Triple exterior rearview vehicle mirror

• US 5,295,021 A
• Filed: 04/19/1993
• Issued: 03/15/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Roche Diagnostics GmbH (Roche Holding AG), The Arthur P. Swanson Loving Trust
• Original Assignee: Arthur P. Swanson, Jean M. Swanson
• Inventors: Swanson, Arthur P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAFER, RICKY D
• Application Number:
  US08/047,997
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 359/850, 359/854, 359/855, 359/856, 359/857, 359/861, 359/862, 359/863, 359/864, 359/865, 359/866, 359/872, 359/877, 248/479, 248/481, 248/482, 248/483, 248/484
• US Class Current: 359/850
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/081 avoiding blind spots, e.g. by using a side-by-side association of mirrors

Abstract

Rearview vehicle mirrors mountable on one or both sides of the vehicle to project laterally outward therefrom adjacent the windshield zone are provided with at least three independently adjustable flat faced mirrors movable in all planes to reflect to the driver'"'"'s eyes rearward zones along the sides and rear of the vehicle which will simultaneously cooperate to provide the driver with a clear undistorted view of oncoming traffic all the way up to the driver'"'"'s seat. Each mirror assembly has a compartment cup-shaped laterally elongated housing or casing with an open rearwardly facing mouth. Three flat faced mirrors fitting in side-by-side inboard, central and outboard relation in the housing substantially close the open mouth. Stiff ball and socket joints mount the mirrors in the housing to hold them in adjusted positions while permitting them to be manipulated in all planes either manually or electrically while maintaining the mouth of the housing substantially closed.

Claims

1. A rearview mirror for extending laterally outward from the sides of a vehicle adjacent the windshield zone in front of the driver which comprises a cup-shaped housing with a rearwardly facing open mouth, three side-by-side upright flat mirrors spanning said mouth of the housing sized and shaped to substantially close said mouth and providing a central mirror between an inboard and an outboard mirror, a ball and socket joint mounting each mirror in the housing, means for frictionally resisting movement of each joint, said mirrors cooperating together to provide the driver with clear undistorted unobstructed views of oncoming traffic both to the rear and sides of the vehicle all the way up to the driver, said cup-shaped housing having two dividing walls in the housing dividing the interior and mouth of the housing into three side-by-side compartments, the dividing wall between the inboard and central mirror being inclined from the vertical, and the adjacent mirrors having mating sides on both sides of said dividing wall between the inboard and central mirror.

2. A rearveiw mirror for extending laterally outward from the sides of a vehicle adjacent the windshield zone in front of the driver which comprises a cup-shaped housing with a rearwardly facing open mouth, three side-by-side upright flat mirrors spanning said mouth of the housing sized and shaped to substantially close said mouth and providing a central mirror between a inboard and an outboard mirror, a ball and socket joint mounting each mirror in the housing, means for frictionally resisting movement of each joint, said mirrors cooperating together to provide the driver with clear undistorted unobstructed views of oncoming traffic both to the rear and sides of the vehicle all the way up to the driver, and said central mirror being wider at the bottom than at the top.

3. A rearview mirror for extending laterally outward from the sides of a vehicle adjacent the windshield zone in front of the driver which comprises a cup-shaped housing with a rearwardly facing open mouth, three side-by-side upright flat mirrors spanning said mouth of the housing sized and shaped to substantially close said mouth and providing a central mirror between an inboard and an outboard mirror, a ball and socket joint mounting each mirror in the housing, means for frictionally resisting movement of each joint, said mirrors cooperating to provide the driver with clear undistorted unobstructed views of oncoming traffic both to the rear and sides of the vehicle all the way up to the driver, and said inboard and outboard mirrors being wider at the tops than at the bottoms.

4. An exterior rearview mirror, means mounting said mirror to project laterally from one or both sides of a vehicle adjacent the driver forwardly of the driver'"'"'s eyes, said mirror having a cup-shaped housing with a rearwardly facing open mouth, three mirrors mounted in the housing in horizontal side-by-side relation inwardly from said mouth, a universal joint mounting each mirror in the housing accommodating independent universal movement of the mirror in the mouth of the housing, means holding the mirrors in adjusted relationship, and said cup-shaped housing having a separate compartment for each mirror with a central compartment being wider at the bottom than at the top.

5. A rearview mirror, means for mounting said mirror on the outside of a vehicle to project laterally outward therefrom closely adjacent the vehicle driver forwardly of the driver'"'"'s eyes, said mirror having a cup-shaped housing with a rearwardly facing open mouth, at least three laterally aligned mirror units in horizontal side-by-side relation providing an inboard unit, a central unit, and an outboard unit, means mounting each of said units for independent universal adjustment in all planes, means holding said mirrors in selected adjusted position to reflect full unobstructed views of oncoming traffic behind and to the sides of the vehicle all the way up to the driver'"'"'s eyes, and the central mirror unit being wider at the bottom than at the top.

6. A rearview mirror, means mounting said mirror for extending laterally outward from the sides of a vehicle adjacent the windshield zone in front of the driver forwardly of the driver'"'"'s eyes, said mirror having a cup-shaped housing with a rearwardly facing open mouth, said cup-shaped housing having two upstanding dividing walls dividing the interior and mouth of the housing into three side-by-side compartments, three horizontally aligned side-by-side upright flat mirrors spanning said mouth of the housing sized and shaped to substantially close said mouth and providing a central mirror between an inboard and an outboard mirror, means independently mounting each mirror in a compartment for universal movement relative to said housing, said dividing wall between the inboard and central mirror being inclined from the vertical, and the mirrors adjacent said inclined dividing wall having mating sides on both sides of said dividing wall.