Method for Cleaning Light Scattering Film From the Interior of a Windshield of a Vehicle

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and method for cleaning the light scattering film (LSF) from the surface of a windshield in a vehicle, and more particularly, is directed to a magnetically associated cleaning element that is moved across the interior surface of a windshield by an interactive magnetic force transmitted through the windshield, with magnets associated with the wiper assembly on the other side of the glass.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning light scattering film from the interior of a windshield of a vehicle, comprising: providing a system that includes: a linear magnetic component comprising a material for cleaning a windshield's interior surface; at least two spherical rare earth magnets at a first end and a second end of said linear magnetic component, said linear magnetic component positionable in a first position on the interior surface of the windshield, wherein the at least two spherical rare earth magnets travel along the interior surface of the windshield; a second plurality of rare earth magnetic members adapted to be connected to a wiper assembly of the vehicle located on an exterior of said windshield; said at least two spherical rare earth magnets positioned on the interior side of said windshield and opposite said second plurality of rare earth magnetic members, such that when said second plurality of rare earth magnetic members are moved, said at least two spherical rare earth magnets move simultaneously therewith, with magnetic forces alone between said linear magnetic component and said second plurality of rare earth magnetic members on the exterior of the windshield compelling the linear magnetic component to travel across the interior of the windshield; and operating the wiper assembly of the vehicle to clean light scattering film from the interior of the windshield.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said material comprises at least one of cloth materials, disposable wipes, squeegee blades, and sponges.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising one of: clipping on or slipping on a mechanism that operably associates the second plurality of rare earth magnets with the wiper assembly.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the mechanism is slipped on the wiper assembly.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second plurality of rare earth magnetic members comprises at least two spherical rare earth magnets having a thin coat of soft material to avoid scratching the windshield.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the linear magnetic component comprises a soft cloth material.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second plurality of rare earth magnetic members comprises at least two spherical rare earth magnets having a thin coat of soft material.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising providing the linear magnetic component with at least another spherical rare earth magnet between said first end and second end of said linear magnetic component.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising positioning said at least two spherical rare earth magnets between a dashboard adjacent the windshield on the opposite side of the wiper assembly such that the magnetic forces cause said at least two spherical rare earth magnetic members and the second plurality of rare earth magnets separated by the windshield, to attract to each other.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising securing the second plurality of rare earth magnetic members to the wiper assembly using a hook and loop tie.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the linear magnetic component is of the same length as the length of the wiper blade assembly.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said material for cleaning a windshield's interior surface comprises a disposable wipe.

13. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second plurality of rare earth magnets are Neodymium magnets.

14. A method for cleaning light scattering film from the interior of a windshield of a vehicle, comprising: providing a system that includes: a system for cleaning light scattering film from the interior of a windshield of a vehicle, comprising: a linear magnetic component comprising a material for cleaning a windshield's interior surface; at least two spherical rare earth magnets at a first end and a second end of said linear magnetic component, said linear magnetic component positionable in a first position on the interior surface of the windshield; a second plurality of rare earth magnetic members adapted to be connected to a wiper assembly of the vehicle located on an exterior of said windshield; said at least two spherical rare earth magnets positioned on the interior surface of said windshield and opposite said second plurality of rare earth magnetic members, such that when said second plurality of rare earth magnetic members are moved, said at least two spherical rare earth magnets move simultaneously therewith, with magnetic forces alone between said linear magnetic component and said second plurality of rare earth magnetic members on the exterior of the windshield compelling the linear magnetic component to travel across the interior of the windshield, wherein said at least two spherical rare earth magnets are adapted to be positioned between a dashboard adjacent the windshield opposite of the wiper assembly such that the magnetic forces cause said at least two spherical rare earth magnets and the second plurality of rare earth magnetic members separated by the windshield, to attract to each other; and operating the wiper assembly of the vehicle to clean light scattering film from the interior of the windshield.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the at least two spherical rare earth magnets are within a retention enclosure that permits direct contact of a portion of the at least two spherical rare earth magnets with the interior of the windshield.

16. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the linear magnetic component comprises a soft cloth material.

17. A method for cleaning light scattering film from the interior of a windshield of a vehicle, comprising: providing a system that includes: a linear magnetic component comprising a material for cleaning a windshield's interior surface; at least two spherical rare earth magnets at a first end and a second end of said linear magnetic component, said linear magnetic component positionable in a first position on the interior surface of the windshield, wherein the at least two spherical rare earth magnets travel along the interior surface of the windshield; a second plurality of rare earth magnetic members adapted to be connected to a wiper assembly of the vehicle located on an exterior of said windshield; said at least two spherical rare earth magnets positioned on the interior side of said windshield and opposite said second plurality of rare earth magnetic members, such that when said second plurality of rare earth magnetic members are moved, said at least two spherical rare earth magnets move simultaneously therewith, with magnetic forces alone between said linear magnetic component and said second plurality of rare earth magnetic members on the exterior of the windshield compelling the linear magnetic component to travel across the interior of the windshield; slipping on a mechanism that operably associates the second plurality of rare earth magnets with the wiper assembly; positioning the at least two spherical rare earth magnets between a dashboard adjacent the windshield opposite of the wiper assembly such that magnetic forces cause the second plurality of rare earth magnetic members separated by the windshield to attract to each other; and operating the wiper assembly of the vehicle to clean light scattering film from the interior of the windshield.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the at least two spherical rare earth magnets are within a retention enclosure that permits direct contact of a portion of the at least two spherical rare earth magnets with the interior of the windshield.

19. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the linear magnetic component comprises a soft disposable material.

20. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the second plurality of rare earth magnets are Neodymium magnets.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0047] Further features and advantages of the present invention will result more evident from the indicative, and therefore non limiting, description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a device for removing condensate from surfaces of a body, as shown in the enclosed drawings, wherein:

[0048] FIG. 1 shows another embodiment where magnetic elements are provided on wiper extensions such that the spherical magnets can attract a magnet on the interior of the windshield that is associated with one or more cleaning elements. In various embodiments, the spherical magnets are retained in a manner that permits the maximum attractive forces between a magnet pair that is separated by a glass surface such as by having retention enclosures that permit direct contact of a portion of the sphere with the glass surface, preferably both of the magnets that make up the pair of magnets is retained in a rolling permissive fashion such that at least a portion of the magnet is in direct contact with the glass. With respect to a windshield, therefore, it is advisable to have a pair of magnet construct such that at least a good portion of the spherical magnet, preferably just less than the entire region around the equator of the sphere, is uncovered by the retaining mechanism or structure, thus facilitating the rolling capability of the magnet, while at the same time, permitting the direct glass surface contact by the magnet. By doing similar retention structures on each side of the glass, the best prospects are achieved to retain desired magnetic attraction of the pair of magnets

[0049] FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a particular plastic washer that retains a spherical magnet so that it is in window surface rolling contact with a window surface, and is attracted to another magnetic feature (not shown) on the opposite side of the window.

[0050] FIG. 3 shows a Wiper-Mate device assembly where an exterior magnetic component is associated with a window wiper of a vehicle, and an interior component having a magnetic attractive feature comprising a plurality of magnets fixedly connected to a soft, window wiping material is on the interior of the window.

[0051] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment where a series of magnets, preferably spherical, are positioned on either side of a windshield to facilitate reversibly attachable magnetic material traversing the interior window surface.

[0052] FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of a wiper assembly and one embodiment of a sock/sleeve that is provided with rare earth magnets.

[0053] FIG. 6 shows a perspective close up view of a Hexbug device which can be associated with the interiorly positioned linear magnetic construct to provide additional vibrational movement of a glass contacting element, such as a micro-fiber cloth or a wipe.

WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0054] Advantageously, the magnetic attraction between the first and the second magnetic positioned on opposite sides of a windshield 12 facilitate the moving of the exterior magnet 18 in a fashion so as to cause the interior magnet 18 to move, thus cleaning LSF from the interior of a windshield. A first magnet 18 generates a magnetic induction flow which passes through the glass surface and reaches the second interiorly positioned magnet 18, which interacts with the first magnet 18 and ensures that the two magnets are mutually attracted each other. The exteriorly positioned magnet 18 is preferably associated with a wiper blade assembly of a vehicle. Alternatively, the wiper assembly, instead of employing a magnet 18, can simply include a ferromagnetic element instead of a magnet, such that the ferromagnetic element is reached by the magnetic induction flow of the first magnet 18 positioned on the interior side of a windshield 12 and being magnetically attracted by this latter. The magnets employed are preferably rare earth magnets due to their small size and great strength and the ability to last for long periods of time without losing their magnetic attractive features. Alternative embodiments, however, include the use of some or all of natural magnets, such as those constituted of naturally magnetized magnetite, as well as artificial magnets, such as magnets wherein the magnetic properties have been obtained by subjecting the material used for obtaining the magnet to a magnetization treatment.

[0055] In still other embodiments, the magnets of the wiper blade assembly may be one or more electromagnets that may be fed by an electric source and activated by an operator or driver. In each case, independently of the type of magnet 18 used, the first exterior magnet 18 and the second interior magnet 18 should be selected in such a way that the attraction force between the magnets is at least sufficient to ensure that the two magnets remain in contact with the respective face of the surface (e.g. windshield).

[0056] In certain embodiments, the magnets employed, either in the exterior wiper assembly or in the internal magnetic construct, are removable and replaceable, such that one can adjustably select the type, strength and number of magnets employed in any particular situation. Thus, thicker windshields can be cleaned simply by selecting stronger magnets for use in the opposed constructs. Thus, if one desires to change the thickness of the surface from which it is necessary to remove a LSF or condensate, it is possible to change the magnets to restore the correct or desired magnetic attraction force between the two opposing constructs.

[0057] In a particular embodiment of the present invention relating to scuba or snorkel masks, a divers glove can be accommodated to have at least one magnetic element associated therewith such that an internally positioned wiping element can be magnetically directed to wipe the internal surface of the scuba mask when the magnetic element of the diver's glove is moved in such a manner. Thus, while in some embodiments a scuba mask would feature an integral internal wiping mechanism having at least one magnetic element associated therewith, in other embodiments, a linear magnetic construct is provided that can be used with existing masks by simply placing such a construct inside the mask prior to use by a diver. Then with the mere attraction of the magnetic linear construct inside the mask by a diver's glove (which has at least one magnetic element thereinsuch as in the small finger outer extent of such a glove)it is possible for the diver, while under water, to simply position his little finger next to the glass surface of his/her mask and thereby attract the linear magnetic construct so as to cause such linear construct to traverse across the interior surface of the mask, thus clearing condensate from such surface. In other embodiment, the exterior magnetic component may not be in a diver's glove, but instead may be either a freely hand-held magnet, such as attachable around a diver's wrist (so they do not inadvertently drop the same) such that when a diver's mask gets foggy, they can simply raise the magnet 18 to the surface of their mask and cause the internally located magnetic cleaning element to be moved across the interior mask's surface, thus removing the condensate there from. In still other embodiments, masks are manufactured such that an internal magnetic element is permanently part of the internal structure of the mask, with an opposing magnetic element part of the external portion of the mask. Movement of the external portion then causes the internal portion to move, thus facilitating the cleaning of condensation on the inside of a diver's mask without the need to traditionally clear the mask via permitting water inside to run across the surface of the interior mask glass.

[0058] After a certain operating time, the body heat warms the internal face of the transparent surface of the mask and, as typically the diving environment has a temperature lower than 37 C., the internal face of the transparent surface begins to be affected from the condensate formation. By slidably dragging the external magnet 18, the internally positioned linear magnetic construct of the mask is similarly moved across the internal surface of the mask's glass, due to the magnetic attraction, and cleans off the accumulated condensate. In such a scuba mask application the internal cleaning material may be either a rubber or plastic blade, or another type of cloth material that does not leave undesired streaks across the glass, while effectively removing the condensate formed on the interior surface of the mask. While in certain embodiments, the internal magnetic construct is in a fixed relation to the mask, in others the construct is simply placed freely into the mask by a diver, such that the diver can manipulate the magnetic construct when required and in a manner that the diver sees fit, e.g. the diver may wish to clear a portion of the side of his/her mask, rather than a front portion, employing the same magnetic linear construct that may be also used to clear the front mask structure.

[0059] Similar to the embodiment directed to the scuba mask, one of skill in the art will appreciate various other applications of the present invention in the skiing and snowboarding field as winter goggles often suffer from condensate buildup and require cleaning. In accordance with the description set forth herein with respect to a scuba mask one of skill will appreciate that a goggle can replace a mask and thus the description of such a separate embodiment is also met by the above description.

[0060] For ease of complying with written description and enablement requirements, the following references are incorporated herein in their entireties: 20120042464 to Statkus; U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,301 to Kemp; U.S. Pat. No. 515,570 to Muscroft; 8528149 to Satkus; 20130014782 to Ryu; WO2006095229 to Fabiani; 8924019 to Tang; 8,001,649 to Rhodes; 7946301 to Walsh; 8,528,149 to Statkus; 8,395,467 to Fullerton; 20120264341 to Mimlitch; 8,057,606 to Enoch III; 7657961 to Shank; 20060032010 to Francois; U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,501 to Okeefe; U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,637 to Demers; U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,337 to Doyel; U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,750 to Kaftan; 20080256735 to Campbell; 8,256,122 to Hatfield; 6,446,301 to Kemp; 8,505,153 to Nelson; 8,826,482 to Chin; 2015/0027494 and 2014/0332030 to Trudeau; 2014/0034084 to Ryu et. al.; 2015/0082572 to Kim; 8,491,312 to Rudisill; all generally related to the field of providing increased visibility through a windshield 12 to promote driving safety, and/or directed to various magnetic assemblies that have application in particular embodiments as set forth herein.

[0061] One of skill in the art will appreciate the various modifications and embodiments that are encompassed by the present invention as described herein, especially in view of the guidance provided by the figures in the present application.

[0062] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment where magnetic elements 21 are provided on wiper extensions 22 such that the spherical magnets 21 can attract a magnet 18 on the interior of the windshield 12 that is associated with one or more cleaning elements.

[0063] FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a particular plastic washer 19 that retains a spherical magnet 18 so that it is in rolling contact with a windshield 12 window surface, and is attracted to another magnetic feature (not shown) on the opposite side of the windshield 12 window.

[0064] FIG. 3 shows a Wiper-Mate device assembly where an exterior magnetic component is associated with a window wiper 20 of a vehicle, and an interior component having a magnetic 18 attractive feature comprising a plurality of magnets 18 fixedly connected to a soft, window wiping material is on the interior of the window, generally referred to herein as a linear magnetic component 10 One will appreciate that various brackets 22 can be employed to either fixedly or reversibly attach magnets 21, preferably at least one spherical magnet 21, to the exterior side of a windshield 12 of a vehicle (preferably via association with the movable wiper blade 20 assembly) so as to magnetically attract one or more magnets 18, preferably at least one of which is spherical, on the inside of the vehicle windshield 12.

[0065] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment where a series of magnets 21, preferably spherical, are positioned on the exterior of a windshield 12 to facilitate reversibly attachable magnetic material traversing the interior windshield surface. One will appreciate that one or more smaller magnets 18 may be used in conjunction with larger magnets 18 so as to facilitate directional movement of a linear magnetic component 10 when an exterior magnetic component 18 is employed to magnetically attract the interior linear magnetic component 10 designed to contact the interior windshield 12 window surface to facilitate cleaning thereof.

[0066] As designed, a device and method embodying the teachings of the present invention is easily applied. The foregoing description is included to illustrate the operation of the preferred embodiment and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. As one can envision, an individual skilled in the relevant art, in conjunction with the present teachings, would be capable of incorporating many minor modifications that are anticipated within this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be broadly limited only by the following claims.