Rearview mirror assembly incorporating electrical accessories
First Claim
1. A rearview mirror assembly for vehicles, said assembly comprising a rearview mirror and a support for mounting said assembly on a vehicle;
- said rearview mirror having a driver side end and a passenger side end, said driver side end adapted to be closer to the position of the vehicle driver when said rearview mirror is mounted in a vehicle on said support, said passenger side end adapted to be closer to the position of a front seat passenger in the vehicle when said rearview mirror is mounted in the vehicle on said support, said rearview mirror including a reflective mirror element having a front surface which lies in a mirror plane and faces the interior of the vehicle, and a housing for said mirror element, said housing being adjustably mounted to said support, said housing including a back portion facing away from the vehicle interior, end portions, and a front portion facing the vehicle interior;
said assembly also including an information display providing information to an occupant of the vehicle and having a display plane, said display plane being at an angle to said mirror plane to provide improved visibility of said display by a front seat passenger in the vehicle when said assembly is mounted on the vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A rearview mirror assembly incorporating one or more vehicle information displays includes an information display area in a portion of the rearview mirror housing which is at an angle to the plane of the reflective mirror element to provide improved visibility of the display by a front seat passenger. The information display can be provided in either the chin or eyebrow area of the rearview mirror housing, in the end of the mirror housing, or, alternately, in the field of view of the reflective mirror element itself or as a combination thereof. Such rearview mirror assemblies can be used in combination with a rearview mirror support and information display assembly including a rigid mirror stay preferably having a mirror support for independently adjustably mounting the rearview mirror assembly, and may also include a breakaway mount which releasably couples the stay and the supported rearview mirror assembly to a windshield mounted button or a header mounted base such that the entire assembly is released upon impact. The information display is especially useful to provide the operational status of the Passenger Side Inflatable Restraint (PSIR) or air bag.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A rearview mirror assembly for vehicles, said assembly comprising a rearview mirror and a support for mounting said assembly on a vehicle;
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said rearview mirror having a driver side end and a passenger side end, said driver side end adapted to be closer to the position of the vehicle driver when said rearview mirror is mounted in a vehicle on said support, said passenger side end adapted to be closer to the position of a front seat passenger in the vehicle when said rearview mirror is mounted in the vehicle on said support, said rearview mirror including a reflective mirror element having a front surface which lies in a mirror plane and faces the interior of the vehicle, and a housing for said mirror element, said housing being adjustably mounted to said support, said housing including a back portion facing away from the vehicle interior, end portions, and a front portion facing the vehicle interior;
said assembly also including an information display providing information to an occupant of the vehicle and having a display plane, said display plane being at an angle to said mirror plane to provide improved visibility of said display by a front seat passenger in the vehicle when said assembly is mounted on the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A rearview mirror assembly for vehicles, said assembly having a driver side end and a passenger side end, said driver side end adapted to be closer to the position of the vehicle driver when said assembly is mounted in a vehicle on a mirror support, said passenger side end adapted to be closer to the position of a front seat passenger in the vehicle when said assembly is mounted in the vehicle, said assembly comprising:
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a reflective mirror element having a front surface which lies in a mirror plane and faces the interior of the vehicle;
a housing for supporting said mirror element, said housing adapted to be adjustably mounted to a support to be mounted on a vehicle portion, said housing including a back portion facing away from the vehicle interior, end portions, and a front portion facing the vehicle interior; and
an information display providing information to an occupant of the vehicle and having a display plane, said display being included on said front portion of said housing, said display plane being at an angle to said mirror plane to provide improved visibility of said display by a front seat passenger in the vehicle.
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17. A rearview mirror assembly for vehicles, said assembly having a driver side end and a passenger side end, said driver side end adapted to be closer to the position of the vehicle driver when said assembly is mounted in a vehicle on a mirror support, said passenger side end adapted to be closer to the position of a front seat passenger in the vehicle when said assembly is mounted in the vehicle, said assembly comprising:
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a reflective mirror element having a front surface which lies in a mirror plane and faces the interior of the vehicle;
a housing for supporting said mirror element, said housing adapted to be adjustably mounted to a support to be mounted on a vehicle portion, said housing including a back portion facing away from the vehicle interior, end portions, and a front portion facing the vehicle interior; and
an information display providing information to an occupant of the vehicle, said display being included on one end portion of said housing, said one end portion facing the position of a front seat passenger for improved visibility of said display by said passenger.
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Specification