Patent ID: 8857009

Claim:
A beam blade windshield wiper assembly comprising: a wiping element adapted to contact a surface to be wiped, said wiping element includes opposed longitudinal ends; at least one elongated beam defining a longitudinal axis, said beam acting to support said wiping element and having opposed longitudinal ends; a pair of end caps operatively mounted to said longitudinal ends of said beam; and an airfoil operatively mounted to said beam and extending between each of said pair of end caps; said end caps including a body and inwardly extending legs that together with the body define a central channel that is adapted to receive the longitudinal ends of said wiping element and said beam; said legs including a retention tab extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said beam and defining a terminal end, said retention tab extending in a biased fashion toward said central channel, each of said legs further including at least one window defined in and enclosed by said leg, with said retention tab extending in cantilevered fashion from said leg into said window in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said beam; said beam including a notch that corresponds with said flexible retention tab such that when said beam is received in said central channel, said retention tab is biased away from said channel until said terminal end of said tab comes into abutting engagement with said notch such that removal of said end caps is prevented due to the interfering engagement between said retention tab on said end caps and said notch on said beam.