Patent Publication Number: US-10782012-B2

Title: Illuminated mirror

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/718,615, filed on May 21, 2015 and entitled “Illuminated Mirror,” the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to mirrors, and more particularly illuminated mirrors. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Lighted or illuminated mirrors include a reflective mirror surface and a light source to illuminate a user or object positioned in front of the reflective mirror surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides, in one aspect, an illuminated mirror having a mirror defining a front surface and a rear surface. The mirror includes a reflective mirror portion and a translucent portion through which light can pass. A housing is secured to the rear surface of the mirror and the housing includes a first surface, a second surface, and a gap extending between the first surface and the second surface. The mirror further includes a light source coupled to a flexible substrate and positioned behind the rear surface of the mirror; and a reflective element secured to the rear surface and positioned adjacent the translucent portion of the mirror. The flexible substrate is secured to the first surface and the second surface. 
     The invention provides, in another aspect, an illuminated mirror having a mirror defining a front surface and a rear surface. The mirror includes a reflective mirror portion and a translucent portion through which light can pass. A housing is secured to the rear surface of the mirror, and a light source is positioned behind the rear surface of the mirror. A reflective element is secured to the rear surface and positioned adjacent the translucent portion of the mirror and the light source emits light that is reflected off the reflective element and passes through the translucent portion. 
     The invention provides, in another aspect, an illuminated mirror having a mirror defining a front surface and a rear surface. The mirror includes a reflective mirror portion and a translucent portion through which light can pass. A housing is secured to the rear surface of the mirror, and the housing includes a first surface, a second surface non-coplanar to the first surface, and a non-orthogonal transition extending between the first surface and the second surface. A light source is coupled to a continuous flexible substrate and positioned behind the rear surface of the mirror. The continuous flexible substrate is secured to the first surface and the second surface. 
     Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an illuminated mirror in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the illuminated mirror of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the illuminated mirror of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged partial rear view of the illuminated mirror of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  5 - 5  of the illuminated mirror in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a graph of the measured foot-candles of various illuminated mirror designs. 
     
    
    
     Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an illuminated mirror  10  (i.e., a lighted mirror) including a mirror  14  defining a front surface  18  and a rear surface  22  ( FIG. 3 ). The mirror  14  includes a reflective mirror portion  26  in which a user may see their reflection and a translucent portion  30  through which light can pass. In the illustrated embodiment, the translucent portion  30  of the mirror  14  is frosted glass (e.g., etched or sandblasted glass) and the translucent portion  30  borders the entire reflective mirror portion  26 . In alternative embodiments, the translucent portion  30  may be positioned anywhere on the front surface  18 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the illuminated mirror  10  further includes a housing  34  secured to the rear surface  22  of the mirror  14  by, for example, angled hangers  38  (e.g., French cleats). The housing  34  further includes a plurality of L-shaped brackets  42 , and is operable to support the illuminated mirror  10  on a wall  46 . Each of the L-shaped brackets  42  includes a wall-facing portion  50  ( FIG. 3 ) and a forwardly-extending tab  54  ( FIG. 2 ). The wall-facing portions  50  of the L-shaped brackets  42  are secured to each other via rivets  58  ( FIG. 4 ), or other suitable fasteners, at the ends of the L-shaped brackets  42 . Keyhole slots  62  are formed in the wall-facing portions  50  to receive an anchor (e.g., fastener, hook, etc.) secured in the wall  46 , thus supporting the illuminated mirror  10  on the wall  46 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 4 , each of the tabs  54  of the L-shaped brackets  42  extend orthogonally from the wall-facing portions  50 , extending between the wall  46  and the rear surface  22  of the mirror  14 . The forwardly-extending tabs  54  do not extend to meet each other at a 90 degree-angled corner, but rather a non-orthogonal transition is formed between each of the tabs  54 . In the illustrated embodiment, the non-orthogonal transition is a gap  66  is formed between each of the tabs  54 . In alternative embodiments, the non-orthogonal transition between adjacent tabs  54  includes a curved or beveled material extending between adjacent tabs  54 . The gap  66  is in lieu of a sharp, 90-degree corner that would otherwise be formed between two adjacent tabs  54  if they extended to intersect each other. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, with reference to  FIG. 4 , one of the tabs  54  defines a first surface  70  and another of the tabs  54  defines a second surface  74 . The first surface  70  is non-coplanar with the second surface  74 , and in the illustrated embodiment, the first surface  70  is orthogonal to the second surface  74 . The first surface  70  does not intersect the second surface  74 , thereby forming the gap  66  extending between the first surface  70  and the second surface  74 . A beveled edge  78  is formed on the wall-facing portions  50  of the L-shaped brackets  42 , and the beveled edge  78  extends between the first surface  70  and the second surface  74 . In other words, the housing  34  includes tabs  54  that are non-coplanar and that do not extend to intersect or meet any other of the tabs  54  creating gaps  66  (i.e., a cutout, a lack of 90-degree corner, etc.) between two adjacent tabs  54 . The tabs  54  and the beveled edges  78  combined define a housing perimeter, which includes only non-orthogonal angles. 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 2 , the illuminated mirror  10  further includes a light source  82 . In the illustrated embodiment, the light source  82  includes of a plurality of light sources in the form of a plurality of light emitting diodes  86  (LEDs). In alternative embodiments, a single light source, or a non-LED light source (e.g., incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, etc.) may be utilized. The light source  82  is positioned behind the rear surface  22  of the mirror  14  (i.e., positioned between the mirror  14  and the wall  46 ) and the LEDs  86  are oriented in a direction parallel to the rear  22  surface of the mirror  14 . Each of the plurality of LEDs  86  emits light that passes through the translucent portion  30  of the mirror  14 , as described in further detail below. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of LEDs  86  are arranged in rows of two and are coupled to a flexible substrate  90  (e.g., a flexible electrical circuit). The flexible substrate  90  is wrapped around the housing  34  such that the flexible substrate  90  is coupled to the tabs  54 , including at least the first surface  70  and the second surface  74 . The flexible substrate  90  includes a curved portion  94  having a radius R that extends between the first surface  70  and the second surface  74  ( FIG. 4 ). The flexible substrate  90  is a continuous piece of substrate that extends across the gap  66  between the first surface  70  and the second surface  74  and is coupled to both the first surface  70  and the second surface  74 . The flexible substrate  90  has a minimum bend radius (e.g., between approximately ⅝″ and ½″) in order to prevent damage to the flexible substrate  90  by bending too sharply around a corner. In the illustrated embodiment, the flexible substrate  90  is a continuous piece of substrate that surrounds the housing perimeter (i.e., covers a majority of the perimeter). As such, the tabs  54  provide a mounting surface for the light source  82 , and the non-orthogonal transitions (e.g., the gaps  66 ) positioned between adjacent tabs  54  allows for a continuous flexible substrate  90  to be coupled to more than one tab  54 . 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 2 , the illuminated mirror  10  further includes a reflective element  98  secured to the rear surface  22  of the mirror  14  and positioned adjacent the translucent portion  30  of the mirror  14 . In the illustrated embodiment, the reflective element  98  is a reflective tape, however, in alternative embodiments the reflective element  98  may be a reflective paint, or other suitable reflective coating. The reflective element  98  includes a reflectivity greater than approximately 85%. In some embodiments, the reflective element includes white paint having above 85% reflectivity or various tapes (e.g., mylar tape) having 98% reflectivity. In the illustrated embodiment, the reflective element  98  is positioned adjacent the entire translucent portion  30 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the reflective element  98  has a width W that extends from the translucent portion  30  to a point behind the light source  82 . 
     In operation, the reflective element  98  prevents light from the LEDs  86  from being absorbed by the rear surface  22  of the mirror  14 . With reference to  FIG. 5 , light  102  emitted from the LEDs  86  is reflected by the reflective element  98  towards the wall  46 , where it then reflects off a reflective surface, such as the wall  46 , and passes through the translucent portion  30  of the mirror  14 , thereby increasing the brightness and usable light. In other words, the light source  82  emits light  102  that is reflected off the reflective element  98  and passes through the translucent portion  30 . In alternative embodiments, the reflective surface of the wall  46  may include a portion of the housing  34  extending in front of the wall  46 , or a second reflective element (similar to reflective element  98 ) positioned on the wall  46 . As such, light  102  emitted from the light source  82  is visible when viewing the front surface  18  of the mirror  14 , but the light source  82  itself is not visible when viewing the front surface  18  of the mirror  14 . In other words, the light source  82  remains hidden from view during normal use. For aesthetic reasons, it is desirable to have the light source  82  recessed from the translucent portion  30  so a user may view the mirror  14  at an angle with respect to the front surface  18  without directly seeing the light source  82 . By keeping the light source  82  hidden, even when viewed at an angle with respect to the front surface  18 , the light source  82  cannot shine directly into a user&#39;s eyes. However, the further back from the translucent portion  30  the light source  82  is positioned, the further the light  102  has to travel before reaching the front surface  18  of the mirror  14 , thereby reducing the lighting efficiency and brightness. The reflective element  98  counteracts the negative effects of positioning the light source  82  recessed from the translucent portion  30  by preventing light  102  from the LEDs  86  from being absorbed by the rear surface  22  of the mirror  14 . In other words, the reflective element  98  allows for the aesthetic benefit of recessing the light source  82  without a drastic reduction in brightness viewed from the front surface  18 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 6 , experimentally measured foot-candles at 18 inches from various designs are illustrated, showing the improvements in brightness using the invention described herein. Previous attempts to increase brightness resorted to using large quantity of or brighter light sources. The four designs compared in  FIG. 6  all included the same sized mirror and the glass appears identical from the front. The designs compared in  FIG. 6  are described in detail below. “Fluorescent” is a mirror lit by four fluorescent bulbs. “Original Design (LED)” replaces the fluorescent bulbs with LEDs and no other design changes. “Redesign (LED)” includes LEDs and the housing  34  as described above with the gap  66  to accommodate the flexible substrate  90  wrapping around corners of the housing, and the light source is Redesign (LED) is moved closer to the translucent portion of the mirror. “Redesign+Reflective Tape (LED)” is representative of the illustrated illuminated mirror  10 , which includes the improvements described in “Redesign (LED)” and the additional of the reflective tape  98  positioned adjacent the translucent portion  30  of the mirror  14 . As indicted by the comparison in  FIG. 6 , the measured brightness of the Redesign (LED) mirror is a 39% improvement over the Original Design (LED). Furthermore, the measured brightness of the Redesign+Reflective Tape (LED) mirror (i.e., the illuminated mirror  10 ) is a 31% improvement over the Redesign (LED) mirror and a 72% improvement over the Fluorescent mirror design. 
     Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.