has not been used the whole year, it is preferred to replace a new pair windshield wipers for the coming rainy or snowy season to ensure good wiping effect for security reason.  
      Windshield wiper assemblies are typically provided in a variety of different lengths or physical sizes to fit various types and models of motor vehicles in operation. The physical size adapted to fit the particular vehicle is normally could be found in an Owners Manual of that vehicle. Therefore, manufacturers of the windshield wiper assemblies, whether from the motor vehicle original equipment industry or from the automotive aftermarket industry, have to produce a variety of the windshield wiper blade assemblies having a plurality of the physical sizes, usually in one inch (1″) increment, such as 15″, 16″, 17″, 18″, 19″, 20″, etc. The physical size of the particular windshield wiper blade assembly is a sole important piece of information to a buyer that tells him whether the particular windshield wiper assembly would fit his particular motor vehicle. Although the provision of multiple sizes of wiper assemblies is convenient to the end consumer, retailers are forced to carry all of the sizes and must stock extensive sections of valuable shelf space with numerous lengths of this single item.  
      Typically, the windshield wiper assemblies are sold in an individual plastic packages. The physical size of the particular windshield wiper blade assembly is marked on the package so that the physical size of the particular windshield wiper blade assembly is readily visible to the buyer. So that he could choose the windshield wiper blade assembly of an appropriate size that would fit his vehicle. However, the above mentioned large variety of the sizes of the wiper assemblies puts strain to the retail industry (need to keep big inventory of many different sizes) and make buyers choice more difficult as he has no alternative but the size required by the Owner&#39;s Manual.  
      Thus, there is a need for an improved method for selling windshield wiper assemblies that overcomes shortcomings of the prior art.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention provides a novel windshield wiper blade packaging and a method for selling wiper blade assemblies for vehicles. The windshield wiper blade packaging in accordance with the present invention comprises a windshield wiper blade assembly having a first length defining a physical size of the wiper blade assembly, and a package containing the windshield wiper blade assembly. The wiper blade assembly is provided to fit a first vehicle and a second vehicle, wherein the first vehicle requires a wiper blade assembly having the first length and the second vehicle requiring a wiper blade assembly having a second length.  
      The package containing the windshield wiper blade assembly is accompanied with at least one label informing a customer of the physical size and a logical size of the wiper blade assembly. The logical size of the wiper blade assembly corresponds to the second length required for the second motor vehicle. Thus, the label indicates that the windshield wiper blade assembly is provided to fit both the first vehicle and the second vehicle.  
      The method for selling windshield wiper blade assemblies for vehicles according to the present invention comprises the following steps: first, the windshield wiper blade assembly having the first length (the physical size) is provided. Then, at least one label accompanying said windshield wiper blade assembly is provided. The label informs a customer of the physical size and the logical size of the wiper blade assembly. Preferably, two labels are provided, wherein one of the labels is provided on a front side of the package containing the windshield wiper blade assembly, while the other of the labels is provided on a rear side thereof.  
      Therefore, the packaging and method for selling the windshield wiper assemblies according to the present inventions substantially reduces inventory requirements of replacement windshield wiper assemblies for stores selling them as the windshield wipers of particular physical size may fit vehicles requiring windshield wipers of two different physical sizes. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in light of the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a windshield wiper;  
       FIG. 2  is a schematic view the windshield wipers of different physical sizes;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective front view of a package of the windshield wiper assembly in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIGS. 4A-4C  are front views of the packages in accordance with the present invention of the windshield wiper assemblies of three different sizes;  
       FIGS. 5A-5C  are rear views of the packages in accordance with the present invention of the windshield wiper assemblies of three different sizes;  
       FIG. 6  is a front view illustrating a windshield wiper blade package suspended for display from a hanger on a display wall inserted through a header which forms part of the package. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with the reference to accompanying drawings.  
       FIGS. 1 and 2  depict a conventional windshield wiper assembly  10 , generally used in motor vehicles. It will be appreciated that the windshield wiper assemblies having slightly different structural details are within the also scope of the present invention.  
      The windshield wiper assembly  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is attached to a distal end of a wiper arm  8  which is, in turn, coupled to a driving shaft (not shown) of a driving motor provided in an engine room of the motor vehicle. The windshield wiper assembly  10  comprises a frame member  12  and a flexible windshield wiper blade  20  secured to the frame member  12 . The frame member  12  includes a primary lever  14  and a pair of substantially identical secondary levers  16  pivotally connected at their midportions to the primary lever  14  forming an articulated flexible pressure transmitting structure. Pivotally connected centrally to the primary lever  14  is a connector  18  for securing the wiper blade to the wiper arm  8 . Claws  17  at the ends of the secondary levers  16  slide in an external grooves  22  of the wiper blade  20 , thereby retaining the wiper in assembled condition.  
      Pivotally connected centrally to the lever  12  is a connector  18  for securing the wiper blade to the wiper arm  8 . The levers  16  each have pairs of opposed blade straddling claws  17  at each end. The claws are substantially U-shaped in cross section.  
      The conventional windshield wiper assembly  10  is characterized by a length L of the wiper blade  20  that defines a physical size of the wiper blade assembly  10 . As it was mentioned above, the windshield wiper blade assemblies come in a variety different physical sizes to fit various types and models of motor vehicles in operation usually in one inch (1″) increment, such as 18″, 19″, 20″, 21″, 22″, 23″, etc., as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . Each vehicle model requires a windshield wiper assembly of a particular physical size, as prescribed in the Owner&#39;s Manual of the particular vehicle model.  
      Typically, the windshield wiper assembly  10  is sold in an individual package  30 , shown in  FIG. 3 . Preferably, the package  30  is made of a plastic material. It will be appreciated that the package  30  may be made of any appropriate material, such as paper or cardboard. A combination of the windshield wiper  10  disposed within the package  30  is defined herein as a windshield wiper blade packaging.  
      As illustrated in FIGS.  3 ,  4 A- 4 C and  5 A- 5 C, each of the windshield wiper assemblies displayed in retail stores are marked with at least one label (or tag) indicating the physical size of the particular wiper blade assembly and its logical size so that the physical size of the particular windshield wiper blade assembly and its logical size are readily visible to the buyer. The logical size of the windshield wiper assembly indicates an implicit size of the windshield wiper assembly different from the actual (physical) size thereof that could fit a motor vehicle requiring a wiper assembly having a length corresponding to the logical size indicated on the wiper package.  
      For example, the windshield wiper having the physical size of 18″ (a first length) is provided to fit a first vehicle according to the Owner&#39;s Manual of the first vehicle, while the windshield wiper having the physical size of 19″ (a second length) is provided to fit a second vehicle according to the Owner&#39;s Manual of the second vehicle. At the same time, the windshield wiper having the first length (the physical size of 18″) would fit the second vehicle requiring the windshield wiper assembly having the second length (the physical size of 19″). Thus, the 19″ is the logical size of the windshield wiper assembly having the physical size of 18″.  
      Preferably, labels  32  indicating the physical size of the particular windshield wiper assembly and the labels  34  indicating the logical size thereof is printed or attached on both front and rear surfaces  30   a  and  30   b , respectively, of the wiper package  30 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 4A-4C  and  5 A- 5 C. It should be understood that alternatively, the labels  32  and  34  may be printed or attached only on one side (front of rear) of the wiper package  30 .  
      Further alternatively, the labels  32  and  34  indicating the physical size and the logical size of the particular windshield wiper assembly  10  may be placed on a display wall  44  of a retail store adjacent the windshield wiper assembly  10  of that particular size. As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , customarily a plurality of elongate wiper blade packages  30  is suspended from a hanger  40  supported from a pegboard  42  of the display wall  44 . The hanger  40  is inserted through a header  31  which forms part of the package  30 . In the example shown, the packages  30  contain a first size of the wiper blade assembly  10  (e.g. 20″). The package  30  shown in  FIG. 6  is exemplary and will of course vary in shape and size according to the product being contained. As further illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the display wall  44  is provided with a label, or tag,  46  describing the product (item) suspending from the hanger  40 . According to the alternative embodiment of the present invention, the tag  46  indicates both the physical size (20″ in this particular example) and the logical size (21″ in this particular example) of the particular windshield wiper assembly  10 .  
      Typically, the buyer chooses the windshield wiper assembly according to the physical size of the particular wiper blade assembly according to the Owner&#39;s Manual of the particular vehicle model. However, in the absence of the windshield wiper assembly of the particular physical size in the store, the buyer may choose the windshield wiper assembly according to the corresponding logical size.  
      A method for selling the windshield wiper assemblies according to the present inventions including the following steps. First, the windshield wiper  10  having a length defining a physical size thereof is provided. Then, the windshield wiper  10  is packed into the individual package  30 . The package  30  is provided with the label indicating the physical size and the logical size of the windshield wiper  10  contained within the package  30 . Preferably, the label indicating the physical size and the logical size of the particular windshield wiper assembly is printed or attached on both front and rear surfaces of the wiper package  30 . Based on the information marked on the package  30  the buyer can choose the windshield wiper blade assembly of an appropriate size that would fit his vehicle.  
      Therefore, method for selling the windshield wiper assemblies according to the present inventions substantially reduces inventory requirements of replacement windshield wiper assemblies for stores selling them as the windshield wipers of particular physical size may fit vehicles requiring windshield wipers of two different physical sizes.  
      The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention has been presented for the purpose of illustration in accordance with the provisions of the Patent Statutes. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments disclosed hereinabove were chosen in order to best illustrate the principles of the present invention and its practical application to thereby enable those of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated, as long as the principles described herein are followed. Thus, changes can be made in the above-described invention without departing from the intent and scope thereof. It is also intended that the scope of the present invention be defined by the claims appended thereto.