{
  "patent_number": "US 3351836",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Intermittent Windshield Wipers Work",
  "original_title": "Windshield wiper system with intermittent operation",
  "summary": "Robert Kearns' 1967 patent for the first electronic intermittent windshield wiper system that mimics the human eye's blinking motion.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes an electronic control circuit for windshield wipers that introduces a pause between each wipe. It uses a transistor to act as a switch that cuts power to the wiper motor at the end of a cycle. A capacitive timing circuit then holds the motor off for a set duration before triggering the next cycle. A mechanical switch linked to the motor's position ensures the wipers always return to the bottom of the windshield before the pause begins.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover purely mechanical or vacuum-based intermittent wiper systems.",
    "Does not cover systems that adjust wipe speed based on rain sensors or optical detection.",
    "Does not cover continuous-speed wiper systems that lack a dwell period."
  ],
  "filed": "1964-12-01",
  "granted": "1967-11-07",
  "expires": "1984-12-01",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "TANN CO",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/tann-co",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Robert W Kearns",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/robert-w-kearns"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 23,
  "tags": [
    "automotive",
    "mechanical"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3351836/intermittent-windshield-wiper-kearns",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3351836/intermittent-windshield-wiper-kearns/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US3351836",
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}