SHATTER-RESISTANT MIRROR MOUNTING

• US 3,843,236 A
• Filed: 11/24/1972
• Issued: 10/22/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Arthur W. Kurz Jr
• Inventors: Kurz, Arthur W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wibert, Ronald L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tokar, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US05/309,276
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 350/288,307,305 296/97R,97B 24/29A,214 85/5R
• US Class Current: 359/844
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0282 specially adapted for a courtesy mirror

Abstract

A mounting means for removably attaching a shatter-resistant mirror to a padded sun visor located within a vehicle. The mounting means includes at least two projecting mounting studs molded integrally from the resinous material forming a shatterpreventing, integral, backing support for the mirror. The mounting studs each include a leading edge for guiding the stud into an aperture provided in the sun visor, a retaining flange for holding the stud in the aperture, an integral space providing an area into which a portion of the stud may flex during the passage of the stud through the aperture, and a spacing shoulder for spacing the mirror from the sun visor. The length of each stud is such that the visor padding is slightly compressed thereby maintaining the studs under tension and stabilizing the mirror on the sun visor.

Claims

1. In a shatter-resistant mirror assembly for use within vehicles comprising a caseless mirror including in combination a glass base;

a reflective means on said base;

a solid body forming an integral, self-supporting, shatter-preventing, backing support of a resinous material having at least a substantial portion thereof a predetermined thickness of sufficient dimension to provide the sole support for said mirror, said backing support being secured to substantially all portions of the back of said mirror with sufficient high bonding tenacity to tightly retain all fragments of glass on said support in the event of breakage under impact, the composition of said resinous material being such that when said backing support has said predetermined thickness, it will have sufficient flexibility, integral strength, and toughness to allow displacement of portions of said glass when broken under impact without breakage or tearing of the resin backing;

the improvement comprising mounting means molded integrally with said backing support from said resinous material for mounting said mirror to a support located within said vehicle;

said mounting means including at least one projection extending outwardly of said backing support and having flexible retaining flange means for passing into and engaging a portion of means defining an aperture approximating the external dimension of said projection in a support on a vehicle and retaining said assembly to the support after such passage, said retaining flange means having a width dimension greater than the width of said aperture and including means for flexing during passage through said aperture whereby said retaining flange means expand to its original configuration after passage through said aperture and engage said portion of said means defining said aperture.

2. An assembly as described in claim 1 wherein said mounting means include at least two flexible mounting studs projecting from said backing support;

said studs each including said flexible retaining flange means, spacing means for spacing said backing support and mirror from the vehicle support; and

constricted means for connecting said spacing and retaining flange means.

3. An assembly as described in claim 2 wherein the vehicle support is of the type having two surfaces and a predetermined thickness and includes two apertures bored therethrough and located to correspond to the positions of said studs on said backing support;

said retaining flange means including guide means for guiding said studs into said apertures.

4. An assembly as described in claim 3 wherein said spacing means are larger than the apertures of the vehicle support;

said constricted means extending through the apErtures while said retaining means contact the one surface of the vehicle support around the periphery of the apertures thereby securely fastening said mirror to the vehicle support.

5. An assembly as described in claim 4 wherein the apertures are circular holes each having a predetermined diameter;

said spacing means comprise cylindrical extensions from said backing support each having a diameter larger than the diameter of the apertures;

said retaining flange means comprise conical heads including flexible flanges extending radially outwardly therefrom, said flanges each having a diameter slightly larger than that of the apertures;

the inclined surface of said conical head comprising said guide means; and

said constricted means comprise connecting cylinders each having a diameter less than the apertures, said connecting cylinders extending between said cylindrical extensions and conical heads.

6. The combination of a vehicle sun visor located in a vehicle and a caseless vanity mirror removably mounted on said sun visor, said sun visor including a rigid support member having a predetermined thickness;

two planar surfaces, at least one aperture bored therethrough, and a layer of compressible padding covering each of said surfaces except for areas surrounding said aperture on one of said surfaces;

said caseless vanity mirror comprising a transparent base;

a reflective film on said base;

a solid body forming an integral, shatter-preventing backing support of resinous material; and

mounting means formed integrally from said resinous material on said backing support and cooperating with said aperture for removably securing said caseless mirror to said sun visor;

said mounting means including a projection having a retaining flange spaced from said backing support a distance less than the total thickness of said rigid support member of said sun visor and said layer of padding when uncompressed on one side of said rigid support member whereby said padding is compressed when said mirror is secured to said visor by said retaining flange engaging the edge of said aperture, and the natural, expensive tendency of said padding against said mirror stabilizes and prevents vibration of said mirror on said visor.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said projection is a flexible stud protruding from said backing support;

said stud including a shoulder extending a distance less than the uncompressed thickness of said layer of padding on said one surface and having a cross-sectional area larger than that of said aperture, said stud further including a retaining head having guide means for guiding said stud into said apertures and said retaining flange means which includes an annular flange extending beyond the edges of said aperture, said padding tending to push said mirror away from said visor thereby maintaining said tension on said stud.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said stud further includes connecting means between said shoulder and said retaining head, said connecting means extending through said aperture and having a cross-sectional area less than said aperture and a length approximately equal to the thickness of said rigid support member.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said aperture is a circular hole having a predetermined diameter;

said shoulder is a cylinder having a diameter greater than that of said hole;

said retaining head is a cone, the largest portion of said cone comprising an annular flange having a diameter greater than that of said hole; and

said guide means comprise the inclined surface of said cone.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein said connecting means comprises two cylinders having a combined length approximately equal to said thickness of said rigid support member;

the first of said two cylinders extending from said cylindrical shoulder and having a diameter slightly less than that of said hole;

the second of said two cylinders extending between said first cylinder and said retaining head and having a diameter sufficiently less than sAid first cylinder whereby an annular space is provided into which said annular flange flexes when said stud is forced through said hole.

11. The combination of claim 9 wherein said connecting means comprise a cylinder extending between said cylindrical shoulder and said retaining head;

said retaining head comprising a truncated cone having its largest diameter portion joined to said cylindrical connecting means;

said annular flange on said retaining head having its surface adjacent said cylinder inclined from the extremity of said flange to the circumference of said cylindrical connecting means; and

said stud including a central, conical opening therethrough from said backing support through said retaining head;

said conical opening being smallest at said backing support.

12. A shatter-resistant vanity mirror including an integral backing support securely bonded to substantially all portions of the back of a mirror;

said mirror comprising a transparent base having a reflective coating on a surface thereof;

said backing support comprising a flexible, tough, resinous material;

said mirror further including protruding mounting means integral with said backing support and molded from said resinous material;

said mounting means including a projection extending outwardly of said backing support, said projection including flexible, retaining, flange means adjacent the free end thereof adapted to flex during passage through an aperture in a support on a vehicle but to expand to engage the edge of such aperture to retain said mirror on the support after such passage, said projection further including means defining an integral space into which said retaining flange means flexes during such passage to allow said flange to pass through said aperture.

13. A shatter-resistant vanity mirror as described in claim 12 wherein said protruding mounting means comprise at least two of said projections spaced along said backing support and projecting perpendicularly therefrom;

said projections each including a spacing means for supporting and spacing said mirror from a supporting surface.

14. A shatter-resistant vanity mirror as described in claim 13 wherein said resinous material is a polymer of vinyl chloride;

said secure bond between said backing support and said back of said mirror being provided by an adhesion promoting resin polymer coating between said vinyl chloride polymer backing support and said transparent base.

15. A shatterproof vanity mirror as described in claim 13 wherein said projections further include a constricted connecting means between said spacing means and said retaining means;

and said retaining flange means includes integral guide means for guiding said projections into mounting apertures provided in said supporting surface for receiving said projections.

16. A shatterproof vanity mirror as described in claim 15 wherein said spacing means is a cylindrical extension of a predetermined diameter;

said retaining flange means comprises a conical head tapering radially outwardly toward said mirror and ending in a flexible annular flange comprising said portion of said mounting means which is flexed during the mounting of said mirror, said flange having a diameter equal to that of said cylindrical extension;

said guide means comprise the tapered surface of said conical head;

said connecting means including two cylindrical sections;

the first section having a diameter less than said cylindrical extension;

the second section having a diameter less than said first section;

the difference in said diameters of said two sections providing an annular space comprising said integral space into which said flange is flexed during the mounting of said mirror.

17. A shatterproof vanity mirror as described in claim 15 wherein said spacing means is a cylindrical extension of a predetermined diameter;

said retaining flange means comprises a truncated conical head tapering radially outwardly toward said mirror and ending in a flexible annular flange comprising said portiOn of said mounting means which is flexed during the mounting of said mirror, said flange having a maximum diameter equal to that of said cylindrical extension;

said guide means comprise the tapered surface of said conical head;

said connecting means comprising a connecting cylinder having a diameter slightly less than that of said cylindrical extension;

said truncated conical head including an underside closest to said mirror, said underside being inclined away from said mirror from said connecting cylinder to the extremity of said annular flange;

said projections further including a central tapered opening along the entire length thereof, said opening having its greatest diameter at said truncated conical head;

said opening comprising said integral space into which said flange is flexed during mounting.