Retractable rear view mirror
AssigneeRosco, Inc.
InventorBenjamin Englander
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rear-mounted mirror assembly for trucks, vans and the like, for providing rear viewing as the vehicle is being backed up, for example, into a truck loading dock area. The mirror assembly comprises a mirror unit that is connected by a mirror arm to a support structure, e.g., a flange or bracket, that is fixed to the vehicle. The support structure projects minimally sideways of the vehicle and pivotably supports the mirror arm in a manner whereby the mirror unit and its arm can swing about a pivot axis, enabling the mirror and its arm to lie alongside a side wall of the vehicle or tightly against the rear of the vehicle. A return or rebound mechanism returns the mirror unit to its normal operational position, once contact with an obstruction that have pivoted the mirror unit from its normal position, has been removed.
Claims23
A system for facilitating driving of a vehicle, the system comprising in combination:
- a rear mounted mirror assembly and a vehicle body having front end, first and second side walls and a rear wall, the rear mounted mirror assembly comprising:
- a mirror arm having a mirror holding portion and a mounting portion;
- a mirror unit mechanically coupled to the mirror holding portion of the mirror arm;
- and
- a mounting bracket having a first portion that is fixed to the vehicle body adjacent to a region where the rear wall and one of the, first and second side walls of the vehicle meet, the mounting bracket having a mirror arm holding portion that defines a receiving opening in which the mounting portion of the mirror arm is pivotally supported, the mirror unit being so mounted that the mirror unit is at least partially disposed outwardly relative to both the first side wall and the rear wall of the vehicle with the mounting arm having a range of movement so that it can swing the mirror unit toward either the first side wall or the rear wall of the vehicle from a normal position of the mirror unit.
A driving facilitating system comprising in combination, a rear mounted mirror assembly and a vehicle body having front end, first and second side walls and a rear wall, the rear mounted mirror assembly comprising:
- a mirror arm having a mirror holding portion and a mounting portion;
- a mirror unit mechanically coupled to the mirror holding portion of the mirror arm;
- and
- a mounting bracket fixed to the vehicle body adjacent to a region where the rear wall and one of the first and second side walls of the vehicle meet, the mounting bracket defining a sliding channel and the mirror arm being received in the sliding channel and being biased within the sliding channel to protrude toward the rear wall of the vehicle, but enabling the mirror arm and mirror unit attached thereto to slide toward the front end of the vehicle when the mirror unit is contacted by an obstruction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.