Abstract:
A combination mirror and amusement system, including a mirror assembly having a mirror and a mirror housing, and a mobile assembly attached to the mirror housing above the mirror. A sound generator may be included, along with a timer that may be set by a user to control the length of time the sound generator generates sound. The system may be used inside a vehicle for observing an infant in a rear facing car seat.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to mirrors used inside a vehicle primarily for observing an infant in a rear facing car seat secured to the rear seat of a motor vehicle. Such mirrors may alternatively serve primarily as a source of entertainment and amusement for a child in a forward-facing car seat secured to the rear seat of a motor vehicle. 
     Mirror devices of the general type described are disclosed, for example, in Kane U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,857,753 and 6,913,364; Kane et al U.S. Pat. No. 7,104,661; and Darling U.S. Pat. No. 7,097,314 
     Very briefly, in such devices, a mirror is mounted or attached near the top of the rear seat of a motor vehicle in such a way that the driver of the vehicle, by looking in the rear view mirror, can observe an infant in a safety seat of the type in which the infant is positioned facing the rear of the vehicle. The mirror may alternatively be mounted or attached near the top of the front seat of a motor vehicle to function primarily as a source of entertainment and amusement for a child in a forward-facing car seat secured to the rear seat of a motor vehicle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect, a combination mirror and amusement system is provided which includes a mirror assembly comprising a mirror housing, and a mobile assembly attached to the mirror housing. 
     In another aspect, a combination mirror and amusement system is provided which includes a mirror assembly comprising a mirror housing, a sound generator, and a timer that may be set by a user of the system to control the length of time the sound generator is generating sound; and a mobile assembly attached to the mirror housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a generally anterior perspective view of a combination mirror and amusement system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a generally posterior perspective view of the combination mirror and amusement system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a posterior elevational view of the combination mirror and amusement system shown in  FIG. 1 , with the sleeve panels ( 58 ,  60 ) substantially cut away; and 
         FIG. 4  is a detail view of the timer control dial and the timer setting indicator shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A combination mirror and amusement system is shown broadly in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3  at reference numeral  20 . 
     The system  20  includes a mirror assembly  22  that comprises a mirror  24 , a mirror housing  26 , a sound generation system  27  ( FIG. 2 ), and a mirror assembly attachment system  99 . The mirror housing  26  includes a front fabric frame  29  comprising first and second opposing vertical portions  31 ,  33  and first and second opposing horizontal portions  35 ,  37 . The mirror housing  26  further includes a rear fabric panel  28  ( FIG. 2 ) comprising first and second opposing vertical edge portions  30 ,  32  and first and second opposing horizontal edge portions  34 ,  36 . Mirror assembly attachment systems, suitable for the mirror assembly attachment system  99 , are for example, disclosed in Kane U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,857,753 and 6,913,364, the entire disclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference. It will be appreciated that other attachment systems may be utilized to attach the mirror assembly  22  to a seat of a motor vehicle in accordance with the knowledge of those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     The system further includes a mobile assembly  38  attached to the mirror housing  26 . As used herein, a structure may be “attached” to another structure by sewing, fastening, adhering, or any other method that brings the two structures into substantially secure contact with one another. The mobile assembly  38  comprises a mobile  40 , a mobile attachment system  42 , and a mobile support system  43 . The mobile  40  includes a hanger  46  attached to the mirror housing  26  by the mobile attachment system  42  and a plurality of toys  44  suspended from the hanger  46 . Specifically, the hanger  46  comprises an arch  48  having first and second opposing end portions  50 ,  52  ( FIG. 3 ) and a middle portion  54  between the first and second end portions  50 ,  52 . The toys  44  are each suspended from the middle portion  54  of the arch  48  by a toy tether  56  in order to dangle freely from the middle portion  54  of the arch  48  when the system  20  is installed. Each toy tether  56  comprises first and second ends  57 ,  59 . The first end  57  of each toy tether  56  is attached to the middle portion of the arch  48 , while the second end  59  of each toy tether  56  is attached to one of the toys  44 . 
     The mobile attachment system  42  includes first and second sleeve panels  58 ,  60  attached to the first and second vertical edge portions  30 ,  32  of the rear fabric panel  28  of the mirror housing  26  to form first and second sleeves  61 ,  63  ( FIG. 3 ) with the mirror housing  26 . The first and second sleeve panels  58 ,  60  each comprise first and second longitudinal edges  65 ,  67  oriented in substantially parallel relation to the first and second vertical edge portions  30 ,  32  of the rear fabric panel  28  of the mirror housing  26 . Alternatively, fully formed sleeves (not shown) may be attached to the rear fabric panel  28  of the mirror housing  26 . In addition, the sleeves may be formed on or attached to portions of the mirror housing  26  other than the rear fabric panel  28 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , in which the sleeve panels  58 ,  60  have been substantially cut away for illustration purposes, the mobile attachment system  42  further includes first and second hanger tethers  62 ,  64 , each comprising first and second ends  66 ,  68 . The first end  66  of the first hanger tether  62  is attached to the first end portion  50  of the arch  48 , while the first end  66  of the second hanger tether  64  is attached to the second end portion  52  of the arch  48 . The second ends  68  of the hanger tethers  62 ,  64  are each attached to the second horizontal edge portion  36  of the mirror housing  26 . 
     The mobile support system  43  ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ) includes first and second tab pairs  70 ,  72  attached to the rear fabric panel  28  of the mirror housing  26 . Each of the tab pairs  70 ,  72  comprises a first tab  74  and a second tab  76  ( FIG. 3 ). The first and second tabs  74 ,  76  in each of the tab pairs  70 ,  72  are configured to be attached to one another such that they may easily be repeatedly detached from and reattached to one another. In the disclosed embodiment, an outward-facing surface (not shown) of each of the first tabs  74  is provided with a panel of hooks (not shown, but stitching is visible on inward-facing surface) of a hook-and-loop fastening system known to those of ordinary skill in the art, while inward-facing surfaces  80  of the second tabs  76  are provided with a panel of loops  81  corresponding to the panel of hooks. 
     Each of the first tabs  74  includes an attached end  82  and a free end  84 . The attached end  82  of the first tab  74  of the first tab pair  70  is attached to the first vertical edge portion  30  of the rear fabric panel  28  of the mirror housing  26  at a location adjacent to the first longitudinal edge  65  of the first sleeve panel  58  and slightly above the approximate longitudinal center of the first sleeve  61 . Similarly, the attached end  82  of the first tab  74  of the second tab pair  72  is attached to the second vertical edge portion  32  of the rear fabric panel  28  of the mirror housing  25  at a location adjacent to the second longitudinal edge  67  of the second sleeve panel  60  and slightly above the approximate longitudinal center of the second sleeve  63 . 
     Each of the second tabs  76  also includes an attached end  86  and a free end  88 . The attached end  82  of the second tab  76  of the first tab pair  70  is attached to the rear fabric panel  28  of the mirror housing  26  at a location adjacent to the second longitudinal edge  67  of the first sleeve panel  58  and in substantial alignment with the first tab  74  of the first tab pair  70 . Similarly, the attached end  82  of the second tab  76  of the second tab pair  72  is attached to the rear fabric panel  28  of the mirror housing  26  at a location adjacent to the first longitudinal edge  65  of the second sleeve panel  60  and in substantial alignment with the first tab  74  of the second tab pair  72 . 
     The mobile support system  43  may be used in the following manner. During installation of the system  10 , the hanger  46  is pulled out of the sleeves  61 ,  63  into a substantially fully extended position, thereby extending the hanger tethers  62 ,  64  to be substantially taut and allowing the toys  44  to dangle between the hanger  46  and the first horizontal edge portion  34  of the rear fabric panel  28  of the mirror housing  26 . The second tabs  76  of the tab pairs  70 ,  72  are then folded over and attached to the corresponding first tabs  74  to substantially close the sleeves  61 ,  63  immediately below the end portions  50 ,  52  of the arch  48  of the substantially fully extended hanger  46 . In this configuration, the tab pairs  70 ,  72  help prevent the hanger  46  from sliding back into the sleeves  61 ,  63  during use of the system  10  and rendering the mobile  40  substantially inaccessible and/or unusable. 
     The sound generation system  27  ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ) of the mirror assembly  22  comprises a sound generator (not shown), sound generator control circuitry (not shown), and a loudspeaker  89  ( FIG. 2 ), and a timer comprising a timer control dial  90  ( FIGS. 1 and 4 ) and timer circuitry (not shown). The sound generator, the sound generator control circuitry, and the timer circuitry are housed within an electronics housing  92  attached to the rear fabric panel  28  of the mirror housing  26 , while the loudspeaker  89  is housed within the mirror housing  26  adjacent to the second longitudinal edge  67  of the first sleeve panel  58  and the second horizontal edge portion  36  of the mirror housing  26 . 
     The timer control dial  90  is attached to the second horizontal portion  37  of the front fabric frame  29  of the mirror housing  26 . The timer control dial  90  has four detented settings, one each for zero (0), twenty (20), forty (40), and sixty (60) minutes. These settings are delineated by an annular timer setting indicator  94  oriented concentrically with the timer control dial  90 . Specifically, the detents of the timer control dial  90  and the corresponding readings on the timer setting indicator  94  are configured such that the zero-, twenty-, forty-, and sixty-minute settings are oriented at positions substantially corresponding with six o&#39;clock, nine o&#39;clock, twelve o&#39;clock, and three o&#39;clock settings on a traditional analog timepiece. A timer start/stop button  96  is oriented substantially in the center of the timer control dial  90 . Alternatively, any type of on/off switch may be utilized instead of the start/stop button  96 . 
     The sound generation system  27  is configured such that the sound generator generates sound only when the timer is running. The timer is configured to begin running when the start/stop button  96  is pressed while the sound generator is not generating sound and to cease running when the start/stop button  96  is pressed while the sound generator is generating sound. Thus, the sound generator begins to generate sound when the start/stop button  96  is pressed while the sound generator is not generating sound and the sound generator ceases to generate sound when either (1) the timer runs out, or (2) the start/stop button  96  is pressed while the sound generator is generating sound. As long as the timer and the sound generator are not stopped prematurely by pressing the start/stop button  96  while the sound generator is generating sound, the timer runs and the sound generator generates sound for a period of time approximately equal to the period of time indicated on the timer setting indicator  94 . If the start/stop button  96  is pressed while the timer control dial  90  is set to the zero-minute setting, the sound generator does not generate sound. If the timer control dial  90  is turned to the zero-minute setting while the sound generator is generating sound, the sound generator ceases to generate sound. 
     A sound generator mode switch  98  ( FIG. 3 ; shown in phantom) is provided on the electronics housing  92 . The sound generator mode switch  98  is a two-position toggle switch having a normal position and a display position. When the mode switch  98  is in the normal position, the timer and the sound generator operate as described above. When the mode switch  98  is in the display position, the sound generator only generates sound for approximately ten seconds, and only when (1) the timer control dial  90  is not in the zero-minute position, and (2) the start/stop button  96  is pressed. Even in the display position, if the start/stop button  96  is pressed or the timer control dial  90  is turned to the zero-minute position while the sound generator is generating sound, the sound generator ceases to generate sound. 
     The following materials are used in the fabrication of the disclosed embodiment of the invention; different materials may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. The arch  48  is a flexible cylinder of closed cell plastic foam inside a fabric tube, the sleeve panels  58 ,  60  are strips of thin fabric, and each of the toy tethers  56  and the hanger tethers  62 ,  64  is a pair of fabric strips sewn together. The electronics housing  92  is a hard plastic housing. The front fabric frame  29  is decorated with fanciful, child-appropriate images of various animals and plants that generally evoke a common theme. The toys  44  are small, stuffed pillows formed in the shapes of fanciful animals that evoke generally the same theme as the images on the front fabric frame  29 . Finally, the sound generated by the sound generator includes music and sound effects that further evoke the same theme as the toys  44  and the images on the front fabric frame  29 . 
     While specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, numerous modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.