Visor illuminated mirror

• US 4,000,404 A
• Filed: 07/14/1975
• Issued: 12/28/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Prince (Wellman Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Prince (Wellman Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marcus, Konrad H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hix, L. T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LaBarre, J. A.
• Application Number:
  US05/595,533
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 240/2 R, 240/4.2, 296/97 R, 296/97 B, 296/97 C, 296/97 H, 350/288, 350/307, 224/29 A, D12/191
• US Class Current: 362/135
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0282 specially adapted for a courtesy mirror

Abstract

A visor assembly incorporating a visor having a built-in lighted vanity mirror which is illuminated in one embodiment by movement of a mirror cover and in another embodiment by movement of the visor from a storage position to an operative position. The lighting system serves to illuminate an object such as an observer or a map with a light intensity that can be varied manually.

Claims

1. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like comprising a visor adapted for movement from a storage position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately horizontal plane to an operative position in which said visor is disposed in a approximately vertical plane, said visor forming a recess therein, a vanity mirror supported within said recess, said visor including a plastic like core constructed and formed in one piece and arranged to fold on itself so as to define a certain contour having a recess therein, a covering for the core, padding positioned between the covering and the core, the covering having the edges thereof heat sealed together around the periphery of the core and also heat sealed to the core around the recess, and a binding joined to the sealed together edges of the covering and wherein the vanity mirror is aligned with the recess.

2. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like comprising a visor adapted for movement from a storage position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately horizontal plane to an operative position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately vertical plane, a mirror supported by said visor, lighting means carried by the visor and operative to illuminate the mirror, the lighting means including switch means actuated by movement of the visor so that when moved to the operative position the lighting means is rendered operative, said lighting means including lamp means, a power source and circuit means selectively coupling the lamp means to the power source, said circuit means including a pair of elongated conductors mounted on the visor, said lamp means including a pair of lamps spaced apart with each lamp in electrical contact with both of the pair of elongated conductors, said pair of elongated conductors each being formed of a relatively thin metallic strip having at one end thereof both a light reflecting and heat dissipating surface and a first lamp contact and at the other end thereof a second lamp contact, said conductors being so aligned that the first and second contacts on one of the pair of elongated conductors are respectively adjacent the first and second contacts on the other of the pair of elongated conductors, and the pair of lamps are each arranged adjacent the light reflecting and heat dissipating surface on the respective one of the pair of elongated conductors so as to be electrically coupled between the adjacent first and second contacts.

3. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like as described in claim 2, wherein the circuit means includes coaxial cable means arranged to be electrically coupled between the pair of elongated conductors and the power source and including an outer conductor connected to one of the pair of elongated conductors and an inner conductor and selector switch means selectively actuatable to couple the inner conductor to the other of the pair of elongated conductors so as to complete a circuit for energizing the lamps.

4. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like as described in claim 3 in which said switch means is actuated in response to movement of said visor from said storage to said operative position.

5. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like as described in claim 4 in which said switch means is a mercury switch.

6. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like as described in claim 3 wherein the lighting means further includes dimmer means comprising a resistance and a dimmer switch manually operable to selectively connect the resistance in circuit with the pair of lamps so as to alter the light intensity therefrom.

7. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like as described in claim 3, wherein the lighting means further includes selectively operable dimmer means comprising variable resistance means and a semi-conductor switching device in circuit with the variable resistance means and the pair of lamps, the variable resistance means being selectively operable to vary the bias on the semi-conductor switching device and accordingly the conduction thereof and the light intensity of the pair of lamps.

8. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like comprising a visor adapted for movement from a storage position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately horizontal plane to an operative position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately vertical plane, a mirror supported by said visor, lighting means carried by the visor and operative to illuminate the mirror, the lighting means including switch means actuated by movement of the visor so that when moved to the operative position the lighting means is rendered operative, said lighting means including lamp means, a power source and circuit means selectively coupling the lamp means to the power source, said visor including a recess, the vanity mirror including a frame removably positioned within the recess, the circuit means including a pair of elongated conductors mounted on the visor within the recess so that each extends to opposite ends thereof, the lamp means including a pair of lamps spaced apart at opposite ends of the recess with each lamp in electrical contact with both of the pair of elongated conductors, and the lighting means further including a pair of lenses, each lens being arranged opposite a respective one of the pairs of lamps and releasably supported by the frame so as to direct the illumination towards the vanity mirror.

9. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like comprising a visor adapted for movement from a storage position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately horizontal plane to an operative position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately vertical plane, a mirror supported by said visor, lighting means carried by the visor and operative to illuminate the mirror, the lighting means including switch means actuated by movement of the visor so that when moved to the operative position the lighting means is rendered operative, said lighting means including lamp means, a power source and circuit means selectively coupling the lamp means to the power source, said visor including a plastic like core constructed and formed in one piece and arranged to fold on itself so as to define a certain contour having a recess therein, a covering for the core, padding between the covering and the core, the covering having the edges thereof sealed together around the periphery of the core and also joined to the core around the recess, a binding joined to the peripheral edges of the covering, and the vanity mirror including a frame movable positioned within the recess.

10. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like as described in claim 9, wherein the circuit means includes a pair of elongated conductors mounted on the visor within the recess so that each extends to opposite ends thereof, the lamp means includes a pair of lamps spaced apart at opposite ends of the recess with each lamp in electrical contact with both of the conductors, and the lighting means further includes a pair of lens, each lens being arranged opposite the respective one of the pair of lamps and releasably supported by the frame so as to direct the illumination towards an observer or an object.

11. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like as described in claim 10, wherein the pair of elongated conductors are each formed of a relatively thin metallic strip, having at one end thereof both a light reflecting and heat dissipating surface and a first lamp contact and at the other end thereof a second lamp contact and are each so aligned that the first and second lamp contacts on one of the pair of elongated conductors are respectively adjacent the second and first contacts on the other of the pair of elongated conductors, the pair of lamps are each arranged adjacent the light reflecting and heat dissipating surface on a respective one of the pair of elongated conductors so as to be electrically coupled between the corresponding adjacent first and second contacts, and the circuit means includes coaxial cable means arranged to be electrically coupled between the pair of elongated conductors and the power source and switch means selectively operable by movement of the visor so that the vanity mirror cover when moved to the operative position thereof to couple the pair of elongated conductors to the power source so as to energize each of the lamps.

12. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like as described in claim 11, wherein the lighting means further includes dimmer means having a resistance and a selectively operable dimmer switch manually operable to selectively connect the resistance in circuit with the pair of lamps so as to alter the light intensity therefrom.

13. A visor assembly for a vehicle comprising a visor adapted for movement from a storage position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately horizontal plane to an operative position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately vertical plane, said visor forming a recess therein, a vanity mirror supported within said recess, lighting means having lamp means, a power source and circuit means, the lighting means including selectively operable dimmer means comprising resistance means and dimmer switch means cooperable with the resistance means to alter the resistance in circuit with the lamp means so as to vary the light intensity therefrom, said lighting means further including selectively operable dimmer means having variable resistance means and a transistor switch in circuit therewith and with the pair of lamps, the variable resistance means being selectively operable to vary conduction by the transistor switch and accordingly the light intensity of the pair of lamps.

14. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like comprising a visor adapted for movement from a storage position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately horizontal plane to an operative position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately vertical plane, a mirror supported by said visor, lighting means carried by the visor and operative to illuminate the mirror, the lighting means including switch means operative to render the lighting means operative upon movement of the switch means to an operative position, said lighting means including lamp means, a power source and circuit means selectively coupling the lamp means to the power source, said circuit means including a pair of elongated conductors mounted on the visor, said lamp means including a pair of lamps spaced apart with each lamp in electrical contact with both of the pair of elongated conductors, said pair of elongated conductors each being formed of a relatively thin metallic strip having at one end thereof both a light reflecting and heat dissipating surface and a first lamp contact and at the other end thereof a second lamp contact, said conductors being so aligned that the first and second contacts on one of the pair of elongated conductors are respectively adjacent the first and second contacts on the other of the pair of elongated conductors, and a pair of lamps are each arranged adjacent the light reflecting and heat dissipating surface on the respective one of the pair of elongated conductors so as to be electrically coupled between the adjacent first and second contacts.

15. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like comprising a visor adapted for movement from a storage position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately horizontal plane to an operative position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately vertical plane, a mirror supported by said visor, lighting carried by the visor and operative to illuminate the mirror, the lighting means including switch means which when actuated to an operative position renders the lighting means operative, said lighting means including lamp means, a power source and circuit means selectively coupling the lamp means to the power source, said circuit means including a pair of elongated conductors mounted relative to the visor so as to extend to opposite ends of said mirror, the lamp means including a pair of lamps spaced apart at opposite ends of the visor with each lamp in electrical contact with both of the pair of elongated conductors, and the lighting means further including a pair of lenses, each lens being arranged opposite a respective one of the pairs of lamps and releasably supported relative to said visor to direct the illumination towards the mirror.

16. A visor assembly for a vehicle or the like comprising a visor adapted for movement from a storage position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately horizontal plane to an operative position in which said visor is disposed in an approximately vertical plane, a mirror supported by said visor, lighting means carried by the visor in operative position to illuminate the mirror, the lighting means including switch means actuated by movement of the visor so that when moved to the operative position the lighting means is rendered operative, said lighting means including lamp means, a power source and circuit means selectively coupling the lamp means to the power source, the mirror including a frame positioned on the visor, the circuit means including a pair of elongated conductors mounted relative to the visor so that each extends to opposite ends thereof, the lamp means including a pair of lamps spaced apart at opposite ends of the visor with each lamp in electrical contact with both of the pair of elongated conductors, and the lighting means further including a pair of lenses, each lens being arranged opposite a respective one of the pair of lamps and supported by the frame so as to direct the illumination towards the mirror.