Patent Application
20070173186
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to windshield wipers and, more particularly, to a grinder for windshield wipers.
2. Related Prior Art
Windshield wipers are important equipment for vehicles. The quality of windshield wipers determines whether rain can completely be wiped from the windshields of the vehicles. Whether rain can completely be wiped from the windshields determines whether drivers can have clear view through the windshields. Clear view is very important for the safety of the drivers' safety and/or pedestrians who are nearby.
A typical windshield wiper includes a rubber strip for wiping rain from a windshield and a frame for carrying the rubber strip. When newly installed, windshield wipers generally can wipe rain from windshields completely. However, after used for some time, the rubber strips of the windshield wipers will inevitably be hardened and fail to wipe rain from the windshields completely. In early days, users have no choice but to replace used windshield wipers with new ones. Later, users can only replace used rubber strips with new ones. Now, users can grind hardened tips of used rubber strips of windshield wipers so that the used rubber strips of the windshield wipers can become like new.
Disclosed in Taiwanese Patent M267123 is a grinder for windshield wipers. The grinder includes two plates 11 each formed with a first bent portion 213 and a second bent portion 223. A piece of sandpaper 40 is attached to the first bent portion 213 of each of the plates 11.
The plates 11 are connected to each other so that the first portions 213 form a V-shaped structure and that the second portions 223 form a V-shaped structure. A cotton fabric 50 is attached to the second bent portion 223 of each of the plates 11. The sandpaper 40 can grind a tip of a rubber strip of a windshield wiper. The cotton fabrics 50 can clean the tip of the rubber strip of the windshield wiper. This conventional grinder has proven to be ineffective in removing a harden tip of a rubber strip of a windshield wiper.
The present invention is intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art.
According to the present invention, a grinder includes a first side, a second side, a first piece of sandpaper attached to the first side and a second piece of sandpaper attached to the second side. The second piece of sandpaper is finer than the first piece of sandpaper. The first piece of sandpaper is used to grind and turn a tip of a rubber strip of a windshield wiper from broken to flat quickly. The second piece of sandpaper is used to make the tip of the rubber strip of the windshield wiper smooth. A first mark is provided on the first side for indicating a first step of a grinding process. A second mark is provided on the second side for indicating a second step of the grinding process.
The primary advantage of the grinder of the present invention is that the first piece of sandpaper can grind and turn a tip of a rubber strip of a windshield wiper from broken to flat and the second piece of sandpaper can make the same smooth.
Other advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description referring to the drawings.
The present invention will be described through detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings.
Shown in
The top 10 is substantially a convex surface except a groove 16 defined in a middle portion 13 between two lateral portions 11. A first piece of sandpaper 18 is attached to the floor of the groove 16. Made on one of the lateral portions 11 of the top 10 is a mark 12 such as “STEP 1.” The mark 12 may be written, painted, embossment or intaglio. The mark 12 may be replaced with a sticker.
The bottom 20 is substantially a convex surface except a groove 26 defined in a middle portion 23 between two lateral portions 21. A first piece of sandpaper 28 is attached to the floor of the groove 26. Made on one of the lateral portions 21 of the bottom 20 is a mark 22 such as “STEP 2.” The mark 22 may be written, painted, embossment or intaglio. The mark 22 may be replaced with a sticker.
The first piece of sandpaper 18 is coarser than the second piece of sandpaper 28. That is, the first piece of sandpaper 18 includes bigger abrasive particles than the second piece of sandpaper 28 does.
Hence, the first piece of sandpaper 18 can grind a harden tip of a rubber strip of a windshield wiper faster than the second piece of sandpaper 28 can. The first piece of sandpaper 18 however leaves a coarser tip of the rubber strip of a windshield wiper than the second piece of sandpaper 28 does.
The flanks 15 and 25 are concave so that a user can conveniently hold the grinder.
Shown in
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The grinder according to the present invention exhibits advantages. Firstly, it can grind and turn a tip of a rubber strip of a windshield wiper from broken to flat and smooth. Secondly, it indicates that different pieces of sandpaper can be used in different phases.
The present invention has been described through the illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Hence, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.
