Mirror adaptor mount

• US 8,454,178 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey D Carnevali
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey D Carnevali
• Inventors: Carnevali, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): FONT, FRANK G
• Application Number:
  US12/653,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20110141595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 359/871, 359/875, 359/876, 359/881, 359/882, 359/883, 248/481, 248/487
• US Class Current: 359/871
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/04 mounted inside vehicle B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/182 for mirrors

Abstract

A mirror adapter mounting device formed of a substantially rigid mounting base portion with one surface thereof comprising a wedge-shaped receiver slot, and a different surface thereof comprising a wedge-shaped coupler; a part-spherical ball coupler; and an arm projected from the mounting base portion and presenting the ball coupler adjacent to an end thereof distal from the mounting base portion.

Claims

1. A mirror adapter mounting device, comprising:

a substantially rigid mounting base portion, wherein one surface of the base portion further comprises a wedge-shaped coupler structured for being received into a mating wedge-shaped receiver slot that is adapted for receiving a rearview mirror, and a different surface of the base portion further comprises a wedge-shaped receiver slot that is adapted for receiving thereinto a mating wedge-shaped coupler of the rearview mirror for mounting of the same;

a part-spherical ball coupler; and

an arm projected from the mounting base portion and presenting the ball coupler adjacent to an end of the arm distal from the mounting base portion.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the surface comprising the wedge-shaped coupler is positioned substantially opposite from the surface comprising the wedge-shaped receiver slot.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the ball coupler is further presented adjacent to the surface of the mounting base portion comprising the wedge-shaped coupler.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the wedge-shaped coupler is further substantially similar to a wedge-shaped coupler of a type adapted for coupling to a surface of a windshield of a vehicle, and wherein the wedge-shaped receiver slot is further adapted to receive the wedge-shaped coupler of a type adapted for coupling to a surface of a windshield of a vehicle.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the wedge-shaped receiver slot of the wedge-shaped coupler of the mounting base portion further comprises a substantially planar interior surface positioned between opposing interior side surfaces that are spaced apart and mutually tapered to form an opening therebetween that is narrower than the substantially planar interior surface positioned therebetween;

and

wherein the wedge-shaped coupler of the mounting base portion further comprises a substantially planar exterior surface spaced away from the surface of the mounting base portion by a pair of opposing exterior side surfaces that are mutually tapered from the exterior surface toward the surface of the mounting base portion.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the opposing interior side surfaces of the wedge-shaped receiver slot of the wedge-shaped coupler of the mounting base portion are further mutually tapered relative to a longitudinal axis of the slot;

and

wherein the opposing exterior side surfaces of the wedge-shaped coupler of the mounting base portion are further mutually tapered relative to a longitudinal axis of the coupler.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the longitudinal axis of the coupler is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the slot.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the wedge-shaped receiver slot further comprises a negative opening that is substantially matched to the wedge-shaped coupler.

9. A mirror adapter mounting system, comprising:

a wedge-shaped windshield coupler comprising substantially parallel opposing front and rear planar surfaces spaced apart by opposing exterior side surfaces therebetween, the front surface being relatively narrower than the rear surface and being adapted for mounting on a windshield of a vehicle, and the opposing exterior side surfaces being tapered outwardly from the narrower front surface toward the wider rear surface;

a mirror comprising a front coupler receiver slot formed as a negative wedge-shaped opening that is matched to the wedge-shaped windshield coupler, the receiver slot comprising a rear planar interior surface positioned between opposing interior side surfaces that are spaced apart and form an opening therebetween, the opening being relatively narrower than the rear interior surface, and the opposing interior side surfaces being tapered inwardly from the narrower opening toward the wider rear interior surface; and

a mirror adapter mounting device, comprising a substantially rigid base mounting base portion comprising;

a coupler receiver slot adapted to receive slidingly thereinto the wedge-shaped windshield coupler,

a wedge-shaped coupler adapted to slidingly enter into the front coupler receiver slot of the mirror, and

a ball coupler.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the coupler receiver slot and the wedge-shaped coupler are further formed on different surfaces of the mirror adapter.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the different surfaces of the mirror adapter having the coupler receiver slot and the wedge-shaped coupler formed thereon further comprise substantially opposite surfaces of the mirror adapter.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the coupler receiver slot of the mirror adapter mounting device further comprises a negative wedge-shaped opening that is matched to the wedge-shaped windshield coupler, the receiver slot comprising a rear planar interior surface positioned between opposing interior side surfaces that are spaced apart and form an opening therebetween, the opening being relatively narrower than the rear interior surface, and the opposing interior side surfaces being tapered inwardly from the narrower opening toward the wider rear interior surface;

and

wherein the wedge-shaped coupler of the mirror adapter mounting device further comprises a base portion adjacent to an exterior surface of the mirror adapter mounting device and a rear planar surface spaced away from the base portion by opposing exterior side surfaces therebetween, the base portion being relatively narrower than the rear surface, and the opposing exterior side surfaces being tapered outwardly from the narrower base portion toward the wider rear surface.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the opposing exterior side surfaces of the wedge-shaped windshield coupler further comprise a taper relative to a longitudinal axis of the wedge-shaped windshield coupler;

wherein the opposing interior side surfaces of the front coupler receiver slot of the mirror further comprise a taper relative to a longitudinal axis of the front coupler receiver slot;

wherein the opposing interior side surfaces of the coupler receiver slot of the mirror adapter mounting device further comprise a taper relative to a longitudinal axis of the coupler receiver slot; and

wherein the opposing exterior side surfaces of the wedge-shaped coupler of the mirror adapter mounting device further comprise a taper relative to a longitudinal axis of the wedge-shaped coupler.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the longitudinal axes of the coupler receiver slot of the mirror adapter mounting device and the wedge-shaped coupler of the mirror adapter mounting device are further substantially parallel.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the mirror adapter mounting device further comprises a substantially rigid arm member projected from a rigid mounting base portion thereof comprising the wedge-shaped coupler and the coupler receiver slot thereof, the ball coupler of the mirror adapter mounting device being presented adjacent to an end portion of the arm member distal from the mounting base portion thereof.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the narrower front surface of the wedge-shaped windshield coupler is further coupled to a surface of a windshield.

17. A method for providing an auxiliary ball coupler on a vehicle minor mount, the method comprising:

on a windshield having a wedge-shaped windshield coupler comprising a relatively narrower surface coupled to a surface of the windshield and a relatively wider surface spaced away therefrom with opposing tapered side surfaces therebetween, and a mirror comprising a wedge-shaped receiver slot being wedgedly engaged with the wedge-shaped windshield coupler, disengaging the wedge-shaped receiver slot of the mirror from the wedge-shaped windshield coupler;

between the wedge-shaped windshield coupler and the wedge-shaped receiver slot of the mirror, engaging a mirror adapter mounting device, comprising;

wedgedly engaging a wedge-shaped receiver slot of the mirror adapter mounting device with the wedge-shaped windshield coupler, and wedgedly engaging a wedge-shaped mirror coupler with the wedge-shaped receiver slot of the mirror; and

from the mirror adapter mounting device projecting a substantially part-spherical ball coupler.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing the mirror adapter mounting device, comprising the wedge-shaped receiver slot and the wedge-shaped mirror coupler thereof on different surfaces of a substantially rigid base mounting base portion, and the ball coupler extended therefrom on a substantially rigid arm member.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein disengaging the wedge-shaped receiver slot of the mirror from the wedge-shaped windshield coupler further comprises slidingly disengaging the wedge-shaped receiver slot of the mirror from the wedge-shaped windshield coupler;

wherein engaging a wedge-shaped receiver slot of the mirror adapter mounting device with the wedge-shaped windshield coupler further comprises slidingly engaging the wedge-shaped receiver slot of the mirror adapter mounting device with the wedge-shaped windshield coupler; and

wherein engaging a wedge-shaped mirror coupler with the wedge-shaped receiver slot of the mirror further comprises slidingly engaging the wedge-shaped mirror coupler with the wedge-shaped receiver slot of the mirror.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein providing the wedge-shaped receiver slot and the wedge-shaped mirror coupler on different surfaces of the substantially rigid base mounting base portion of the mirror adapter mounting device further comprises providing the wedge-shaped receiver slot and the wedge-shaped mirror coupler on substantially opposing of the substantially rigid base mounting base portion of the mirror adapter mounting device.