CA1150545A - Vehicle mirror mounting assembly - Google Patents
Vehicle mirror mounting assemblyInfo
- Publication number
- CA1150545A CA1150545A CA000365454A CA365454A CA1150545A CA 1150545 A CA1150545 A CA 1150545A CA 000365454 A CA000365454 A CA 000365454A CA 365454 A CA365454 A CA 365454A CA 1150545 A CA1150545 A CA 1150545A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- vehicle
- leg
- legs
- mirror
- inches
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Landscapes
- Rear-View Mirror Devices That Are Mounted On The Exterior Of The Vehicle (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A vehicle mirror mounting assembly particularly suited for the aftermarket wherein the mirror mounting assembly must be able to conform to side surfaces or areas of vehicles having different contours depending upon the make, year-model and style of the particular vehicle. The assembly comprises a mirror support member in the form of an angle having two legs of different lengths forming between them an acute angle with either leg capable of providing a horizontal support for a mirror depending upon which leg is in the horizontal position as mounted, and a pair of mounting brackets for attaching the distal ends of the legs to the side of a vehicle. Each mounting bracket has two legs interconnected integrally by an elongated curved section which is weakened by removal of sufficient material to permit the legs to be bent toward and away from each other so as to have one leg that will fit flat-wise against the mounting surface on the vehicle while the other leg fits flatwise against the distal end of the adjacent leg of the angle member. Suitable fasteners inter-connect the angle member ends to the mounting brackets and the mounting brackets to the side of the vehicle.
A vehicle mirror mounting assembly particularly suited for the aftermarket wherein the mirror mounting assembly must be able to conform to side surfaces or areas of vehicles having different contours depending upon the make, year-model and style of the particular vehicle. The assembly comprises a mirror support member in the form of an angle having two legs of different lengths forming between them an acute angle with either leg capable of providing a horizontal support for a mirror depending upon which leg is in the horizontal position as mounted, and a pair of mounting brackets for attaching the distal ends of the legs to the side of a vehicle. Each mounting bracket has two legs interconnected integrally by an elongated curved section which is weakened by removal of sufficient material to permit the legs to be bent toward and away from each other so as to have one leg that will fit flat-wise against the mounting surface on the vehicle while the other leg fits flatwise against the distal end of the adjacent leg of the angle member. Suitable fasteners inter-connect the angle member ends to the mounting brackets and the mounting brackets to the side of the vehicle.
Description
S P E C I F I C A T I O N
This invention relates generally to innovations and improvements in means for mounting rear view mirrors on the sides of vehicles and has a particular relation to such means which lends itself to the aftermarket in that one vehicle mirror mounting assembly, by suitable adjustment of mounting brackets, may be solidly mounted in various locations on the sides of a wide variety of makes, year-models and styles of vehicles.
While it is common for one or two side view mirrors to come as original equipment installed by manufacturers of new trucks and passenger cars, there is a substantial after-market for side view mirrors for vehicles, particularly, in the case of trucks, trailer-pulling automobiles, mobile homes, and as replacements for damaged or broken mirrors, etc.
It will be appreciated that it is a practical economic requirement of such aftermarket vehicle mirror mounting assemblies that they be capable of fitting on a variety of vehicles of different makes, styles, and year ~0 models.
There have been prior vehicle mirror mounting assemblies produced to meet such aftermarket demand. One such vehicle mirror assembly is shown and described in U.S.
` Patent 3,778,015 dated December 11, 1973.
The object of the present invention, generally stated, is to provide an improved vehicle mirror mounting assembly or the aftermarket which is characterized by its simplicity, minimum number of parts, ease of installation, ruggedness and low cost.
~`,,-' ~. .
~ ~ .
. .
For a complete understanding of the nature and scope of the invention, reference may now be had to the followiny detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in connection with the accompanying dra~ings wherein:
Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing a vehicle mirror mounting assembly embodyiny the present invention installed on the side of a representative vehicle body;
j Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan detail view on enlarged scale taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on enlarged scale taken on line 3-3 o~ Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of two mounting brackets which form components of the vehicle mirror mounting assembly of Fig. l;
Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the vehicle mirror mounting assembly installed in a different manner on the side surface of a vehicle having a contour substantially different from that of the vehicle in Fig l;
and Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the mirror support angle member common to Figs. 1 and 5 with key dimensions designated thereon.
Referring to Figs. 1-4, a vehicle mirror mounting assembly indicated generally a-t 5 is shown installed on the exterior side surface of a vehicle, for example, the left front door panel 6 of a truck or automobile, and supporting a rear view mirror 7.
35~5~
The vehicle mirror assembly 5 comprises a mirror support angle member 8 and a pair of mounting brackets 9-9.
The mirror suppor~ angle member 8 comprises two legs 10 and 11 interconnected by an arcuate section 12.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention for use on full-size pickups and vans, for example, the mirror support angle member 8 has the following key dimensions as indicated in Fig. 6: x is 8-5/8 inches; y is 8-7/16 inches; z is 10~1/4 inches; r is 1~5/8 inches; angle ~ is 40 degrees; and, angle 4 is 10 degrees. In a second preferred embodiment for use on mini-size pickups and vans, for example, x is 7-1/8 inches;
y is 7-5/32 inches; z is 8-1/4 inches, and r, ~ and g remain the same. In each embodiment the angle ~ can range between 30 and 45.
Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, each of the mounting brackets 9 has a rectangular leg 13 and a triangular leg 14 interconnected by an elongated curved section 15. Preferably, the section 15 is generally semi-cylindrical. The rectangular leg 13 has two screw holes 20 16-16 for accommodating a pair of screws 17-17 so as to attach the bracket 9 to the vehicle side surface 6. Usually, it is desirable to insert washers 18-18 between each leg 13 and the side surface.
The triangular leg 14 is apertured at 20 for " receiving a nut-and-bolt combination 21 extending through the aperture 20 as well as through an aligned or registering aperture 22 (Fig. 6) in the distal end of each leg 10 and 11. Preferably, a washer 23 is inserted between each tri-angular leg 14 and the adjacent side surface of the distal 30 end of the legs 10 or 11.
" .
~ 3---s~
An important feature of each of the brackets 9 is the provision in the elongated arcuate or curved intercon-necting section 15 of slots or open areas 24-24. Enough material is removed from the elongated section 15 so as to weaken it sufficiently so that the angle between the legs 13 and 14 can be readily adjusted or al-tered without impairlng the rigidity or strength of the bracket 9. This hinge-like adjustment feature ls indicated in broken line in Fig. 4 and - may be readily accomplished by clamping leg 13 in a vise and gripping leg 14 between the jaws of a wrench or other tool.
By virtue of this adjustment, the brackets 9 can be so adjusted that the rectangular legs 13 will fit flatwise with respect to the side surface area of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 1 while the triangular legs 14 fit flatwise with respect to the distal ends of the legs 10 and 11.
It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the legs 13 and 14 of the upper mounting bracket 9 extend at approxima-tely right angles to each other whereas the legs 13 and 14 of the lower bracket 9 had to be opened up as indicated in broken line in Fig. 4 in order to permit it to properly interconnect the distal end of the lower leg 11 and the side surface 6 of the vehicle. It will also be seen that the upper shorter leg 10 of the angle member 8 is horizontal and allows the rear view mirror 7 to be readily mounted in known conventional manner by means of a ball-joint support 25 in the opening 26 (Flg. 6).
' . In Fig. 5, the vehicle mirror assembly 5 is shown mounting the rear view rnirror 7 on a veilic]e side sur~ace 27 of different configuration or contour than that of side surface - -5~L5 6 in Fig. 1. secause of this difference in configuration or contour, it was necessary -to place the longer leg 11 in a horizontal position and open up both the upper and lo~er mounting brackets 9. Also, it ~ill be noted that the tri-angular leg 20 of the upper mounting bracket 9 is placed above the distal end of the leg 11 rather than underneath it.
The angle member 8 may be formed of a suitable material such as strap steel appropriately stamped, punched, -I formed and finished. The brackets 9 are preferably formed of flat steel stock stamped, punched, formed and finished in known manner. Thus, the mounting assembly 5 may be eco-nomically mass-produced.
This invention relates generally to innovations and improvements in means for mounting rear view mirrors on the sides of vehicles and has a particular relation to such means which lends itself to the aftermarket in that one vehicle mirror mounting assembly, by suitable adjustment of mounting brackets, may be solidly mounted in various locations on the sides of a wide variety of makes, year-models and styles of vehicles.
While it is common for one or two side view mirrors to come as original equipment installed by manufacturers of new trucks and passenger cars, there is a substantial after-market for side view mirrors for vehicles, particularly, in the case of trucks, trailer-pulling automobiles, mobile homes, and as replacements for damaged or broken mirrors, etc.
It will be appreciated that it is a practical economic requirement of such aftermarket vehicle mirror mounting assemblies that they be capable of fitting on a variety of vehicles of different makes, styles, and year ~0 models.
There have been prior vehicle mirror mounting assemblies produced to meet such aftermarket demand. One such vehicle mirror assembly is shown and described in U.S.
` Patent 3,778,015 dated December 11, 1973.
The object of the present invention, generally stated, is to provide an improved vehicle mirror mounting assembly or the aftermarket which is characterized by its simplicity, minimum number of parts, ease of installation, ruggedness and low cost.
~`,,-' ~. .
~ ~ .
. .
For a complete understanding of the nature and scope of the invention, reference may now be had to the followiny detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in connection with the accompanying dra~ings wherein:
Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing a vehicle mirror mounting assembly embodyiny the present invention installed on the side of a representative vehicle body;
j Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan detail view on enlarged scale taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on enlarged scale taken on line 3-3 o~ Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of two mounting brackets which form components of the vehicle mirror mounting assembly of Fig. l;
Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the vehicle mirror mounting assembly installed in a different manner on the side surface of a vehicle having a contour substantially different from that of the vehicle in Fig l;
and Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the mirror support angle member common to Figs. 1 and 5 with key dimensions designated thereon.
Referring to Figs. 1-4, a vehicle mirror mounting assembly indicated generally a-t 5 is shown installed on the exterior side surface of a vehicle, for example, the left front door panel 6 of a truck or automobile, and supporting a rear view mirror 7.
35~5~
The vehicle mirror assembly 5 comprises a mirror support angle member 8 and a pair of mounting brackets 9-9.
The mirror suppor~ angle member 8 comprises two legs 10 and 11 interconnected by an arcuate section 12.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention for use on full-size pickups and vans, for example, the mirror support angle member 8 has the following key dimensions as indicated in Fig. 6: x is 8-5/8 inches; y is 8-7/16 inches; z is 10~1/4 inches; r is 1~5/8 inches; angle ~ is 40 degrees; and, angle 4 is 10 degrees. In a second preferred embodiment for use on mini-size pickups and vans, for example, x is 7-1/8 inches;
y is 7-5/32 inches; z is 8-1/4 inches, and r, ~ and g remain the same. In each embodiment the angle ~ can range between 30 and 45.
Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, each of the mounting brackets 9 has a rectangular leg 13 and a triangular leg 14 interconnected by an elongated curved section 15. Preferably, the section 15 is generally semi-cylindrical. The rectangular leg 13 has two screw holes 20 16-16 for accommodating a pair of screws 17-17 so as to attach the bracket 9 to the vehicle side surface 6. Usually, it is desirable to insert washers 18-18 between each leg 13 and the side surface.
The triangular leg 14 is apertured at 20 for " receiving a nut-and-bolt combination 21 extending through the aperture 20 as well as through an aligned or registering aperture 22 (Fig. 6) in the distal end of each leg 10 and 11. Preferably, a washer 23 is inserted between each tri-angular leg 14 and the adjacent side surface of the distal 30 end of the legs 10 or 11.
" .
~ 3---s~
An important feature of each of the brackets 9 is the provision in the elongated arcuate or curved intercon-necting section 15 of slots or open areas 24-24. Enough material is removed from the elongated section 15 so as to weaken it sufficiently so that the angle between the legs 13 and 14 can be readily adjusted or al-tered without impairlng the rigidity or strength of the bracket 9. This hinge-like adjustment feature ls indicated in broken line in Fig. 4 and - may be readily accomplished by clamping leg 13 in a vise and gripping leg 14 between the jaws of a wrench or other tool.
By virtue of this adjustment, the brackets 9 can be so adjusted that the rectangular legs 13 will fit flatwise with respect to the side surface area of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 1 while the triangular legs 14 fit flatwise with respect to the distal ends of the legs 10 and 11.
It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the legs 13 and 14 of the upper mounting bracket 9 extend at approxima-tely right angles to each other whereas the legs 13 and 14 of the lower bracket 9 had to be opened up as indicated in broken line in Fig. 4 in order to permit it to properly interconnect the distal end of the lower leg 11 and the side surface 6 of the vehicle. It will also be seen that the upper shorter leg 10 of the angle member 8 is horizontal and allows the rear view mirror 7 to be readily mounted in known conventional manner by means of a ball-joint support 25 in the opening 26 (Flg. 6).
' . In Fig. 5, the vehicle mirror assembly 5 is shown mounting the rear view rnirror 7 on a veilic]e side sur~ace 27 of different configuration or contour than that of side surface - -5~L5 6 in Fig. 1. secause of this difference in configuration or contour, it was necessary -to place the longer leg 11 in a horizontal position and open up both the upper and lo~er mounting brackets 9. Also, it ~ill be noted that the tri-angular leg 20 of the upper mounting bracket 9 is placed above the distal end of the leg 11 rather than underneath it.
The angle member 8 may be formed of a suitable material such as strap steel appropriately stamped, punched, -I formed and finished. The brackets 9 are preferably formed of flat steel stock stamped, punched, formed and finished in known manner. Thus, the mounting assembly 5 may be eco-nomically mass-produced.
Claims (7)
1. In a vehicle mirror mounting assembly com-prising a mirror support angle member having two legs of different lengths forming an included angle of approximately 30° to 45° with either leg capable of serving as a support arm for a mirror depending on which leg occupies an approxi-mately horizontal position, a pair of mounting brackets for attaching the distal ends of said legs to the side of a vehicle, and fastener means for securing said mounting brackets to the distal ends of said legs and to the side of a vehicle, the improvement comprising, each of said mounting brackets having two legs integrally interconnected by an elongated curved section weakened by removal of suf-ficient material therefrom to permit the angle between said bracket legs to be adjusted as necessary so that one bracket leg will fit flatwise against the side of a vehicle while the other bracket leg fits flatwise against the distal end of the adjacent leg of said mirror support arm, said weakening of each said elongated curved section not impairing the requisite rigidity or strength of said mounting brackets.
2. In the vehicle mounting assembly of claim 1 said mounting brackets being identical as formed.
3. In the vehicle mirror mounting assembly of claim 1 the leg of each said mounting bracket adapted to fit flatwise against the side of a vehicle being rectang-ular in shape, the leg of each said mounting bracket adapted to fit flatwise against the distal end of the adjacent mirror support arm leg being genrally triangular, and the shape of said elongated curved section being generally semi-cylindrical.
4. In the vehicle mirror mounting assembly of claim 1 said elongated curved section being weakened by the presence therein of a plurality of slots.
5. In the vehicle mirror mounting assembly of claim 1 said included angle being approximately 40°.
6. In the vehicle mirror mounting assembly of claim 1, one of said legs of said mirror support angle member having a length of approximately 8-5/8 inches, the other leg of said mirror support angle member having a length of about 10-1/4 inches, said included angle being about 40°, the vertical distance between said distal ends when one of said legs of said mirror support angle member is horizontal being about 8-7/16 inches, and the proximal ends of said legs of said mirror support angle member being integrally interconnected by a section having an effective radius of curvature of about 1-5/8 inches.
7. In the vehicle mirror mounting assembly of claim 1, one of said legs of said mirror support angle member having a length of approximately 7-1/8 inches, the other leg of said mirror support angle member having a length of about 8-1/4 inches, said included angle being about 40°, the vertical distance between said distal ends when one of said legs of said mirror support angle member is horizontal being about 7-5/32 inches, and the proximal ends of said legs of said mirror support angle member being integrally interconnected by a section having a radius of curvature of about 1-5/8 inches.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US9957879A | 1979-12-03 | 1979-12-03 | |
| US06/099,578 | 1979-12-03 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1150545A true CA1150545A (en) | 1983-07-26 |
Family
ID=22275672
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000365454A Expired CA1150545A (en) | 1979-12-03 | 1980-11-25 | Vehicle mirror mounting assembly |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1150545A (en) |
-
1980
- 1980-11-25 CA CA000365454A patent/CA1150545A/en not_active Expired
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry | ||
| MKEX | Expiry |
Effective date: 20000726 |