Patent Abstract:
A flat blade wiper for a vehicle includes a rigid elastic metal keelson strip, a saddle bracket for receiving a wiper adapter, an elongated scraping blade with an upper wing section, two rigid hard clipping sleeve mounts, and a pair of end positioning caps. Each clipping sleeve mount and wiper adapter saddle bracket has first compatible accommodating channels and second accommodating channels respectively so that the elastic metal keelson strip can run through the first accommodating channels while the upper wing section of the elongated scraping blade can run through the second accommodating channels in both the wiper adapter saddle bracket and the clipping sleeve mount. When the wiper swings back and forth, an acting force is directly transmitted to the clipping sleeve mounts by the metal keelson strip without any pause or delay, eliminating jerking so that no noise is incurred to spoil the internal tranquility of the vehicle.

Full Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/202,851, field Apr. 13, 2009. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a flat blade wiper that can directly transmit an acting force, when the wiper swings back and forth, to clipping sleeve mounts by a metal keelson strip without any pause or delay and without jerking. In addition, alignment of key components of the wiper can be achieved without the need for extreme carefulness so that fatigue of the assembling operator can be considerably reduced. Accordingly, not only can assembling time be saved, but assembling efficiency is also increased. Consequently, the manufacturing cost is decreased and marketing competition ability is increased. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Normally, the evolution of the windshield wiper for vehicles is from the traditional “frame supported wiper” to the modern “non-framed wiper”, colloquially known as a “flat blade wiper”. The “frame supported wiper” usually includes a U-shaped metal strip called a metal blade frame with a slot along the length of the frame for holding a rubber blade to serve as an exposed supporting keel for the associated rubber blade, whereas a flat metal strip for the “non-framed wiper” is imbedded in a soft elastic clipping sleeve sheath, which actually holds a rubber blade, to serve as an enveloped keelson for the associated rubber blade. Recently, most windshield wipers included in newly marketed vehicles have been “non-framed wipers”. The “frame supported wiper” has seemingly become phased-out in the market because it involves more components with heavier weight and more power consumption, as well as a greater possibility of jerking noise due to swinging friction on the windshield after a certain service time and corrosion resulting from weathering of the exposed metal blade frame. Moreover, the windshield wiper belongs to consumptive products, which require replacement when its wiping declination due to aging may affect the driving safety. The accumulated quantity of defective wipers of the annually-replaced “frame supported wiper” type has become a heavy burden on the environment. In contrast, the “non-framed wiper” does not present such a burden on the environment. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, various “non-framed wipers” such as those described in USA utility patents U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,218, U.S. Pat. No. 6,944,905, U.S. Pat. No. 7,228,588, U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,206, U.S. Pat. No. 7,305,734, U.S. Pat. No. 7,484,264 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189, as well as USA design patents Des. U.S. Pat. Nos. 430,097, D512,362, D457,479, D443,854, D511,735, D564,4345, D5,649,555, D5,794,015 and D5,798,495 have been well-developed. Among those “non-framed wipers” mentioned above, U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189 discloses the newest type of “non-framed wiper,” shown in  FIGS. 1 through 6  of the present application. As described in the “Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment of the Present Invention” in U.S. Pat. No. 72,101,189, the windshield wiper comprises two blade bodies  6 , a flat metal vertebra  7  with rectangular cross section, a rubber element  9  and a central support  10  wherein: 
         [0005]    Said blade body  6  consists in a flexible upper support  4  and a semi-rigid lower support  5 . Joining the upper support  4  and the lower support  5  by co-extrusion assures the single piece formed an integral support to the other components of the blade system including the metal vertebra  7  and the rubber element  9 , in which, said upper support  4  includes a mounting channel  8 , passing lengthwise throughout the length of the blade body  6 , being preferably rectangular in shape, inside of which the metal vertebra  7  is inserted, also having preferably rectangular and flat profile and shape, being used for securing and keeping the element  9  in uniform contact with the windshield  3 , said lower support  5  includes a lower mounting channel  12 , passing lengthwise throughout the length of the blade body  6 , being preferably rectangular in shape and further provided with a longitudinal rectangular opening  13  extending throughout the blade body  6 , in which the rectangular upper section  16  with central neck of the rubber element  9  is inserted through the rectangular upper section  15  and the longitudinal rectangular opening  13  (as shown in  FIGS. 1 through 3 ); and 
         [0006]    Said central support  10 , which is made of metallic or plastic material to be adjusted to the adapter of wiper arm  2  of the windshield wiper  3 , comprises an upper mounting channel  11  and a lower passage channel  14  such that said upper mounting channel  11 , passing lengthwise throughout the length of the central support  10 , being preferably rectangular in shape, inside of which the metal vertebra  7  is inserted, and said passage channel  14 , passing lengthwise throughout the length of the central support  10 , being preferably rectangular in shape and further provided beneath with a longitudinal rectangular opening  15  extending throughout the sequential central support  10 , in which the rectangular upper section  16  of the rubber element  9  is inserted through (as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). 
         [0007]    Please refer to  FIGS. 2 through 6 , which describes the assembly procedure for the conventional non-framed windshield wiper disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
         [0008]    Firstly, pass the mounting channel  11  of the central support  10  through the metal vertebra  7  up to the central position thereof, then fix the central support  10  at the central position of the metal vertebra  7  by bolts or rivets (as shown in  FIG. 6 ); 
         [0009]    Secondly, insert each end of the metal vertebra  7  into corresponding mounting channel  8  in the upper support  4  of the blade body  6  (as shown in  FIG. 4 ) so that each half of the metal vertebra  7  is enveloped by a blade body  6  (as shown in  FIG. 6 ); and 
         [0010]    Finally, insert each rectangular upper section  16  of the rubber element  9  into corresponding lower mounting channel  12  and passage channel  14  and the longitudinal rectangular opening  13  and  15  on the blade body  6  and the central support  10  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ), so that the entire windshield wiper is successfully assembled (as shown in  FIG. 3 ). 
         [0011]    Despite the above-described advantages, the conventional non-framed windshield wiper disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189 has the following drawbacks: 
         [0012]    1. As shown in  FIGS. 7 to 7   e , when the rubber element  9  is pushed over the windshield  3  by the wiper arm  2 , a normal force component Fv is exerted on the blade body  6  so that the wiping edge of the rubber element  9  is tightly pressed against the top surface of the windshield  3  (as shown in  FIG. 7 ); Because the wiper arm  2  swings back and forth during rain, the metal vertebra  7  has a forward horizontal force component Fh exerted on the blade body  6  (as shown in  FIG. 7   a ) when wiper arm  2  swings forth; whereas the metal vertebra  7  has a backward horizontal force component Fh′ exerted on the blade body  6  (as shown in the hypothetical line of the  FIG. 7   c ) upon wiper arm  2  swinging back. As a result, the action of the forward horizontal force component Fh and the backward horizontal force component Fh′ will be indirectly applied to the rubber element  9  in the following order: first, via the flexible upper support  4  and semi-rigid lower support  5 , and second via the blade body  6  so that the wiping edge of the rubber element  9  will wipe over the top surface of the windshield  3  to achieve the wiping effect. 
         [0013]    When forward horizontal force component Fh is exerted on the blade body  6  by the metal vertebra  7 , the right side of the upper mounting channel  8  in the soft flexible upper support  4  of the blade body  6  is laterally affected by the right side of the metal vertebra  7  which is in contact with and pushes on the upper mounting channel  8 , while the left side of the upper mounting channel  8  is detached and not laterally affected by the left side of the metal vertebra  7  (as shown in  FIG. 7   a ). Because the action of the forward horizontal force component Fh and the backward horizontal force component Fh′ is indirectly applied to the rubber element  9  in sequence via the upper support  4  and lower support  5  of the blade body  6 , the wiping edge of the rubber element  9  will wipe over the top surface of the windshield  3  so that when wiper arm  2  swings forth, the right side of the upper mounting channel  8  in the soft flexible upper support  4  will be deformed in a stretchable manner due to squeezing by the right side of the metal vertebra  7  while the left side of the upper mounting channel  8  in the soft flexible upper support  4  will be deformed with a gap  6  left between the left side of the upper mounting channel  8  and the left side of the metal vertebra  7  (as shown in  FIG. 7   b ). When wiper arm  2  swings back, the backward horizontal force component Fh′ will convert the situation so that the right side of the upper mounting channel  8  in the soft flexible upper support  4  of the blade body  6  is detached and will not be laterally affected by the right side of the metal vertebra  7  while the left side of the upper mounting channel  8  is laterally affected by the left side of the metal vertebra  7  by contact and pushing (as shown in  FIG. 7   c  and the hypothetical line of the  FIG. 7   d ); Likewise, when wiper arm  2  swings back, the left side of the upper mounting channel  8  in the soft flexible upper support  4  will be deformed in stretchable manner due to squeezing by the left side of the metal vertebra  7  while the right side of the upper mounting channel  8  in the soft flexible upper support  4  will be deformed with a gap δ′ left between the right side of the upper mounting channel  8  and the right side of the metal vertebra  7  (as shown in  FIG. 7   e ). 
         [0014]    In other words, both the deformed gap δ and gap δ′ between each of both sides of the upper mounting channel  8  and each of corresponding both sides of the metal vertebra  7  will be alternately created by the forward horizontal force component Fh and backward horizontal force component Fh′ from wiper arm  2  swinging back and forth. Consequently, the transmission delay of the exerting force due to both deformed gaps δ and δ′ will cause a temporary wiping pause and jerking of the rubber element  9  over the top surface of the windshield  3  so that a harsh scraping noise is incurred to spoil the tranquility in the vehicle. Moreover, because the swing frequency of the normal windshield wiper over the vehicle windshield  3  is 40˜50 times per minute, namely 2400˜3000 times per hour, the foregoing temporary wiping pause and jerking of the rubber element  9  over the top surface of the windshield  3  will follow in same frequency accordingly. Thus, the service life of the rubber element  9  in the windshield wiper will be shortened due to the high frequency of temporary wiping pauses and jerks, with the result that the replacing frequency and cost increases. 
         [0015]    Inspecting and reviewing the foregoing drawbacks in the conventional windshield wiper disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189, the primary cause is that the exerting force of the metal vertebra  7  from the wiper arm  2  is indirectly applied to the semi-rigid lower support  5  via soft flexible upper support  4  instead of being directly applied to the semi-rigid lower support  5 . Therefore, a transmission delay of the exerting force due to both deformed gap δ and gap δ′ in the soft flexible upper support  4  is inevitable, due to deformation of the soft flexible material so that a temporary wiping pause or delay with jerking of the rubber element  9  over the top surface of the windshield  3  results. Such a bad structural design not only violates the transmission rule in dynamics but also brings bad effects, as mentioned above, for consumers. 
         [0016]    Turning to  FIGS. 4 to 6 , which describe the assembly procedure for the conventional windshield wiper of U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189, because the outer dimensional size of the metal vertebra  7  is only slightly smaller than the inner dimensional size of corresponding upper mounting channel  8  in the upper support  4  of the blade body  6 , both coupling ends of the metal vertebra  7  and upper mounting channel  8  must be aligned with each other during the assembly procedure and kept in a horizontal state (as shown in  FIG. 4 ) to enable the insertion of the metal vertebra  7  into the blade body  6  successfully. However, the windshield wiper is a low selling price product that is mass produced with annual quantity over several ten million pieces to cover the total demand for new vehicles and used vehicles. Since the assembly procedure of the metal vertebra  7  with the blade body  6  requires great care in alignment, the assembling operator must pay more attention and waste more time to maintain an acceptable yield. Accordingly, not only does the assembling operator get fatigued easily, but the assembling efficiency is also decreased, with the result that the manufacturing cost is increased and marketing competition ability is decreased. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    The primary object of the present invention is to provide a flat blade wiper that s a rigid elastic metal keelson strip, a saddle bracket for a wiper adapter, an elongated scraping blade with an upper wing section, two rigid hard clipping sleeve mounts and a pair of end positioning caps, wherein each clipping sleeve mount and saddle bracket for a wiper adapter has a first compatible accommodating channel and a second accommodating channel, respectively, so that the elastic metal keelson strip can run through the first accommodating channels while the upper wing section of the elongated scraping blade can run through the second accommodating channels on both the wiper adapter saddle bracket and the clipping sleeve mount. When the wiper swings back and forth, an acting force can be directly transmitted to the clipping sleeve mounts by the metal keelson strip without any pause, delay, or jerking phenomenon so that no noise is incurred to spoil the internal tranquility of vehicle. Thus, not only can the power burden of the wiper arm be saved, but the replacement cost can also be reduced, resulting in extension of the service life of the wiper. 
         [0018]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a flat blade wiper with reduced width in each adapted guide section to serve as an alignment precursor for the docking procedure between key components of the wiper, including the clipping sleeve mount and elastic metal keelson strip, via corresponding ends respectively. Even though the components are not in exact linear alignment with each other, the docking procedure can still be performed quickly and easily. Because of the aforesaid features, the alignment procedure for key components of the wiper does not need extra care so that the fatiguing attention of the assembling operator can be considerably reduced. Accordingly, not only can the assembling time be saved, but the assembling efficiency is also increased. Consequently, the manufacturing cost is decreased and marketing competition ability is increased. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a blade body for the conventional windshield wiper of U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a central support for the conventional windshield wiper of U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is an assembly view of the conventional windshield wiper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a first illustration of a perspective assembly view of the conventional windshield wiper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a second illustration of a perspective assembly view for the conventional windshield wiper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a third illustration of a perspective assembly view for the conventional windshield wiper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  is a first illustration of an operational view for the conventional windshield wiper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0026]      FIG. 7   a  is a second illustration of an operational view of the conventional windshield wiper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0027]      FIG. 7   b  is a third illustration of an operational view of the conventional windshield wiper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0028]      FIG. 7   c  is a fourth illustration of an operational view of the conventional windshield wiper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0029]      FIG. 7   d  is a fifth illustration of an operational view of the conventional windshield wiper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0030]      FIG. 7   e  is a sixth illustration of an operational view of the conventional windshield wiper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. 
           [0031]      FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective of a flat blade wiper for a vehicle according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0032]      FIG. 8   a  is a sectional view taken along line  8   a - 8   a  as indicated in  FIG. 8 . 
           [0033]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the saddle bracket for a wiper adapter of the above first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0034]      FIG. 9   a  is an elevation view taken along the direction  9   a  as indicated in  FIG. 9 . 
           [0035]      FIG. 9   b  is a sectional view taken along line  9   b - 9   b  as indicated in  FIG. 9 . 
           [0036]      FIG. 9   c  is a sectional view taken along line  9   c - 9   c  as indicated in  FIG. 9 . 
           [0037]      FIG. 9   d  is a bottom view taken along the direction  9   d  as indicated in  FIG. 9 . 
           [0038]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an end positioning cap of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0039]      FIG. 10   a  is an elevation view taken along the direction  10   a  as indicated in  FIG. 10 . 
           [0040]      FIG. 10   b  is a sectional view taken along line  10   b - 10   b  as indicated in  FIG. 10 . 
           [0041]      FIG. 10   c  is a sectional view taken along line  10   c - 10   c  as indicated in  FIG. 10 . 
           [0042]      FIG. 10   d  is a sectional view taken along line  10   d - 10   d  as indicated in  FIG. 10 . 
           [0043]      FIG. 10   e  is a bottom view taken along the direction  10   e  as indicated in  FIG. 10 . 
           [0044]      FIG. 11  is a first illustration of a perspective assembly view of the above first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0045]      FIG. 11   a  is a first illustration of a planar assembly view for the combination of the elastic metal keelson strip and the end positioning cap of the above first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0046]      FIG. 11   b  is a second illustration of a planar assembly view for the combination of the elastic metal keelson strip and the end positioning cap of the above first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0047]      FIG. 11   c  is a third illustration of a planar assembly view for combination of the elastic metal keelson strip and the end positioning cap of the above first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0048]      FIG. 12  is a second illustration of a perspective assembly view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0049]      FIG. 12   a  is a sectional view taken along line  12   a - 12   a  as indicated in  FIG. 12 . 
           [0050]      FIG. 13  is a third illustration of a perspective assembly view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0051]      FIG. 13   a  is a sectional view taken along line  13   a - 13   a  as indicated in  FIG. 13 . 
           [0052]      FIG. 14  is a fourth illustration of a perspective assembly view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0053]      FIG. 14   a  is a sectional view taken along line  14   a - 14   a  as indicated in  FIG. 14 . 
           [0054]      FIG. 15  is a fifth illustration of a perspective assembly view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0055]      FIG. 15   a  is a sectional view taken along line  15   a - 15   a  as indicated in  FIG. 15 . 
           [0056]      FIG. 16  is a sixth illustration of a perspective assembly view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0057]      FIG. 16   a  is a sectional view taken along line  16   a - 16   a  as indicated in  FIG. 16 . 
           [0058]      FIG. 17  is a first illustration of a perspective assembly view for the combination of the elastic metal keelson strip and the clipping sleeve mount of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0059]      FIG. 17   a  is the second illustration of a perspective assembly view for the combination of the elastic metal keelson strip and the clipping sleeve mount of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0060]      FIG. 17   b  is a third illustration of a perspective assembly view for the combination of the elastic metal keelson strip and the clipping sleeve mount of the above first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0061]      FIG. 18  is a sectional view taken along line  18 - 18  as indicated in  FIG. 17 . 
           [0062]      FIG. 18   a  is a sectional view taken along line  18   a - 18   a  as indicated in  FIG. 17   a.    
           [0063]      FIG. 18   b  is a sectional view taken along line  18   b - 18   b  as indicated in  FIG. 17   b.    
           [0064]      FIG. 19  is a perspective view for the combination of the wiper arm and the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0065]      FIG. 20  is a sectional view taken along line  20 - 20  as indicated in  FIG. 19 , illustrating the first preferred embodiment of the present invention acting on the windshield of the vehicle. 
           [0066]      FIG. 21  is an operational view showing the first preferred embodiment of the present invention acting on the windshield of the vehicle. 
           [0067]      FIG. 22  is an exploded perspective view of a flat blade wiper for a vehicle according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0068]      FIG. 22   a  is a sectional view taken along line  22   a - 22   a  as indicated in  FIG. 22 . 
           [0069]      FIG. 23  is a perspective assembly view of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0070]      FIG. 23   a  is a sectional view taken along line  23   a - 23   a  as indicated in  FIG. 23 . 
           [0071]      FIG. 24  is a sectional plan view of an alternative mode of the clipping sleeve mount of the present invention. 
           [0072]      FIG. 25  is a sectional plan view of an alternative mode of the clipping sleeve mount of the present invention acting on the windshield of the vehicle. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0073]    Referring to  FIGS. 8 ,  9  and  10 , a flat blade wiper for a vehicle (colloquially called as non-framed windshield wiper) according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises an elastic metal keelson strip  20 , a saddle bracket  30  for a wiper adapter, two clipping sleeve mounts  40 , an elongated scraping blade  50  and a pair of end positioning caps  60 . 
         [0074]    Referring to  FIGS. 8 ,  9  through  9   d  and  10  through  10   e , the elastic metal keelson strip  20  is a flat flexible metal band of yoke-like shape profile with two ends extending downwardly, and has a pair of short transverse edges  21 , a pair of long lengthwise edges  23 , a pair of adapted guide sections, two pairs of rounded shoulders  22  and two pairs of notches  24 , wherein each said adapted guide section, which are located at each distal end of the elastic metal keelson strip  20 , is flanked by a pair of rounded shoulders  22 ; and each pair of notches  24  is located at joint sides of the long lengthwise edges  23  and corresponding rounded shoulders  22 . 
         [0075]    The wiper adapter saddle bracket  30  is a unitary extruded plastic parallelepiped with a top surface  31 , a bottom sole  32 , two long lengthwise shoulders  33  and two short transverse sides  34 , and has a pair of upright cheeks  311 , an accommodating channel  35  including an upper first accommodating channel  351  and a lower second accommodating channel  352 , a longitudinal gap  36 , a pair of horizontal clipping juts  37 , a pair of symmetric bevels  38  and a pair of widened-slotted inlets  39 , wherein a pair of upright cheeks  311  are juxtaposed on the top surface  31  such that each upright cheek  311  is near each corresponding long lengthwise shoulder  33 , and a supporting spindle  312  is configured between the two upright cheeks  311  for coupling to a wiper adapter  70  linked to a wiper arm  2  (as shown in  FIG. 19 ). An accommodating channel  35  is situated between the top surface  31  and bottom sole  32  and extends towards both short transverse sides  34  such that the upper first accommodating channel  351  is wider than the lower second accommodating channel  352 . The first accommodating channel  351 , which is a flat upper space of the accommodating channel  35  near top surface  31 , is dimensioned to have a width and height slightly bigger than the width and height of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  so that the elastic metal keelson strip  20  can be inserted therein. The second accommodating channel  352 , which is an adapted flat lower space of the accommodating channel  35 , is dimensioned to have a width and height slightly bigger than the width and height of the upper wing section  51  on the elongated scraping blade  50  so that the upper wing section  51  on the elongated scraping blade  50  can be inserted therein. The longitudinal gap  36  is created between the second accommodating channel  352  and bottom sole  32  in parallel with the two long lengthwise shoulders  33  so that the middle neck section  52  in the upper wing section  51  of the elongated scraping blade  50  can be inserted therein. The pair of horizontal clipping juts  37  are created between the external wall of the bottom sole  32  and internal wall of the second accommodating channel  352  to abut against both sides of the longitudinal gap  36  in parallel juxtaposition manner. The pair of symmetric bevels  38  are created between the internal wall of the upper first accommodating channel  351  and internal wall of the lower second accommodating channel  352  in symmetric manner such that the angle formed by each symmetric bevel  38  along each internal wall of the corresponding first accommodating channel  351  and each internal wall of the corresponding second accommodating channel  352  is an obtuse angle. The widened-slotted inlets  39  each extends inwardly in a corresponding short transverse side  34  with a bottom front edge cutout, with a cross section profile of the inlets  39  being the same as that of the short transverse side  44  on the clipping sleeve mount  40 , but with internal dimension being slightly bigger than the external dimension of the short transverse side  44  on the clipping sleeve mount  40 . 
         [0076]    Each of the two clipping sleeve mounts  40  is an unitary extruded rigid hard plastic hollow band with a top surface  41 , a bottom sole  42 , two long lengthwise shoulders  43  and two short transverse sides  44 , and has an accommodating channel  45  including an upper first accommodating channel  451  and a lower second accommodating channel  452 , a longitudinal gap  46 , a pair of horizontal clipping juts  47  and a pair of symmetric bevels  38 , wherein said accommodating channel  35  is situated between the top surface  31  and bottom sole  32  as well as two short transverse sides  34 . The accommodating channel  45  is created between the top surface  41  and bottom sole  42  and extends towards both short transverse sides  44  such that the upper first accommodating channel  451  is wider than the lower second accommodating channel  452 . The first accommodating channel  451 , which is a flat upper space of the accommodating channel  45  near top surface  41 , is dimensioned to have a width and height slightly bigger than the width and height of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  so that the elastic metal keelson strip  20  can be inserted therein. The second accommodating channel  452 , which is an adapted flat lower space of the accommodating channel  45 , is dimensioned to have a width and height slightly bigger than the width and height of the upper wing section  51  on the elongated scraping blade  50  so that the upper wing section  51  on the elongated scraping blade  50  can be inserted therein. The longitudinal gap  36  is created between the second accommodating channel  452  and bottom sole  42  in parallel with the two long lengthwise shoulders  43  so that the middle neck section  52  in the upper wing section  51  of the elongated scraping blade  50  can be inserted therein. The pair of horizontal clipping juts  47  are created between the external wall of the bottom sole  42  and internal wall of the second accommodating channel  452  to abut against both sides of the longitudinal gap  46  in parallel juxtaposition manner; and a pair of symmetric bevels  48  are created between the internal wall of the upper first accommodating channel  451  and internal wall of the lower second accommodating channel  452  in symmetric manner such that the angle formed by each symmetric bevel  48  along each internal wall of the corresponding first accommodating channel  451  and each internal wall of the corresponding second accommodating channel  452  is an obtuse angle. 
         [0077]    The elongated scraping blade  50  is a unitary extruded soft resilient band with an upper wing section  51 , a middle neck section  52 , and a lower scrapping edge  53 . The middle neck section  52  has a pair of symmetric longitudinal grooves formed on both sides thereof in juxtaposition to run through the longitudinal gap  36  on the wiper adapter saddle bracket  30  and a longitudinal gap  46  on the clipping sleeve mount  40 . 
         [0078]    Each of the pair of end positioning caps  60  is a hollow flexible cuboid for serving to cap each corresponding short transverse edge  21  on the elastic metal keelson strip  20 , and has a front opening end  61 , a rear closed end  62 , a pair of widen-slotted inlets  63 , a accommodating tunnel  66  including an upper first accommodating tunnel  661  and a lower second accommodating tunnel  662 , a longitudinal slit  67 , a pair of horizontal internal knurls  68  and two longitudinal shoulders  69  with slight expanding deformation capability, wherein the widened-slotted inlet  63 , which extends inwardly in each corresponding front opening end  61  with a bottom front edge cutout, has a cross section profile that is the same as that of the short transverse side  44  on the clipping sleeve mount  40 , but with an internal dimension slightly bigger than the external dimension of the short transverse side  44  on the clipping sleeve mount  40 . The accommodating tunnel  66  is created between the top surface  64  and bottom sole  65  and extends towards the rear closed end  62  such that upper first accommodating tunnel  661  is wider than lower second accommodating tunnel  662 . The first accommodating tunnel  661 , which is a flat upper space of the accommodating tunnel  66  near top surface  64 , is dimensioned to have a width and height slightly bigger than the width and height of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  so that the elastic metal keelson strip  20  can be insert therein. The second accommodating tunnel  662 , which is an adapted flat lower space of the accommodating tunnel  66 , is dimensioned to have a width and height slightly bigger than the width and height of the upper wing section  51  on the elongated scraping blade  50  so that the upper wing section  51  on the elongated scraping blade  50  can be inserted therein. The longitudinal slit  67  is created between the second accommodating tunnel  662  and bottom sole  65  in parallel with two long lengthwise shoulders  69  so that the middle neck section  52  in the upper wing section  51  of the elongated scraping blade  50  can be inserted therein. The pair of horizontal internal knurls  68  are disposed in both internal walls of the upper first accommodating tunnel  661  near the rear closed end  62  in juxtaposition for grasping the inserted elastic metal keelson strip  20  in a better holding state (as shown in  FIGS. 10   b  and  10   c ). 
         [0079]      FIGS. 11 through 16  describe the assembly procedure of the above first preferred embodiment of the present invention in steps as follows: 
         [0080]    Step a: 
         [0081]    First, align and slide the upper first accommodating tunnel  661  in the front opening end  61  of a end positioning cap  60  to the short transverse edges  21  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  so that both long lengthwise edges  23  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  can slip into the first accommodating tunnel  661  up to the position where both rounded shoulders  22  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  are in contact with both horizontal internal knurls  68  of the end positioning cap  60  (as shown in  FIG. 11   a ). Second, inwardly push the elastic metal keelson strip  20  forwards to force both longitudinal shoulders  69  slightly expanding outwardly due to flexible deformation (as shown in  FIG. 11   b ). Third, further push the elastic metal keelson strip  20  forwards to let rounded shoulders  22  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  pass both horizontal internal knurls  68  of the end positioning cap  60  until both notches  24  thereof engage with both horizontal internal knurls  68  of the end positioning cap  60  with a snapping sound (as shown in  FIG. 11   c ) to finish the engagement step between one end positioning cap  60  and one end of the elastic metal keelson strip  20 . 
         [0082]    Step b: 
         [0083]    First, pick any clipping sleeve mount  40  then align any short transverse side  44  thereof with the other short transverse edge  21  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20 , which is not capped by the end positioning cap  60 , and then sleeve the first accommodating channel  451  of the clipping sleeve mount  40  through the elastic metal keelson strip  20  up to the position where the other short transverse edge  21  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  is in contact with both front opening end  61  of the end positioning cap  60 . Second, further push the elastic metal keelson strip  20  forwards to let the rounded shoulders  22  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  slide fully into the end positioning cap  60  (as shown in  FIGS. 12 and 12   a ). 
         [0084]    Step c: 
         [0085]    First, align any short transverse side  34  of the wiper adapter saddle bracket  30  with the other short transverse edge  21  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20 , which is still not yet capped by the end positioning cap  60 , and then sleeve the first accommodating channel  351  of the saddle bracket of wiper adapter  30  through the same elastic metal keelson strip  20  up to the position where the forward short transverse edge  34  of the saddle bracket  30  is in contact with rear short transverse side  44  of the clipping sleeve mount  40 . Second, further push the saddle bracket of wiper adapter  30  forwards to let the widen-slotted inlet  39  in the forward short transverse edge  34  of the saddle bracket of wiper adapter  30  sleeve fully over rear short transverse side  44  of the clipping sleeve mount  40  (as shown in  FIGS. 13 and 13   a ); 
         [0086]    Step d: 
         [0087]    First, follow the operational method in previous step b by picking the other clipping sleeve mount  40  to sleeve over the elastic metal keelson strip  20 . Second, further push the clipping sleeve mount  40  forwards to let the forward short transverse side  44  of the clipping sleeve mount  40  slide into the widened-slotted inlet  39  in the rear short transverse edge  34  of the wiper adapter saddle bracket  30  in fully enclosed manner (as shown in  FIGS. 14 and 14   a ). 
         [0088]    Step e: 
         [0089]    First, align and insert the middle neck section  52  in the upper wing section  51  of the elongated scraping blade  50  into the right second accommodating channel  452  of the clipping sleeve mount  40  as shown in step d. Second, slide and insert the elongated scraping blade  50  forwards to let the lower second accommodating channel  452  of clipping sleeve mount  40  run in order through lower second accommodating channel  352  of the wiper adapter saddle bracket  30  as shown in step c, left second accommodating channel  452  of the clipping sleeve mount  40  as shown in step b, and lower second accommodating tunnel  662  of the end positioning caps  60  as shown in step a. Third, further insert the elongated scraping blade  50  forwards to let the front end thereof contact against the internal wall in the rear closed end  62  of the end positioning caps  60  (as shown in  FIGS. 15 and 15   a ). 
         [0090]    Step f: 
         [0091]    First, follow the operational method in previous step a by aligning and sliding the lower second accommodating tunnel  662  of the end positioning caps  60  over the long lengthwise edges  23  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  up to the position where both rounded shoulders  22  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  are in contact with both horizontal internal knurls  68  of the end positioning cap  60 . Second, further push the elastic metal keelson strip  20  forwards to let both notches  24  thereof engage with both horizontal internal knurls  68  of the end positioning cap  60  with a snapping sound to finish the entire assembly process (as shown in  FIGS. 16 and 16   a ). 
         [0092]    Furthermore refer to  FIGS. 17 through 17   b  and  18  through  18   b.  The foregoing steps b and d describe the docking procedure of the clipping sleeve mount  40  and the elastic metal keelson strip  20  via corresponding ends respectively. Because the featuring width for the rounded shoulders  22  of each adapted guide section is slightly less than the width of the long lengthwise edges  23 , the guide section can serve as an alignment precursor in the docking procedure. 
         [0093]    First, for example, even if the adapted guide section with rounded shoulders  22  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  is not exactly in linear alignment with the upper first accommodating channel  451  of the clipping sleeve mount  40 , the adapted guide section with rounded shoulders  22  of the elastic metal keelson strip  20  can be inserted into the clipping sleeve mount  40  since the lower second accommodating channel  452  provides extra tolerance for accommodating the guide section with rounded shoulders  22  (as shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18 ). Second, because of its confinement in the clipping sleeve mount  40  with extra tolerance provided by the lower second accommodating channel  452 , the elastic metal keelson strip  20 , which is originally not exactly linear alignment with the upper first accommodating channel  451  of the clipping sleeve mount  40 , can now be adjusted to be roughly aligned (as shown in  FIGS. 17   a  and  18   a ); and finally, alignment and docking between the clipping sleeve mount  40  and the elastic metal keelson strip  20  can be further fine tuned to a desired state to complete the docking procedure (as shown in  FIGS. 17   b  and  18   b ). 
         [0094]    With the above-described features, the alignment procedure for key components of the wiper does not need extra care so that fatiguing attention of the assembling operator can be considerably reduced. Accordingly, not only can the assembling time be saved but also the assembling efficiency increased. Consequently, the manufacturing cost is decreased and marketing competition ability is increased. 
         [0095]    Moreover, referring to  FIGS. 19 through 21 , a primary dynamic feature provided in the windshield wiper of the present invention is that the plastic clipping sleeve mount  40  is uniformly rigid hard throughout the entire structure. In practical operation, as mentioned in the “Background of the Invention” section of this specification, because the wiper arm  2  swings back and forth during rain, a forward horizontal force component Fh is exerted on the wiper upon wiper arm  2  as is swings forth, whereas a backward horizontal force component Fh′ is exerted on the wiper upon wiper arm  2  as it swings back. The feature of a rigid hard (clipping sleeve mounts  40 ) of the present invention provides an effective resistance to the deformation, which usually happens in the soft flexible upper support  4  on the blade body  6  described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,189. Thus, in operation, the windshield wiper of the present invention eliminates temporary wiping, jerking, or harsh scraping noises. Consequently, no stress deformation will be incurred so that the service life thereof can be prolonged. 
         [0096]      FIGS. 22 and 22   a  as well as  23  and  23   a  illustrate a flat blade wiper for a vehicle according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. Most components in the second embodiment are identical to corresponding components of the first embodiment described above, but certain components are modified as follows: the wiper adapter saddle bracket  300  is modified with respect to the previously-described wiper adapter saddle bracket  30 , clipping sleeve mount  400  is modified from previous clipping sleeve mount  40 , and end positioning cap  600  is modified from previous end positioning cap  60 . In this embodiment, clipping sleeve mount  400  has a longitudinal ridge  402  and an upward taper shape in cross section profile is provided on a top surface  401  (as shown in  FIG. 22   a ). The wiper adapter saddle bracket  300  has a hollow ridge  302  with an upward taper shape in cross section profile provided on each of two short transverse sides  301  respectively to couple with the longitudinal ridge  402  of the clipping sleeve mount  400 . The end positioning caps  600  have a hollow ridge  602  with an upward taper shape in cross section profile is provided on the top surface  601 . The cross section profiles of the hollow ridge  302  and hollow ridge  602  are the same as that of the longitudinal ridge  402  but with an internal dimension slightly bigger than the external dimension of the longitudinal ridge  402  on the clipping sleeve mount  400  (as shown in  FIG. 23   a ). By means of the longitudinal ridge  402  on the clipping sleeve mount  400 , an equivalent air spoiler is provided in accordance with principles of fluid dynamics when the elongated scraping blade  50  wipes over the windscreen. 
         [0097]    Further referring to  FIGS. 24 and 25 , the clipping sleeve mount  410  of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention is also modified from previous clipping sleeve mount  40  by providing an asymmetric longitudinal ridge  412  on a top surface  411  to serve as an equivalent air spoiler as well, in accordance with fluid dynamics, when the elongated scraping blade  50  wipes over the windscreen.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1