MOUNTING MEANS

• US 3,703,270 A
• Filed: 10/20/1970
• Issued: 11/21/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert Derrick Tomlin
• Original Assignee: Robert Derrick Tomlin
• Inventors: Tomlin, Robert Derrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Foss, J. Franklin
• Application Number:
  US05/082,373
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 248/481,484,475A,276,479 350/288 287/12,21,87 24/208.3,217
• US Class Current: 248/549
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a construction of vehicle rearview mirror which conforms with the Federal Safety Regulations concerning interior mirrors, namely, that the mirror mounting shall break away or deflect or collapse when struck by a force of 90 lbs. The mounting comprises a ball head on the mirror arm which fits within a complementary socket of a resilient plastics material, such as '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'Delrin'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"', forming the base part of the mounting. The arm also carries a shoulder which abuts the top of the base part and forms therewith a fulcrum about which the arm rocks to force the ball head out of the socket when the mirror is struck.

Claims

1. A safety rear-view mirror assembly for vehicles, including a blow-releasable connection means between the mirror and the base part by means of which the mirror assembly is adapted to be secured to the vehicle, said blow-releasable connection means comprising first and second separable parts, said first part being provided with an undercut head, the underside of the head being inwardly sloping and having a shoulder extending outwardly adjacent the termination of the inwardly sloping underside of the head, and said second part comprising a member of resilient plastics material having a socket cavity in which said undercut head of the first part is fitted, said socket cavity having a mouth of smaller size than said head, the plastics material at said mouth being expandable to allow said head to be forced therethrough to separate the two parts, said shoulder, when said head is fitted in said socket cavity, abutting parts of the surface of the moulding around the mouth of the socket cavity which constitute with said shoulder a fulcrum about which said first and second parts can rock to withdraw the head from the socket cavity when the mirror receives a blow exceeding a predetermined value, and said moulding being formed around the mouth of the socket cavity with an annular recess, and the mouth of the socket member being disposed slightly below the level of the parts against which the shoulder abuts such that the plastics material forming the mouth of the socket urges the head in a direction to hold the shoulder in firm abutting contact with said parts.

2. A safety rear-view mirror assembly for vehicles as claimed in claim 1, in which the undercut head is a ball and the first part comprises a supporting arm having said ball at one end and a mirror adjustably mounted at the other end, and said annular recess is interrupted by radial webs disposed at spaced locations therearound.

3. A safety rear-view mirror assembly for vehicles including a blow-releasable connection means between the mirror and the base part by means of which the mirror assembly is adapted to be secured to the vehicle, said blow-releasable connection means comprising first and second separable parts, said first part being provided with an undercut head, the underside of the head being inwardly sloping and having a shoulder extending outwardly adjacent the termination of the inwardly sloping underside of the head, and said second part comprising a member of resilient plastics material having a socket cavity in which said undercut head of the first part is fitted, said socket cavity having a mouth of smaller size than said head, the plastics material at said mouth being expandable to allow said head to be forced therethrough to separate the two parts, said shoulder, when said head is fitted in said socket cavity, being adjacent to parts at the mouth end of said second part and constituting with said shoulder a fulcrum about which said first and second parts can rock to withdraw the head from the socket cavity when the mirror receives a blow exceeding a predetermined value, and indexing means comprising cooperating cooperating means on said shoulder and the surface of the plastics material adjacent the mouth of the socket cavity, said cooperating means being a projection and a recess for locating said first and second parts in a predetermined position about the axis perpendicular to the mouth of the cavity.

4. A mirror assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plastics socket member is provided around the mouth of the socket cavity with an annular recess.

5. A mirror assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said recess is interrupted by radial webs disposed at spaced locations therearound.

6. A mirror assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said indexing means includes cooperating inclined surfaces on said projection and recess respectively, such that upon the mirror receiving a blow in a direction tending to turn the part carrying the mirror about the axis perpendicular to the mouth of the socket cavity, the cooperating inclined surfaces of said indexing means will ride up one upon the other, the height of said cooperating inclined surfaces being such that turning movement between the fIrst and second parts can move them relatively axially to an extent sufficient to withdraw the head from the socket cavity.