WO2009084959A1

WO2009084959A1 - Holder for a brush for use with a windshield wiper and a wiper combination with a wiper blade and a brush

Info

Publication number: WO2009084959A1
Application number: PCT/NL2008/050856
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bob Cornelis Splinter
Original assignee: Bob Cornelis Splinter
Priority date: 2007-12-28
Filing date: 2008-12-29
Publication date: 2009-07-09
Also published as: NL2001143C2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a holder (5) for a brush (6) for use with a windshield wiper (11). The holder comprises a brush. The holder also comprises an opening for receiving a wiper blade of the windshield wiper. The holder also comprises provisions for coupling the holder with the windshield wiper. In addition, the invention relates to a windshield wiper combination (1), comprising a windshield wiper with a wiper blade for wiping away fluid from a windshield, while the same also comprises a brush positioned parallel to the wiper blade for cleaning the windshield, with the windshield wiper combination being designed for a repetitive movement from a rest position to an end position and back. The brush is fastened to a holder that is to be coupled with a windshield wiper and that, at least partly, surrounds the windshield wiper.

Description

Holder for a brush for use with a windshield wiper and a wiper combination with a wiper blade and a brush

The present invention relates to a holder according to the preamble of claim 1, for cooperating with a windshield wiper and a windshield wiper combination according to the preamble of claim 6. A windshield wiper is usually designed for a repetitive movement from a rest position to an end position and back.

Windshield wipers are generally known in the art and are used with motor vehicles such as cars, lorries, trains, planes and the like.

Windshield wipers are very effective in rain and the like, ensuring that the driver and passengers have good visibility.

When the windshield is covered with a small and easily removable amount of dirt, like sand, dust, etc. , the windshield wipers will remove such dirt. To this end also, a fluid supply system is provided that wets the windshields for the more effective removal of the dirt.

It is known, however, that in practice the windshield wipers are not able to remove tenacious dirt, in particular insects and for example tree resin, from the windshields. Therefore, in order to efficiently and effectively clean the windshields, the user is obliged to roll up his sleeves and attack the dirt himself. This makes it impossible to clean during driving. In some cases, when the windshield is covered with many insects, using the windshield wipers results in a non-see-through film, which seriously threatens traffic safety.

The general object of the invention is to eliminate at least one of the above mentioned drawbacks. A particular object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement for wiping windshields . A more particular object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement with which tenacious dirt can be effectively removed from a windshield. A further object of the invention is to provide a windshield wiper with which it is at all times possible to conveniently remove fluid from the windshield, as well as to remove dirt like sand, dust and insects.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a holder on which an arrangement is provided for the removal of tenacious dirt from a vehicle's windshield, and which can be attached to a windshield wiper of the vehicle.

Such a holder preferably comprises a brush having sufficient roughness to enable it to remove tenacious dirt as men- tioned above from a vehicle's windshield while the vehicle's windshield remains substantially undamaged.

In order to realise at least one of the above-mentioned objectives, the invention provides a holder comprising the features described in claim 1. In addition, the invention provides a windshield wiper combination as described in the independent claim 6.

The advantage obtained by means of the invention is that the brush is guided over the windshield simultaneously with the wiper blade of the windshield wiper. The brush thus produces a somewhat scrubbing effect, depending on the surface structure of the brush.

It is particularly preferred for the brush to be made of an open cellular material, preferably a sponge-like material, and in particular a synthetic sponge-like material. It is possi- ble_f for example, to use a material that is available on the market for manually removing insects from a car windshield. Such sponges are generally known in the art and are available from many car-shops. The brush means may also comprise hairs of which one end is held against the windshield and which have sufficient stiffness to, during use, maintain at least partly a straight orientation, that is to say that they do not bend during use to an extent that would cause the holder to touch the windshield.

It is in particular preferred for the brush to be made of a moisture-absorbent material or to have a moisture-absorbent structure. Likewise, if it is dry, the fluid supply system can be operated to wet the windshield and subsequently the windshield wiper can be activated in accordance with the invention, whereby the windshield is sprayed with a quantity of fluid, which will at least partly be absorbed by the brush. During the back-and-forth movement of the windshield wiper over the windshield in accordance with the invention, the windshield may thus be wet repeatedly and for a longer period of time so as to improve the removal of dirt. Not only a sponge-like material is able to absorb moisture, but also substantially separate hairs may be able to retain moisture in between them.

The holder for use with the windshield wiper according to the invention comprises a brush that is coupled with the holder. According to a preferred embodiment, the brush and the holder are detachably connected so that if the brush exhibits any wear, it can be replaced with another brush without having to replace the whole unit, that is to say brush and holder.

The holder comprises provisions for coupling the holder with the windshield wiper. The provisions may, for example, be comprised of the fact that a surface of the holder that faces towards and is contiguous with a surface of the windshield wiper is provided with an adhesive or the like, so as to produce a suitable coupling. According to another variant, the provisions on the holder may consist in hook-like clamps that can be placed around the holder body of the wiper blade of a customary windshield wiper, with the coupling being realised by means of a catch. It is, for example, also possible to pass a screw through aligned openings in the holder and the windshield wiper, so as to detachably couple the holder with the windshield wiper. A person skilled in the art is quite capable of determining the number of provisions (number of screws, amount of adhesive, number of clamps) to provide a desirable degree of coupling.

In accordance with a special variant, the invention also provides an embodiment wherein the holder for the wiper blade and the holder for the brush means are combined into one unit.

According to still another variant, an extra brush feature is provided between the brush means with which a scrubbing action is brought to bear on dirt, and the wiper blade of the windshield wiper, which extra brush feature is comprised of, for example, a softer en/or finer sponge-like material or, for example, a shammy-like material. The structure of this softer and/or finer sponge-like means, or for example shammy leather, is such that it wipes away the dirt that has been loosened by the brush means. It should therefore be made of a softer material than the brush means, and it has preferably a more closed surface than the brush means, so as to produce more of a wiping action and less of a scrubbing action. This softer and/or finer sponge-like means, or for example shammy-like means, may have an absorbent effect enabling it to at least partly absorb and retain the fluid on the windshield, or to slowly release it to the windshield during use .

5 The extra brush feature may have a finer structure than the brush means, that is to say in the case of a sponge-like material, that the thickness of the cell walls is less than that of the brush means, or less than the hair thickness of the brush means .

LO For example, the cell dimensions of the finer sponge may be maximally 0.9 times the size of the structure of the coarser brush means, for example, maximally 0.8 times, more preferably maximally 0.6 times or even less, for example maximally 0.5 times or maximally 0.3 times.

.5 The invention may also be embodied by combining the separate parts of the windshield wiper as described above and in more detail in the drawing and the description of the figures . The combinations of various parts shown in the drawing merely serve as example. Combinations of parts that are not actually

!0 shown in the drawing also fall within the scope of the invention.

The invention will now be further elucidated by way of the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a windshield wiper

!5 according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a brush means according to the invention .

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show an improved holder according to the invention. tO Fig. 5 shows a windshield wiper according to the prior art.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic representation of a combination of a windshield wiper according to Fig. 5 and a holder with brush according to Fig. 3 or 4. i5 Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 show a^' variant of the combination according to Fig. 6.

Fig. 1 shows a windshield wiper 1 comprised of a wiper blade 2 of a customary windshield wiper 11 and a brush means 3. The wiper blade 2 is attached to a holder 4. The brush means 3 consists of a holder 5 and a brush 6. When the windshield wiper 1 is in use, it moves back-and-forth, in the directions of the arrows A, B. The direction of the arrow A shows the movement of the windshield wiper 1 from the rest position to an end posi- 5 tions . The direction of the arrow B shows the movement of the windshield wiper 1 from the end position to the rest position. When moving into the rest position, the windshield is first wiped by the brush 6 and then by the wiper blade 2. After every back-and-forth movement of the windshield wiper, the windshield

LO will be dry.

As shown in more detail in Fig. 2, the brush part 3 comprises a holder part 5 and a brush 6 as already mentioned. The holder 5 is provided with coupling means 7, which by a first end 8 are attached to the holder 5. The portion of the coupling

.5 means 7 projecting from the holder 5 is substantially U-shaped, with the first leg of the ϋ-section that is fastened to the holder 5 being longer than the second leg 9 of this ϋ-section. The height H of the inside of this U-section corresponds to the height L of the holder 4 for the wiper blade 2. In this way the

Ϊ0 coupling means 7 is positioned accurately on the holder 4 of the wiper blade, and the brush means 3 will be firmly attached to the holder 4.

For the attachment by means of the coupling means 7, the material of the coupling means 7 needs to be somewhat flexi-

!5 ble so that, when positioning the brush means 3, the leg 9 can be guided along the side 10 of the holder 4.

In this way a clamp coupling is obtained. A person skilled in the art is quite capable of choosing a suitable material for the coupling means 7. This coupling i0 means 7 may, for example, be made of a plastic, a metal or the like.

In the Figs. 3-4 and 6-8 an improved embodiment of the invention is shown.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic bottom view of an improved

S5 holder 5 to which a brush δ is attached. The holder 5 is designed to be coupled with a holder 4 of a prior art windshield wiper 11, shown as example in Fig. 5. A wiper blade 2 of the windshield wiper 11 is inserted through an opening 12 of the holder 5. A mounting head 13 of the windshield wiper 11, which serves for fastening to a windshield wiper arm (not shown) of the motor vehicle, comprises two projecting portions 14 that are positioned in corresponding slot-like openings 15 of the holder 5. This positions the holder 5 firmly on the windshield wiper 11.

Fig. 6 schematically represents a windshield wiper 11 coupled with a holder 5 in accordance with Figs . 3 and 4. Coupling may take place in any way suitable for the purpose of firmly coupling the holder 5. Unintentional uncoupling is not permitted to occur. A person skilled in the art is quite capable of applying a suitable coupling. For example, to provide a substantially non-detachable coupling, as shown in Fig. 7 an adhesive may be applied on the surface 28 between the holder 5 and the holder 4 of the windshield wiper 11. It is also possible to provide a detachable coupling with, for example, an adhesive suitable for this purpose. Another variant of a detachable coupling is shown in Fig. 6, where a screw 29 is screwed in aligned openings provided in the holder 5 and the windshield wiper 4.

Another specific detachable coupling of the holder 5 to a windshield wiper 11 is shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8.

Fig. 7 is a schematical representation of a holder 5 with a brush 6 coupled with a holder 4 of a windshield wiper 11. A first end 16 of a clamping strip 27 is inserted into an opening 17 of the holder 5, and another end 18 is guided around a spoiler rim 19 of the windshield wiper 11. In order to prevent the holder 4 of the windshield wiper 11 from moving in the direction of the end 20 of the holder 5 when the clamping strip 27 is applied, a projection 21 is provided on the holder 5 against which the holder 4 abuts. Fig . 8 shows a further embodiment of the holder 5 according to Fig. 7₇ wherein a second projection 22 is provided to prevent a movement of the holder 4 in relation to the holder 5 in the other direction. In addition, a second clamping strip 23 is provided of which a first end 24 is inserted into an opening 25 of the holder 5, and another end 26 clampingly abuts against the holder 4. This provides an excellent coupling between the holder 4 and the holder 5.

Fig. 3 shows a number of openings 17. The figures do not show the invention to scale. Moreover, the figures only show a preferred embodiment of the invention. The figures must therefore not be understood to limit the protective scope of the invention. The length of the brush 6 should substantially be such that when coupling the holder 5 with the holder 4, both the brush 6 and the wiper blade 2 are in contact with the windshield. A person skilled in the art is quite capable of choosing a correct length. During use, the movement of the windshield wiper 1 from the rest position to the end position will already wipe away some of the fluid from the windshield. When it rains, the brush 6 will, in the reverse movement from the end position to the rest position, absorb at least some of the rain water. The rest will be entrained by the wiper blade 2. In the rest position, a quantity of fluid may be trapped between the wiper blade 2 and the brush 6. During the next movement from the rest position to the end position, the brush will be able to absorb this quantity also, while this fluid together with the scrubbing action of the brush during the movement, will remove the dirt adequately, or will at least wet the dirt on the windshield. During the next movement of the windshield wiper from the end position to the rest position, the already wet dirt will be easier to remove from the windshield, so that a practically clean windshield is obtained.

If there is no rain, but only dirt that needs to be removed from the windshield, this can conveniently be done by supplying fluid by means of the fluid delivery system (spraying- device) , which is usually provided on a motor vehicle. The hardness of the material of the brush should be such that it will not damage the windshield. In general, prior art brushes made of plastic are suitable for this purpose. For example, material can be used that is fastened to manually operated hand brush/wiper-combinations, with at the one side a brush material/open-cell material and at the other side a wiper blade, as usually available at filling stations, for cleaning the windshield of a car. The invention is not limited to the above given detailed description of a preferred embodiment . The invention is only limited by the appended claims .

Claims

CIAIMS

1. A holder (5) for a brush for use with a windshield wiper (11), characterised in that the holder comprises a brush, wherein the holder comprises an opening for receiving a wiper blade (2) of the windshield wiper (11) , and the holder comprises provisions for coupling the holder with the windshield wiper (11).

2. A holder (5) according to claim 1, characterised in that the brush and the holder are detachably connected.

3. A holder (5) according to claim 1, characterised in that the holder (5) of the brush (6) comprises openings (15) for receiving projecting elements (14) of the windshield wiper (11) .

4. A holder according to claim 1, characterised in that the same comprises an adhesive applied on a surface facing a holder (4) of the windshield wiper (11), for coupling the holder

(5) with the windshield wiper (11) .

5. A holder according to claim 1, characterised in that the same comprises provisions (17; 25) for coupling clamping means (27; 23) for fastening the holder (5) to the windshield wiper (11) .

6. A windshield wiper combination (1), comprising a windshield wiper (11) with a wiper blade (2) for wiping away fluid from a windshield, while the same also comprises a brush

(6) positioned parallel to the wiper blade (2) for cleaning the windshield, with the windshield wiper combination (1) being designed for a repetitive movement from a rest position to an end position and back, characterised in that the brush (6) is fastened to a holder (5) that is to be coupled with a windshield wiper (1), and which is at least partly placed around the windshield wiper (1) .

7. A windshield wiper combination (1) according to claim 6, characterised in that from the end position to the rest position, the brush (6) precedes the wiper blade (2) .

8. A windshield wiper combination (1) according to claim 6 or 1, characterised in that the brush is made of an open cellular material, preferably a sponge-like material, in particular a synthetic sponge-like material.

9. A windshield wiper combination (1) according to claim 6, 7 or 8, characterised in that the brush is made of a moisture-absorbent material .