Deployable antiglare screen device for drivers

• US 6,120,085 A
• Filed: 01/28/1999
• Issued: 09/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wooldridge, John
• Original Assignee: Wooldridge, John
• Inventors: Wooldridge, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, D. Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): ENGLE, PATRICIA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US09/239,456
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 296/97.1, 296/97.2, 296/97.4, 296/97.8, 296/97.9, 296/97.7, 296/97.12, 296/97.13
• US Class Current: 296/97.8
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/02 adjustable in position B60J3/002, B60J3/005 take precedence

Abstract

An improved portable antiglare screen device to be used by the driver of an automobile in combination with an exterior rear view mirror in order to prevent glare to the driver when viewing therethrough. This antiglare screen device detachably mounts onto the upper inboard side of a drivers side door, adjacent a slidable window within the door, and directly opposite the exterior rear view mirror. This antiglare screen device has a base comprising a housing and two integral mounting clips. These mounting clips are wedged down in between the slidable window and elastomeric window seal on the inboard side of the door, adjacent the slidable window, to hold the housing in place after quick installation. A manually operable mechanism, mounted within the housing, provides a collapsible framework device, comprising a duality of elongated support members, to deploy a flexible one-ply mesh. This mesh can be spread within the drivers line-of-sight of his/her exterior rear view mirror, encompassing its perimeter, for viewing the image of trailing vehicles therethrough and attenuating undue glare from the bright headlights of those vehicles. This one-ply mesh can also be retracted by the mechanism back into the housing of the base for storage and can be repeatedly deployed or retracted by the driver with one simple flick of the wrist of one hand.

Claims

1. A deployable antiglare screen device for use in automobiles equipped with an exterior rear view mirror mounted on a side door having both an inboard and exterior side and a vertically slidable window, said deployable antiglare screen device comprising:

(a) a base having a housing and a means for detachably mounting said housing onto the upper end of said inboard side of said door of said automobile adjacent to the lower front corner of said slidable window opposite said exterior rear view mirror;

(b) a collapsible mesh screen which, when spead out, reduces glare from bright light when viewing therethrough;

(c) a mechanism mounted within said housing and having a fixedly attached collapsible framework device which can be alternately retracted or deployed for moving said mesh screen respectively from a folded down position within said housing to a spread out position with sufficient size and shape, when properly placed, to totally encompass an area the perimeter of a driver'"'"'s view of the entire of said exterior rear view mirror;

whereby said deployable antiglare screen device, when properly prepositioned on said door, can be engaged by the driver of a vehicle to instantly deploy a mesh screen within the driver'"'"'s line-of-sight of said exterior rear view mirror to attenuate reflected glare from any bright light source and

whereby driver can instantly disengage the deployable antiglare screen device to retract said mesh screen back into its said housing for storage so driver can see a regular untreated view of the reflected image in said exterior rear view mirror, and

whereby the deployable antiglare screen device will lie-in-wait out of driver'"'"'s way, with no obstruction to driver'"'"'s field of view, until such time as driver once again encounters glare reflected into said exterior rear view mirror.

2. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 1, further including:

(a) mesh attaching means for attaching said mesh to said collapsible framework device of said mechanism for folding and storing said mesh inside housing or alternately spreading and suspending said mesh within drivers line of sight of said exterior rearview mirror;

(b) means to mount said mechanism securely within said housing while allowing for free rotational movement of said mechanism;

(c) engaging means connected to said mechanism and extruding from said housing for manual access to provide transfer of a bidirectional force from manual manipulation of said engaging means to said mechanism for urging said mechanism and its integral said framework device into a deployed or a retracted position;

(d) in combination, said mechanism having a tension means in contact with a bidirectional holding means for transmitting force from said tension means to said mechanism in two opposite directions at alternate times for the purpose of alternately holding said mechanism and its integrally attached said framework device in either a retracted or a fully deployed position.

3. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 1 wherein said antiglare screen device is portable and interchangeable between a multitude of automobiles, and wherein said means for detachably mounting said housing is at least one mounting clip, fixedly attached to said housing, which can be wedged between the interior side of said slidable window and an adjacent interior window seal, integral to said inboard side of door, to be held in place by friction and gravity.

4. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 3 wherein each of said at least one mounting clip has a substantially anticlinal shape with two individual flanks culminating into an apex.

5. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 4 wherein each of said at least one mounting clip contacts the side of said housing whose exterior is facing said slidable window and in which one of said flanks of said at least one mounting clip conforms and attaches to said housing while the other of said flanks of said at least one mounting clip arches out and away from the exterior of said side of said housing so that it contacts the interior side of said slidable window nearly parallel when adjacent said interior window seal and has sufficient length to extend below said interior window seal inside said door to hold the antiglare screen device stable and sufficiently level.

6. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 5 wherein:

(a) each of said at least one mounting clip has smooth edges and rounded end corners on the lower end for easy insertion between said slidable window and said interior window seal;

(b) each of said at least one mounting clip has a textured surface adjacent to and facing said interior window seal for providing adequate frictional force to keep each of said at least one mounting clip stable and in position.

7. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 2 wherein said collapsible mesh screen is made from a flexible material with elastic properties to allow it to be stretched substantially beyond its original relaxed size.

8. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 7 wherein said tension means is at least one spring, said bidirectional holding means is at least one crank arm, and said collapsible framework device comprises a duality of elongated support members and wherein said mechanism further includes:

(a) a duality of arbors pivotably mounted along their transversal axes positioned distally and in opposition to each other on opposite ends of said housing;

(b) a coupling means for movably coupling together said duality of arbors for providing synchronous movement from one of said arbors to the other thereof;

(c) a joining means for joining each of said elongated support members perpendicularly to the pivotal axis of a respective one of said arbors.

9. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 8 wherein:

(a) a respective one of said crank arms is integrally connected to a respective one of said arbors; and

(b) said coupling means comprises a pivotably mounted bell crank which is sandwiched between and movably adjoined to a duality of connecting rods, each of which are pivotably adjoined by a linking means on their outer ends to a respective one of said arbors;

(c) each one of said connecting rods has a spring attachment for holding one end of a respective one of said springs in place;

(d) each one of said springs is hooked on one of its ends to a respective one of said crank arms and hooked on the other end to a respective one of said spring attachements of a respective one of said connecting rods wherein;

(1) each one of said springs is caused to stretch and increase in tension as said mechanism is moved from a retracted position to its deployed position;

(2) each one of said springs applies more tension to said mechanism in its deployed position than in its retracted position;

(3) said increase in tension is sufficient to hold said mesh screen tautly stretched in its deployed position;

(e) said engaging means is a hand level fixedly attached to one of said arbors of said mechanism for transmitting a rotational force from a person'"'"'s hand to said arbor for moving said mechanism between its retracted and deployed positions;

(f) said duality of elongated support members comprise;

(1) a rear arm which has enough vertical height, when deployed, to suspend the upper end of said mesh screen to at least as high as the upper perimeter of said exterior rear view mirror when said antiglare screen device is properly positioned;

(2) a front arm which is sufficiently shorter, when vertically deployed, than said rear arm so as to allow it to fit adequetly close to the lower front wedge-shape of said vertically slidable window and yet of enough vertical height to suspend the upper end of said mesh to at least as high as the upper perimeter of said exterior rear view mirror;

(g) whereby said duality of elongated support members;

(1) when retracted are in a prone position lying head-to-toe, side by side, and parallel to each other oriented longitudinally within said housing;

(2) when deployed are substantially vertical and in opposition to each other;

(3) each describe an individual arc which sweeps substantially 90°

between its retracted and deployed positions;

(4) are arranged and sufficiently spaced to avoid contacting with each other during operation;

whereby each of said springs will increase in tension as said mechanism moves from its retracted position to its fully deployed position, and

whereby said increased spring tension is applied to said mechanism and its associated said elongated support members, and

whereby said elongated support members, of said mechanism, will exert sufficient force to hold said mesh screen tautly stretched when said mechanism is in the fully deployed position.

10. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 8 wherein said mesh attaching means is a duality of sleeves attached to and sandwiching said mesh screen, one respectively on each of its front and rear ends, for fitting around a respective one of each said elongated support members.

11. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 10 wherein a plurality of tie-down cords are used:

(a) to attach each of said sleeves to its respective said arbor in order to keep each of said sleeves securely in place around its respective said elongated support member;

(b) to attach the lower end of said mesh to said housing along its length, at predetermined placements around said mechanism, for keeping said mesh vertically taut when deployed.

12. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 1 wherein said mesh screen has numerous threads, with elastic properties, woven together at regularly spaced intervals to allow an evenly distributed pattern of voids throughout said mesh which when stretched sufficiently taut will allow an adequit amount of light for viewing objects therethrough, while said woven threads block out a sufficient amount of said light to effectively cut its intensity and prevent glare from a light source when viewing therethrough.

13. The deployable antiglare screen device of claim 12 wherein said mesh screen is sufficiently dark in color, non-reflective, and without shimmer so as to reduce any chance of reflectivity on the interior side of said mesh facing the driver and any other occupants of said automoble.

14. A method for reducing bright light glare reflecting from an exterior rear view mirror of an automobile into the eyes of a driver of said automobile using a deployable antiglare screen device, comprising:

(a) providing a base having a housing and a means for detachably mounting said housing onto the upper end of an inboard side of said door of said automobile adjacent to the lower front corner of said window opposite said exterior rear view mirror;

(b) providing a collapsible mesh screen which, when spread out, reduces glare from bright light when viewing therethrough;

(c) providing a mechanism mounted within said housing and having a fixedly attached collapsible framework device which can be alternately retracted or deployed for moving said mesh screen respectively from a folded down position within said housing to a spread out position with sufficient size and shape, when properly placed, to totally encompass an area the perimeter of said driver'"'"'s view of the entire of said exterior rear view mirror;

whereby said deployable antiglare screen device, when properly prepositioned on said door, can be engaged by the driver of a vehicle to instantly deploy a mesh screen within the driver'"'"'s line-of-sight of said exterior rear view mirror to attenuate reflected glare from any bright light source and

whereby driver can instantly disengage the antiglare screen device to retract said mesh screen back into its said housing for storage so driver can see an untreated regular view of said exterior rear view mirror, and

whereby the antiglare screen device will lie-in-wait perched upon said inboard side of door, out of driver'"'"'s way with no obstruction to driver'"'"'s field of view, until such time as driver once again encounters glare reflected into said exterior rear view mirror.

15. The method for reducing bright light glare of claim 14, further comprising:

(a) providing a means for attaching said mesh to said collapsible framework device of said mechanism for folding and storing said mesh inside housing or alternately spreading and suspending said mesh within driver'"'"'s line-of-sight of said exerior rearview mirror;

(b) providing a means to mount said mechanism securely within said housing which allows for free rotational movement of said mechanism;

(c) providing an engaging means connected to said mechanism and extruding from said housing for manual access to provide transfer of a bidirectional force from manual manipulation of said engaging means to said mechanism for urging said mechanism and its integral said framework device into a deployed or a retracted position;

(d) providing a tension means in contact with a bidirectional holding means for transmitting force from said tension means to said mechanism in two opposite directions at alternate times for the purpose of alternately holding said mechanism and its integrally attached said framework device in either a retracted or a fully deployed position.