Abstract:
A vehicle side mirror that includes a forward scalp portion selectively removable from a forward side of the mirror housing. The scalp portion can be replaced with an extended auxiliary towing mirror scalp that conforms with the housing of the side mirror, and provides an extended auxiliary mirror attached thereto that is suitable for providing extended side viewing for towing purposes. In one particular embodiment, the towing scalp is interchangeable with an auxiliary turn signal light scalp to allow the towing vehicle to be readily converted to a suitable towing situation. In alternate embodiments, the towing mirror is slidably extendable from a support panel associated with a side mirror, or the tow mirror is pivotally extendable from a bottom surface of the side mirror.

Description:
This application claims benefit of provisional application No. 60/460,737 filed Oct. 20, 1999 which claim benefit of Ser. No. 60,208,570 filed Jun. 1, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to an extended side mirror of a vehicle for accommodating trailer towing and, more particularly, to an interchangeable mirror scalp connectable to an existing vehicle side mirror that provide a trailer towing mirror while maintaining an aesthetically mirror appearance. 
     2. Discussion of the Related Art 
     Vehicle side mirrors are typically provided on both sides of a motor vehicle that extend away form the side of the vehicle to give a vehicle operator right and left side rear views for lane changing and the like. Many different styles and designs exist in the art for such side mirrors. One particular design, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,785, issued Jun. 26, 2001, entitled “Exterior Rear View Mirror Integral Warning Light”, incorporated herein by reference, and assigned to the Assignee of this application. In that application, aesthetically contoured side mirrors are disclosed that include a mirror scalp removably attached to a forward portion of the side mirrors that include an auxiliary lane change indicator light connected thereto. The indicator light is connected to an extended edge of the mirror, to be readily visible to other vehicles. 
     The extended indicator light is integrated into a removable decorative covering which is secured to the mirror housing. A pigtail is provided for connecting the light to a wiring harness within the mirror housing. The indicator light is positioned on the outer surface of the vehicle&#39;s exterior side mirrors in such a manner so as to be visible throughout an arc extending about 90 degrees rearwardly from a line extending generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. In this manner, maximum visibility of the auxiliary indicator light is provided to other vehicles coming along side the vehicle, while still preventing the emitted light from being visible to the vehicle operator or oncoming traffic. 
     Certain vehicles are equipped with tow bars and the like to tow trailers, campers, boats, mobile homes, etc. Sometimes these towed vehicles are so wide that the existing side view mirrors on the vehicle do not extend out far enough to allow the vehicle operator to see around the towed vehicle. Therefore, it is heretofore been known in the art to equip the towing vehicle with auxiliary side mirrors that extend far enough from the sides of the vehicle to allow the vehicle operator to adequately see around the vehicle being towed. Typically, these auxiliary extended mirrors are after-market products that are bolted or attached to the side of the vehicle, and affect the appearance and aerodynamics of the vehicle. 
     What is needed is a more aesthetically pleasing trailer towing side mirror that can be attached to existing mirrors for trailer towing purposes. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide such a mirror. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a vehicle side mirror is disclosed that includes a forward scalp portion selectively removable from a forward side of the mirror housing. The scalp portion can be replaced with an extended auxiliary towing mirror scalp that conforms with the housing of the side mirror, and provides an extended auxiliary mirror attached thereto that is suitable for providing extended side viewing for towing purposes. In one particular embodiment, the towing scalp is interchangeable with an auxiliary turn signal light scalp to allow the towing vehicle to be readily converted to a suitable towing situation. In alternate embodiments, a towing mirror assembly is slidably extendable from an end of the side mirror, or is a towing mirror assembly pivotally extendable from a bottom surface of the side mirror. 
     In another embodiment, a spotter scalp is interchangeable with an auxiliary turn signal scalp to allow for towing and extended viewing from one side mirror. The spotter scalp incorporates the warning signal, thereby allowing the spotter scalp to be fully operable. In alternate embodiments, the spotter/signal scalp assembly has the signal display directly on the spotter glass, or the signal is incorporated on the scalp adjacent to the spotter glass. An additional embodiment of the spotter glass is the incorporation of a spotter mirror on the inboard portion of the main viewing glass. 
    
    
     Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a side mirror attached to a vehicle, and including an auxiliary towing mirror scalp, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an end view of the mirror shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing that the towing mirror scalp of the invention can replace an existing decorative scalp on the mirror; 
     FIG. 4 is a back view of the mirror shown in FIG. 1 with the towing scalp of the invention removed therefrom; 
     FIGS.  5 ( a ) and  5 ( b ) are perspective views of a side mirror of a vehicle including an extendable auxiliary towing mirror assembly in a stowed state and an extended state, respectively, according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the mirror shown in FIGS.  5 ( a ) and  5 ( b ); 
     FIG.  7 ( a ) is a perspective view of a vehicle side mirror including a pivotal auxiliary towing mirror, according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIGS.  7 ( b ) and  7 ( c ) are cross-sectional views of the side mirror shown in FIG.  7 ( a ) with the towing mirror in a stowed state and an extended state, respectively; 
     FIGS.  8 ( a ) and  8 ( b ) are two views of a wide angle towing mirror separated from the side mirror of the vehicle, according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG.  9 ( a ) is a perspective view of a side mirror incorporating a towing spotter mirror scalp; 
     FIG.  9 ( b ) is a side perspective view of FIG.  9 ( a ) detailing the spotter glass configuration; 
     FIG.  10 ( a ) is a perspective view of a vehicle side mirror incorporating a towing spotter/signal scalp, according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG.  10 ( b ) is a side perspective view of FIG.  10 ( a ) detailing the spotter glass and signal configuration; and 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a side mirror incorporating an inboard spotter mirror, according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following discussion of the preferred embodiments directed to a side mirror of a vehicle including an auxiliary towing spotter mirror is merely exemplary in nature, and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its applications or uses. 
     Referring now to the drawings and in particular FIGS. 1-4, there is shown an exterior rear view mirror assembly  10  installed on a door  12  of a motor vehicle  14 . The mirror assembly  10  is of the typical break away design, and includes a housing  16  pivotally supported on an arm  18  extending outwardly from a generally triangularly shaped mounting plate  20 . The housing  16  may be of any desired shape, and includes an upper wall portion  22 , a lower wall portion  24 , a forwardly facing wall portion  26  and inner and outer wall portions  28  and  30 , all of which merge together in a smooth manner so as to present a pleasing appearance. 
     The rearwardly facing portion of the housing  16  is open, and is adapted to receive a reflective mirror  32 . The mirror  32  may be any suitable type, such as a flat, concave or convex mirror, or the type which automatically adjusts to reduce glare. A suitable shaped support member (not shown) is secured within the housing  16  and serves to movably support the mirror  32  within the opening. The support member may include suitable drive motors or the like for remote control adjustment of the mirror  32 , as well as a device for heating the mirror  32  if desired. As thus far described, the mirror assembly  10  is typical to the existing side view mirror assemblies currently employed on various motor vehicles. 
     The housing  16  also contains a recessed portion  34  extending over at least a part of the upper, inner, outer and forwardly facing portions  22 ,  28 ,  30  and  26  that is adapted to receive a decorative towing scalp mirror assembly  36 . The mirror assembly  36  may be chrome or colored to match the vehicle, or have some other finish to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The mirror assembly  36  includes a decorative cover member portion  38  and an extended mirror portion  40 . The extended portion  40  can have any suitable shape, and be suitably extended in any design that allows it to be supported by the housing  16  and accommodate trailers and the like of different widths. The extended portion  40  includes a rearwardly extended recessed portion that is configured to accept a convex spot mirror  44  that extends from the side wall portion  30  of the housing  16 . 
     As particularly shown in FIG. 3, the scalp mirror assembly  36  is selectively interchangeable with a decorative scalp member  42  so that the decorative scalp member  42  can be removed and replaced with the towing scalp mirror assembly  36  when its use is necessary. Also, the scalp mirror assembly  36  can be interchangeable with the auxiliary warning light assembly disclosed in the &#39;866 patent application. 
     As also shown in FIG. 3, the scalp assembly  36  is provided with a plurality of outwardly extending tabs  60  and tangs  62 . FIG. 4 is a back view of the housing  16  with the scalp assembly  36  removed. According to one embodiment, the tabs  60  are inserted into slots  64  to appropriately align the assembly  36 , and the tangs  62  are inserted into openings  68  to be connected with extended tabs (not shown) in a snap fit engagement. This allows the assembly  36  to be secured to the housing  16  in an efficient and easy manner, and to be replaced with other decorative members, such as the scalp disclosed in the &#39;866 patent application. 
     FIGS.  5 ( a ) and  5 ( b ) show a vehicle side mirror assembly  72  including an extended auxiliary towing mirror assembly  74 , according to another embodiment of the present invention. The side mirror assembly  72  includes a mirror  74  for normal side rear viewing. The auxiliary towing mirror assembly  74  includes a convex spot mirror  78  for rear viewing during towing. The mirror assembly  74  is shown in a retracted position in FIG.  5 ( a ) and in an extended position in FIG.  5 ( b ) for use during the towing situation. 
     FIG. 6 shows an exploded perspective view of the side mirror assembly  72 . The side mirror assembly  72  includes a forward panel  80 , a support panel  82  connected to the vehicle, a decorative panel  84 , and the mirror  76  all being securable together in snap fit engagement, as shown. Any suitable tab and slot configuration can be used to assemble the assembly  72 . The assembly  74  is slidably attached to a side edge  86  of the support panel  82 . The assembly  74  includes two parallel tracks  88  that slidably engage with slots  90  in the support panel  82 . The convex mirror  78  mounts within an opening  92  in the assembly  72 . An edge piece  94  of the assembly  74  allows the assembly  74  to be readily grasped so that it can be slid out for towing and in for stowing. 
     FIG.  7 ( a ) shows a side mirror assembly  100  including a mirror housing  102 , a mirror  104  and a wide angle mirror  106 , according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIGS.  7 ( b ) and  7 ( c ) show cross-sectional views of the assembly  100 . The wide angle mirror  106  is mounted within a mirror housing  108  that is pivotally mounted to the housing  102  on a rod  110  at a pivot location. FIG.  7 ( b ) shows the housing  108  in a retracted position where it is positioned within the housing  102 . FIG.  7 ( c ) shows the housing  108  in an extended position where the mirror  106  extends below the housing  102  to allow a wide angle view for towing purposes. 
     FIGS.  8 ( a ) and  8 ( b ) show another embodiment of a wide angle mirror assembly  116  that can be used with a side mirror assembly of the invention. The wide angle mirror assembly  116  includes a T-shaped track  118  that allows it to be slidably positioned within a corresponding opening in the mirror assembly. Additionally, a spring  120  secured to a top portion of the assembly  116  allows the wide angle assembly  116  to be attached to the side mirror assembly in the spring attaching engagement. 
     FIG.  8 ( b ) shows a rear view of the mirror assembly  116 . The assembly may include a signal light  122  and/or LEDs  124  for appropriate signaling of the vehicle. LEDs  126  may also be used at the base for approach lights or the like. 
     Thus, in accordance with this embodiment, the mirror can be placed in a suitable slot in the side of a mirror housing using “T” track  118  for towing purposes. Alternatively, it could be stowed under a mirror by use of the spring clip sliding into a suitable slot in the underside of the mirror. 
     FIG.  9 ( a ) shows a vehicle side mirror assembly  50  including an extended auxiliary towing mirror assembly  52 , according to another embodiment of the present invention. The side mirror assembly  50  includes a mirror  54  for normal side rear viewing. The auxiliary towing mirror assembly  52  includes a spot mirror  56  for rear viewing during towing as well as a warning signal indicator  58  incorporated within the spot mirror  56 . The warning signal indicator  58  is incorporated within the spot mirror  56  of the auxiliary towing mirror assembly  52  by the use of muth signal glass in the spot mirror  56  as well as an L.E.D. FIG.  9 ( b ) is a side perspective view of FIG.  9 ( a ) detailing the spot mirror profile. As can be seen in FIG.  9 ( b ), the incorporation of the sport mirror  56  within the auxiliary towing mirror assembly  52  provides only a portion of the mirror  56  to be usable. It is within this usable portion of the spot mirror  56  that the warning signal indicator  58  is incorporated. 
     FIG.  10 ( a ) shows a vehicle side mirror assembly  60  including an extended auxiliary towing mirror assembly  62 , according to another embodiment of the present invention. The auxiliary towing mirror assembly  62  includes a spotter glass portion  66  and a warning signal indicator  64 . The warning signal indicator  64  is located above the spotter glass portion  66 . The spotter glass portion  66  and warning signal indicator  64  are incorporated within the auxiliary towing mirror assembly  62  and is interchangeable with a decorative scalp assembly. FIG.  10 ( b ) provides a side perspective view of the auxiliary towing mirror assembly  62  showing a detailed view of the spotter glass portion  66  and warning signal indicator  64 . assembly. FIG.  10 ( a ) provides a side perspective view of the auxiliary towing mirror assembly showing a detailed view of the spotter glass and warning signal indicator. 
     FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of a vehicle side mirror assembly  70  incorporating a spot mirror  72  inboard of the main viewing glass  74 . The spot mirror  72  is located on an extended arm  76  which pivotally supports a housing  78  which provides the main viewing glass  74 . The spot mirror  72  may have a variety of configurations, with a preferred embodiment having approximately a height of 3 inches and a width of 3 inches. The spot mirror  72 , similar to the main viewing glass  74 , may be fixed in position or recessed within the extended arm  76  of the mirror assembly  70  to allow slight rotation of the spot mirror  72 . This further allows for enhanced visibility when using the spot mirror  72 . 
     The foregoing discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion and from the accompanying drawings and claims, that various changes, modifications or variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.