Surface layer for windshield wiper blades
AssigneeAcushnet Company
InventorRaymond P. Porter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved windshield wiper blade is disclosed. The lip surface of a flexible windshield wiper blade having a low coefficient of friction is coated with an effective thickness of a coating material selected from the group consisting of elastomeric and plastic materials having a Young's modulus of from about 10.sup.6 to about 10.sup.11. The treated blade exhibits substantially better wipe, wear and friction qualities than untreated blades.
Claims23
A flexible windshield wiper blade, the basic blade of which has a coefficient of friction on at least the sides of the lip of the blade of no greater than about 2.1 according to Friction Test CFRP 113, said basic blade being selected from the group consisting of those blades which inherently have a coefficient of friction of no greater than about 2.1, those blades which have a coefficient of friction above 2.1 and which have been treated to reduce their coefficient of friction so that it is no greater than 2.1, and those blades which have a coefficient of friction above 2.1 which have been coated to reduce their coefficient of friction so that it is no greater than 2.1, at least one coating on said sides of the lip extending all the way to the lip edge, said at least one coating having a coefficient of friction greater than the coefficient of friction of said surface of said basic blade and said coating being selected from the group consisting of those elastomeric and plastic materials having a Young's modulus of from about 10.sup.6 to about 10.sup.11 dynes/cm.sup.2, said coating being of a thickness effective to reduce the number of streaks the coated blade will give in Wipe Test WT-1 as compared to the number of streaks given by said basic blade.
A process of forming an improved flexible windshield wiper blade comprising the application to a basic windshield wiper blade which has a coefficient of friction on at least the sides of the lip of no greater than about 2.1 according to Friction Test CFRP 113, said basic blade being selected from the group consisting of those blades which inherently have a coefficient of friction of no greater than about 2.1 those blades which have a coefficient of friction above 2.1 and which have been treated to reduce their coefficient of friction so that it is no greater than 2.1, and those blades which have a coefficient of friction above 2.1 which have been coated to reduce their coefficient of friction so that it is no greater than 2.1, at least one coating on said sides of the lip extending all the way to the lip edge, said at least one coating having a coefficient of friction greater than the coefficient of friction of said surface of said basic blade and said coating being selected from the group consisting of those elastomeric and plastic materials having a Young's modulus of from about 10.sup.6 to about 10.sup.11 dynes/cm.sup.2, said coating being applied in a thickness effective to reduce the number of streaks of the coated blade as compared to the uncoated blade when each is tested in Wipe Test WT-1.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.