Center mount visor arm assembly

A center mounted visor assembly for mounting in a vehicle that allows the visor to be rotated downward and upward, from front windshield to side window, and horizontally along the windshield from vehicle side to vehicle center as needed is taught. Provision for vanity power for a vanity light is also taught.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a sun visor assembly mounted to a vehicle in the center area of the headliner. More particularly, the present invention relates to a center mounted sun visor assembly having a sun visor blade that may be used both in the front and side of a vehicle and which may further move horizontally across the front of the vehicle windshield area.

2. Description of the Related Art

The use of sun visors in vehicles is well known. Attached to the vehicle roof adjacent to the windshield, sun visors are made in various sizes and are made from a variety of materials. Typically sun visors are mounted on a bent arm shaft that is attached to the roof header adjacent to each side of the vehicle. The sun visor may be rotated around the bent arm shaft mounting bezel to allow use both in the front and on the side of the vehicle. However, typically even when both sun visors are positioned in the front of the windshield in a down or use position there is a portion of the windshield in the center area that is not shielded by the sun visor and therefore does not block the glare of the sun from the front seat occupants, most importantly the driver.

To overcome this limitation of the typical corner mounted pair of sun visors at least one patent teaches the use of three sun visors mounted across the front of the windshield. This however, requires the use of an additional piece of equipment, an extra assembly procedure, and added cost.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,047 issued Jun. 4, 1985 to Saxman teaches the use of three sun visors mounted across the windshield. There is no provision for horizontal movement across the windshield by any of the three sun visors.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,718 issued Sep. 16, 2003 to Tiesler teaches a modular sun visor assembly utilizing a side mounted sun visor arm.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,799 issued Oct. 28, 2003 to Tiesler teaches another modular sun visor mounted using a side mount sun visor arm.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0160473 published Aug. 28, 2003 to Tiesler teaches yet another modular sun visor utilizing a side mounted sun visor arm.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a sun visor assembly that would allow for the use of only two sun visors and which would allow at least one of said sun visors of being capable of moving in horizontally across the windshield to allow for sun blocking in the center of the windshield.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides advantages and alternatives over the prior art by providing a center mounted visor that may be used to cover the side window or the windshield over the area from the edge to the center of the windshield as is required.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a center mounted visor assembly for use in a vehicle allowing the visor to be raised, lowered, moved from windshield to side window, as well as moved across the windshield comprising in cooperative combination: a center mount assembly comprising: a center mount base having attachment clips for mounting to a vehicle roof header, and retainer clips and slide track retainer clips to attach said center mount base to a vehicle headliner; and a center mount cover moveably attached to said center mount base, and having a fixed arm fixedly attached thereto; a center mount visor bezel assembly comprising: an upper portion having said fixed arm fixedly attached thereto, and further having a ball retaining cavity and ball retaining clip mounting slot; and a lower portion having a ball for connecting said lower portion to said upper portion, and a visor arm fixedly attached thereto; a fixed arm having two ends, one end fixedly attached to said center mount cover and the other end fixedly attached to said upper portion of said center mount visor bezel assembly; and a visor arm fixedly attached to said lower portion of said center mount visor bezel, said visor arm suitable for mounting a visor thereon: thereby providing a visor assembly that allows for a visor to rotate around the axis of said visor arm, said visor arm capable of rotating on its connected end from windshield to side window, and said visor capable of moving laterally along the windshield.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a center mounted visor assembly for use in a vehicle allowing the visor to be raised, lowered, moved from windshield to side window, as well as moved across the windshield comprising in cooperative combination: a center mount assembly comprising: a center mount base having attachment clips for mounting to a vehicle roof header, and retainer clips and slide track retainer clips to attach said center mount base to a vehicle headliner, vanity power wiring; and a center mount cover moveably attached to said center mount base, and having a fixed arm fixedly attached thereto; a center mount visor bezel assembly comprising: an upper portion having said fixed arm fixedly attached thereto, vanity power wiring, and further having a ball retaining cavity and ball retaining clip mounting slot; and a lower portion having a ball for connecting said lower portion to said upper portion, a vanity power contact connected to said vanity power wiring, and a visor arm fixedly attached thereto; a fixed arm having two ends, one end fixedly attached to said center mount cover and the other end fixedly attached to said upper portion of said center mount visor bezel assembly; and a visor arm fixedly attached to said lower portion of said center mount visor bezel, said visor arm suitable for mounting a visor thereon: thereby providing a visor assembly that allows for a visor to rotate around the axis of said visor arm, said visor arm capable of rotating on its connected end from windshield to side window, and said visor capable of moving laterally along the windshield.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein to the extent possible like reference numerals are utilized to designate like components throughout the various views. Referring toFIG. 1, which presents a perspective view of the of the center mount visor arm assembly100comprising a center mount assembly10, a center mount visor bezel assembly20, and visor arm6. Also shown by arrow12is the horizontal movement of the center mount assembly10.

As further shown inFIG. 1the center mount assembly10comprises a center mount base1fixedly attached to vehicle roof header21by fasteners2, a center mount cover3horizontally moveably attached to mount base1by way of sliding tracks of sliding track clips52and having fixedly attached to one end of said center mount cover3a fixed arm4by one of its ends, the other end of fixed arm4fixedly attached to visor bezel assembly20. Also shown is headliner22having center mount base1fixedly attached thereto by means of retainer clips51and slide track retainer clips52. Fixed arm4is preferably hollow to allow the installation of power vanity wiring7to run therethrough.

As also shown inFIG. 1, is visor arm6rotationally mounted on one of its ends to visor bezel assembly20. Arrow12describing the rotation movement of visor arm6from the front to side and back.

Referring now toFIG. 2, there is shown a perspective view of the center mount visor arm assembly100comprising a center mount assembly10, a center mount visor bezel assembly20, and visor arm6with a visor5mounted thereon.

As further shown inFIG. 2the center mount assembly10comprises a center mount base1having roof header fasteners2, a center mount cover3horizontally moveably attached to mount base1by way of sliding tracks of sliding track clips52and having fixedly attached to one end of said center mount cover3a fixed arm4by one of its ends, the other end of fixed arm4fixedly attached to visor bezel assembly20. Also shown is center mount base1having headliner retainer clips51and slide track retainer clips52. Fixed arm4is preferably hollow to allow the installation of power vanity wiring7to run therethrough connecting to vanity power contact30(FIG. 4).

As also shown inFIG. 2, is visor arm6rotationally mounted on one of its ends to visor bezel assembly20and visor5mounted on visor arm6. Arrow12describing the rotation movement of visor5and visor arm6from the front to side and back. Arrow13describing the pivoting movement of visor5on visor arm6.

FIG. 3shows a section plan view of the center mount visor assembly100of the present invention mounted in the roof header21of roof24and the headliner22of a vehicle by means of roof header fasteners2and headliner retainer clips51and slide track retainer clips52. Also shown are mount base1and center mount cover3of center mount assembly10as well as visor5and windshield23. The visor5is in the up or non-use position as shown here.

FIG. 4shows a partial perspective blow-up view of the visor arm6fixedly attached to the lower portion43of visor bezel assembly20having ball40attached thereto and mountable in the upper portion44of visor bezel assembly20in ball retaining cavity42(FIG. 7) and moveably fixed therein by ball clip41. Also shown is vanity wiring7, and vanity power contact30molded into visor bezel assembly20upper portion44.

Turning now toFIG. 5, there is shown a cross section plan front view of the center mount visor arm assembly100in its center most position, comprising center mount assembly10having a mount base1fixedly attached to vehicle roof header21by fasteners2, center mount cover3moveably attached to mount base1by way of sliding tracks of sliding track clips52(FIG. 1) and having fixedly attached to one end of said center mount cover3a fixed arm4by one of its ends, the other end of fixed arm4fixedly attached to visor bezel assembly20. Also shown is mount base cover8, mount base cover locking tabs9, and mount base cover hinge13. Visor bezel assembly20having an upper portion44into which fixed arm4is fixedly attached and also having a ball retaining cavity42(FIG. 7) for receiving the ball40of visor bezel assembly20lower portion43and said ball40(FIG. 4) being retained in said ball retaining cavity42by ball retainer clip41. Lower portion43of visor bezel assembly20has fixedly attached therein one end of visor arm6. Also shown is vanity wiring7, center check53and headliner22.

FIG. 6shows a cross section plan front view of the center mount visor arm assembly100in its side most position, comprising center mount assembly10having a mount base1having fasteners2, center mount cover3moveably attached to mount base1by way of sliding tracks of sliding track clips52(FIG. 1) and having fixedly attached to one end of said center mount cover3a fixed arm4by one of its ends. Also shown is vanity wiring7and headliner22as well as mount base cover8and mount base cover locking tabs9.

FIG. 7shows a cross section through section line A—A ofFIG. 5showing the portion of the visor bezel assembly20having a upper portion44containing a ball retaining cavity42and a ball retaining clip slot45and a lower portion43having a ball40mounted thereon. The upper portion44and lower portion43being held together by the retained ball40in retaining cavity42by retaining clip41(FIG. 4).

FIG. 8shows a cross section through section line B—B ofFIG. 5showing that portion of the visor bezel assembly20having fixedly attached one end of fixed arm4in the upper portion44, and one end of visor arm6fixedly attached in the lower portion43.

FIG. 9shows a cross section through section line C—C ofFIG. 5showing that portion of the visor bezel assembly20having molded in vanity power contact30(FIG. 4) connected to vanity wiring7(FIG. 4), center check53, and one end of visor arm6fixedly mounted therein.

FIG. 10shows a cross section through section line D—D ofFIG. 5showing the mount base1having headliner retainer clips51thereon and also having slide track retainer clips52thereon. Center mount cover3is moveably mounted to mount base1by the slide track portion of slide track retainer clips52. Further is shown the mount base cover8and headliner22.

FinallyFIG. 11shows a cross section through section line E—E ofFIG. 6showing mount base1mounted in headliner22by means of headliner retainer clips51and slide track retainer clips52. Also shown is mount base cover8.

The vanity wiring7may be made of any well-known electrically conductive material, presently preferred is copper metal flatwire. Similarly, the molded in vanity power contact30may be made of any well-known electrically conductive material, presently preferred is copper metal. Likewise, the center mount visor arm assembly100members may be made of any well-known non-conductive material including, for example, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polypropylene, nylon, and acetyl, preferably the center mount visor arm assembly members are made of the same material as that of the sun visor.

In the preferred embodiment the base mount1, base mount cover8, base mount cover locking tabs9, and base mount cover hinge13are all molded as a single plastic unit and the base mount cover hinge13is a living hinge. This unit may be injection molded of suitable plastics well known in the art including, for example, polypropylene, nylon, acetyl, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and the like.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention has been disclosed, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.