Rear view mirror for motor vehicles

• US 4,883,349 A
• Filed: 09/23/1988
• Issued: 11/28/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bernhard Mittelhauser
• Original Assignee: Bernhard Mittelhauser
• Inventors: Mittelhauser, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lerner, Martin
• Application Number:
  US07/248,491
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 248/475.1, 248/495, 248/496, 248/900, 248/479, 248/481, 248/483, 350/631, 350/632, 350/639, 350/634, 350/636, 350/637
• US Class Current: 359/872
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/258 Rear-view mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/90 Movable or disengageable on impact or overload

Abstract

A rear view mirror for a motor vehicle. An anchoring member is fixedly mounted on the vehicle, and that part of the mirror that is provided with a mirror body is adapted to be connected to the anchoring member by being pressed or otherwise placed thereon. In order to be able to establish an electrical connection during mounting of the mirror, the anchoring member and the part placed thereon are provided with electrical contacts, whereby when the mirror body part is placed on the anchoring member, a contact connection is established between these two components.

Claims

1. A rear view mirror for a motor vehicle, comprising:

an anchoring member that is fixedly mounted on said vehicle;

a part that is provided with a mirror body and that is adapted to be connected to said anchoring member by being pressed or otherwise placed thereon;

first electrical contact means disposed on said anchoring member and connected to a source of current; and

second electrical contact means disposed on said part provided with said mirror body in such a way that when said part is placed on said anchoring member, said first and second electrical contact means cooperate with one another such that a contact connection is established between said first and second contact means and hence between said anchoring member and said part provided with said mirror body.

2. A rear view mirror according to claim 1, in which said first and second electrical contact means each comprise at least three contacts.

3. A rear view mirror according to claim 1, in which said first electrical contact means comprises at least two contacts that cooperate with a corresponding number of contacts of said second electrical contact means, whereby at least one contact of each pair of cooperating contacts is resiliently yieldingly mounted on its component in such a way that when said part provided with said mirror body is placed on said anchoring member, said contact connection is established by a restoring force that acts on said at least one contact.

4. A rear view mirror according to claim 3, in which said restoring force is such that a frictional connection is achieved or increased between said anchoring member and said part provided with said mirror body.

5. A rear view mirror according to claim 3, in which each of said contacts has a free end that faces a free end of a cooperating contact, whereby the free end of at least one contact of each pair of cooperating contacts terminates in a point.

6. A rear view mirror according to claim 3, in which each of said contacts has a free end that faces a free end of a cooperating contact, whereby the free end of at least one contact of each pair of cooperating contacts terminates in a cone.

7. A rear view mirror according to claim 3, in which said resiliently yieldingly mounted contacts are disposed on said anchoring member.

8. A rear view mirror according to claim 3, which includes spring-loaded pin means on at least one of said anchoring member and said part provided with said mirror body, with said contacts being disposed on said pin means to effect said resilient yielding mounting thereof.

9. A rear view mirror according to claim 3, which includes leaf-type spring means on at least one of said anchoring member and said part provided with said mirror body, with said contacts being disposed on said spring means to effect said resiliently yielding mounting thereof.

10. A rear view mirror according to claim 1, in which said part provided with said mirror body includes a mirror housing for said mirror body, with a light being disposed on a lower edge of said mirror housing, and with electrical leads being disposed in said part and in said mirror housing and leading from said second electrical contact means to said light.