Lighted exterior mirror system for a vehicle
First Claim
1. A lighted exterior mirror system for a vehicle comprising:
- an exterior mirror assembly, said exterior mirror assembly comprising a first portion adapted for mounting to a vehicle, a second portion, and a reflective element;
a reflective element support member supporting said reflective element, said reflective element support member mounting to an actuator operable to adjust the rearward field of view of said reflective element when said exterior mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle, said actuator disposed at said second portion;
a turn signal indicator;
said turn signal indicator disposed adjacent to and separate from said reflective element, said turn signal indicator emitting a light beam at least generally laterally and rearwardly of the vehicle when said exterior mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle and when said turn signal indicator is actuated;
said turn signal indicator adjusting in tandem with said reflective element upon adjustment by said actuator of the rearward field of view of said reflective element;
said light beam substantially unobservable by the driver of the vehicle; and
wherein said light beam does not pass through said reflective element.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A lighted exterior mirror system for a vehicle comprises an exterior mirror assembly having a first portion adapted for mounting to a vehicle and an actuator disposed at a second portion. A reflective element is supported by a reflective element support member mounted to the actuator to adjust the rearward field of view of the reflective element. The assembly includes a turn signal indicator disposed adjacent to and separate from the reflective element. The turn signal indicator emits a light beam at least generally laterally and rearwardly of the vehicle when the exterior mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle. The turn signal indicator is adjusted tandem with the reflective element by the actuator. The light beam is substantially unobservable by the driver of the vehicle and does not pass through the reflective element.
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Citations
93 Claims
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1. A lighted exterior mirror system for a vehicle comprising:
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an exterior mirror assembly, said exterior mirror assembly comprising a first portion adapted for mounting to a vehicle, a second portion, and a reflective element;
a reflective element support member supporting said reflective element, said reflective element support member mounting to an actuator operable to adjust the rearward field of view of said reflective element when said exterior mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle, said actuator disposed at said second portion;
a turn signal indicator;
said turn signal indicator disposed adjacent to and separate from said reflective element, said turn signal indicator emitting a light beam at least generally laterally and rearwardly of the vehicle when said exterior mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle and when said turn signal indicator is actuated;
said turn signal indicator adjusting in tandem with said reflective element upon adjustment by said actuator of the rearward field of view of said reflective element;
said light beam substantially unobservable by the driver of the vehicle; and
wherein said light beam does not pass through said reflective element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A lighted exterior mirror system for a vehicle comprising:
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an exterior mirror assembly, said exterior mirror assembly comprising a first portion adapted for mounting to a vehicle, a second portion, and a reflective element;
a reflective element support member supporting said reflective element, said reflective element support member mounting to an actuator operable to adjust the rearward field of view of said reflective element when said exterior mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle, said actuator disposed at said second portion;
a turn signal indicator;
said turn signal indicator disposed adjacent to and separate from said reflective element, said turn signal indicator emitting a light beam at least generally laterally and rearwardly of the vehicle when said exterior mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle and when said turn signal indicator is actuated;
said turn signal indicator adjusting in tandem with said reflective element upon adjustment by said actuator of the rearward field of view of said reflective element;
said light beam substantially unobservable by the driver of the vehicle;
wherein said light beam does not pass through said reflective element; and
wherein said turn signal indicator comprise a generally triangular shaped turn signal indicator. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A lighted exterior mirror system for a vehicle comprising:
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an exterior mirror assembly, said exterior mirror assembly comprising a first portion adapted for mounting to a vehicle, a second portion, and a reflective element;
a reflective element support member supporting said reflective element, said reflective element support member mounting to an actuator operable to adjust the rearward field of view of said reflective element when said exterior mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle, said actuator disposed at said second portion;
a turn signal indicator;
said turn signal indicator disposed adjacent to and separate from said reflective element, said turn signal indicator emitting a light beam at least generally laterally and rearwardly of the vehicle when said exterior mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle and when said turn signal indicator is actuated;
said turn signal indicator adjusting in tandem with said reflective element upon adjustment by said actuator of the rearward field of view of said reflective element;
said light beam substantially unobservable by the driver of the vehicle;
wherein said light beam does not pass through said reflective element; and
wherein said second portion is movably connected to said first portion by a connection chosen from at least one of a break-away connection and a power-fold connection. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71)
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72. A lighted exterior mirror system for a vehicle comprising:
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an exterior mirror assembly, said exterior mirror assembly comprising a first portion adapted for mounting to a vehicle, a second portion, and a reflective element;
a reflective element support member supporting said reflective element, said reflective element support member mounting to an actuator operable to adjust the rearward field of view of said reflective element when said exterior mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle, said actuator disposed at said second portion;
a turn signal indicator;
said turn signal indicator disposed adjacent to and separate from said reflective element, said turn signal indicator emitting a light beam at least generally laterally and rearwardly of the vehicle when said exterior mirror assembly is mounted to a vehicle and when said turn signal indicator is actuated;
said turn signal indicator adjusting in tandem with said reflective element upon adjustment by said actuator of the rearward field of view of said reflective element;
said light beam substantially unobservable by the driver of the vehicle;
wherein said light beam does not pass through said reflective element;
wherein said second portion is movably connected to said first portion by a connection chosen from at least one of a break-away connection and a power-fold connection; and
wherein said turn signal indicator is disposed in said second portion of said exterior mirror assembly at a location generally laterally outboard of an edge portion of said reflective element, said edge portion of said reflective element being closer to the side of the vehicle to which said exterior mirror assembly is mounted than said outboard location of said turn signal indicator. - View Dependent Claims (73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93)
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Specification