Instrument

• US 5,596,143 A
• Filed: 11/15/1995
• Issued: 01/21/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): RAEVIS, ROBERT R
• Application Number:
  US08/558,193
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 73/431, 73/866.3, 296/97.2, 296/97.7, D12/192, 359/609, 359/613, 359/614
• US Class Current: 73/431
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/20 Optical features of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10

Abstract

An instrument having a front cover which can be easily cleaned when dust and dirt adhere on the front surface of the instrument cover. The front cover has a toothed surface for reducing light reflection at the central portion of the front cover, and a smoothed fringe surface around the toothed surface which has an area for accepting a piece of wiping cloth. When dust and dirt accumulate in the toothed surface, they can be wiped off by a piece of cloth easily.

Claims

1. An instrument comprising:

a dial plate, and

a transparent front cover covering the dial plate,

wherein said front cover comprises;

a toothed central portion having a plurality of continuous ditches extending horizontally for reducing reflection of light; and

a smoothed fringe portion having a width wider than one of said ditches and being disposed generally perpendicularly to said ditches

said smoothed fringe portion being connected to said toothed central portion in such a manner so that dust or dirt accumulated in said ditches can be wiped off by a piece of cloth toward said smoothed fringe portion.

3. An instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said smoothed fringe portion comprises dark colored transparent material.

4. An instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said smoothed fringe portion comprises a transparent portion inclining from said toothed central portion.

5. An instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein bottom of said ditches is disposed level with said smoothed portion.

6. An instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein top of said toothed portion is disposed level with said smoothed fringe portion and said connecting portion has inclined surfaces for connecting said bottom of said ditches and said smoothed fringe portion.

2. An instrument comprising:

a dial plate, and

a transparent front cover covering the dial plate,

wherein said front cover comprises;

a toothed central portion having a plurality of continuous ditches extending horizontally for reducing reflection of light; and

a smoothed fringe portion continuously surrounding said central portion

said smoothed fringe portion being connected to said toothed central portion in such a manner so that dust or dirt accumulated in said ditches can be wiped off by a piece of cloth toward said smoothed fringe portion.

7. An instrument comprising:

a case,

a transparent front cover, and

a dial plate disposed at a central portion of said case,

wherein said front cover comprises;

a toothed portion disposed at a central portion of said transparent front cover, said toothed portion having a plurality of continuous ditches extending horizontally for reducing reflection of light; and

a smoothed portion disposed generally perpendicularly to said ditches, said smoothed portion having an area for accepting a piece of wiping cloth such that dirt or dust accumulated in said ditches may be moved with the cloth from the ditches to the smoothed portion.

8. An instrument according to claim 7, wherein bottom of said ditches is disposed level with said smoothed portion.

9. An instrument according to claim 7, wherein top of said toothed surface is disposed level with said smoothed portion and said connecting portion has inclined surfaces for connecting said bottom of said ditches and said smoothed fringe portion.