Courtesy light fixture of rearview mirror

• US 5,590,948 A
• Filed: 06/13/1995
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Metagal Indãºstria E Comã©Rcio LTDA
• Original Assignee: Metagal Industria E Comercio Ltds.
• Inventors: Moreno, Ricardo P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gromada, Denise L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sember, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US08/489,895
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 362/83.1, 362/61, 362/80, 362/135, 362/137, 362/226, 362/140, 362/144, 362/217, 362/237, 362/240, 362/241, 362/249, 439/239, 439/621, 439/698
• US Class Current: 362/494
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/258 Rear-view mirrors

Abstract

A rearview mirror has a housing having recesses with supporting flaps, and a courtesy light fixture for a driver and for a passenger located within a respective one of the recesses. Each of the courtesy light fixtures has a lamp, and two lamp holder-electrical connectors supporting and providing electrical connection to the lamp. Each of the lamp holder-electrical connectors is formed by an elastic electrical conducting metal strip having a substantially inverted U-shape so that it can be formed and connected to the electrical wire by a progressive die, and having a first vertical portion, a second horizontal upper portion, and a third vertical portion located one after the other. The first and third vertical portions extend parallel to one another, and the first vertical portion is provided with a device for connecting an electrical wire, formed substantially by a pair of V-shaped flaps which extend outside a space defined between the vertical portions for receiving the lamp. The upper horizontal portion extends transversely relative to the vertical portions and has a part of a fixing device to be fitted to the lamp holder-electrical connector through the supporting flaps of the housing, with another part of the fixing device defined by the supporting flaps.

Claims

1. A rearview mirror, comprising a rearview mirror housing having recesses with supporting flaps;

a courtesy light fixture for a driver and a second courtesy light fixture for a passenger located within a respective one of said recesses, each of said courtesy light fixtures including a lamp, two lamp holder-electrical connectors supporting and providing electrical connection to said lamp, an electric wire for feeding electrical current to said lamp and connected to said lamp holder-electrical connectors, an on/off switch connected with said electrical wire, a reflector, and a lens, each of said lamp holder-electrical connectors being formed by an elastic electrical conducting metal strip having a substantially inverted U-shape so that it can be formed and connected to said electrical wire by a progressive die, said metal strip having a first vertical portion, a second horizontal upper portion, and a third vertical portion located one after the other, said first and third vertical portions extending parallel to and being substantially equal to one another, said first vertical portion being provided with a device for connecting said electrical wire, said device for connecting said electrical wire being formed substantially by a pair of V-shaped flaps which extend outside a space defined between said vertical portions for receiving said lamp, said flaps extending from opposite edges and being turned outwards from said first vertical portion, said upper horizontal portion extending transversely relative to said vertical portions and having a part of a fixing device to be fitted to said lamp holder-electrical connector through said supporting flaps of said housing, with another part of said fixing device defined by said supporting flaps, said upper horizontal portion being provided with a hole for receiving an assembly means.

2. A rearview mirror as defined in claim 1, wherein said lamp is a cartridge type lamp.

3. A rearview mirror as defined in claim 1, wherein said lamp is a torpedo-type lamp.

4. A rearview mirror as defined in claim 1, wherein said lamp has electrical contacts, said first and third vertical legs being formed by free ends bent in an outward angle defining a receiving bracket for a respective one of said electrical contacts of said lamp, and including three in-line portions for receiving said electrical contacts, said three in-line portions including first straight portions spaced from one another by a distance which is smaller than a diameter of said electrical contacts, second intermediate convex curved portions defining a circular portion which receives under pressure said one of said electrical contacts of said lamp, and diverging portions which are separated from one another by a distance smaller than the diameter of said electrical contacts, said distance increasing to a maximum value where said vertical portions connect to said upper horizontal portion.

5. A rearview mirror as defined in claim 4, wherein said V-shaped flaps of said device for connection of said first vertical leg to said electric wire has a pair of wider flaps for fixing an insulated portion of said electrical wire on a free end of said outward turned end of said first vertical leg, and a second pair of narrower flaps for fixing a bare end of said wire through bent flaps.

6. A rearview mirror as defined in claim 1, wherein said device for fixing said lamp holder-electrical connector to said supporting flaps of said housing includes said second horizontal portion of said lamp holder-electrical connector which is somewhat wider than the said first and said third vertical portions defining opposite flaps for fitting and supporting between said supporting flaps, said lateral flaps being provided with cuneiform dents for mounting said supporting flaps with sharp protuberant edges and angles facing an opposite direction of an insertion movement of said lamp holder-electrical connector between said supporting flaps.

7. A rearview mirror as defined in claim 1, wherein said device for fixing said lamp holder-electrical connectors to said supporting flaps of the housing includes also said supporting flaps formed by four upper vertical flaps which are symmetrical relative to an "x" geometric axis and including two outside flaps, two inside flaps, an intermediate horizontal flap, and a central, lower vertical flap, said intermediate horizontal flap having a front free edge provided with an indentation symmetrical relative to said "x" geometrical axis and a width which is somewhat greater than a width of said vertical legs of said lamp holder-electrical connector and with a depth which is substantially equal to a distance between said vertical legs, so that said indentation can receive extreme portions of said vertical legs which follow said horizontal portion so that said first vertical portion provided with said connecting device connected to said wire is in a same plane of a free edge portion of said intermediate horizontal flap adjacent to said indentation.

8. A rearview mirror as defined in claim 7, wherein said internal upper vertical flaps have lower edges and provided in an area of said lower edges at a same level of said indentation, with respective indentations having a width which is somewhat greater than a thickness of said metal strip which forms said lamp holder-electrical connector, said outside upper vertical flaps having ends connected to said intermediate horizontal flap provided with outward bends, said outward bends of said outside upper vertical flaps and said indentation of said intermediate horizontal portion and said indentations of said internal upper vertical flaps defining a housing a fitting of said upper horizontal portion of said lamp holder-electrical connector for supporting said side flaps of said upper horizontal portion in regions of said intermediate horizontal flap adjacent to said indentation and for setting of said dents of said side flaps of said upper horizontal portion in a bottom of said bends of said outside upper vertical flaps, said central lower vertical flaps supporting said lamp holder-electrical connector.