GB2120927A - Carrier for windscreen wiper blade - Google Patents

Abstract

A windscreen wiper blade carrier which is adjustable at each end so as to permit the attachment to the carrier of refill wiper blades of a plurality of different lengths comprises, a main stem member 10 having extendable end portions 13 each of which is pivotally connected to a blade gripping member 25 provided with clairs 28 at its ends. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Carrier for windscreen wiper blade The present invention relates to a carrier for a windscreen wiper. The carrier of a windscreen wiper for a motor vehicle is normally an elongate metal member which is detachably connectable to an arm which in turn is more permanently attached to a motor on the motor vehicle. The carrier has means for attachment to a wiper blade which in turn is an elongate piece of resiliently flexible material, normally rubber, which is strengthened by a steel backing strip. The rubber blades get worn in the course of service and need to be replaced.Replacement blades are normally sold ready-attached to a carrier, mainly for the reason that it is a comparatively easy operation to change a complete windscreen wiper comprising carrier and blade, while it is rather more difficult to fit a blade to a carrier where it has to be supported at each end at intermediate points.

However the differences from one motor vehicle to another mean that wiper replacements have to be stocked in a great number of sizes which is a difficult retailing problem and adds to the expense of the replacement unit.

The invention is aimed at reducing the number of carriers required to cover the full range of windscreen wipers.

In our earlier application published under International Publication No. WO 82/00982 there is described a windscreen wiper blade carrier which is adjustable at both ends so as to permit the attachment to the carrier of refill wiper blades of a plurality of different lengths. In the preferred form of construction the carrier comprises a rigid bowed stem with means for engaging a wiper arm and having a chord length corresponding generally with the length of a wiper blade, socket means at each tip for receiving a respective end of a wiper blade, support means extending from the stem towards the chord for engaging a wiper blade at at least two points intermediate of the tips, the support means comprising respective retainers for engaging with a blade at the said points to resist lateral bowing of a fitted blade and to provide resilient force to press such blade against a windscreen, wherein the socket means are constructed to allowthe fitting of blades of a plurality of different lengths.

The present invention is directed to an improvement in the carrier of our earlier application.

A form of windscreen wiper blade carrier known since the 1950's comprises a stem which is of a length less than the length of the blade and which at each end is pivotally connected to a bowed member which grips the blade at two positions at respective ends of the bowed member, one position being at the end of the blade and the other position being at a point between the end of the stem and the centre of the stem. No additional supports for the blade are needed. This form of carrier is advantageous especially in connection with windscreens of high curvature.

The invention is aimed at enabling a carrier e.g. of the aforementioned type to be used with refill wiper blades of a plurality of different lengths.

In one form of the invention each of the two arms of a carrier stem member is formed with a longitudinally extendable portion which in turn is pivotally connected to a blade gripping member which makes connection to the blade at positions externally and internally of the axis of pivot, with respect to the centre of the stem.

Preferably the stem extension member is telescopically engageable with the main stem portion so as to extend the arm of the main stem portion e.g. at its end.

An embodiment of the invention is hereafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one arm of a carrier in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is an elevational view of the portion shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is an end view of the stem portions of the arm of Figure land Figure 4 is a perspective view of the end of the stem extension portion.

In the drawings only one arm of the carrier and its associated blade gripping member is shown since the other arm will be in mirror image relationship and the coupling of the carrier to the windscreen wiper arm may be conventional or as described in our aforesaid published application WO 82/00982.

The carrier comprises a rigid bowed main stem portion 10 of channel shape having a back portion 11 and side walls 12. The main stem portion may have a curved bow or may be formed by rectilinear arms (as shown) which may extend at a dihedral angle of e.g.

100 to 200 from a central connecting portion which is not shown.

End portions of the stem are formed as separate members one of which is shown at 13. The member 13 is also of channel section corresponding to that of main stem portion 10. It is telescopically received into the end of the portion 10 and partially enclosed by flanges 14 at the edges of walls 12 in spaced positions at the end. The extendable portion 13 is formed with a bottom wall 15 and side walls 16.

The portion 13 may be telescopically withdrawn from the main stem portion 10 by equal increments so that the effective length of the carrier can be adjusted to suit different blade sizes required for dfferent motor vehicles. Means are provided for locking the extendable portion 13 at different predetermined positions and in this embodiment this is provided by rows of interengaging dimples 17 on the main stem portion 10 and extendable portion 13.

Thus a row of dimples formed to constitute projections 18 is formed in each side wall 12. These projections 18 engage within complementary recesses 19 formed by inwardly projecting dimples 20 in the side walls 16 of the extendable stem portion 13.

The dimples on both portions may be spaced e.g.

10mm apart so that by extending each extendable portion 13 by one increment, the effective length of the carrier may be extended by 20 mm to the next size of blade. Naturally, however, the spacing and positioning of the dimples will be suited to the prevailing range of blade sizes.

The end of the extendable portion 13 has chamfered side walls 16 leading to a connection member 21. The connection member 21 forms an end surface to the portion 13. All of the units are conveniently formed from pressed steel, and the connection member 21 can conveniently be formed by cutting the blankforthe member 13 so that the portion to form the member 21 extends therefrom and is joined thereto along the bottom wall 15. The extension portion can then be bent upwardly into place as shown in Figure 4 with a narrower tongue portion 22 extending upwardly to a level slightly above the edges of the walls 12 of the chamfered portion of the stem arm 10. The top edge surfaces of the end portion 21 adjacent the tongue portion 22 form a shoulder 24 on either side of the tongue portion 22.

The shoulders 24 lie flush with the top surface of side walls 12 of extension member 13. The shoulders and these top surfaces form an abutment for the rear surface of the blade gripping member indicated at 25 in Figures 1 and 2.

The gripping member 25 is also formed from pressed steel and can be bow shaped in elevation as shown in Figure 2. It is of channel section with side walls 26 and a bottom wall 27. Claws 28 are formed at each end of side walls for the purpose of gripping the windscreen wiper blade.

Situated in the bottom wall 27 of the gripping member 25 is a slot 29 through which is inserted the tongue portion. In Figures 1 and 2 this slot is shown in a central position with respect to the length of gripping member 25, but this is not an essential feature, since the shape of gripping member 25 can be altered to accommodate an off-centre positioning of slot 29.

When the tongue portion 22 is inserted in slot 29 the top edge of a slot 30 in tongue portion 22 just clears the inner surface of the bottom wall 27. A spring clip 31 is inserted through the slot 30 to secure the tongue portion 22 against the bottom wall 27 of the gripping member 25. In this position the back wall 27 is held resiliently against the shoulders 24 of connection portion 21 and the end portion of extension member 13.

in another embodiment the top surfaces of side walls 12 adjacent the end portion 21 are lower than the shoulders 24 so that when gripping member 25 is attached with a spring clip to extension member 13 in the same manner as before, the back wall 27 of gripping member 25 abuts only the shoulders 24.

This provides greater freedom to pivot about the transverse axis defined by the shoulders 24.

It is not necessary within the general scope of the invention for the telescopic joint to be at the end of the stem. It could, if convenient, be formed in any part of the stem. Also other means of pivotal connection between the gripping member 25 and the stem may be used.

CLAIMS (filed on 16 May 1983) 1. A windscreen wiper blade carrier which is adjustable so as to permit the attachment to the carrier of refill wiper blades of a plurality of different lengths, the carrier comprising, a main stem member having two arms extending from a connecting portion, each arm being formed with a stem eXfen= sion member pivotally connected to a blade gripp: member having blade gripping means at position externally and internally of the axis of pivot, with respect to the connecting portion.

2. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein the stem extension member is telescopically engage able with the main stem portion so as to extend the arm of the main stem portion.

3. A carrier according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the pivotal connection is formed by inter engagement of a tongue on one of the blade gripping member and the stem extension member extending into a slot in the other of said members, and locking means for holding the tongue in place.

4. A carrier according to claim 3 wherein the gripping member is of channetshaped cross sector and wherein the slot is in the bottom floor of said gripping member.

5. A carrier according to claim 4 wherein the tongue is formed on the stem extension member so as to extend towards the blade and is formed with a widthwise extending slot at a position which clears the slotted bottom wall of the gripping member when the tongue is in position, and the locking means comprises a spring clip which is insertebi# - the slot of the tongue portion.

6. A carrier according to any of claims 3 to 5 wherein the stem extension member is of change section, having side walls of the stem extension member which taper towards the end and wherein the tongue is formed as an extension of an end wal of the channel section.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. The end of the extendable portion 13 has chamfered side walls 16 leading to a connection member 21. The connection member 21 forms an end surface to the portion 13. All of the units are conveniently formed from pressed steel, and the connection member 21 can conveniently be formed by cutting the blankforthe member 13 so that the portion to form the member 21 extends therefrom and is joined thereto along the bottom wall 15. The extension portion can then be bent upwardly into place as shown in Figure 4 with a narrower tongue portion 22 extending upwardly to a level slightly above the edges of the walls 12 of the chamfered portion of the stem arm 10. The top edge surfaces of the end portion 21 adjacent the tongue portion 22 form a shoulder 24 on either side of the tongue portion 22. The shoulders 24 lie flush with the top surface of side walls 12 of extension member 13. The shoulders and these top surfaces form an abutment for the rear surface of the blade gripping member indicated at 25 in Figures 1 and 2. The gripping member 25 is also formed from pressed steel and can be bow shaped in elevation as shown in Figure 2. It is of channel section with side walls 26 and a bottom wall 27. Claws 28 are formed at each end of side walls for the purpose of gripping the windscreen wiper blade. Situated in the bottom wall 27 of the gripping member 25 is a slot 29 through which is inserted the tongue portion. In Figures 1 and 2 this slot is shown in a central position with respect to the length of gripping member 25, but this is not an essential feature, since the shape of gripping member 25 can be altered to accommodate an off-centre positioning of slot 29. When the tongue portion 22 is inserted in slot 29 the top edge of a slot 30 in tongue portion 22 just clears the inner surface of the bottom wall 27. A spring clip 31 is inserted through the slot 30 to secure the tongue portion 22 against the bottom wall 27 of the gripping member 25. In this position the back wall 27 is held resiliently against the shoulders 24 of connection portion 21 and the end portion of extension member 13. in another embodiment the top surfaces of side walls 12 adjacent the end portion 21 are lower than the shoulders 24 so that when gripping member 25 is attached with a spring clip to extension member 13 in the same manner as before, the back wall 27 of gripping member 25 abuts only the shoulders 24. This provides greater freedom to pivot about the transverse axis defined by the shoulders 24. It is not necessary within the general scope of the invention for the telescopic joint to be at the end of the stem. It could, if convenient, be formed in any part of the stem. Also other means of pivotal connection between the gripping member 25 and the stem may be used. CLAIMS (filed on 16 May 1983)

1. A windscreen wiper blade carrier which is adjustable so as to permit the attachment to the carrier of refill wiper blades of a plurality of different lengths, the carrier comprising, a main stem member having two arms extending from a connecting portion, each arm being formed with a stem eXfen= sion member pivotally connected to a blade gripp: member having blade gripping means at position externally and internally of the axis of pivot, with respect to the connecting portion.

2. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein the stem extension member is telescopically engage able with the main stem portion so as to extend the arm of the main stem portion.

3. A carrier according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the pivotal connection is formed by inter engagement of a tongue on one of the blade gripping member and the stem extension member extending into a slot in the other of said members, and locking means for holding the tongue in place.

4. A carrier according to claim 3 wherein the gripping member is of channetshaped cross sector and wherein the slot is in the bottom floor of said gripping member.

5. A carrier according to claim 4 wherein the tongue is formed on the stem extension member so as to extend towards the blade and is formed with a widthwise extending slot at a position which clears the slotted bottom wall of the gripping member when the tongue is in position, and the locking means comprises a spring clip which is insertebi# - the slot of the tongue portion.

6. A carrier according to any of claims 3 to 5 wherein the stem extension member is of change section, having side walls of the stem extension member which taper towards the end and wherein the tongue is formed as an extension of an end wal of the channel section.