The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 07, 2000
Filed:
Jul. 22, 1999
Jere Rask Lansinger, Bloomfield Hills, MI (US);
Other;
Abstract
A windshield wiper system for an automotive vehicle is disclosed in which the windshield wiper washer fluid is heated and delivered to the windshield through the rubber wiping element. In one embodiment, the windshield wiper fluid is heated to a substantial level of temperature and pressure within a sealed reservoir by the heat from the engine coolant system. In another embodiment, a tubular electrical high intensity heating element with turbulent counter flow is used to instantly heat the windshield wiper fluid, and the heating element is automatically electrically energized in response to fluid flow through the tubular heating element. In another embodiment electrical direct current vehicle power or selectively alternating current external power is used to heat fluid to a substantial level of temperature and pressure within a sealed insulated reservoir. A novel windshield wiper blade is also disclosed in which the wiper blade has a longitudinally elongated fluid chamber formed along its length. The fluid chamber is closed at one end and connected to the source of the washer fluid at its other end. A plurality of longitudinally aligned slits is formed through the wiper blade to the outlet edge to uniformly dispense the heated washing fluid downstream of wipe direction, and onto the vehicle windshield while one or more openings are also formed in the wiper blade to direct a portion of the heated washing fluid to the joints in the wiper support frame to remove ice binding the wiper frame flex joints. Additionally, the dual configuration of the blade edge is such that the second edge pair wears out sequentially to the first edge pair effectively doubling the clean wiping life of the blade.