WO2001033259A1

WO2001033259A1 - Sectioned oval elliptical mirror

Info

Publication number: WO2001033259A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/030777
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daniel M. Swain; William P. Schmidt
Original assignee: Swain Daniel M; Schmidt William P
Priority date: 1999-11-03
Filing date: 2000-11-03
Publication date: 2001-05-10
Also published as: AU1591001A; CA2358456A1

Abstract

A mirror lens (20) is defined by a section of an oval elliptical mirror lens and an assembly includes a mirror support (38) and a mirror mount (44). The mirror lens (20) has a major axis (32) and a minor axis (34).

Description

SECTIONED OVAL ELLIPTICAL MIRROR

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a completion application of co-pending

U S Provisional Patent Application Serial No 60/163369, filed Nov 3,

2000 for "Sectioned Oval Elliptical Mirror", the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of Invention The present invention relates to mirrors and more particularly to oval elliptical mirrors Even more particularly, the present invention relates to mirror lenses produced from a section of an oval elliptical mirror

Description of Prior Art

The use of wide field of view mirrors to observe areas not easily viewed from a stationary position is long established in the art Traditionally, the shape of such mirrors has been circular with the surface or lens of the mirror being convex Another popular shape, although less traditional, has been a rectangular wide field of view mirror having a convex lens or reflective mirror surface A mirror which has achieved wide acceptance and popularity as a fender mounted exterior vehicle mirror is that disclosed in U S Patent No 5,954,520 A newer shape enjoying some popularity is an oval elliptical mirror, such as the

SUBSTTTUTE SHEET (RULE 26) type described in U S Patent No 5,589,984 to Schmidt and Hutchinson the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated by reference herein

As is known the basic convex surface for a mirror was created to provide viewing of a wide area and to reduce the viewing image to one easily viewed by the person occupying the stationary position However, the traditional convex mirror surface area coverage, whether the mirror is circular or rectangular, is limited by the edge or outer perimeter of the mirror as well as by its size To increase the area of viewing coverage with traditional convex mirrors, one must necessarily increase the size of the mirror Clearly the mirror size eventually reaches a point where it is not feasible to use

Accordingly, attempts have been made in the art to provide a bigger and wider viewing area by flattening the center of the mirror and rounding the edges However this results in a distorted viewing image which renders such a mirror difficult to use

Thus, a mirror which would be smaller and easier to handle and position while still providing an increased field of view would be highly desirable It is to this end that the present invention is directed

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a mirror lens which comprises a portion section of an oval elliptical mirror lens and an assembly therefor including a mirror support and a mirror mount. The present lens generally comprises a section, preferably equal to or less than one half of an oval elliptical mirror lens as taken along both the major axis and minor axis thereof The mirror lens is generally, shaped as an ellipsoid having a first major axis and a minor axis distinct from the first major axis, the mirror lens further including a reflective surface The assembly comprises a mirror support and a mount for mounting the mirror to a surface such as a wall or analogous portion of a vehicle such as a school bus, truck, or the like

The mirror lens from which the present invention is sectioned as noted is shaped as an oval ellipsoid with the longer axis of the oval corresponding with the first major axis of the ellipsoid and the shorter access of the oval corresponding with the minor axis of the ellipsoid In general, the minor axis is generally perpendicular to the major axis It is to be noted that the mirror lens has a varying radius of curvature along each of the major and minor axes The mirror lens is domed and has a height which in relation to the major axis has a major axis to dome height ratio of about 4 1 to about 10 1 at the apex of the dome In a particularly preferred embodiment of the subject invention the present lens comprises a quarter section of the original oval ellipsoid shape, the quarter section generally being taken along both the major axis and minor axis of the original oval ellipsoid The assembly includes means for supporting the lens and which, generally, urges against the edges of the rear surface of the mirror lens The means for supporting and the mirror lens are fixedly secured to each other by a gasket or the like The means for supporting is removably connected to the means for mounting the mirror assembly to a mounting surface The mounting surface will dictate the type of mounting employed For example when mounting the assembly to a wall or the like, a first fastener such as a nut and bolt fastens the means for mounting to the means for supporting A second fastener which may be a screw or the like fixedly attaches the mirror assembly to the mounting surface

Where the mirror is used on or in a vehicle, such as a school bus, truck, or the like, other suitable mounting members may be employed

The mirror lens may be positioned with the long or first major axis vertically This provides an extended or etongated image from the top to bottom Also the longer major axis may be positioned horizontally This provides a widened image from side to side Further, the longer or first major axis of the mirror may be positioned at any angle between vertical and horizontal The various features, advantages, and other uses of the present invention will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawings

Throughout the detailed description and drawings, identical reference numbers are used to refer to the same components shown in the multiple figures, in which

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Fig I is an end view of a mirror lens in accordance herewith

Fig 2 is a top plan view of an oval elliptical mirror showing the sectioning thereof,

Fig 2A is a side view of an oval elliptical mirror hereof,

Fig 3 is an environmental view showing the lens hereof in use,

Fig 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig 2, and

Fig 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig

2 DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawing, there is depicted therein an embodiment of the present invention showing a sectioned mirror generally denoted at 10 The mirror 10 generally comprises

(a) a mirror lens 20 formed as a portion of an oval elliptical mirror, the mirror being equal to or less than one half of a full oval elliptical mirror and, preferably, generally about a quarter section of a full oval elliptical mirror, the full oval elliptical mirror from which the inventive section is taken being an ellipsoid 30 with a first major axis 32 and a minor axis 34 distinct from the first major axis 32, the mirror lens 20 having a reflective surface 22 and a rear surface 24,

(b) a mirror support 38, and

(c) a mirror mount 44 for mounting the mirror 10 to a mounting surface 12

The mirror lens 20 is a portion of an oval and is equal to or less than half of a full oval 30 and preferably is a quarter section of a full oval elliptical mirror where the full oval ellipsoid mirror from which the sectioned subject invention is taken is formed with varying New York, NY 10174 radii of curvature along both the first major axis 32 and the second minor axis 34 In general, the source mirror lens has a smaller radius of curvature proximate the perimeter and a larger radius of curvature proximate the apex of the dome In a preferred embodiment the subject mirror is formed as a section of a source mirror in which the apex of the dome extends to a height in the range of between 2 and 4 inches from the edge or perimeter 26 of the ellipsoid, and which surrounds the reflective surface 22. While a preferred embodiment would have the intersection of the major and minor axes at a height approximately 3.25 inches above the perimeter, as this provides an even extended field of view, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the height of this intersection or apex of the ellipsoid may vary even beyond the range specified above, as the application requires a resulting field of view

In a preferred embodiment of the present mirror 10, the mirror lens 20 is formed as substantially a quarter of the full ellipsoid source mirror. More particularly, the preferred quartered section is generally taken along both the first major axis 32 and the second minor axis 34 of a full mirror 21 (Fig 2) ) such that the corner corresponding to the intersection of the major and minor axes along the full oval source mirror is both a generally right angle and of a height equivalent to the apex of the full source mirror, preferably about 3 25 inches.

In a particularly preferred embodiment hereof the present lens is equal to or less than one-half of the lens of the above-referred to '984 patent as it is sectioned along the minor axis In other words the lens is equal to one-half of the lens of the '984 patent that would be sectioned along the minor axis and, then, to form the one-quarter lens, the one-half lens would then be sectioned along the major axis. Of course this procedure could be reversed, i e sectioning along the minor axis first followed by sectioning along the major axis

The mirror lens 20 includes a non-reflective rear surface 24 which is also defined by the perimeter 26 The rear surface 26 of the mirror lens 20 is urged against the means 38 for supporting the mirror lens 20 proximate the perimeter 24

The mirror lens 20 may also include an opaque band 70 integrally formed with the reflective surface surrounding the reflective surface

The mirror assembly 10 hereof is contemplated for use in connection with either the exterior and/or interior of a vehicle such as a school bus, van truck or like (not shown) Any suitable means for mounting the mirror assembly 10 to a vehicle may be used herein

Advantageously for exterior use the mirror mounts disclosed and claimed in U S Pat No 4,804,257, entitled "Vibration Dampened Mirror Apparatus ' U S Pat No 4,500,063 entitled "Fender Mount for Mirror",

U S Pat No 5 106 063 entitled "Vehicle Mounting Assembly" U S Pat

No 4, 116,013, entitled "Mounting Mechanism", U S Pat No 5,116,013, entitled Mounting Mechanism" ,and in U S Patent Nos 5,301 ,916 and

5,316,257 the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference, may be used Of course other suitable prior art mounts may, also, be used For vehicular interior use, any suitable bracketry such as that disclosed in the above-referred to '984 patent for wall mounting may be used

As noted, in use, the mirror assembly 10 may be used as an internal or external mirror for passenger buses, motor homes, etc and other limited view areas within buildings and other type structures

The mirror assembly 10 may also be used for outside security purposes

The sectional oval mirror assembly 10 may be mounted or positioned with the long axis or first major axis vertical to the ground or floor This provides for an extended field-of-view from top to bottom

Also, the mirror assembly may be mounted or positioned with the long axis or first major axis horizontal to the floor or ground This, then, provides an extended field-of-view from side to side Further, it may be desirable to position or mount the mirror assembly with the long axis or first major axis at any angle within a 3600 positioning range The specific need will dictate the method of mounting and positioning the mirror

In a particularly preferred embodiment and as shown in

Fig 3, the present invention is contemplated as being deployed as an exterior vehicle mirror More specifically, it is contemplated that a pair of mirrors 20 and 80 be vertically axially disposed adjacent the front of a vehicle, at the side thereof, such as a school bus 100 In such an array, and as shown, the first lens 80, which is, preferably, a flat or planar reflective surface, is encased in a housing 102 and is secured to a support or support shaft 104 in a first orientation The second or lower lens 20 is encased in a housing 106 similar to housing 102 and is secured to the support 104 in like fashion to that of the first housing The housings 102 and 106 are shown as rotated 1800 about a vertical axis

The second lens is axially vertically displaced from the first lens This axial spacing and an exemplary mounting to the support shaft is shown in U S Patent No 4 830,326, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference In outfitting a school bus or similar vehicle, and as shown, four lenses 20, 20', 80 and 80' are used, with the lenses

20 and 20' corresponding to sections of the oval elliptical lens of Fig 2

The lenses 80, 80' may be the same as lens 20 or another type of lens, such as a flat or planar lens used conjointly with the lens hereof Similarly the present lens may be operatively connected to a remote control mechanism for adjustable positioning thereof Also, when coupling a lens hereof with another lens, they may br mounted within a single housing wherein at least one of the lenses may be remotely adjustable or the entire housing, itself

Having, thus, described the invention, what is claimed is

Claims

What is Claimed is

1 A mirror lens, comprising a portion of an oval elliptical mirror, the mirror lens being equal to or less than one half of a full oval elliptical mirror

2 The lens of claim 1 wherein the lens is about a quarter section of a full oval elliptical mirror

3 The lens of claim 2, wherein the full oval elliptical mirror is an ellipsoid having a first major axis and a minor axis distinct from the first major axis, the lens having a reflective surface and a rear surface

4 The lens of claim 3 wherein the oval elliptical mirror has a varying radius of curvature along at least one axis thereof

5 The lens of claim 4 wherein the oval elliptical mirror has a varying radius of curvature along its major axis

6 A mirror assembly, comprising (a) a mirror lens being equal to or less than one half of a full oval elliptical mirror,

(b) a mirror support, and

(c) a mirror mount for mounting the mirror to a mounting surface

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein: the surface is a surface of a school bus.

8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein: the lens is about a quarter section of a full oval elliptical mirror.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein: the full oval elliptical mirror is an ellipsoid with a first major axis and a minor axis distinct from the first major axis, the mirror lens having a reflective surface and a rear surface 10 The assembly of claim 9, wherein: the oval elliptical mirror has a varying radius of curvature along at least one axis thereof

11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein: the oval elliptical mirror has a varying radius of curvature along its major axis.