Cover for mirror for sun visor, particularly for automobiles

• US 4,564,234 A
• Filed: 01/24/1985
• Issued: 01/14/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Becker Group Europe GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Gebr. Happich GmbH
• Inventors: Kaiser, Klaus-Peter, Viertel, Lothar
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Robert R.
• Application Number:
  US06/694,438
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 296/97 H, 296/97 R, 362/135, 362/136, 362/137, 362/140, 160/231 R, 160/235, 160/26, 160/27, 160/28
• US Class Current: 296/97.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0282 specially adapted for a courtesy mirror

Abstract

A sun visor for automotive vehicles includes a sun visor body with a mirror on one surface and a cover which is selectively movable to expose and cover up the mirror. The cover is slidable past one edge of the mirror and into a recess defined in the visor body. The length of the recess is shorter than the length of the cover when it is extended. The cover is deformable to fit into the reduced size recess. The cover forms a loop in that recess, or is wound up on a shaft in that recess, etc. The cover is comprised of flexible material or it comprises a series of adjacent slats which are articulatedly connected for deflecting with respect to each other. The cover is guided for its movement in lateral guides.

Claims

1. A sun visor for automobile vehicles, comprising:

a sun visor body having first and second opposed major surfaces spaced apart by a distance which is substantially smaller in dimension than the dimensions of said major surfaces, said distance defining the thickness of said visor body;

a mirror housed in said visor body and being viewable through an opening formed in said visor body;

a cover housed in said visor body and being movable between a first position wherein it covers said mirror so that said mirror cannot be viewed through said opening and a second position wherein it is withdrawn from said mirror so that said mirror can be viewed through said opening;

a non-exposed chamber located within said visor body adjacent said mirror for accommodating said cover in said chamber when said cover is in said second position; and

means for guiding said cover for movement between said first and second positions;

said means, said cover and said chamber cooperating to cause said cover to assume a u-shaped configuration, as viewed along a cross section of said visor body which is taken along the thickness direction of said visor body, in said chamber when said cover is in said second position;

said cover including a fixed end and a movable end, said fixed end being stationarily connected to a portion of said chamber adjacent said mirror, said movable end being manually movable past said mirror.

2. The sun visor of claim 1, wherein the cover is articulated along its length to be able to deflect.

3. The sun visor of claim 1, wherein the guide means for the cover comprise lateral guides which support the lateral sides of the cover for sliding into and out of the non-exposed chamber.

4. The sun visor of claim 3, wherein the cover comprises a plurality of slats arranged alongside of each other and oriented transverse to the direction of sliding of the cover in the guides, and the slats being articulated to each other for deflecting with respect to each other.

5. The sun visor of claim 4, wherein the slats are connected to each other by a film hinge.

6. The sun visor of claim 4, wherein the slats comprise a plurality of individual bars which are fastened together by connecting means.

7. The sun visor of claim 6, wherein the connecting means comprise the slats being connected to each other by a flexible backing layer behind the slats.

8. The sun visor of claim 6, wherein the connecting means comprise one longitudinal edge of each slat having an enlarged head defined along that edge, and another longitudinal edge of each slat having a groove defined therein adapted for receiving the bead, and the slats being articulatedly connected to each other through the bead on one slat being received in the groove of the adjacent slat.

9. The sun visor of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises a plurality of slats arranged alongside of each other and oriented transverse to the direction of motion of the cover into and out of the chamber and the slats being articulated to each other for deflecting with respect to each other.

10. The sun visor of claim 1, wherein the cover is a single piece injection molding of plastic.

11. The sun visor of claim 1, wherein the cover is a length of a profiled plastic extrusion.