Vehicle side view mirror blind spot adjustment method

• US 6,547,405 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2001
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raymond A. Jacobs
• Original Assignee: Raymond A. Jacobs
• Inventors: Jacobs, Raymond A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Juba, Jr., John
• Application Number:
  US09/877,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20020186480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 359/839, 359/843, 359/872, 359/838, 359/900, 332/64
• US Class Current: 359/843
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/02 Rear-view mirror arrangements periscope arrangements B60R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 359/90 Methods

Abstract

An angularly adjustable, vehicle side view mirror having a reflective mirror member mounted within a frame that is attached to the driver or passenger side of an automotive-type vehicle. The frame has an outer edge member having a series of horizontally spaced apart markings that are visible to the driver within the vehicle. The mirror has an outer edge that is closely adjacent to the frame outer edge member and can be pivoted into visual alignment with anyone of the frame member markings. The alignment of the mirror edge with a pre-selected frame member marking positions the mirror for reflecting either a blind spot side area or an area closer to the vehicle side. The marks also guide the driver in setting the mirror to pre-selected angles whenever the particular pre-set angle has been changed.

Claims

1. A vehicle side mirror that instructs drivers how to angularly adjust said mirror between predetermined angular positions for reflecting rearward views of an area close to the side of a vehicle as is conventional or alternatively, a blind spot area laterally spaced from the side of a vehicle, comprising:

a mirror frame having an attachment portion for fixed attachment to a side of a vehicle;

said mirror frame including an outer side member having a substantially vertically arranged portion that is viewable by a vehicle driver within the vehicle;

visible spaced apart markings formed on said outer side member portion, with the markings being spaced apart horizontally relative to each other;

a mirror member moveably mounted within the frame and being angularly adjustable about a vertical axis;

an instructive message formed upon the mirror member that is viewable by a vehicle driver within the vehicle;

said mirror member having an outer edge located closely adjacent to, and in vertical alignment with, said outer side member portion;

said mirror outer edge being moveable in generally forward and rearward horizontal directions, relative to the vehicle upon which the frame is attached, into visible alignment with one of said markings;

said markings being so located that visual alignment of the mirror edge with a forward marking reflects, to the vehicle driver, the blind spot area laterally spaced from the side of the vehicle, and visual alignment of the mirror edge with a rear marking reflects an area close to the side of the vehicle as is conventional;

and said instructive message providing guidance to said driver for quickly adjusting said mirror outer edge relative to said markings to adjust said mirror member between views of said conventional and said blind spot rearview areas.

2. A vehicle side view mirror as defined in claim 1 and said markings being formed of a series of horizontally spaced apart indicium, whereby the driver of the vehicle may adjust the angle of the mirror member for visually aligning the mirror member outer edge with a selected marking indicium for temporarily pre-setting the side area which the drive wishes to view in the mirror.

3. A vehicle side view mirror as defined in claim 2, and including numerical designations formed at each indicium to visually identify each indicium for rapidly adjusting the mirror angle.

4. A vehicle side view mirror as defined in claim 3, and including a mark formed at the edge of said mirror member for indicating the particular marking on the frame member with which the mirror edge is temporarily aligned.

5. A vehicle side view mirror as defined in claim 2, and including said mirror edge having a portion which is substantially vertical for vertical alignment with the adjacent portion of the outer side member.

6. A vehicle side view mirror as defined in claim 2, and including said mirror being manually adjustable by the vehicle driver for angularly moving for aligning the mirror member outer edge portion into alignment with any one of the marking indicia.

7. A vehicle side view mirror as defined in claim 6, and said frame being formed within, and being a part of, a housing having a portion formed for fixed attachment to a driver or passenger side of an automotive type vehicle for enabling the vehicle driver, while seated within the vehicle, to visually observe the area reflected by the mirror member, the markings on the frame, the instructive message upon the mirror member and the alignment of the mirror outer edge with any one of the driver selected markings.

8. A vehicle side view mirror as defined in claim 1, wherein the visible spaced apart markings are formed on said outer side member portion by being imprinted upon a sheet which is adhered to the mirror frame.

9. In a vehicle side view mirror having a frame for attachment to the side of a vehicle and a reflective mirror member mounted within the frame and being pivotally adjustable about a substantially vertical axis relative to the frame, and the frame having a substantially vertically arranged outer frame side member located closely adjacent an outer substantially vertical edge portion of the mirror member, the improvement comprising:

indicia, in the form of spaced apart markings, formed upon said frame outer side member adjacent said mirror member side edge;

an instructive message formed upon the mirror member that is viewable by a vehicle driver within the vehicle;

said mirror member being pivotally moveable so that the mirror side edge is arranged in alignment with selected indicium to thereby angle the mirror relative to the frame so as to change the area reflected by the mirror and viewed by the vehicle driver;

with at least one of the indicia being located to position the mirror member for reflecting a conventional rear view of the area that is closely adjacent the vehicle side upon which the mirror frame is attached while at least another indicium is located to position the mirror member for reflecting a blind spot laterally spaced from the side of the vehicle;

and with said instructive message providing guidance to said driver for quickly adjusting said mirror member relative to said indicia for alternately reflecting said conventional rear view and said blind spot areas.

10. A vehicle side view mirror as defined in claim 9, and including said mirror member being manually adjustable by the vehicle driver for aligning the mirror member outer edge portion with a pre-selected indicium for thereby changing the area viewed by the driver.

11. A vehicle side view mirror as defined in claim 9, and said indicia being formed as a series of horizontally spaced apart separate indicium, whereby the driver of the vehicle may adjust the angle of the mirror member relative to the vertical for visually aligning the mirror member outer edge with a selected indicium for temporarily selecting the side area which the driver will view in the mirror member.

12. A vehicle side view mirror as defined in claim 11, and said frame being formed within a housing having an attachment portion for fixedly securing the housing upon the driver or passenger side of an automotive type vehicle for enabling the vehicle driver to visually observe the area reflected by the mirror member and to visually observe the indicia and the alignment of the mirror outer edge with any one of the drivers selected indicium.

13. A vehicle side view mirror as defined in claim 9, wherein the indicia, in the form of spaced apart markings, are formed on said frame outer side member by being imprinted upon a sheet which is adhered to the frame.

14. A method for instructing drivers how to quickly adjust a vehicle side view mirror for enabling the vehicle driver to optionally view either the rearward blind spot area laterally spaced from the side of the vehicle or alternatively, the conventionally viewed rearward area that is generally close to the side of the vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing a side view reflective mirror member;

moveably mounting the mirror member within a frame which is formed for fixed attachment to the side of, and outside of, a vehicle, so that the mirror member may be angularly turned about a substantially vertical axis;

positioning the outer edge of the mirror member, that is, the mirror edge that is most remote from the vehicle side, adjacent a vertically arranged portion of the frame which is remote from the side of the vehicle and visible to the driver within the vehicle;

providing indicia formed of horizontally spaced apart marks upon said frame portion;

providing an instructive message formed upon the mirror member that is visible to the driver within the vehicle which provides guidance to the driver for quickly adjusting said mirror member relative to said indicia for alternately reflecting said conventional and said blind spot areas;

turning the mirror member as directed by said instructive message so that its outer edge is in visible alignment with one of said marks for selectively, temporarily reflecting a visual image to the driver of either the conventional or blind spot areas.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, and including forming said indicia in a series of multiple, horizontally spaced apart marks provided upon said frame portion;

locating at least some of the marks, when the mirror edge is aligned with one of those marks, to reflect a corresponding conventional or blind spot area viewable reflection in order to selectively accommodate a particular vehicle driver in viewing a desired conventional or blind spot area at the side of the vehicle.

16. A method as defined in claim 15 and including forming such marks with a series of visible numerals and aligning the mirror edge with pre-selected numerically designated marks for obtaining selected reflections.

17. A method as defined in claim 14, and including forming a series of indicium arranged as horizontally spaced apart distances from each other, on said frame portion;

pre-locating some of the indicium for positioning the mirror edge when aligned therewith, to reflect a corresponding image of a portion of the area to the rear and side of the Vehicle to enable the vehicle driver to pre-select and temporarily view a portion of the area to the side and rear of the vehicle by turning the mirror and setting its outer edge in alignment with one of the indicium.

18. A method as defined in claim 14, wherein the indicia formed of horizontally spaced apart marks, are formed on said frame portion by being imprinted upon a sheet which is adhered to the frame.