Patents Examined by Gary Graham
  • Patent number: 8539634
    Abstract: A wiper blade (10) consisting of a rubber profiled element (48) comprising a wiper lip (50) and at least one carrier element (46) that can be connected to a wiper arm (18) by means of a fixing element (14) and a connection element (22). The fixing element (14) comprises a covering cap (16) and the connection element (22) fixed to the wiper arm (18) secures the wiper blade (10) perpendicularly to a pivoting axis (20) by means of a clip (52), on the end (54) thereof at an angle to the wiper blade. According to the invention, the covering cap (16) comprises an opening (34) or recess for the angular end (54) of the clip (52), on the side of the cap opposing the rubber profiled element (48), in the region of the connection element (22), said opening only partially overlapping the covering cap (16) in the mounted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Wilms, Eric Windmolders, Erik Kinnaert, Dave Claes
  • Patent number: 8522392
    Abstract: A wiper system having an electric motor operatively associated with a primary pivot shaft assembly. Also included is a secondary pivot shaft assembly. A first windshield wiper is coupled to the primary pivot shaft assembly, and a second windshield wiper is coupled to the secondary pivot shaft assembly. The system includes a cable assembly having at least one cable operatively associated with the primary pivot shaft assembly and the secondary pivot shaft assembly, wherein the electric motor is capable of rotating the primary pivot shaft assembly and the first windshield wiper, wherein rotation of the primary pivot shaft assembly generates tension in the at least one cable, and wherein the at least one cable tension generates rotation of the secondary pivot shaft assembly and the second windshield wiper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jose Maria Garcia Crespo, Heather M. Flores, Andre Sykula, Bradley Napier Doman
  • Patent number: 8522393
    Abstract: A windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade includes opposing longitudinal grooves on its longitudinal sides, in which grooves spaced-apart longitudinal strips of the carrier element are disposed, wherein neighbouring ends of said longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connecting piece, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating arm, wherein the oscillating arm is pivotally connected to the connecting device about a pivot axis near one end, with the special feature that the connecting device comprises at least two parts provided with protrusion/hole features for detachably connecting the parts together, wherein the first part is retained onto the wiper blade and wherein the second part has an at least substantially U-shaped cross-section at the location of its connection to said first par
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul S.A.
    Inventor: Xavier Boland
  • Patent number: 8516647
    Abstract: A collapsible pivot body having a housing that includes a channel defined therein and a mounting bracket that is adapted to attach the pivot body to a portion of a vehicle. The collapsible pivot body further includes a sleeve operatively disposed within the channel. The sleeve includes an internal passage that is adapted to receive a pivot shaft assembly of a wiper system. The collapsible pivot body further includes a plurality of bridges that connect the sleeve to the housing. The bridges are adapted to fail in response to a predetermined load acting on a pivot shaft assembly and cause the sleeve to collapse within the housing, thereby displacing the pivot shaft assembly and a portion of a wiper arm below the impact line of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Trico Products Corporation
    Inventor: James G. O'Connor
  • Patent number: 8510896
    Abstract: A wiper device for a vehicle may include a lower pivot shaft integrally coupled at a lower end thereof to a link lever that may be rotated by a force transmitted from a wiper motor, thus enabling the lower pivot shaft to rotate, wherein the lower pivot shaft includes a coupling protrusion protruding integrally from an upper end of the lower pivot shaft, an upper pivot shaft seated on an upper surface of the lower pivot shaft, the upper pivot shaft having a coupling recess integrally formed on a lower surface thereof to selectively fit the coupling protrusion therein, wherein an arm head may be integrally coupled to an upper end of the upper pivot shaft that protrudes above a cowl top panel, and a shaft holder secured to the cowl top panel while engaging therein a coupled portion between the lower pivot shaft and the upper pivot shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Seung Kil Baik
  • Patent number: 8505152
    Abstract: A windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade includes opposing longitudinal groove on its longitudinal sides, in which grooves spaced-apart longitudinal strips of the carrier element are disposed, wherein neighboring ends of said longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connection piece, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating arm, wherein said oscillating arm is pivotally connected to said connecting device about a pivot axis near one end, with the interposition of a joint part, wherein said joint part comprises at least one resilient tongue engaging in a correspondingly shaped hole provided in said oscillating arm, and wherein said resilient tongue is rotatable along an hinge axis between an outward position retaining the wiper blade onto the oscillating arm and an inward position relea
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul S.A.
    Inventor: Xavier Boland
  • Patent number: 8505151
    Abstract: A connecting device for the articulated connection of a wiper blade to a wiper arm, wherein the connecting device comprises an adapter with a button on the end of the drive side thereof above a spring clip, wherein the button is connected via a spring tongue to the adapter and protrudes beyond the upper edges of the lateral walls. The lateral walls at the lower edges thereof have a protruding guide rail on which a stop is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Depondt, Yves Janssis, Dirk Herinckx
  • Patent number: 8499408
    Abstract: A windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, a connecting device pivotally connected to the connecting device about a pivot axis near one end. The connecting device comprises at least a first part and a second part and first and second retaining means for retaining the connecting device onto the oscillating arm. The first retaining means comprises at least one first protrusion on the second part engaging in a correspondingly shaped hole provided in the oscillating arm, and wherein the second retaining means comprise at least one second protrusion provided on the first part engaging the oscillating arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul S.A.
    Inventor: Xavier Boland
  • Patent number: 8479349
    Abstract: A vehicle provided with at least two windscreen wiper devices each comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen of the vehicle to be wiped, each wiper blade including opposing longitudinal grooves on its longitudinal sides, in which grooves spaced-apart longitudinal strips of the carrier element are disposed, wherein neighboring ends of longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connecting piece, which windscreen wiper devices each comprise a connecting device for a respective oscillating arm, with the interposition of a joint part, with the special feature that each joint part and its corresponding oscillating arm comprise mutually cooperating protrusion/recess means resulting in an asymmetric form of joint part and of oscillating arm with the respect to their respective middle longitudinal planes, seen in vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul S.A.
    Inventors: Xavier Boland, Pierre Henin, Dieter Desaedelaere
  • Patent number: 8479351
    Abstract: A windshield wiper assembly includes a pair of leaf spring elements supported generally parallel to each other with a space therebetween, a flexible blade supported within the space between the leaf spring elements, a bracket fixed to the intermediate portion of the pair of leaf spring elements and supporting said pair of leaf spring elements to provide the space therebetween, the bracket including a pair of pressure distribution tabs, and a bracket cover connected at opposite sides of the bracket, the bracket cover having a skirt extending below the bracket to cover a portion of the pair of leaf spring elements at the intermediate portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Alberee Products Inc.
    Inventors: Albert Lee, Choon Bae Lee
  • Patent number: 8468641
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a wiper coupler and wiper assembly that includes a wiping element and a tournament-style superstructure to support the wiping element. The wiper assembly further includes a wiper coupler that releasably attaches the superstructure to a wiper arm attachment member. The wiper coupler includes a pair of sidewalls each having a flange to engage a portion of the guides of the attachment member and further includes an elevated platform and a deck each disposed between the sidewalls. The deck and a portion of the sidewalls define a rest to receive the track of the attachment member. The wiper coupler further includes an aperture between the elevated platform and the deck. The aperture receives a portion of the bent tab of the attachment member to facilitate attachment between the superstructure and the attachment member conventionally employed for use with a beam blade-style wiper assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Trico Products Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy J. Coughlin
  • Patent number: 8468640
    Abstract: A scrubber assembly (14) for a windshield wiper (10) having a wiper arm (12) includes a scrubber housing (22) attached to the wiper arm. The scrubber housing (22) has an interior volume (66) and at least one opening (58). A rod (68) is at least partially disposed in the interior volume (66) and is displaceable from a first position to a second position. A brush assembly (42) is attached to the rod (68) with at least one flexible connecting member (76) that extends through the at least one opening (58) to the brush assembly. When the rod (68) is in the first position, a first portion of the flexible connecting member (76) protrudes from the opening (58), and when the rod is displaced to the second position, a second portion of the flexible connecting member that is larger than the first portion protrudes from the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: International Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC
    Inventors: Joshua Chaise, Esther Chen, Robert Holop, Luke Xie
  • Patent number: 8453292
    Abstract: A connecting device for connecting a wiper blade to a wiper arm. The connecting device includes a hinge unit formed at one side of the wiper arm and an adapter provided at an upper end of the wiper blade so that the adapter is coupled to the hinge unit. The hinge unit includes retainers disposed opposite to each other about an opening formed at one side of the wiper arm. A pin is transversely disposed between the retainers. The adapter includes a guide for guiding the pin and a coupling hole connected to the guide so that the pin is hingedly coupled into the coupling hole. Connection between the wiper arm and the wiper blade is achieved by sliding a projecting jaw projecting downward from the coupling hole of the adapter along an inclined plane formed at the pin of the hinge unit and rotating the wiper blade so that one side of the adapter coincides with the inside of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Bosch Electrical Drives Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sung Wook Jeon
  • Patent number: 8453290
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a wiper apparatus in which it is easy to replace a wiper blade without this leading to any erroneous operation. When a wiper operation has been stopped by a wiper driving apparatus 31, the wiper driving apparatus causes the wiper arms to first move to a housing position and then stops the wiper arms. When wiper blades are to be replaced, an IG switch 33 is turned off during a wiper operation. If the IG switch 33 is turned off while the wiper arms are within a first stopping range, then the wiper arms are stopped at that position and the blades are replaced. If the wiper arms are stopped outside the first stopping range, then they are first moved to a bottom inverted position or a housing position and are then stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsuba Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Amagasa, Hiroji Okabe
  • Patent number: 8448289
    Abstract: The invention relates to a windscreen wiper drive arrangement (1) having a drive shaft (4), extending out of a gear mechanism housing (3), for a windscreen wiper, in which the drive shaft (4) is guided axially through a protective sleeve (15) which is sealed with respect to the drive shaft (4) by means of at least one inner sealing element (18) and with respect to a vehicle component (11) by means of at least one outer sealing element. The invention provides for the protective sleeve (15) to be secured to the gear mechanism housing in order to protect said protective sleeve against axial movement in the direction of the vehicle component (11) and/or against rotational movement relative to the gear mechanism housing (3) by frictional engagement and/or by means of at least one separate securing element (25).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Reith, Gerard Albrecht, Verena Lipps, Roland Bohn, Mario Huesges, Guenther Friderichs, Paul Geubel
  • Patent number: 8429786
    Abstract: The invention relates to a connection device (10) for the articulated connection of a wiper blade (28, 30) to a wiper arm, wherein a connection element (12, 120, 126) is tightly connected to the free end of the wiper arm, and the connection element is connected in an articulated manner via mounting means (88, 122, 124) to an adapter (22, 24), and the adapter is tightly seated on a support element (28) of the wiper blade (28, 30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: David Van Baelen, Klaus-Juergen Westermann, Bernhard Geppert, Yves Janssis, Dirk Herinckx, Ursula Westermann
  • Patent number: 8424149
    Abstract: The invention is based on a wiper blade (10) comprising a wiper strip (12), in the lateral longitudinal grooves (20) of which two parallel spring rails (24) are inserted as a supporting element in the head strip (16), wherein a spoiler (30) and end caps (32, 48) are provided on the rails. The end caps (32, 48) each connect with a flow profile (34) to the spoiler (30) and extend at the front sides facing the ends of the wiper blade (10) toward a wiper lip (14) over the spring rails (24). It is proposed that at least one end cap (32, 48) comprises a closeable assembly opening (38) in the region overlapping the spring rails (24) and the head strip (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Wildrik Coemans, David Van Baelen, Peter Saevels, Hans Beelen
  • Patent number: 8413292
    Abstract: A windshield wiper assembling structure for preventing loose attachment of a driven wiper arm assembles the driven wiper arm having a hook arm on a windshield wiper fixing stage. The windshield wiper assembling structure includes an assembling stage and a positioning stage. The assembling stage has a through groove, an elastic blocking slice, and a first fastening groove which is formed at one side edge of the elastic blocking slice. The first fastening groove fastens on the windshield wiper fixing stage. The assembling stage has a containing groove on a top surface thereof to accommodate the hook arm. The positioning stage has a cover cap and a positioning arm which is extended from the cover cap. The positioning arm has a second fastening groove corresponding to the first fastening groove. The second fastening groove fastens on the windshield wiper fixing stage and corresponding to the first fastening groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Inventors: Chih-Ming Yang, Chuan-Chih Chang
  • Patent number: 8413291
    Abstract: The prevent invention discloses a boneless wiper blade, which mainly consists of a pivot socket, two end ferrules, spring steel sheet and rubber strip, wherein the spring steel sheet is used to support and fix the rubber strip, and the pivot socket, on which the connecting adaptors are installed to connect with wiper arms, is mounted on the center of the spring steel sheet and the rubber strip, with end ferrules mounted at both ends of them. The upper part of the wind-pressure sheathes featuring specially curved surface is designed to prevent the wiper blade from lifting off from the surface of the windshield at highway speeds. The said spring steel sheet is so parabolically designed that the rubber strip can firmly and closely contact the various windshield glasses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Xiamen Meto Auto Parts Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sheng-Zhu Wu
  • Patent number: 8402595
    Abstract: A windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade includes opposing longitudinal grooves on its longitudinal sides, in which grooves spaced-apart-longitudinal strips of the carrier element are disposed, wherein neighboring ends of the longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connecting piece, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating wiper arm wherein the strips; and the connecting piece are slidably connected by means of a snap connection with the interposition of a joint part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul S.A.
    Inventor: Xavier Boland