Universal coupler for a beam blade windshield wiper assembly

1. A beam blade windshield wiper assembly having a universal coupler assembly, said windshield wiper assembly comprising:

a wiping element that contacts the surface to be wiped, at least one elongated beam having a pair of longitudinal ends, and a coupler assembly;

said coupler assembly including a carrier that is mounted to said at least one elongated beam between said longitudinal ends;

a saddle that is removably received and retained by said carrier, wherein said carrier includes first and second ends, a front wall, a back wall disposed opposite said front wall that extends between said first and second ends of said carrier, and a top surface, a seat is formed on said top surface of said carrier, a shelf borders said seat on at least three sides thereof, and a ledge extends between two portions of said shelf along said back wall, and a pair of apertures are formed on said front wall of said carrier opposite said back wall, said seat, shelf, ledge and apertures cooperating to locate and fix said saddle relative to said carrier; and

a coupler that is adapted to be mounted to said saddle, said coupler including a pair of sidewalls each having a notch aligned with respect to each other and a land extending between said sidewalls cooperating to define a channel therebetween;

a cantilevered beam extending between said sidewalls in spaced parallel relation to said land, said cantilevered beam including a super-surface cooperating with said sidewalls to define an elongate passage, said channel and said elongate passage cooperating to operatively receive a first hook-type wiper arm attachment member of at least two different sizes, said cantilevered beam further including a sub-surface cooperating with said sidewalls to define an elongate track, said channel and said elongate track cooperating to operatively receive a second hook-type wiper arm attachment member of at least three different sizes; and

a substrate extending between said sidewalls in parallel relation to and disposed between said land and said cantilevered beam, said substrate cooperating with said land and said notches to receive at least two different diameter pin-type wiper arm attachment members and further cooperating with said sidewalls and said land to define an elongate cavity adapted to operatively receive at least one style bayonet-type wiper arm attachment member.

2. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said super-surface further includes a catch adapted to operatively engage a first hook-type wiper arm attachment member and said sub-surface further includes a stand adapted to operatively engage a second hook-type wiper arm attachment member.

3. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said sidewalls further includes a nock aligned with respect to each other having a rest at their terminal end, said rest adapted to engage said saddle.

4. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said perimeter of said sidewalls adjacent said nocks define a pair of arcuate surfaces that act to operatively retain at least a portion of the curved forward end of a hook-type wiper arm attachment member therebetween.

5. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said land further includes a cantilevered deck adapted to move in cantilevered fashion to releasably engage a pin-type wiper arm attachment member that is inserted through said notches and between said cantilevered deck and said substrate.

6. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said land includes a port formed on said cantilevered deck adapted to releasably engage a bayonet-type wiper arm attachment member.

7. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein, said windshield wiper assembly further including an airfoil assembly having two segments disposed between said first and second ends of said carrier and said longitudinal ends of said at least one beam, said two segments of said airfoil assembly having a contoured profile, said first and second ends of said carrier having a contoured exterior surface that substantially corresponds to said contoured profile of said two segments of said airfoil assembly.

8. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 7 wherein said second end of said carrier includes a relief surface that tapers downwardly toward the adjacent airfoil segment, said relief surface providing a clearance for the attachment members of the wiper arms that are serviced by the universal coupler assembly.

9. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said seat includes a window adapted to provide clearance for structural components of the attachment members formed on the wiper arm that are serviced by said universal coupler assembly.

10. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein said saddle further includes a central opening that corresponds to said window formed on said carrier, said central opening and said window adapted to accommodate rotational movement of various attachment members that cooperate with said coupler to mount the windshield wiper assembly to a wiper arm.

11. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said saddle includes a body, a coupler mount and a locking mechanism for releasably engaging said carrier, said body adapted to be cooperatively received in said seat formed by said carrier.

12. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein said back wall of said carrier includes a pair of pockets disposed spaced from one another, said locking mechanism cooperates with said pair of pockets formed on said back wall of said carrier to releasably mount said saddle to said carrier.

13. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein said locking mechanism has a pair of locking tangs that extend upwardly from said body and that correspond to said pair of pockets formed on said back wall of said carrier, said locking tangs being complimentarily received in said pockets so as to fix said saddle relative to said carrier.

14. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein each said locking tang includes an upstanding finger that may be articulated so as to provide a release clearance to disengage said saddle from said carrier.

15. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein said body of said saddle further includes a pair of locking tabs that are adapted to be cooperatively received in said apertures formed in said front wall of said carrier, such that said locking mechanism of said saddle facilitates a snap fit attachment to said carrier.

16. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein said coupler mount of said saddle includes a pair of upstanding panels disposed in spaced parallel relationship with respect to one another so as to define a channel therebetween, each of said panels includes a through-bore that is aligned with respect to one another, and a cross-member that extends between said panels, said channel, said through-bore and cross-member cooperating with said coupler to accommodate wiper arms having a number of different pin-type attachment members.

17. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein said coupler is adapted to operatively engage said cross-member disposed within said channel of said saddle.

18. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said saddle includes a bottom wall having a pair of spaced shoulders that are adapted to cooperatively mate with said shelf that borders said seat on said carrier.

19. A beam blade windshield wiper assembly having a universal coupler assembly, said windshield wiper assembly comprising:

a wiping element that contacts the surface to be wiped, at least one elongated beam having a pair of longitudinal ends, and a coupler assembly;

said coupler assembly including a carrier that is mounted to said at least one elongated beam between said longitudinal ends, said carrier including a top surface and a seat formed on said top surface of said carrier;

a saddle that is removably received and retained in said seat of said carrier, said saddle including a body, a coupler mount and a locking mechanism for releasably engaging said carrier, said body adapted to be cooperatively received in said seat formed by said carrier, wherein said carrier includes first and second ends, a front wall, a back wall disposed opposite said front wall that extends between said first and second ends of said carrier, and a top surface, a shelf borders said seat on at least three sides thereof, a ledge extends between two portions of said shelf along said back wall, and a pair of apertures are formed on said front wall of said carrier opposite said back wall, said seat, shelf, ledge and apertures cooperating to locate and fix said saddle relative to said carrier; and

a coupler including a pair of sidewalls each having a nock aligned with respect to one another such that said coupler is adapted to be mounted to said saddle, said carrier, coupler, and saddle cooperating to accommodate at least five different sizes of hook-type attachment members, two different sizes of pin-type attachment members, and at least one size of bayonet-type attachment members.

20. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 19 wherein said back wall of said carrier includes a pair of pockets disposed spaced from one another, said locking mechanism of said saddle cooperates with said pair of pockets formed on said back wall of said carrier to releasably mount said saddle to said carrier.

21. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 20 wherein said locking mechanism has a pair of locking tangs that extend upwardly from said body and that correspond to said pair of pockets formed on said back wall of said carrier, said locking tangs being complimentarily received in said pockets so as to fix said saddle relative to said carrier.

22. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 21 wherein each said locking tang includes an upstanding finger that may be articulated so as to provide a release clearance to disengage said saddle from said carrier.

23. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 19 wherein said body of said saddle further includes a pair of locking tabs that are adapted to be cooperatively received in said apertures formed in said front wall of said carrier, such that said locking mechanism of said saddle facilitates a snap fit attachment to said carrier.

24. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 19 wherein said saddle includes a bottom wall having a pair of spaced shoulders that are adapted to cooperatively mate with said shelf that borders said seat on said carrier.

25. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 19 wherein said coupler mount of said saddle includes a pair of upstanding panels disposed in spaced parallel relationship with respect to one another so as to define a channel therebetween, each of said panels includes a through-bore that is aligned with respect to one another, and a cross-member that extends between said panels, said channel, said through-bore and cross-member cooperating with said coupler to accommodate wiper arms having a number of different pin-type attachment members.

26. A windshield wiper assembly as set forth in claim 25 wherein said nocks formed on said sidewall of said coupler are adapted to operatively engage said cross-member disposed within said channel of said saddle.