Mirror assembly

• US 4,565,345 A
• Filed: 03/07/1985
• Issued: 01/21/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Peterson Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: Peterson Manufacturing Company
• Inventors: Templeman, Arthur R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Foss, J. Franklin
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLSON, ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US06/709,605
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• Field of Search: 248/481, 248/181, 248/288.3, 248/288.5, 248/663, 403/90, 403/131, 403/122, 403/145
• US Class Current: 248/481
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0609 made from two or more parts
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/106 for ball joints
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32311 Ball and socket

Abstract

A mirror assembly is provided adapted for use with a vehicle and includes a mirror housing, a mirror, a support bracket for mounting the mirror housing on an associated vehicle and an expandable ball and socket arrangement associated with the mirror housing and support bracket for selectively retaining the mirror in a desired rotational position relative to the vehicle. The ball and socket arrangement comprises a partially spherical socket formed in the mirror housing, a thin-walled socket liner retained therein and an expandable ball securely connected to the mounting bracket. The expandable ball comprises a plurality of partially spherical segments each attached to a shank and resiliently deformable outwardly from an axial bore therethrough. A draw bolt is received in the axial bore and when drawn therethrough, engages the spherical segments biasing same outwardly to resistably engage the socket liner.

Claims

1. A mirror assembly for use with a vehicle comprising:

(a) a mirror housing;

(b) a mirror retainably held in said housing;

(c) a support member adapted to be securely mounted to a vehicle; and

(d) a ball and socket arrangement connecting said housing and said support member, said ball and socket arrangement comprising;

(1) a socket extending into a first of said housing or support member and having an inner surface;

(2) a socket liner snugly mateable in said socket in contact with said socket inner surface;

said socket liner including a neck and a concave expandable member receiving cavity extending inwardly of said neck;

said expandable member receiving cavity being generally continuous and covering a majority of said socket when said socket liner is positioned within said socket;

(3) retention means to snugly hold said socket liner within said socket so as to interfere with removal of said socket liner from said socket;

(4) said retention means comprises a lug on a first of said socket liner or said socket and an aperture mateable with said lug on a second of said socket liner or said socket;

(5) an expandable member including a head and a shank;

said expandable member head being slidably received in said socket through said neck when said expandable member is not expanded and frictionally contacting said socket liner when said expandable member is expanded so as to operably retain said head in said expandable member receiving cavity;

(6) connector means to connect said expandable member shank to a second of said housing or said support member; and

(7) biasing means to selectively urge said expandable member head into tight engagement with said socket liner.