GB2241435A

GB2241435A - Mirror assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2241435A
Application number: GB9104221A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Derek Inwards
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-02-28
Filing date: 1991-02-28
Publication date: 1991-09-04
Anticipated expiration: 2011-02-28
Also published as: GB9004514D0; WO1991012753A1; GB2241435B; GB9104221D0; AU7443491A

Abstract

A mirror assembly comprising a plane mirror (1) part of which incorporates a magnifying mirror (5). Lighting (15) is preferably provided on either side of the magnifying mirror (5) together with means (18, 19) for varying the colour of the light emitted therefrom.

Description

IMPROVED MIRROR ASSEMBLY DESCRIPTION This invention relates to a mirror assembly and more particularly to one which provides a non-magnifying as well as a magnifying facility. The invention is more particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with larger mirror assemblies which can be attached to a wall or other upright surface as a permanent fixture thereon.

A dual purpose mirror is known which provides a non-magnifying and magnifying facility in the same assembly. This known device comprises a two sided mirror pivotally mounted for rotation through 1800 so that one or other side of the mirror can be easily selected to give normal viewing or a magnified image.

These mirrors tend to be hand held or are designed to rest on a surface such as a dressing table or bathroom shelf and therefore do not lend themselves to be used as more permanent installations.

According to the invention there is provided a dual purpose mirror assembly comprising a plane non-magnifying mirror having a transparent area within its perimeter behind which a concave magnifying mirror is located.

Preferably, the concave mirror is attached to the plane mirror by means of an adhesive such as a silicone rubber adhesive applied around the perimeter of said mirror. However, the concave mirror can be attached by completely filling it with adhesive. One way of doing this is to attach a gasket to the concave mirror and clamp said concave mirror and gasket against the rear of the plane mirror to form a seal therewith. A clear adhesive is then admitted into the cavity enclosed by the gasket between the two mirrors until said space is completely filled with adhesive and the cavity is sealed off and the adhesive therein is allowed to set whereby the concave mirror is attached to the plane mirror by the adhesive which also acts to increase the magnification effect of the concave mirror in said transparent area in the plane mirror.

Preferably the front face of the plane mirror is cooled to avoid striations appearing in the curing adhesive which could impair its optical qualities. It will also be appreciated that it is essential that the adhesive in the cavity between the two mirrors should have no bubbles therein to impair its optical qualities so proper mixing of the adhesive is essential before it is pumped into said cavity.

Preferably a two-part epoxy resin adhesive is used having a viscosity selected to permit easy filling of the cavity between the two mirrors. However, a polyester resin could be used. Conveniently the gasket is made of a silicon rubber but other materials could be used.

Desirably, the concave mirror is of "dropped" type for cheapness but ground and polished mirrors can be used if the highest optical quality is required.

In the preferred embodiment, the mirror assembly is illuminated by a light source or sources located behind the non-magnifying mirror. Conveniently, means are also provided whereby the intensity of the light emerging from behind the mirror and the colour temperature of the light can be adjusted or varied.

Preferably the mirror assembly and its associated lighting means also includes a demisting device.

Conveniently the dual purpose mirror assembly is designed in such a way that it can be easily raised or lowered in the vertical plane by the user to position the magnifying facility at a location to suit the user.

The assembly is also preferably hinged adjacent its upper edge to allow the user to pivot the assembly away from the wall on which the mirror is mounted and thereby allow users to bring the concave magnifying mirror in the lower region of the mirror assembly closer to them. This pivot facility also means that servicing of any electrical means mounted behind the mirror assembly can be easily achieved.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a dual purpose mirror assembly of the invention; Figure 2 is a cross section along the lines II-II, Figure 3 illustrates a lighting and demisting system which can be used with a mirror assembly of the invention and; Figure 4 illustrates a mounting assembly permitting both vertical and pivotal movement of the mirror assembly shown in Figures 1-3.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown Figures 1 and 2, a dual purpose mirror assembly comprising a plane mirror 1. A circular transparent area 2 is formed within the perimeter of the mirror 1 by removing the mirror silvering and mirror paint backing from it by an appropriate known chemical treatment method. Similar smaller transparent areas 3, 4 located on either side of the area 2 are also provided on the plane mirror 1, the purpose of which will be explained more fully hereafter. A concave mirror 5 having a circular periphery is attached to the rear face of the mirror 1 by means of an adhesive such as silicone rubber adhesive.

As can be seen more clearly in Figure 3, the mirror assembly includes illumination means in the form of lights 15 located behind but alongside the transparent areas 3, 4 in the plane mirror 1. Alternatively they may be located elsewhere and the light emitted therefrom directed to said clear areas 3, 4 by appropriate optical devices such as fibre optic bundles, light pipes, mirrors and/or lenses.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, extruded aluminium channels 13, 14 are secured to the rear of the plane mirror 1 on either side of the magnifying mirror 5 in the region of each of the transparent areas 3, 4 to provide a guide for filter members 18, 19 to slide therein. A low voltage tungsten halogen lamp 15 with a combined reflector and heat shield 16 is attached to each pair of channels in the region of the clear areas 3,4.

Each filter 18, 19 is made of glass or some other translucent material and includes several sections of different colours depending on the use to which the mirror is to be put. The different colours alter the colour temperature of the white light emitted from the tungsten halogen lamp 15 to simulate the various light situations such as daylight, office lighting, home lighting etc.

The different coloured filter sections in filter 18 are arranged in the reverse order in filter 19 for reasons which will be explained hereafter. Each filter member 18, 19 is connected by means of a cable 22 through a cable outer 20 to a slider assembly 21 provided at the base of the mirror. It will be seen therefore that when the slider 21 is moved laterally to the left, filter member 18 will drop towards the base of the mirror whereas filter member 19 will rise by an equivalent distance and vice versa.

The intensity of the light emitted from the tungsten halogen bulbs 15 is controlled by means of rotary switch 25 in conjunction with resistors 26 in known manner. The resistor wires 26 are of low voltage and any heat generated thereby used for assisting in demisting the main mirror. Mirror 5 is demisted by means of foil disc 31 attached thereto which is heated by means of a heater pad 32.

As can be seen from Figure 4, the whole mirror assembly is mounted on a frame 30 attached to a wall or other upright surface. The frame is constructed so that the whole mirror assembly 1 can slide vertically and also pivot about its upper region towards and away from the wall on which it is mounted.

The electrical system for the mirror can be connected to a mains power supply of 115V, 220V and 240V but this voltage is stepped down to 12V by means of a transformer (not shown).

Claims

1. A dual purpose mirror assembly comprising a plane non-magnifying mirror having a transparent area within its perimeter behind which a concave magnifying mirror is located.

2. A mirror as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the concave mirror is attached to the rear of the plane mirror by means of an adhesive.

3. A mirror as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein lighting means are provided behind the plane mirror.

4. A mirror as claimed in Claim 3 wherein a light source is provided at each side of the concave mirror and means are provided for varying the colour of the light emitted from said light sources.

5. A mirror as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the means for varying the colour of the light emitted from each light source comprise a strip of translucent material divided into areas of different colours, the strip being mounted for movement relative to the light source so that the required coloured area on the strip can be positioned in front of the light source.

6. A mirror as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein electrical heating means are attached to the rear of the concave mirror to demist said mirror during use.

7. A mirror as claimed in any one of Claims 2-6 wherein the lighting means is connected to means for varying the intensity of the light transmitted there form.

8. A mirror as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the mirror assembly is mounted on a frame which permits the mirror to be moved vertically and also to be pivoted about its upper region outwardly from the frame.

9. A mirror as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the electrical system for the mirror is connectable to a power source of between 240 and 115V which is stepped down to 12 Volts by means of a transformer.

10. A mirror as claimed in any one of Claims 2-9 wherein the adhesive is a silicone rubber adhesive.