Vehicle safety convex rearview mirror with distortion offset means and method of using the same

• US 5,321,556 A
• Filed: 05/11/1992
• Issued: 06/14/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tobby F. Joe
• Original Assignee: Tobby F. Joe
• Inventors: Joe, Tobby F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben, Loha
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robbins, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US07/881,185
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 359/850, 359/854, 359/863, 359/864, 359/865, 359/866, 359/868, 248/479, 248/481, 248/483, 248/484
• US Class Current: 359/863
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/082 using a single wide field mirror or an association of rigidly connected mirrors

Abstract

The present invention is a vehicle safety rearview mirror assembly with distortion offset element and method of using the same. The rearview mirror assembly comprises an elongated convex mirror. The convex mirror is independently supported by a double-ball-joint shank and a mounting base affixed on the windshield of the vehicle. The present invention also provides a method to offset the distortion created by the convex mirror. The method combines a safety reference and a safety locker to tell the driver whether and when it is safe to change lanes or make turns. The safety reference includes two opposite end portions of the rearward visual field respectively prescribed by the side windows of the vehicle, and the safety locker includes the central portion of the extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by the rear window of the vehicle. When another vehicle appears in the safety reference, it is not safe to change lanes or make turns; when the other vehicle appears in the safety locker, it is safe to change lanes or make turns if the front end of other vehicle is entirely visible in the safety locker because by then the distance between the driver'"'"'s vehicle and the other vehicle is farther than the nearest safety distance.

Claims

1. A vehicle safety rearview mirror assembly with distortion offset means for a vehicle having a passenger compartment interior surrounded by a front windshield, a rear window and side windows, the mirror assembly comprising:

a. an elongated thin convex mirror plate having two opposite ends, the mirror plate having a length of approximately 18 inches, a width of approximately 2 inches, and a radius of curvature of approximately 78 inches;

b. an elongated arcuate shaped mirror housing for releasibly framing said mirror plate, the mirror housing having an arcuate shaped guarded front side for backing said mirror plate, a flat back side with built-in screw nut, and two opposite ends for attachment of two end-covers, where said two opposite ends of said mirror plate are snugly held by the two end-covers;

c. a hollow extension shank having a proximal end and a distal end each having a ball-joint socket, each ball-joint socket having a U-shaped notch, the shank having a length of approximately 2 3/4 inches;

d. a pivot hub for pivotally interconnecting said mirror housing to said proximal end of said hollow extension shank, the hub having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end having screw threads for releasible engagement with said built-in screw nut of said mirror housing, and the distal end having a pivot ball engageable with said ball-joint socket at said proximal end of said extension shank, and a stem portion immediately adjacent to the pivot ball, which stem portion has a thickness matching said U-shaped notch at said proximal end of said shank;

e. a mirror mounting base having a proximal end and a distal end, the mirror mounting base further having a mounting plate at the distal end, which plate can be affixed on said windshield, a pivot ball at its proximal end, which pivot ball is engageable with said ball-joint socket at said distal end of said extension shank, and a stem portion immediately adjacent to the pivot ball, which stem portion has a thickness matching said U-shaped notch at said distal end of said shank;

f. two semi-spherical bowls and a coil spring contained inside said hollow extension shank, the two semi-spherical bowls being oppositely disposed for engaging respectively with said pivot ball at said distal end of said hub and said pivot ball at said proximal end of said mirror mounting base, the coil spring disposed between the two semi-spherical bowls for biasing the ball-joint engagements at said proximal end and said distal end of said extension shank to increase the friction at said ball-joint sockets;

g. said U-shaped notch of said ball-joint socket at said proximal end of said extension shank being offset to said U-shaped notch of said ball-joint socket at said distal end of said extension shank for allowing maximum adjustability of the position and the orientation of said mirror housing to have an extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate;

h. a safety reference within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, the safety reference including two opposite end portions of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said side windows of said vehicle; and

i. a safety locker within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, the safety locker including a central portion of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said rear window of said vehicle;

j. whereby a driver can tell from a quick glance at said mirror plate whether and when it is safe to change lanes or make turns, when another vehicle appears in said safety reference, it is not safe to change lanes or make turns, when the other vehicle appears in said safety locker, it is not safe to do so if the front end of the other vehicle is only partially visible in said safety locker, but safe to do so if the other vehicle is entirely visible in said safety locker because by then the distance between the driver'"'"'s vehicle and the other vehicle is not less than the nearest safety distance.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said two end-covers are respectively covered snugly on said opposite ends of said mirror plate and respectively fastened to said opposite ends of said mirror housing by small screws.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said pivot hub further comprises a circular middle flange for engagement with said flat back side of said mirror housing.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said mounting plate is adhered onto said windshield of said vehicle by adhesive material.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said mounting plate is detachable from said mirror mounting base, said mirror mounting base has a flat slot for slidably adapting said mounting plate, and a screw for fastening said mounting plate once it slides in the flat slot.

6. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate covers a rearward visual range of approximately 89 degrees.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate includes a right rearward visual field of approximately 37 degrees and a left rearward visual field of approximately 52 degrees.

8. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said safety reference includes a right safety reference which is the right end portion of said extended rearward visual field prescribed by said side windows on the right side of said vehicle.

9. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said safety reference includes a left safety reference which is the left end portion of said extended rearward visual field prescribed by said side windows on the left side of said vehicle.

10. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said safety locker covers a rearward visual range of approximately 40 degrees.

20. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said safety locker covers a rearward visual range of approximately 40 degrees.

11. A vehicle safety rearview mirror assembly with distortion offset means for a vehicle having a passenger compartment interior surrounded by a front windshield, a rear window and side windows, the mirror assembly comprising:

a. an elongated thin convex mirror plate, the length of the mirror plate being within the range of approximately 15 inches to approximately 24 inches, the width of the mirror plate being within the range of approximately 2 inches to approximately 8 inches, and the radius of curvature of the mirror plate being within the range of approximately 75 inches to approximately 100 inches;

b. an elongated arcuate shaped mirror housing for releasibly framing said mirror plate;

c. an independent mirror mounting base affixed on said windshield of said vehicle;

d. an extension shank having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end being attached with said mirror housing through a first ball-joint, and the distal end being attached with said mirror mounting base through a second ball-joint, where the proximal and distal ends of the shank each has a ball-joint socket with a U-shaped notch and the U-shaped notch at the first ball-joint socket is offset to the U-shaped notch at the second ball-joint socket, such that the two U-shaped notches are respectively extending in two opposite lateral directions relative to a longitudinal lengthwise direction of the shank, for allowing maximum adjustability of the position and the orientation of said mirror housing to have an extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate;

e. a safety reference within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, the safety reference including two opposite end portions of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said side windows of said vehicle; and

f. a safety locker within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, the safety locker including a central portion of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said rear window of said vehicle;

g. whereby a driver can tell from a quick glance at said mirror plate whether it is safe to change lanes or make turns, when another vehicle appears in said safety reference, it is not safe to change lanes or make turns, when the other vehicle appears in said safety locker, it is not safe to do so if the front end of other vehicle is only partially visible in said safety locker, but safe to do so if the other vehicle is entirely visible in said safety locker because by then the distance between the driver'"'"'s vehicle and the other vehicle is not less than the nearest safety distance.

12. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein said mirror housing further comprises two end-covers for snugly fastening said mirror plate with said mirror housing.

13. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein said mirror housing and said proximal end of said extension shank are interconnected by a separate pivot hub.

14. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein said mirror mounting base includes a separable mounting plate which can be adhered to said windshield of said vehicle.

15. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein said extension shank has a hollow chamber for retaining a coil spring to bias said two ball-joint, so that the friction at said two ball-joint are increased, which enables said extension shank and said mirror housing to stay put after their position and orientation being adjusted.

16. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein the length of said mirror plate is approximately 18 inches.

17. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein the width of said mirror plate is approximately 2 inches.

18. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein the radius of curvature of said mirror plate is approximately 78 inches.

19. The invention as defined in claim 11 wherein said safety reference includes a right safety reference which is the right end portion of said extended rearward visual field prescribed by said side windows on the right side of said vehicle and a left safety reference which is the left end portion of said extended rearward visual field prescribed by said side windows on the left side of said vehicle.

21. A vehicle safety rearview mirror assembly with distortion offset means for a vehicle having a passenger compartment interior surrounded by a front windshield, a rear window and side windows, the mirror assembly comprising:

a. an elongated convex mirror plate, the length of the mirror plate being within the range of approximately 12 inches to approximately 36 inches, the width of the mirror plate being within the range of approximately 1 inches to approximately 12 inches, and the radius of curvature of the mirror plate being within the range of approximately 36 inches to approximately 145 inches;

b. an elongated arcuate shaped mirror housing for releasibly framing said mirror plate;

c. an independent mirror mounting base affixed on said windshield of said vehicle;

d. a shank having a ball-joint socket with a U-shaped notch at each of its opposite ends for interconnecting said mirror housing and said mirror mounting base for allowing maximum adjustability of the position and the orientation of said mirror housing to have an extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, where the two U-shaped notches are offset to each other, such that the two U-shaped notches are respectively extending in two opposite lateral directions relative to a longitudinal lengthwise direction of the shank;

e. a safety reference within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, the safety reference including two opposite end portions of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said side windows of said vehicle; and

f. a safety locker within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, the safety locker including a central portion of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said rear window of said vehicle;

g. whereby a driver can tell from a quick glance at said mirror plate whether and when it is safe to change lanes or make turns, when another vehicle appears in said safety reference, it is not safe to change lanes or make turns, when the other vehicle appears in said safety locker, it is not safe to do so if the front end of other vehicle is only partially visible in said safety locker, but safe to do so if the other vehicle is entirely visible in said safety locker because by then the distance between the driver'"'"'s vehicle and the other vehicle is not less than the nearest safety distance.

22. The invention as defined in claim 21 wherein the preferred length of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 15 inches to approximately 24 inches.

23. The invention as defined in claim 21 wherein the preferred width of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 2 inches to approximately 8 inches.

24. The invention as defined in claim 21 wherein the preferred radius of curvature of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 75 inches to approximately 100 inches.

25. The invention as defined in claim 21 wherein the length of said mirror plate is approximately 18 inches.

26. The invention as defined in claim 21 wherein the width of said mirror plate is approximately 2 inches.

27. The invention as defined in claim 21 wherein the radius of curvature of said mirror plate is approximately 78 inches.

28. The invention as defined in claim 21 wherein said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate covers a rearward visual range of approximately 89 degrees.

29. The invention as defined in claim 21 wherein said safety reference includes a right safety reference within an right end portion of said extended rearward visual field prescribed by right side windows of said vehicle and a left safety reference within a left end portion of said extended rearward visual field prescribed by left side windows of said vehicle.

30. The invention as defined in claim 21 wherein said safety locker covers a rearward visual range of approximately 40 degrees.

31. A vehicle safety rearview mirror assembly with distortion offset means for a vehicle having a passenger compartment interior surrounded by a front windshield, a rear window and side windows, the mirror assembly comprising:

a. an elongated convex mirror plate;

b. an elongated arcuate shaped mirror housing for releasibly framing said mirror plate;

c. mounting means for independently supporting said mirror housing in said interior of said vehicle such that said mirror housing is located in a spaced apart relationship from said front windshield of said vehicle, the mounting means including a shank having a ball-joint and a U-shaped notch extending in a lateral direction relative to a longitudinal lengthwise direction of the shank at each of its opposite ends for interconnecting said mirror housing and being able to allow maximum adjustability of the position and the orientation of said mirror housing to have an extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate;

d. a safety reference within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, the safety reference including two opposite end portions of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said side windows of said vehicle; and

e. a safety locker within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, the safety locker including a central portion of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said rear window of said vehicle;

f. whereby a driver can tell from a quick glance at said mirror plate whether and when it is safe to change lanes or make turns, when another vehicle appears in said safety reference, it is not safe to change lanes or make turns, when the other vehicle appears in said safety locker, it is not safe to do so if the front end of other vehicle is only partially visible in said safety locker, but safe to do so if the other vehicle is entirely visible in said safety locker because by then the distance between the driver'"'"'s vehicle and the other vehicle is not less than the nearest safety distance.

32. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein the length of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 12 inches to approximately 36 inches.

33. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein the width of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 1 inches to approximately 12 inches.

34. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein the radius of curvature of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 36 inches to approximately 145 inches.

35. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein the preferred length of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 15 inches to approximately 24 inches.

36. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein the width of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 2 inches to approximately 8 inches.

37. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein the radius of curvature of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 75 inches to approximately 100 inches.

38. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein the length of said mirror plate is approximately 18 inches.

39. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein the width of said mirror plate is approximately 2 inches.

40. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein the radius of curvature of said mirror plate is approximately 78 inches.

41. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate covers a rearward visual range of approximately 89 degrees.

42. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein said safety reference includes a right safety reference within an right end portion of said extended rearward visual field prescribed by right side windows of said vehicle and a left safety reference within a left end portion of said extended rearward visual field prescribed by left side windows of said vehicle.

43. The invention as defined in claim 31 wherein said safety locker covers a rearward visual range of approximately 40 degrees.

44. A distortion offset method for using a convex rearview mirror assembly installed in a vehicle having a passenger compartment interior surrounded by a front windshield, a rear window and side windows, the distortion offset method comprising the steps of:

a. utilizing a convex rearview mirror assembly which has an elongated convex mirror plate having a length of approximately 18 inches, a width of approximately 2 inches, and a radius of curvature of approximately 78 inches, the elongated mirror plate releasibly framed in a mirror housing;

b. mounting said mirror housing to said front windshield of said vehicle with an independent mounting means which includes a shank having ball-joint socket with U-shaped notch at each of its opposite ends, where the two U-shaped notches are respectively extending in two opposite lateral directions relative to a longitudinal lengthwise direction of the shank, such that said mirror housing is located in a spaced apart relationship from said front windshield and has maximum adjustability of its position and its orientation to have an extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate;

c. before changing lanes or making turns, checking a safety reference within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, which safety reference includes two opposite end portions of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said side windows of said vehicle, as follows;

d. in the case of another vehicle appearing in said safety reference, then not changing lanes or making turns because it is unsafe to do so;

e. in the case of no other vehicle appearing in said safety reference, then further checking a safety locker within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, which safety locker includes a central portion of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said rear window of said vehicle;

f. in the case of the front end of another vehicle being only partially visible in said safety locker, then not changing lanes or making turns because it is unsafe to do so; and

g. in the case of the front end of the other vehicle being entirely visible in said safety locker, then changing lanes or making turns accordingly because it is safe to do so since by then the distance between the driver'"'"'s vehicle and the other vehicle is not less than the nearest safety distance;

h. whereby the distortion of said convex rearview mirror plate is offset by referring to said safety reference and said safety locker, and a driver can tell from a quick glance at said convex rearview mirror plate whether and when it is safe to change lanes or make turns.

45. The invention as defined in claim 44 wherein said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate covers a rearward visual range of approximately 89 degrees.

46. The invention as defined in claim 45 wherein said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate includes a right rearward visual field of approximately 37 degress and a left rearward visual field of approximately 52 degrees.

47. The invention as defined in claim 44 wherein said safety reference includes a right safety reference which is the right end portion of said extended rearward visual field prescribed by said side windows on the right side of said vehicle.

48. The invention as defined in claim 44 wherein said safety reference includes a left safety reference which is the left end portion of said extended rearward visual field prescribed by said side windows on the left side of said vehicle.

49. The invention as defined in claim 44 wherein said safety locker covers a rearward visual range of approximately 40 degrees.

50. A distortion offset method for using a convex rearview mirror assembly installed in a vehicle having a passenger compartment interior surrounded by a front windshield, a rear window and side windows, the distortion offset method comprising the steps of:

a. utilizing an elongated convex rearview mirror which includes an elongated convex mirror plate and an elongated arcuate shaped mirror housing for releasibly framing said mirror plate;

b. mounting said mirror near said front windshield of said vehicle by utilizing a mounting means which includes a shank having a ball-joint and a U-shaped notch extending in a lateral direction relative to a longitudinal lengthwise direction of the shank at each of its opposite ends for interconnecting said mirror housing, such that said mirror is located in a spaced apart relationship from said front windshield of said vehicle, which allows maximum adjustability of the position and the orientation of said mirror to have an extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror;

c. before changing lanes or making turns, checking a safety reference within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror, which safety reference includes two opposite end portions of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said side windows of said vehicle, as follows;

d. in the case of another vehicle appearing in said safety reference, then not changing lanes or making turns because it is unsafe to do so;

e. in the case of no other vehicle appearing in said safety reference, then further checking a safety locker within said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate, which safety locker includes a central portion of said extended rearward visual field respectively prescribed by said rear window of said vehicle;

f. in the case of the front end of another vehicle being only partially visible in said safety locker, then not changing lanes or making turns because it is unsafe to do so; and

g. in the case of the front end of the other vehicle being entirely visible in said safety locker, then changing lanes or making turns accordingly because it is safe to do so since by then the distance between the driver'"'"'s vehicle and the other vehicle is not less than the nearest safety distance;

h. whereby the distortion of said convex rearview mirror is offset by referring to said safety reference and said safety locker, and a driver can tell from a quick glance at said convex rearview mirror whether and when it is safe to change lanes or make turns.

51. The invention as defined in claim 50 wherein the length of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 12 inches to approximately 36 inches.

52. The invention as defined in claim 50 wherein the width of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 1 inches to approximately 12 inches.

53. The invention as defined in claim 50 wherein the radius of curvature of said mirror plate is within the range of approximately 36 inches to approximately 145 inches.

54. The invention as defined in claim 50 wherein said extended rearward visual field reflected in said mirror plate covers a rearward visual range of approximately 89 degrees.

55. The invention as defined in claim 50 wherein said safety locker covers a rearward visual range of approximately 40 degrees.