Patent ID: 7690116

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a rail for a backing strip for a windshield wiper assembly, the method comprising: forming a body member having a first flat surface, a second flat surface, and a generally rectangular cross-section; stamping a portion of the body member to form a decreased thickness portion having a first flat surface and a second flat surface, wherein the first flat surface of the decreased thickness portion is receded from the first flat surface of the body member by an abrupt step, and the second flat surface of the decreased thickness portion is coplanar with the second flat surface of the body member; and cutting out a portion of the decreased thickness portion to form a detent portion having a cut-out on each side thereof the cut-outs forming at least a pair of hooks on each side of the detent portion, wherein the cut-out on one side of the detent portion is for receiving a claw of the windshield wiper assembly and the hooks on the opposite side of the detent portion is for engaging a windshield wiper blade of the windshield wiper assembly.