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US 10,391,980 B2Granted
End cap for wiper assembly
AssigneeTrico Products Corporation
InventorsKyle Moll, C. Joseph Thielen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An end cap for a wiper assembly includes a body adapted to be disposed over a portion of a plurality of splines of the wiper assembly. The body includes a separator adapted to cooperate with the splines of the wiper assembly to separate and retain the splines laterally from movement for a wiping element of the wiper assembly disposed between the splines.
Claims19
An end cap for a wiper assembly comprising:
- an integral one-piece body adapted to be pressed longitudinally in a first direction onto respective end portions of a plurality of splines of the wiper assembly, which said splines are longitudinally elongate and terminate at said end portions disposed at opposite ends of said splines;
- and
- said body including a pair of side walls, an end wall extending laterally between said side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall joined to said side walls to define longitudinally-spaced first and second body ends and a cavity which opens longitudinally outwardly from said first body end in said first direction, wherein said side walls, said end wall, said top wall and said bottom wall are formed integrally as one piece prior to assembly to said splines so as to move longitudinally together as one piece in said first direction onto said end portions at one of said opposite ends of said splines, and said second body end of said body including a separator comprised of a pair of channels extending longitudinally through said end wall and opening longitudinally in said first direction toward said splines to longitudinally receive said end portions of the splines of the wiper assembly by longitudinal movement of said body in said first direction onto said end portions, said channels arranged in spaced relation in said end wall with an intermediate portion of said end wall extending laterally between said channels to maintain lateral separation between said splines, said channels and said intermediate portion of said end wall being adapted to cooperate with the splines of the wiper assembly to separate and retain the splines laterally from movement with respect to said side walls of said body for a wiping element of the wiper assembly disposed between the splines, said channels extending along said first direction through the entire thickness of said end wall to permit water to drain longitudinally out of said cavity through said end wall.
A wiper assembly comprising:
- a wiping element adapted to contact a surface to be wiped;
- a support member acting to support said wiping element;
- an airfoil operatively mounted to said support member;
- a pair of end caps operatively mounted to longitudinal ends of said support member with said airfoil disposed therebetween;
- and
- said support member including a plurality of splines, which extend longitudinally between end portions disposed at opposite ends of said splines, and said end caps each including a one-piece body formed as one piece before assembly on said splines and adapted to be longitudinally slid as one piece in a mounting direction onto and disposed over each said end portion at one of said opposite ends of said splines, each said body including a pair of side walls, an end wall extending laterally between said side walls and a top wall and bottom wall joined to said side walls to define opposite first and second body ends and define a cavity opening longitudinally from said first body end in said mounting direction wherein said side walls, said end wall, said top wall and said bottom wall are formed integrally as said one piece with said cavity having an open side which opens in said mounting direction and longitudinally receives said end portions of said splines, said end wall being disposed at said second body end and terminating at an exterior end face which faces and is exteriorly exposed longitudinally in a facing direction that faces opposite to said mounting direction away from said cavity and away from said splines when mounted on said end portions, and a separator comprised of a pair of channels, which open through an entire thickness of said end wall and through said exterior end face in said facing direction and which extend longitudinally from said exterior end face in said mounting direction so as to open interiorly into said cavity to receive said end portion of said splines and to permit water to drain longitudinally out of said cavity through said entire thickness of said end wall, said channels arranged in spaced relation in said end wall with an intermediate portion of said end wall extending laterally between said channels to laterally separate said splines, said channels and said intermediate wall separating and retaining said splines laterally with respect to said side walls of said body for said wiping element disposed between said splines.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.