GB2044946A - Mirrors - Google Patents

Abstract

A mirror construction includes an elongate body 10 and an arm pivoted to the body 10 and having two sections 11A and 11B with a mirror 14 mounted at the end of the section 11B for movement about axes extending at right angles to one another effectively to provide a universal joint. A fixed light bulb 100 is mounted on the body 10 and a further light bulb 124 mounted on the end of an extensible lead 126 also extends from the body and may be secured to the arm section 11B adjacent the mirror, for example, by a magnet. The bulb 124 and its lead 126 may be unplugged and mounted in a storage space in the body 10. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Mirrors This invention relates to mirror constructions.

According to the present invention a mirror construction comprises an elongate body, an elongate arm formed in at least two sections of which a first section is pivoted to the body by a first hinge joint and the second section being connected to the first section by a second hinge joint, a mirror mounted on the end of the section furthest from the body, the arm having an extended position in which it lies generally in line with and extends away from the body and a storage position in which the sections lie side by side adjacent one another and the body, with the mirror also adjacent the body, and an extendable lamp comprising a light bulb mounted on the end of an extensible lead, the other end of which is connected to or is connectable in a circuit which includes a battery housing in the body.The extensible lead may be disconnected from a socket in the body and the extensible lead and light bulb may then be stored in a cavity in the body. Connection means is preferably provided for mounting the lamp on said furthest section adjacent the mirror and in this case the connection means may preferably include at least one magnet on the arm or lamp to co-operate with a keeper on the lamp or arm.

A second light bulb may be mounted on the body having a beam which is directed towards the mirror.

Preferably both bulbs are mounted in parallel in the circuit and are controlled by a common switch.

The invention may be carried into practice in a number of ways but one specific embodiment will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lisa plan view of a mirror construction according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the construction of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the construction of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the mirror and its mounting; Figure 5 is a sectional side elevation of the construction of previous figures in an open position; Figure 6is a sectional side elevation in a closed position; Figure 7 is a sectional elevation of the mirror with the mirror in one position; Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 with the mirror in an alternative position;; Figure 9 is an underplan view of one end of the housing of the mirror construction of previous figures, and Figure 10 is a side elevation showing the mirror construction partially folded.

The construction shown in the drawings includes an elongate body or housing which is generally indicated at 10 and which takes the form of a plastics moulding. An arm, generally indicated at 11, is pivotally connected to the housing 10 by means of a hinge joint, whose axis of pivoting is shown at 12 in Figures 2, 3, and 5 of the drawings. The arm 11 is formed in two sections 1 1A and 11 B, the section 11A being connected to the housing 10 by the hinge joint 12 and the other section 11 B carrying a mirror 14 which is capable of angular adjustment both about an axis 15 transverse of the arm 11 and about an axis 13 at right angles to the axis 15. The two sections of the arm 11A and 11 B are connected together end to end by a further hinge joint whose axis is shown at 16 in the drawings.The two sections 11A and 1 1B are each formed as plastics mouldings. As shown in Figure 1, adjacent ends of the two sections 11 A and 11 B are connected to form a hinge joint having the axis 16 by means of inter-engaging pairs of ears 17 and 18 formed respectively on the ends of the arm sections 1 1A and 11 B. Inter-engaging pairs of the ears 17 and 18 are interconnected by pins 19, connected rigidly to the ears 17, and spring clips 20 which are mounted on the ends of the pins 19.

Figure 4 shows the detailed way in which the mirror 14 is mounted. Thus the end of the arm section 11 B has a pair of spaced lugs 24 to the inside faces of which are pivoted the limbs of a loop 26, the pivots of the loop 26 with the lugs 24 having the axis 15 previously referred to. Firmly connected to the mirror 14 is a short pin 28 around which the loop 26 passes, the pin 28 carrying a pair of protuberances 30, one on each side of the loop 26. The end of the pin 28 remote from the mirror 14 is connected, by means of a small coil spring 32 to the end of a transmission rod 36 passing along a channel 38 formed in the section 11 B of the arm.The transmission rod 36 extends down the section 11 B of the arm to adjacent the hinge axis 16 where it is connected via a further coil spring 40, to a second transmission rod 42 which extends to adjacent the pivot 12, this end of the rod carrying a control knob 44 which is mounted for sliding movement in a recess 46 in an enlarged part 48 formed integrally with the section 11 A of the arm.

As shown in Figure 1, the enlarged part 48 of the arm section 1 1A passes between two spaced wings 50 forming integral parts of the housing 10, and is connected to the wings 50 by means of pins forming the pivot 12.

The latching mechanism by which the arm is secured in its extended position in Figure 5 or in its retracted position of Figure 6 will now be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 and also with reference to Figure 1. Mounted within the space between the two wings 50 is a latching member generally indicated at 54. The latching member includes a pair of spaced side webs 56 interconnected at their upper ends by a horizontal transverse wall 58. The webs 56 are pivoted to the wings 50 by pins 61. The webs 56 are also interconnected along their rear edges by a substantially vertical web 60. The lower ends of the web 56 are each provided with a hook 62 having a cam face 64.

The front or left hand end of the wall 58 terminates in an overhanging hook 66 which, as shown in Figure 5, co-operates with an aperture 68 at the rear end of the recess 46 to prevent rotation of the arm about the pivot 12 and thereby to maintain the arm in its extended position. The wall 58 has in its upper surface a recess 70 in which a finger can be inserted to rotate the latching member clockwise in Figure 5, about its pivot pins 61, in order to withdraw the hook 66 from the hole 68 and allow rotation of the arm toward its storage position. The locking member 54 is biassed anti-clockwise by means of a small coil spring 72 interposed between the rear face of the web 60 and a locating stud 74 provided on the front face of a vertical wall 76.

Returning to the description of the locking mechanism, the rear web 60 of the locking member has a tongue 80 extending rearwardly from a central region thereof, the end of the tongue being received in a recess 82 in the wall 76 and engaging the upper edge of the recess 82 to limit clockwise rotation of the locking member about its pins 61.

As has been mentioned, Figure 5 shows the locking mechanism holding the arm in its extended position. Clockwise rotation of the locking member about its pins 61 withdraws the hook 66 from the hole 68 to permit anti-clockwise rotation of the section 1 1A of the arm about the axis 12. Figure 10 shows the arm partially rotated towards the storage position of the arm. Apart from rotation of the section 11A of the arm about the axis 12, it will be appreciated that the other section 11 B of the arm has been rotated clockwise about the pins 19 forming the axis 16. Figure 6 shows the arm in its fully retracted or stored position at which time the sections 11 A and 11 B abut one another and the mirror 14 is received within a skirt 90 defined by the two wings 50.The arm 11 is held in its retracted or storage position by the same latching member 54 as is employed to hold the arm in its extended position. For this purpose, the section 11 B of the arm adjacent the mirror end is provided with a pair of upstanding hooks 92 (see Figures 4 and 6) having camming surfaces 94to co-operate with the camming surfaces 64 of the latching member 54 so as to bias the latching member 54 slightly clockwise against the action of its return spring 72 until the ends of the hooks 92 engage behind the hooks 62. It will be appreciated that the arm 11 may be moved between its fully retracted or stored position and its fully extended position, or vice versa, by a movement of the arm section 11 B which is a pure translatory movement.

This means that the movement can be manually produced, by gripping the housing 10 and the arm section 11 B without having to change one's grip during the movement. In fact, during rotation of the arm towards its storage position, the section 1 1A of the arm is rotating in an anti-clockwise direction with respect to the housing and also in an anti-clockwise direction with respect to the section 11 B of the arm.

In other words, the section 1 1A of the arm is rotating with respect to the housing 10 and section 11 B in the same rotary sense.

Referring to Figures 1 and 5, it will be seen that the right-hand wing 50 has mounted in it a lamp 100 which faces forwardly towards the mirror.

Claims (7)

1. A mirror construction comprising an elongate body, an elongate arm formed in at least two sections of which a first section is pivoted to the body by the first hinge joint and the second section being connected to the first section by a second hinge joint, a mirror mounted on the end of the section furthest from the body, the arm having an extended position in which it lies generally in line with and extends away from the body and a storage position in which the sections lie side by side adjacent one another and the body, with the mirror also adjacent the body, and an extendable lamp comprising a light bulb mounted on the end of an extensible lead, the other end of which is connected to or is connectable in a circuit which includes a battery housing in the body.

2. A mirror construction as claimed in Claim 1 in which the extensible lead may be disconnected from a socket in the body.

3. A mirror construction as claimed in Claim 2 in which the extensible lead and light bulb may be stored in a cavity in the body.

4. A mirror construction as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims including connection means for mounting the lamp on said furthest section adjacent the mirror.

5. A mirror construction as claimed in Claim 4 in which the connection means includes at least one magnet on the arm or lamp to cooperate with a keeper on the lamp or arm.

6. A mirror construction as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims including a second light bulb mounted on the body and having a beam which is directed towards the mirror.

7. A mirror construction as claimed in Claim 6 in which both bulbs are in parallel in the circuit and are controlled by a common switch.