ANTI-GLARE VEHICULAR MIRROR

• US 20100309557A1
• Filed: 06/25/2010
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rosco Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Rosco Incorporated
• Inventors: Englander, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US12/823,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20100309557A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/603
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/002 specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle, e.g. for viewing tyres, bumpers or the like integrated in the windows B60R1/001; combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/0605 specially adapted for mounting on trucks, e.g. by C-shaped support means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/082 using a single wide field mirror or an association of rigidly connected mirrors

Abstract

A mirror element for a school bus is mounted to the front to provide wide angle viewing of the ground in front of and to the side of the bus. An upper portion of the mirror element which is generally dome shaped is treated to reduce glare resulting from possible sun rays reflected in the direction of the bus driver.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A cross-view vehicle mirror assembly, comprising:

a mirror mount mountable to a vehicle;

a mirror element connectable to said mirror mount and having a contoured outer mirror surface comprising a convex, generally dome shaped mirror surface and having an upper area and a lower area, said upper area capable of reflecting images located above said lower area, and said contoured outer mirror surface facing in a direction toward the vehicle to which said mirror element is mounted; and

an antiglare material treated on said upper area of said mirror surface to reduce glare from sun rays emanating at least from a direction in front of a driver of the vehicle from the front or sides of the vehicle while darkening an image reflected thereby, and wherein said lower area of said mirror element is free of antiglare material.

10. The mirror assembly of claim 9, wherein said mirror element is directly connectable to said mirror mount.

11. The mirror assembly of claim 9, wherein said upper area of said mirror surface on which said antiglare material is treated comprises about one-third of said mirror surface.

12. The mirror assembly of claim 9, wherein said upper area of said mirror surface on which said antiglare material is treated comprises less than one-third of said mirror surface.

13. The mirror assembly of claim 9, wherein said mirror surface comprises a peripheral edge, and wherein said antiglare material is treated on said upper area in spaced relation to and not in contact with any portion of said peripheral edge of said mirror surface.

14. The mirror assembly of claim 9, wherein said antiglare material is treated on said upper area of said mirror surface with a chroming process.

15. The mirror assembly of claim 9, wherein said mirror surface is oval shaped.

16. The mirror assembly of claim 15, wherein said oval shaped mirror surface has associated therewith a minor axis and a major axis, and wherein said upper area on which said antiglare material is treated is located in an upper portion of said mirror surface relative to the major axis of said mirror surface.

17. A cross-view mirror for a vehicle, comprising:

a mirror element comprising a convex mirror surface having an upper area and a lower area, said upper area capable of reflecting images located above said lower area, and said mirror surface facing in a direction toward the vehicle; and

an antiglare material treated on said upper area of said mirror surface darkening an image reflected thereby, and wherein said lower area of said mirror surface is free of antiglare material.

18. The cross-view mirror of claim 17, wherein said upper area of said mirror surface on which said antiglare material is treated comprises about one-third of said mirror surface.

19. The cross-view mirror of claim 17, wherein said upper area of said mirror surface on which said antiglare material is treated comprises less than one-third of said mirror surface.

20. The cross-view mirror of claim 17, wherein said mirror surface comprises a peripheral edge, and wherein said antiglare material is treated on said upper area in spaced relation to and not in contact with any portion of said peripheral edge of said mirror surface.

21. The cross-view mirror of claim 17, wherein said antiglare material is treated on said upper area of said mirror surface with a chroming process.

22. The cross-view mirror of claim 17, wherein said mirror surface is oval shaped.

23. The cross-view mirror of claim 22, wherein said oval shaped mirror surface has associated therewith a minor axis and a major axis, and wherein said upper area on which said antiglare material is treated is located in an upper portion of said mirror surface relative to the major axis of said mirror surface.

24. A cross-view, school bus mirror assembly, comprising:

a mirror element having a contoured outer surface, said mirror surface shaped to provide a wide angle field of view of a predetermined scene, which said view extends both in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction along a front and at least one side of a school bus, said scene including images of both said front and said at least one side of said school bus;

a mirror pole;

the mirror element being affixed to the mirror pole and the contoured outer surface of the mirror element being used to provide the wide angle field of view of said predetermined scene to a driver of said school bus, while said driver drives said school bus;

a mirror mount for connecting the mirror pole to a front fender of said school bus; and

the contoured outer surface of the mirror element being a convex, generally dome shaped and contiguous mirror surface surrounded by a peripheral edge, the outer mirror surface proceeding in said vertical direction from an uppermost position to a lowermost vertical position and facing toward the driver of said school bus to which the mirror element is mounted, a portion of the outer surface, which comprises less than one-half of the surface taken in the vertical direction, beginning from a position spaced from the uppermost position on the contoured mirror surface and ending above a straight notional line which bisects the mirror surface in the horizontal direction, being treated with and comprising an antiglare material which reduces glare, including from sun rays, without rendering the treated surface opaque as to be non-reflective, the outer surface of the mirror element thereby comprising the treated surface and a non-treated surface, whereby the mirror surface enables the driver to simultaneously observe a first part of the scene at the treated surface and a second part of the scene at the non-treated surface;

wherein the portion treated to reduce glare is located in spaced relation to and not in contact with any portion of the peripheral edge of the mirror surface.

25. A cross-view, school bus or vehicle mirror assembly, comprising:

a mirror pole;

a mirror mount for connecting said mirror pole to a front fender of a school bus or vehicle;

a mirror element affixed to said mirror pole and having a contoured outer mirror surface comprising a convex, generally dome shaped mirror surface having a peripheral edge and having an upper area capable of reflecting images located above a bottom half portion of the mirror element, and the contoured outer mirror surface facing toward the school bus or vehicle to which the mirror element is mounted, and the contoured outer mirror surface of the mirror element facing toward a driver of the school bus or vehicle; and

an antiglare material treated on the upper area of the dome shaped mirror surface above a bottom half of said contoured outer mirror surface of said mirror element to reduce glare from sun rays emanating at least from a direction in front of the driver from the front or sides of the school bus or vehicle with respect to a first image portion located above the bottom half portion of the mirror element while darkening the first image portion reflected thereby,

wherein the bottom half portion of the mirror element is free of antiglare material that reflects a second image portion without darkening the second image portion; and

wherein the portion of said contoured outer mirror surface on which the antiglare material is disposed and treated is located in spaced relation to and not in contact with any part of the peripheral edge.