Toggle assembly for rearview mirror
First Claim
1. A ball and toggle assembly adapted for use in an interior, prismatic, day/night rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, comprising:
- a body member having a ball member and a base, said body member being formed from a first polymeric material comprising a first flexural modulus; and
a toggle member comprising a hinge and an actuator tab, said toggle member formed from a second polymeric material comprising a second flexural modulus, said body member and said toggle member being joined together for support in a mirror housing of the rearview mirror assembly, said first flexural modulus being greater than said second flexural modulus, said first polymeric material of said body member comprising one of a thermoplastic and a thermoset, wherein said first polymeric material of said body member comprises a filled polymeric resin.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A ball and toggle assembly for a prismatic interior rearview mirror of a vehicle comprises a ball and body member and a toggle member. The ball and body member and the toggle member are separately formed from separate polymeric materials and joined together. The flexural moduli of the separate materials are selected such that the ball and body member is substantially rigid while the toggle member is flexible. The toggle member is preferably molded over the body member and secured thereto via a mechanical interconnection of the toggle member material to the body member material. Preferably, the ball and body member comprises an engineering polymer, such as a glass-filled thermoplastic material, while the toggle member comprises a polyolefin, such as a homopolymer or co-polymer polypropylene material.
428 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A ball and toggle assembly adapted for use in an interior, prismatic, day/night rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, comprising:
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a body member having a ball member and a base, said body member being formed from a first polymeric material comprising a first flexural modulus; and
a toggle member comprising a hinge and an actuator tab, said toggle member formed from a second polymeric material comprising a second flexural modulus, said body member and said toggle member being joined together for support in a mirror housing of the rearview mirror assembly, said first flexural modulus being greater than said second flexural modulus, said first polymeric material of said body member comprising one of a thermoplastic and a thermoset, wherein said first polymeric material of said body member comprises a filled polymeric resin. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A ball and toggle assembly adapted for use in an interior, prismatic, day/night rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, comprising:
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a body member having a ball member and a base, said body member being formed from a first polymeric material comprising a first flexural modulus; and
a toggle member comprising a hinge and an actuator tab, said toggle member formed from a second polymeric material comprising a second flexural modulus, said body member and said toggle member being joined together for support in a mirror housing of the rearview mirror assembly, said first flexural modulus being greater than said second flexural modulus, wherein said first flexural modulus of said first material is greater than approximately 500,000 p.s.i. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A ball and toggle assembly adapted for use in an interior, prismatic, day/night rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, comprising:
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a body member having a ball member and a base, said body member being formed from a first polymeric material comprising a first flexural modulus; and
a toggle member comprising a hinge and an actuator tab, said toggle member formed from a second polymeric material comprising a second flexural modulus, said body member and said toggle member being joined together for support in a mirror housing of the rearview mirror assembly, said first flexural modulus being greater than said second flexural modulus, wherein said second polymeric material of said toggle member has a shrinkage factor of at least approximately 0.005 inch/inch and said first polymeric material of said body member has a shrinkage factor of less than approximately 0.002 inch/inch.
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10. A ball and toggle assembly adapted for use in an interior, prismatic, day/night rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, comprising:
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a body member having a ball member and a base, said body member being formed from a first polymeric material comprising a first flexural modulus; and
a toggle member comprising a hinge and an actuator tab, said toggle member formed from a second polymeric material comprising a second flexural modulus, said body member and said toggle member being joined together for support in a mirror housing of the rearview mirror assembly, said first flexural modulus being greater than said second flexural modulus, said toggle member being molded at least partially around said body member, wherein said body member includes a plurality of through openings, said toggle member being molded in said through openings to mechanically secure said toggle member to said body member.
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11. A ball and toggle assembly adapted for use in an interior, prismatic, day/night rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, comprising:
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a body member having a ball member and a base, said body member being formed from a first polymeric material comprising a first flexural modulus; and
a toggle member comprising a hinge and an actuator tab, said toggle member formed from a second polymeric material comprising a second flexural modulus, said body member and said toggle member being joined together for support in a mirror housing of the rearview mirror assembly, said first flexural modulus being greater than said second flexural modulus, wherein a ratio of said first flexural modulus of said first polymeric material to said second flexural modulus of said second polymeric material is greater than approximately three. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An interior rearview mirror assembly for vehicles, comprising:
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a mirror housing having a forward surface;
a prismatic, reflective mirror element supported by said mirror housing, said mirror housing and said prismatic mirror element being pivotable relative to the vehicle between a first reflectivity position and a second reflectivity position; and
a ball and toggle assembly mountable to said housing and comprising;
a body member including a mounting member and a base, said body member being pivotally mounted in said mirror housing; and
a toggle member including a hinge and an actuator tab, said toggle member being pivotally mounted in said mirror housing adjacent to said body member, said ball and toggle assembly being operable such that movement of said actuator tab about said hinge causes pivotal movement of said mirror housing and said reflective mirror element between said first and second reflectivity positions relative to said mounting member, wherein said body member comprises a first polymeric material having a first flexural modulus and said toggle member comprises a second polymeric material having a second flexural modulus, said first flexural modulus being greater than said second flexural modulus, said body member and said toggle member being joined together. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification