A simple invention that we use all the time

I noticed this mark at the gas station the other day. It’s on one of those all-in-one windshield cleaning centers that hang near the pump.

The mark is interesting for a couple reasons. First – it references only a single patent (US Patent No. 4,143,792), which expired some time ago. The gas station was relatively new, and I’m betting the product was manufactured within the last few years.

It’s also an excellent example of a simple invention. Claim 1, reproduced below, requires a specific structural arrangement in the wiper fluid bin that prevents “contact between said windshield washing apparatus and said bottom panel.”

1. A device for holding automobile windshield washing apparatus, which device comprises, in combination,

a bin having an open upper end and a lower closed end spaced from said open end;

said bin being defined by a generally straight front panel extending from said open end to a bottom panel;

said bottom panel defining said lower closed end; and

a back panel opposite to and spaced from said front panel;

said back panel including a generally straight upper end section extending from said upper end portion toward said bottom panel and a bottom end section extending between said upper end section and said bottom panel, said bottom end section being tapered inwardly toward said front panel adjacent to said bottom panel to provide a restricted width in the area of said bottom panel for preventing contact between said windshield washing apparatus and said bottom panel.

Figure 2 illustrates this arrangement nicely…and reveals the benefit provided by the invention. Because the bin prevents contact between the washing apparatus and the bottom of the bin, the apparatus is unable to collect the dirt and grit that has collected in the fluid when a user cleans his windshield. Nice!

Now…if only they’d make a bin that automatically fills when empty…

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 11:36 am and is filed under fun. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.