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US 4,730,926 AGranted
Accu-right mirror alignment system
AssigneeLowell R. Wedemeyer
InventorGerald T. Wedemeyer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, and a device for practicing the method, for marking the configuration of a vehicle-mounted mirror which has initially been set to a desired perspective, thus enabling a single, unaided person within reach of a misaligned mirror to quickly and reliably readjust it to reproduce the previously marked perspective even though that desired perspective cannot be viewed from the adjuster's position.
Claims10
A method of enabling one unaided person to restore a desired setting of a mirror that is externally mounted on a vehicle for a vehicle occupant's view through the vehicle's window pane, comprising:
- I. Initially setting the mirror in the desired configuration;
- II. Identifying an adjuster's position from which a person wishing to restore the desired setting of the mirror:
- A. can reach the mirror to adjust it, and
- B. can see through the window pane an image of some portion of the vehicle reflected in said mirror;
- and
- III. Placing a first alignment mark on the vehicle, which first alignment mark is positioned to make a reflected image thereof visible in said initially-set mirror to a person in said adjuster's position;
- and
- IV. Placing a second alignment mark on said mirror, superimposed on the reflected image in said mirror of said first alignment mark, viewed from the adjuster's position looking into said mirror;
- V. Placing a third alignment mark on said window pane, positioned to simultaneously superimpose the images of said first, second and third marks when viewed by a person in said adjuster's position looking into said mirror;
- and
- VI. Thereafter restoring said desired initial setting of the mirror, as needed, by moving the mirror to superimpose the images of said first, second and third marks, viewed from the adjuster's position looking into the mirror.
8 more elements
A method of enabling one unaided person to restore a desired setting of a mirror that is externally mounted on a vehicle for a vehicle occupant's view through the vehicle's window pane, comprising:
- I. Initially setting the mirror in the desired configuration;
- II. Identifying an adjuster's position from which a person wishing to restore the desired setting of the mirror:
- A. can reach the mirror to adjust it, and
- B. can see secondarily reflected on the window pane an image primarily reflected from the mirror of some portion of the vehicle;
- and
- III. Placing a first alignment mark on the vehicle, which first alignment mark is positioned to make a reflected image thereof visible on the window pane to a person in said adjuster's position, by secondary reflection of said first mark on the window pane from primary reflection thereof by the initially-set mirror;
- and
- IV. Placing a second alignment mark on said mirror, superimposed on the primarily reflected image in said mirror of said first alignment mark, viewed from the adjuster's position looking at the secondary of said first alignment mark on said window pane;
- V. Placing a third alignment mark on said window pane, positioned to simultaneously superimpose the images of said first, second and third marks when viewed by a person in said adjuster's position looking at the reflection of said mirror on said window pane;
- and
- VI. Thereafter restoring said desired initial setting of the mirror, as needed, by moving the mirror to superimpose the images of said first, second and third marks, viewed from the adjuster's position looking at the reflection on said window pane from said mirror.
8 more elements
A device for practicing a method for restoring alignment of a vehicle-mounted mirror, comprising:
- I. A first mark
- A. adapted to application on a vehicle surface in a position making a reflected image thereof visible in the mirror to a person within adjusting reach of the mirror;
- and
- B. having a shape, color and size adapted when so applied to produce a reflected image thereof, from the mirror to a person within adjusting reach of the mirror, which image is
- i. visibly distinct against the background,
- ii. small relative to the total reflective area of the mirror, and
- iii. not substantially obstructive to the reflective image provided by the mirror to a user thereof;
- and
- II. a second mark
- A. adapted to application to the reflective surface of a vehicle-mounted mirror in a position to be visible thereon to a person within adjusting reach of the mirror;
- and
- B. having a shape, color and size adapted when so applied to produce an image thereof to a person within adjusting reach of the mirror which image is
- i. visibly distinct against the background,
- ii. small relative to the total reflective area of the mirror,
- iii. not substantially obstructive to the reflective image provided by the mirror to a user thereof;
- and
- iv. visibly superimposable over a reflected image of said first mark in said mirror;
- and
- III. a third mark
- A. adapted to be applied to the surface of a vehicle window pane in a position to be visible thereon, to a person within adjusting reach of the mirror, simultaneously with images of said applied first and second marks;
- and
- B. having a shape, color and size adapted when so applied to produce an image thereof to a person within adjusting reach of the mirror which image is
- i. visibly distinct against the brackground,
- ii. small relative to the total reflective area of the mirror,
- iii. not substantially obstructive to the reflective image provided by the mirror to a user thereof;
- iv. not substantially obstructive to user views through the window pane, and
- v. visibly simultaneously superimposable over
- a. a reflected image in said mirror of said first mark applied to the vehicle surface, and
- b. said second mark applied on said mirror's reflective surface.
26 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.