Supports – Mirror or picture type – Bracket
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-07
2001-03-20
Ramirez, Ramon O (Department: 3632)
Supports
Mirror or picture type
Bracket
C248S478000, C359S872000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202976
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Interior windshield-mounted rearview mirrors are commonly used in most vehicles manufactured and sold throughout the world. Different mirror mounts have been designed for different vehicles. In the United States, for example, supports for conventional windshield-mounted rearview mirrors typically include a base member, known as a “button”, which is adhered to the inside of the windshield surface. The button may sometimes have vertically disposed edges forming rails that is/are formed by a bevel on each edge. A support member, known as a “channel mount”, may be slidably fitted over the button so that sides of the channel mount engage the rail(s) of the button. The channel mount may include a mounting device such as an arm, ball joint, or other structure for suspending a rearview mirror in the vehicle compartment for use by the driver of the vehicle. A typical mounting assembly, in the United States for example, includes a linkage with a double ball joint for adjusting the mirror relative to the windshield in a variety of positions.
Different shaped mirror mounts, each including a button, are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,377,948; 5,589,026; 5,487,522; 5,587,236; 5,377,949; 5,100,095; 4,995,581; 4,930,742; and 4,254,931, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Many European vehicles also include mirror mounting structures wherein a button is adapted to receive a complimentary-shaped channel mount with a spring retainer. Rather than being slidably mounted on the button, however, the channel mount in many European vehicles is positioned over the button and then rotated to lock the mount to the windshield button. The button may have a detent which is adapted to receive a tab on the channel mount when the channel mount is rotated to the lock position.
Conventional buttons in rearview mirror mounting structures are made of stainless steel. Such buttons are permanently adhered to the inner surface of a corresponding windshield by way of conventional metal-to-glass adhesive such as polyvinyl butyral (PVB). For example, see the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,948.
Unfortunately, stainless steel buttons are undesirable in that they are very expensive and difficult to manufacture, cannot be made to be as flat as would otherwise be desired, are sometimes prone to falling off of windshields, and require grinding for shaping. Additionally, stainless stell buttons cannot be shaped so as to define sharp corners or bends, which is also undesireable.
It is apparent from the above that there exists a need in the art for a mirror mount button which (i) can be made more cheaply than conventional stainless steel buttons, (ii) can be made flatter than conventional stainless steel buttons; (iii) has a coefficient of expansion closely matched to a glass windshield; (iv) can be shaped as desired so as to include sharp corners for example; and/or (v) can be very securely adhered to an interior surface of a windshield.
It is the purpose of this invention to fulfill any combination, or all, of the above-described needs in the art, as well as other needs which will become apparent to the skilled artisan from the following detailed description of this invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Generally speaking, this invention fulfills the above-described needs in the art by providing a mirror mount for securing a rearview mirror to an interior surface of an automotive windshield, the mirror mount comprising:
an injection molded plastic button secured directly to the interior surface of the windshield by way of an adhesive; and
a mirror mounting structure attached to the button, and the rearview mirror attached to the mounting structure.
In certain preferred embodiments, the button includes at least one inclined edge or side surface forming a rail for engagement with a corresponding receiving structure defined by the mirror mounting structure.
This invention further fulfills the above-described needs in the art by providing a method of making an automotive windshield structure, the method comprising the steps of:
laminating first and second glass sheets to one another to form a windshield;
making a plastic rearview mirror mounting button by injection molding a plastic material so as to make the plastic rearview mirror mounting buttons; and
adhering the plastic rearview mirror mounting button to an interior surface of the windshield.
This invention further fulfills the above-described needs in the art by providing an automotive windshield structure comprising:
first and second glass sheets laminated together to form a windshield; and
a non-metallic plastic button adhered to an interior surface of the windshield by way of an adhesive layer, the plastic button being shaped so as to be adapted to receive thereon a rearview mirror mounting structure whereby a rearview mirror can be mounted to the interior surface of the windshield.
Additionally, the plastic buttons herein conform to and meet Chrysler's mirror mounting specification, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
This invention will now be described with respect to certain embodiments thereof, along with reference to the accompanying illustrations.
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Bruce Joseph
Johnson Timothy M.
Guardian Industries Corporation
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Ramirez Ramon O
Wood Kimberly
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