Abstract:
A removable and portable manually operated windshield wiper assembly that attaches to the top side of a window or window frame of a boat, tractor, atv and the like not otherwise so equipped which can be easily operated by the simple rotation of a handle.

Description:
Index of Elements for Windshield Wiper Assembly 
             
             
               ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS 
             
             
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               20 
               Wiper Assembly 
             
             
                 
               22 
               Clamp Assembly 
             
             
                 
               24 
               First Side Segment 
             
             
                 
               26 
               Second Side Segment 
             
             
                 
               28 
               Intermediate Frame Segment 
             
             
                 
               30 
             
             
                 
               32 
             
             
                 
               34 
               Seat Pad 
             
             
                 
               36 
             
             
                 
               38 
               Clamp Cylinder 
             
             
                 
               40 
               Cylinder Handle 
             
             
                 
               42 
               Clamp Nut 
             
             
                 
               44 
               Clamp Nut Spring Pad 
             
             
                 
               46 
               Cylindrical Opening 
             
             
                 
               48 
               Horizontal Tubing 
             
             
                 
               50 
               First Open End 
             
             
                 
               52 
               Second Open End 
             
             
                 
               54 
               Cylindrical Rod 
             
             
                 
               56 
               Rod Handle 
             
             
                 
               58 
               Vertical Cylindrical Rod 
             
             
                 
               60 
               Vertical Tubing 
             
             
                 
               62 
               Set Screw 
             
             
                 
               64 
               Circular Opening 
             
             
                 
               66 
               First Spring Retainer 
             
             
                 
               68 
               Wiper Arm 
             
             
                 
               70 
               U Shaped Notch 
             
             
                 
               72 
               Holding Pin 
             
             
                 
               74 
               Spring 
             
             
                 
               76 
               Second Spring Retainer 
             
             
                 
               78 
               Wiper Blade 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to a portable and removable manually operated windshield wiper which can be easily clamped on to the windshield of a boat, tractor, atv o the like for safely, simply and quickly removing water or debris from a windshield. 
   When operating a small fishing boat, pontoon or pleasure boat, water will often times splash onto the boats windshield, thereby obstructing the operator&#39;s view. Small fishing boats and other pleasure craft typically do not come from the manufacturer with a windshield wiper. Thus, the pleasure craft operator is required to clean off the windshield by either stopping the boat or attempting to clean the windshield while also operating the boat. If the weather is inclement, it may be dangerous or, at the very least, inconvenient to stop the boat to clean the windshield. On the other hand, cleaning the windshield while also operating the boat is dangerous and could result in boats colliding or the boat hitting an object in the water. Hence, there is a significant need for a portable and removable windshield wiper that can be easily attached to the windshield of a boat thereby allowing the boat operator to safely clean the boat windshield. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   The prior art portable and removable windshield wipers have focused almost exclusively for use on automobiles. While these prior art portable and removable windshield wipers are effective for use on an automobile, they are not able to be easily used on a boat, tractor, atv or the like. An example of a prior art portable and removable windshield wiper includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,303 to Penn which discloses the use of magnets or suction cups to attach the portable and removable windshield wiper to the metal surface of an automobile. However, the windshield of a boat or tractor typically lacks the requisite metal surface for the use of a magnetically attaching portable and removable windshield wiper. The use of suction cups creates the possibility of the cups losing their suction resulting in the entire assembly coming off of the windshield. 
   While the prior art portable and removable windshield wipers may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for use on a boat, tractor or atv. In these respects, the portable and removable windshield wiper assembly according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of safely, simply and easily cleaning the windshield of a boat, tractor or atv. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of portable and removable windshield wiper assemblies now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new portable and removable windshield wiper assembly wherein the same can be utilized for safely and easily cleaning the windshield of a boat, tractor or atv. 
   The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new portable and removable windshield wiper which has many of the advantages of the portable and removable windshield wipers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new portable and removable windshield wiper which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art portable and removable windshield wipers, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
   To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a clamp assembly with a set screw which clamp securely attaches to the top side of the window or window frame of a boat windshield. A horizontal section of tubing is fixedly attached within a cylindrical opening of the clamp. Contained within the tubing is a horizontal rod. Fixedly attached to the first end of the horizontal rod is a handle for manually operating the windshield wiper. Attached to the second end of the horizontal rod is the first end of a vertical rod. The vertical rod extending below the first end is contained within a section of vertical tubing. The vertical tubing can be moved up or down the vertical rod thereby allowing the user to adjust the placement of the windshield wiper on the windshield. The vertical tubing, when in its proper location, is temporarily attached to the vertical rod with a set screw. Attached to the second end of the vertical tubing by means of a pin and spring is a wiper arm. Attached to the opposite end of the wiper arm is a wiper blade. 
   There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
   In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
   A primary object of the present invention is to provide an portable and removable manually operated windshield wiper that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable and removable manually operated windshield wiper that can be easily used on the windshield of a boat, tractor, atv or the like. 
   An additional object of the present invention is to provide a portable and removable manually operated windshield wiper that is easily operated from the driver&#39;s seat by the simple movement of a handle. 
   A further object of the present invention is to provide a portable and removable manually operated windshield wiper that can be easily removed from windshield and attached to a different windshield. 
   A further object of the present invention is to provide a portable and removable manually operated windshield wiper which securely attaches to a window or window frame. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable and removable manually operated windshield wiper that is inexpensive to manufacture and, therefore, inexpensive to the consumer. 
   Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention. 
   To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of the portable and removable windshield wiper assembly. 
       FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of pleasure craft with the portable and removable windshield wiper assembly attached to the front windshield. 
       FIG. 3  is a side perspective view of the rod handle, horizontal cylindrical rod and vertical cylindrical rod. 
       FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of the horizontal cylindrical rod inserted into the horizontal tubing. 
       FIG. 5  is a side perspective view of the clamping assembly and the inclusion of the horizontal tubing within the clamping assembly. 
       FIG. 6  is a side perspective view of the vertical tubing. 
       FIG. 7  is a side perspective view of the wiper arm with an attached wiper blade. 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded side perspective view of the spring and pin for rotatably connecting the vertical tubing and the wiper arm. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, illustrate a portable and removable manually operated windshield wiper assembly  20 , which comprises a clamp assembly  22 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the clamp assembly  22  is comprised of a first side segment  24  and a second side segment  26 , spanned by an intermediate frame segment  28 . A seat pad  34  is mounted on the second side segment  26  in facing relationship to the first side segment  24 . A threaded clamp cylinder  38  is threaded into engagement with corresponding internal threads (not illustrated) of a cylinder opening (also not illustrated), provided in the first side segment  24 . 
   Attached to the first end of the clamp cylinder  38  is a cylindrical shaped cylinder grip  40  to facilitate rotation of the clamp cylinder  38 . Attached to the second end of the clamp cylinder  38  is a clamp nut  42 , having corresponding internal clamp nut threads (not illustrated). Fixedly attached to the clamp nut  42  is a clamp nut spring pad  44 . 
   The intermediate frame segment  28  is trapezoidal shaped with a horizontal cylindrical opening  46  passing through the intermediate frame segment  28 . The horizontal cylindrical opening  46  is parallel to the clamp cylinder  38 . 
   Fixedly maintained within the horizontal cylindrical opening  46  is a section of horizontal tubing  48  having a first open end  50  and a second open end  52 . Inserted into the horizontal tubing  48  and extending beyond the first open end  50  and second open end  52  of the horizontal tubing  48  is a cylindrical rod  54 . Fixedly attached to the first end of the cylindrical rod  54  is vertical rod-shaped handle  56  to facilitate rotation of the cylindrical rod  54 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , that portion of the cylindrical rod  54  extending beyond the second open end  52  of the horizontal tubing  48  is bent to a ninety degree angle so as to result in that portion of the cylindrical rod  54  being maintained as a vertical cylindrical rod  58 . Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the vertical cylindrical rod  58  is inserted into a section of vertical tubing  60 . The vertical tubing  60  can be moved up or down the vertical cylindrical rod  58  for proper placement of the wiper on the windshield. Once the proper placement of the vertical tubing  60  is determined, the vertical tubing  60  is temporarily attached to the cylindrical rod  54  with a set screw  62 . A side of the vertical tubing  60  near its bottom end is removed for the placement of circular openings  64  and a first spring retainer  66 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , rotatably connected to the bottom end of the vertical tubing  60  is a wiper arm  68 . A cross section of the wiper arm  68  is formed in shape of a square whose top side is opened. A top end of the wiper arm  68  is provided with a second spring retainer  76  and a U shaped notch  70  into which a holding pin  72  is inserted. The holding pin  72  is also inserted into the circular openings  64  of the vertical tubing  60 . In a state that the holding pin  72  is fitted in the notch  70  and circular openings  64 , a spring (expansion coil spring)  74  for biasing the wiper arm  68  is retained between the first spring retainer  66  and the second spring retainer  76 . The wiper arm  68  is connected to the holding pin  72  to rotate about an axis thereof in a direction away from the windshield glass. A line connecting the spring retainers  66  and  76  is positioned beneath the holding pin  72  so that the wiper arm  68  is biased toward the windshield glass. Removably attached to the bottom end of the wiper arm  68  is a wiper blade  78 . 
   A washer fluid line (not illustrated) can be attached to the cylindrical rod  54 , vertical rod  58  and placed inside the vertical tubing  60  and wiper arm  68  so as to allow the operator to clean the windshield glass. 
   Upon the wiper assembly  20  being properly attached to the windshield frame, the operator can simply turn the handle  56  to utilize the wiper blade  78  to clean the windshield glass. If the user desires to remove the wiper assembly  20 , the user simply loosens the clamp cylinder  38  by rotating the cylinder handle  40  and removes the wiper assembly from the windshield frame. 
   As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
   With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
   Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.