Extendable exterior rearview mirror assembly for vehicles
First Claim
1. An extendable exterior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
- a mounting bracket for mounting to a vehicle;
a mirror subassembly comprising a mirror casing, a reflective element, and a positioning device, said mirror casing defining a cavity, said positioning device supporting said reflective element in said cavity of said mirror casing, and said mirror casing having a forward facing wall portion when said mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle wherein said forward facing wall portion is closer to the front of the vehicle than said reflective element;
a clamp; and
a support mounted to said mounting bracket, said support extending from the vehicle in a laterally outward direction and into said mirror subassembly when said mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle, said clamp mounting said mirror subassembly on said support and applying a force therebetween to urge frictional engagement between said support and said forward facing wall portion of said mirror casing to limit movement of said mirror subassembly along said support, and said mirror subassembly sliding along said support to one or more extended positions when a force is applied to said mirror subassembly of sufficient magnitude to overcome said frictional engagement between said support and said forward facing wall portion of said mirror casing.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An extendable exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a mounting bracket, a mirror subassembly, and a support which is supported by the mounting bracket. The mirror subassembly is supported by the support and is mounted for selective movement along the support arm to one of a plurality of viewing positions. The mirror subassembly includes a housing, a reflective element, and an actuator which supports the reflective element on a forward facing wall of the housing. The rearview mirror assembly further includes a clamping assembly which provides a force to urge frictional engagement between the housing and the support to limit movement of the mirror subassembly along the support. In preferred form, the support extends into the housing and frictionally engages an exterior surface of the forward facing wall.
198 Citations
39 Claims
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1. An extendable exterior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
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a mounting bracket for mounting to a vehicle;
a mirror subassembly comprising a mirror casing, a reflective element, and a positioning device, said mirror casing defining a cavity, said positioning device supporting said reflective element in said cavity of said mirror casing, and said mirror casing having a forward facing wall portion when said mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle wherein said forward facing wall portion is closer to the front of the vehicle than said reflective element;
a clamp; and
a support mounted to said mounting bracket, said support extending from the vehicle in a laterally outward direction and into said mirror subassembly when said mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle, said clamp mounting said mirror subassembly on said support and applying a force therebetween to urge frictional engagement between said support and said forward facing wall portion of said mirror casing to limit movement of said mirror subassembly along said support, and said mirror subassembly sliding along said support to one or more extended positions when a force is applied to said mirror subassembly of sufficient magnitude to overcome said frictional engagement between said support and said forward facing wall portion of said mirror casing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An extendable exterior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
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a mounting bracket for mounting to a vehicle;
a mirror subassembly comprising a mirror casing, a reflective element, and a positioning device, said mirror casing defining a cavity, said positioning device supporting said reflective element in said cavity of said mirror casing;
a clamp; and
a support mounted to said mounting bracket, said support having an outer contact surface for contacting said mirror casing and extending from the vehicle in a laterally outward direction into said mirror subassembly, said clamp mounting said mirror subassembly on said support and applying a force to urge frictional engagement between said outer contact surface of said support and said mirror casing to limit movement of said mirror subassembly along said support, and said mirror subassembly sliding along said support to one or more extended positions when a force is applied to said mirror subassembly of sufficient magnitude to overcome said frictional engagement between said support and said mirror casing. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An extendable exterior rearview mirror assembly comprising:
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a mounting bracket for mounting to a vehicle;
a mirror subassembly comprising a mirror casing, a reflective element, and a positioning device, said mirror casing having a casing wall defining a cavity, said casing wall having a forward facing portion when said mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle wherein said forward facing portion is closer to the front of the vehicle than said reflective element, said positioning device supporting said reflective element in said cavity;
a clamp; and
a support mounted to said mounting bracket, said support extending from said vehicle in a laterally outward direction and extending into said mirror subassembly when said mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle, said clamp mounting said mirror subassembly on said support and applying a force to urge frictional engagement between said support and said forward facing portion of said casing wall to limit movement of said mirror subassembly along said support, and said mirror subassembly sliding along said support to one or more extended positions when a force is applied to said mirror subassembly with sufficient magnitude to overcome said frictional engagement between said support and said forward facing portion of said casing wall. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification