Abstract:
A wall mountable mirror includes an enclosure and a replaceable film sheet allowing easy repair to commercial bathroom mirrors following vandalism. The enclosure includes a backing frame and a face frame. The backing frame is mounted to a wall and the face frame is connected to the backing frame by two pairs of parallel links. A top link pair is preferably longer than a bottom link pair. The film sheet includes small edge rods attached along each edge. The face is pulled out and down to open the enclosure to replace the film sheet. When the face is closed, the last closing motion provided by the links is a parallel motion which uniformly stretches the film sheet by pushing the edge rods over corresponding curved tensioning members to stretch the film sheet providing uniform stretching in two dimensions to provide a flat reflecting surface.

Description:
The present application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/407,673 filed Oct. 28, 2010, which application is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to mirrors and in particular to a commercial bathroom mirror with a replaceable film sheet for simple and low cost repair. 
     Mirror assemblies in bathrooms in commercial locations, such as restaurants, are often vandalized. When glass mirrors of the mirror assembly are damaged, the entire mirror assembly must generally be replaced at substantial cost. In many locations, mirror assemblies have been removed from restrooms due to the frequent vandalism. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a wall mountable mirror which includes an enclosure and a replaceable refill sheet allowing easy repair to commercial bathroom mirrors following vandalism. The enclosure includes a backing frame and a face frame. The backing frame is mounted to a wall and the face frame is connected to the backing frame by two pairs of parallel links. A top link pair is preferably longer than a bottom link pair. The refill sheet includes small edge rods attached along each edge. The face frame is pulled out and down to open the enclosure to replace the refill sheet. When the face frame is closed, the last closing motion provided by the links is a parallel motion which uniformly stretches the refill sheet by pushing the edge rods over corresponding curved tensioning members to stretch the refill sheet providing uniform stretching in two dimensions to provide a flat reflecting surface 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a mirror with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A  is a front view of the mirror with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2B  is a side view of the mirror with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2C  is a top view of the mirror with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the mirror with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention with an opened face frame. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional side view of the mirror with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 4A  is a cross-sectional side view of detail  4 A of  FIG. 4  of the mirror with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 4B  is a cross-sectional side view of detail  4 B of  FIG. 4  of the mirror with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  shown a sliding locking system of the mirror with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 6A  shows a front view of a refill sheet suitable for use with the mirror with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 6B  shows a side view of the refill sheet suitable for use with the mirror with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 7A  shows a fixture used in the production of the refill sheet according to the present invention before forming an edge of the refill sheet. 
         FIG. 7B  shows the fixture with a formed edge of the refill sheet according to the present invention formed. 
         FIG. 8  shows a method for the production of the refill sheet positioning a rod in the fixture. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims. 
     A perspective view of a mirror  10  with replaceable refill sheet reflector according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 , a front view of the mirror  10  is shown in  FIG. 2A , a side view of the mirror  10  is shown in  FIG. 2B , and a top view of the mirror  10  is shown in  FIG. 2C . The mirror  10  is wall mountable and particularly suitable for use in restrooms in commercial locations where vandalism is common. The mirror  10  includes a face frame having a window  15  exposing a refill sheet  18  and a window frame  14   b  around the window  15 . 
     A side view of the mirror  10  with an opened face frame  14  is shown in  FIG. 3 . The face frame  14  is attached to a fixed (e.g., attached to a wall) backing frame  12  by pivoting upper arms  16   a  and lower arms  16   b . The upper arms  16   a  are preferably longer than the lower arms  16   b  to provide a preferred closing movement of the face frame  14 . For example, the upper arms  16   a  may be about 5.7 inches long and the lower arms  16   b  may be about 1.6 inches long. A key passage  32   a  in the face frame allows a key  32  (see  FIG. 5 ) to be inserted through the face frame  14  to engage and disengage a sliding lock  26  (see  FIG. 4A ) at the top of the mirror  10 . When engaged, the sliding lock  26  holds the face frame  14  against the backing frame  12 , thereby holding a refill sheet  18  in tension to provide a smooth reflective surface very similar to a glass mirror. The upper arms  16   a  have a first generally vertical position shown in dashed lines and pivot around a fixed pivot  17   a  in the backing frame  12  to a second non-generally vertical position shown in solid lines, and the lower arms  16   b  have a first generally vertical position shown in dashed lines and pivot around a fixed pivot  17   b  in the backing frame  12  to a second non-generally vertical position shown in solid lines. 
     A cross-sectional side view of the mirror  10  taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2A  is shown in  FIG. 4 , a cross-sectional side view of detail  4 A of  FIG. 4  of the mirror  10  is shown in  FIG. 4A , and a cross-sectional side view of detail  4 B of  FIG. 4  of the mirror  10  is shown in  FIG. 4B . Tensioning members  20  are attached to the backing frame  12  near the perimeter of the backing frame  12 . The tensioning member  20  include an arced forward facing surface  20   a  reaching out from the backing frame  12  towards the face frame  14  curving and then inward under edges  18   a  of the refill sheet  18 . The refill sheet  18  is sandwiched between the surface  20   a  and a compressible material  22  attached to an inward facing surface of the face frame  14 , preferably concealed outside an inward angled edge  14   a  surrounding the viewable portion of the refill sheet  18 . The refill sheet  18  preferably includes rods (or dowel rods)  36  (see  FIGS. 6A and 6B ) attached to four sides of a film sheet  39  of the refill sheet  18 . A round rod is preferred, but rods with other cross-sections, for example, oval, elliptical, square, hexagonal, octagonal, and the like may also be used. 
     The sliding lock  26  resides at the top of the mirror  10  and locks the face frame  14  in the closed position. Pins  24  at the bottom of the mirror  10  are fixed to the bottom of the face frame  14  and enter passages  25  in corresponding positions at the bottom of the backing frame  12  to further position the closed face frame  14  on the backing frame  12 . 
     The sliding lock  26  is shown in  FIG. 5 . The sliding lock  26  comprises a sliding bar  27 , guides  28 , and catches  30 . The catches  30  cooperate with angles  26   a  attached to the horizontal top edge of the backing from 12 to hold the face frame  14  in the closed position. A key  32  is inserted through the key passage  32   a  (see  FIG. 3 ) and engages the sliding bar  27  to engage and disengage the sliding lock  26 . 
     A front view of a refill sheet  18  suitable for use with the mirror  10  is shown in  FIG. 6A  and a side view of the refill sheet  18  is shown in  FIG. 6B . The refill sheet  18  comprises a film sheet  38  and preferably includes rods  36  attached to the edges of the film sheet  38 . The rods  36  cooperate with the tensioning member  20  and compressible material  22  to stretch the film sheet  38  into a flat reflective surface. The rods  38  may be taped or glued to the film sheet  38 . While including the rods  36  is preferred, a film sheet with no rods, with thick edges, spaced apart tabs, or any structure to facilitate placing the film sheet in tension then the mirror frame is closed, may alternatively be used, and such structure and use is intended to come with the scope of the present invention. 
     The rods  36  may conveniently be attached to the film sheet  18  using a tilting hinged assembly fixture having a flat surface with a dog-stop at one end. The tilting hinged fixture has a foam material cavity that surrounds the dowels. The foam material holds and prevents the dowels from falling out of the fixture as the tilting hinged fixture is rotated 180 degrees. The rods  36  are attached to the film sheet  18  using the following steps: 
     positioning tape sticky side up longitudinally across the tilt fixture; 
     raising the film sheet front edge prior to rolling the tape over the tilt fixture; 
     gently rolling back the film sheet front edge on top of the sticky surface of the tape wherein the film sheet is positioned outboard of the hinged tilt fixture, and the remaining sticky tape (not occupied by the now adhered film sheet), is located on the hinged fixture is used to adhere the dowel to the tape; 
     inserting the rod longitudinally on top of the remaining sticky tape surface, wherein positioning the rod at a repeatable location on top of the flat surface is performed by way of an end stop/positioning dog wherein the flat surface allows for an even adhesion to the sticky part of the tape by the dowel/rod; and 
     once the tilting hinge fixture with the trapped rod is rolled over unto the film sheet surface, placing the rod over (positioned by the tilt fixture) a slight cavity at the just formed edge of the now folded film sheet, wherein the slightly raised foam now presses the rod firmly into the slight cavity, and when the rod is pressed down, the remaining leading edge of the film sheet/sticky tape is rolled over unto the film sheet surface forming a flat non scalloped edge. 
     The operation is repeated until all four sides of the film sheet are now framed and positioned by the dowels rolled unto the film sheet. The precision of the film sheet framed position of the dowels allows for: proper alignment of the film sheet onto locating pins in the clam-shell back; for ease of removing damaged mirrors and placing new mirrors by an unskilled operator; the proper positioning of the mirror unto the open clam-shell; the ability to create a flat non optically distorted mirror surface. The flat surface is made possible by the proper position and repeatability of the tensional material inside the open clam-shell to locate and press onto the dowel thereby evenly stretching the film sheet into a perfectly even and optically correct surface. 
     A fixture  40  used in the production of the refill sheet according to the present invention before forming an edge of the refill sheet is shown in  FIG. 7A  and after forming an edge of the refill in  FIG. 7B , and a method for the production of the refill sheet according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 8 . The fixture  40  includes a lower tilt fixture  44  and a upper tilt fixture  46 . A slot  48  is provided on the upper tilt fixture  46  for positioning the rod  36 . Adhesive tape  50  is shown resting, adhesive face up, along the edge of the fixture  40  and the rod  36  is shown positioned in the slot  48  in  FIG. 7A . The steps for making the refill sheet  18  are: placing the adhesive tape, adhesive facing up, along edge of an edge of the fixture at step  100 ; placing a rod in slot in upper tilt fixture at step  102 ; pivot upper tilt fixture 180 degree to precisely position rod on adhesive tape at step  104 ; repeating for all four sides at step  106 ; position film on adhesive tape over all four dowels at step  108 , and rotate lower tilt fixture to sandwich rod and film between the adhesive layer at step  110 . 
     Various reflective thin film sheets may be suitable for use as the film sheet  38 . Examples of a suitable film sheet  38  is a polyester film sheet a biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (boPET) film sheet, or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and a specific example of a suitable film sheet  38  is Mylar® film. 
     While the mirror according to the present invention is described using the refill sheet  18 , in other embodiments the film sheet may be carried on a roll residing on one edge of the mirror, and mirrors using such roll are intended to come within the scope of the present invention. 
     While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.