Pivotal windshield mount

• US 4,896,855 A
• Filed: 11/21/1988
• Issued: 01/30/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Escort Acquisition Corp.
• Original Assignee: Cincinnati Microwave, Inc (Bel Tronics Ltd.)
• Inventors: Furnish, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Britts, Ramon S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hulseberg, D. J.
• Application Number:
  US07/274,002
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 248/205.5, 248/206.2, 248/206.3, 248/278, 248/284, 248/286, 248/291, 248/293
• US Class Current: 248/206.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0026 Windows, e.g. windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0056 using suction cups
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0073 using key-type connections
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0085 with adjustment by rotation in their operational position
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 47/00 Suction cups for attaching purposes; Equivalent means using adhesives devices using adhesives, suction or magnetism for hanging or supporting pictures or the like A47G1/17; vacuum work holders B25B11/005; anchoring of ships using suction B63B21/27; suction cups for handling glass B65G49/061; load-engaging elements for cranes using suction means B66C1/02

Abstract

An adjustable angle mount particularly useful for removably supporting a police radar detector horizontally to the inside of any of a variety of vehicle windshields of various inclination angles. The mount has a pair of planar members hinged together at a horizontal axis, one member being attachable to the windshield by two horizontally spaced suction cups and with a third windshield contact point. Below the axis is a bearing surface against which a cam pinned to the other member bears, under the weight of a receiver removably supported thereon, to limit the angle between said members and support the receiver horizontally. The cam is rotatable by a driver accessible lever formed integrally of the cam.

Claims

1. A pivotal windshield mount for supporting a radar receiver at a desired angle of inclination to the horizontal upon the inside of a vehicle windshield comprising:

a windshield mounting member having secured thereto at least one forwardly facing suction cup, said windshield mounting member being attachable to said windshield by said suction cup;

receiver supporting member hingedly connected at one edge thereof to said windshield mounting member so as to rotate about a horizontal axis thereon;

said receiver supporting member being securable to said receiver;

a bracing surface on one of said members spaced from said horizontal axis; and

an eccentric cam attached to the other of said members and rotatable about a cam pivot axis on said member, said cam rotatably mounted in abutting engagement with said bracing surface for rotation into selected different angular positions for maintaining the distance between said cam pivot axis and said bracing surface at selected different distances to maintain said receiver supporting member at selected different angles to support said receiver thereon at said desired angle over a range of windshield angles.

2. The mount of claim 1 further comprising:

a lever connected to said cam for pivoting said cam to change said distance for setting said desired angle.

3. The mount of claim 1 further comprising at least two forwardly facing cups on said, windshield mounting member for attaching said windshield mounting member to said windshield.

4. The mount of claim 1 wherein said mount engages said windshield at at least three points, at least one of which is spaced vertically from the other two, at least one of which is spaced below said suction cup, and at least one of which is spaced horizontally from one of the other two.

5. The mount of claim 1 wherein said receiver supporting member is removably securable to said receiver.

6. The mount of claim 1 wherein said receiver mounting member is securable to said receiver such that it is approximately parallel thereto and said specified angle is approximately equal to said desired angle.

7. The mount of claim 1 wherein said bearing surface faces said cam axis.

8. The mount of claim 1 wherein said bearing surface is on said windshield mounting member and said cam is pivotally attached to said receiver supporting member.

9. The mount of claim 8 wherein said bearing surface faces said cam axis and is below said horizontal axis.

10. A mounting device for supporting an object at a desired angle of inclination upon an inclined mounting surface, said device comprising:

means for supporting the object on the mounting surface, said supporting means including a first member and a second member;

said first member including means for attaching said first member to the mounting surface;

said second member including means for attaching said second member to the object, said second member being pivotally connected to said first member about a horizontal axis;

means for adjusting the angle of inclination between the supported object and the mounting surface, said adjusting means including a cam and a bearing surface;

one of said members having said bearing surface thereon spaced from said horizontal axis;

the other of said members having said cam rotatably connected thereto at a cam axis on said other member, said cam having means associated therewith for setting said cam to one of a plurality of different angular positions on said other member;

said cam being positioned on said other member so as to bear against said bearing surface when said second member is pivoted downwardly under the weight of said object to limit the pivoting of said second member with respect to said first member to an inclination angle determined by the angular position of said cam.

11. The mounting device of claim 10 wherein said cam is connected to said second member and said bearing surface is on said first member.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein said bearing surface is beneath said horizontal axis and faces said cam axis.

13. The device of claim 10 wherein said setting means comprises a lever.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein said lever is integrally formed with said cam.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein said setting means further comprises notch and detent means on said lever and second member for holding said cam at any one of a plurality of predefined angular positions.

16. The device of claim 10 wherein said first member is a planar member.

17. The device of claim 10 wherein said attaching means of said first member comprises a plurality of suction cups.

18. The device of claim 10 wherein said mounting surface is an automobile windshield.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein said attaching means on said first members includes at least one suction cup.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein said attachment means on said first member includes a pair of horizontally spaced suction cups.

21. The device of claim 10 wherein said second member is removably attachable to said object.

22. The device of claim 10 wherein said cam being configured with respect to said bearing surface so as to permit said second member to be pivoted upwardly without rotation of said cam from the position to which it has been set.