Donnelly Mirrors Limited

Donnelly Corporation

Philip D Stegenga

Wayne Vandenbrink

Richard D Hutchinson, Jr

John F Thomas

William L Katsma

Denis Wood

Barry Dipper

Robert L Norton

John H Veltkamp

Wayne Vanden Brink

A rearview mirror support bracket is disclosed having a body defining a front surface, a rear surface, a top end and a bottom end. A pair of elongated, spaced, opposed clips are formed on the back surface of the body. The clips define grooves for receipt of a windshield mounted button. The body has an I-beam configuration in cross section and includes a central web and front and rear flanges defining the front and back surfaces. A wall surrounds the opposed clips and defines an open end through which the button may be slid. Resilient tension and support members are defined by the rear flange in the clip area. At least one resilient retainer is defined by the rear flange. The retainer engages the button and retains the bracket on the button after assembly. The front flange adjacent its lower end defines a spherical ball which is adapted to be snap fitted into a correspondingly configured socket included in a mirror case assembly. The clips and bracket are dimensioned so that when a predetermined force impacts the ball, the clips will separate from the button and the bracket will break away from the button support.

Rearview mirror support bracket

An inside rearview mirror assembly for vehicles preferably including four parts, namely, a molded breakaway mirror support bracket, a molded mirror case, a prismatic reflective mirror element, and a rigid, molded pivot actuator for moving the case and mirror element between day and night positions for reduced glare. The support bracket has a body with an I-beam configuration in cross section and vibration reducing ribs extending between front and rear flanges adjacent a central web defining the I-beam shape. Resilient clips define grooves for receipt of a windshield mounted button over which the bracket is slid and snapped on. Resilient tension and support members are included along with at least one resilient retainer to keep the bracket on the button. The case includes a peripheral lip allowing snap-in insertion of the mirror element and flexible resilient portions which provide a biasing force urging the pivot actuator into either the day or night position. Preferably, a ball and socket joint extends between the bracket and actuator for adjustment.

Vehicle mirror and support assembly

The specification discloses a constant torque pivot assembly for connecting a pivot arm supporting a mirror or the like to a support bracket coupled to the side of a vehicle. A pivot axle extends through apertures in the pivot arm and the support bracket and has heads at the extremities to compress therebetween noncorrosive washers and a spring so that relative rotational movement between the pivot arm and the support bracket is resisted by a constant torque.

Constant torque pivot assembly

This specification discloses a vehicular mirror assembly adapted for exterior use on vehicles and is corrosion resistant, has low vibration, resists unintentional adjustment and may be adjusted when desired to a full range of positions. A mirror head housing is attached to a vehicular body housing by a support shaft pivotally secured to each housing by a pivot assembly. Each pivot assembly includes two coacting journal bearing members with a frictional member therebetween to provide a constant biasing force continuously over the life of the assembly which resists rotation of the shaft with respect to the housings. In the preferred embodiment, one of the journal bearing members is a serpentine spring.

Vehicular mirror assembly and pivot support assembly therefor

Vehicular mirror support

Combined vehicle rearview mirror and mounting bracket

This specification discloses a pivot support bracket for mounting a pivotable member supporting a mirror or the like. The bracket includes a base having an integral flange for strengthening and rigidifying the base and partially covering a coupling including a pivot axle between the base and the pivotable member. Further, the pivot axle serves both as the axis of rotation of the pivotable member and, together with a spring, as a structure for applying a constant, preset, externally nonadjustable biasing force against detent means which rotationally stabilize and resist rotation of the pivotable member with respect to the base. Applying a pivoting force above a certain magnitude to the pivotable member overcomes the biasing force and permits rotation of the pivotable member with respect to the base.

Pivot support bracket

Mirror support housing

Growing community of inventors

West Olive, MI, United States of America

Philip D Stegenga