Resettable mirror assembly

• US 4,477,149 A
• Filed: 04/15/1983
• Issued: 10/16/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sudor Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Serge Crespy
• Inventors: Crespy, Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): Henry, Jon W.
• Application Number:
  US06/485,326
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 350/288, 350/307, 248/487, 248/478, 248/474, 248/477, 248/542, 116/320, 33/265, 33/1 N
• US Class Current: 359/876
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/076 yieldable to excessive external force and provided with an indexed use position B60R1/0617, B60R1/074 take precedence

Abstract

A vehicle body side mirror assembly includes indicia arranged to facilitate resetting of the vehicle mirror to a previously determined position. The mirror assembly includes indicia such that the mirror assembly may be mounted on either the passenger or drivers side of a vehicle without modifications. Further, the indicia are arranged such that the mirror assembly may be readily reset to a previously determined position from outside of the vehicle as well as from inside of the vehicle. A support arm is pivotably attached or mounted to a base having circumferentially arranged indicia thereupon. The support arm is generally L-shaped and includes a lower portion having two indicia adapted for alignment with the circumferentially arranged indicia on the base, whereas a top portion of the support arm likewise includes two indicia for resetting a pivotably mounted mirror housing with respect to the support arm.

Claims

1. A vehicle body side mirror assembly comprising:

a base having a top surface and adapted to be attached to a vehicle body;

a support arm having a lower end pivotably mounted to said base and having an upper end;

a mirror housing having a side surface pivotably mounted to said upper end of said support arm;

a mirror mounted to said mirror housing;

cooperating mirror position adjustment indicia at said lower end of said support arm and on said base and operable to facilitate resetting of said support arm by pivoting to a previously determined position which resets said mirror to a corresponding previously determined position; and

cooperating mirror angle adjustment indicia at said upper end of said support arm and said side surface of said mirror housing and operable to facilitate resetting of said mirror housing by pivoting to a previously determined angle which resets said mirror to a corresponding previously determined angle.

2. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 1 wherein said support arm comprises a lower portion including said lower end and an upper portion including said upper end and extending at an angle with respect to said lower portion.

3. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 2 wherein said mirror position adjustment indicia includes at least a first position indicium on said lower portion of said support arm and a second position indicium on said lower portion of said support arm opposite said first position indicium.

4. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 3 wherein said mirror position adjustment indicia includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged indicia on said top surface of said base.

5. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 4 wherein said mirror angle adjustment indicia includes at least a first angle indicium on said upper portion of said support arm and a second angle indicium on said upper portion of said support arm opposite said first angle indicium.

6. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 5 wherein said mirror angle adjustment indicia includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged indicia on said side surface of said mirror housing.

7. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 2 wherein said mirror angle adjustment indicia includes at least a first angle indicium on said upper portion of said support arm and a second angle indicium on said upper portion of said support arm opposite said first angle indicium.

8. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 7 wherein said mirror angle adjustment indicia includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged indicia on said side surface of said mirror housing.

9. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 2 wherein said upper portion of said support arm is perpendicular to said lower portion of said support arm, and said lower portion of said suppport arm is constrained to pivot perpendicularly with respect to said top surface of said base.

10. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 9 wherein said mirror housing is constrained to pivot in a horizontal axis.

11. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 9 wherein said mirror position adjustment indicia includes a plurality of indicia on said top surface of said base.

12. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 11 wherein said mirror position adjustment indicia includes at least a first position indicium on said lower portion of said support arm and second position indicium on said lower portion of said support arm opposite said first position indicium.

13. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 12 wherein said mirror angle adjustment indicia includes at least a first angle indicium on said upper portion of said support arm and a second indicium on said upper portion of said support arm opposite said first angle indicium.

14. A vehicle body side mirror assembly comprising:

base housing a top surface and adapted to be attached to a vehicle body;

a support arm having a lower portion adjustably mounted to said base and having an upper portion extending at an angle with respect to said lower portion;

a mirror housing having a mounting surface pivotably mounted to said upper portion of said support arm;

a mirror mounted to said mirror housing;

cooperating mirror position adjustment indicia on said lower portion of said support arm and on said base and operable to facilitate the resetting of said lower portion of said support arm to a previously determined position which resets said mirror to a corresponding previously determined position; and

cooperating mirror angle adjustment indicia on said upper portion of said support arm and on said side surface of said mirror housing and operable to facilitate the resetting of said mirror housing to a previously determined angle which resets said mirror to a corresponding previously determined angle; and

wherein adjustment of said lower portion of said support arm with respect to said base causes said mirror housing to move in a path constrained to a horizontal plane.

15. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 14 wherein said mirror angle adjustment indicia includes at least a first angle indicium on said upper portion of said support arm and a second angle indicium on said upper portion of said support arm opposite said first angle indicium.

16. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 15 wherein said mirror angle adjustment includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged indicia on said mounting surface of said mirror housing.

17. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 16 wherein said mirror position adjustment indicia includes at least a first position indicium on said lower portion of said support arm and a second position indicium on said lower portion of said support arm opposite said first position indicium.

18. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 17 wherein said mirror position adjustment indicia includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged indicia on said top surface of said base.

19. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 14 wherein said mirror position adjustment indicia includes at least a first position indicium on said lower portion of said support arm and a second position indicium on said lower portion of said support arm opposite said first position indicium.

20. The vehicle body side mirror assembly of claim 19 wherein said mirror angle adjustment indicia includes at least a first angle indicium on said upper portion of said support arm and a second angle indicium on said upper portion of said support arm opposite said first angle indicium.