Vanity mirror

• US 5,207,501 A
• Filed: 10/01/1991
• Issued: 05/04/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Atsushi, Sakuma, Toranosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, Y MY QUACH
• Application Number:
  US07/770,018
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 362/83.3, 362/135, 362/136, 362/137, 362/142, 362/144, 362/155, 362/156, 362/288, 362/295, 362/394
• US Class Current: 362/137
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0282 specially adapted for a courtesy mirror
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/252 Sun visors

Abstract

A vanity mirror of the type including a mirror, an illuminating portion having a lamp, and a cover for covering and exposing the front surface of the mirror, with the lamp being turned on and off in response to opening and closing of the cover, and particularly adapted for incorporating in a sun visor of an automobile. A lens covering the front side of the lamp is displaceable in fore and aft directions, and there is provided a bias mechanism for biasing forward the lens and a mechanism for displacing the lens in response to the closing of the cover. The lens is displaced forward in response to the opening of the cover and by the bias mechanism, thus, the affect of the heat of the lamp on the lens can be minimized.

Claims

1. A vanity mirror of the type including a mirror, an illuminating portion having a lamp, and a cover for covering and exposing a front surface of the mirror with the lamp being turned on and off in response to the opening and closing of the cover, wherein a lens covering a front side of the lamp is displaceable in fore and aft directions, there is provided means for biasing forward the lens and means for displacing the lens in response to the closing of the cover, whereby the lens is displaced forward in response to the opening of the cover and by the biasing means, and there is provided on the lens a pressing portion for actuating and deactivating a switch which controls the on-off of the lamp.

2. A vanity mirror of the type including a mirror, an illuminating portion having a lamp, and a cover for covering and exposing a front surface of the mirror with the lamp being turned on and off in response to the opening and closing of the cover, wherein a lens covering a front side of the lamp is displaceable in fore and aft directions, there is provided means for biasing forward the lens and means for displacing the lens in response to the closing of the cover, whereby the lens is displaced forward in response to the opening of the cover and by the biasing means, the lens is formed as a portion of a switch controlling the on-off of the lamp, such that when the lens moves rearward the lens is turned off and when the lens moves forward the lamp is turned on, and the switch for controlling the on-off of the lamp is constituted of a contact point formed on a printed circuit board supporting the lamp and a contact point provided on the lens.

3. A vanity mirror according to claim 2, wherein the contact point provided on the lens is formed of a sheet spring material for acting also as biasing means.

4. A vanity mirror according to claim 3, wherein the sheet spring material provided on the lens and acting as said contact point has inclined and separating two leg potions such that when the lens separates from the printed circuit board the tip ends of the two leg portions approach with one another and contact respectively with contact points provided on the printed circuit board and completes a circuit, and that when the lens approaches to the printed circuit board the tip ends of the two leg portions separate from each other whereby at least one of the tip ends separates from at least one of the contact points on the printed circuit board and a resilient force is stored in the contact point on the lens.