Patent ID: 7012727

Claim:
An interior rearview mirror system for a vehicle, said rearview mirror system comprising: a rearview mirror assembly, said rearview mirror assembly having a mirror casing, said mirror casing including a reflective element, and a support for mounting said mirror casing to a header portion or a windshield portion of a vehicle whereby adjustment of said rearview mirror assembly provides a rearward view through a rear window of the vehicle to a driver of the vehicle when the mirror assembly is mounted in the vehicle; an information display repositionable between a viewing position viewable to an occupant of the vehicle wherein said information display is extended from said mirror casing and a non-viewing position fully retracted in said mirror casing wherein said information display is disposed to the rear of said reflective element and is not viewable by the driver; and said information display comprising a display chosen from a video screen, an incandescent display, a vacuum fluorescent display, an electro-illuminescent display, a light emitting diode display, a cathode ray tube display, a field emission display, an E-ink display, and an organic emitting polymer display and displaying one chosen from an output of a camera, vehicle status information, a compass display, a temperature display, a computer display, a train warning display, a clock display, and a television image to provide information to a driver of the vehicle or a passenger of the vehicle, said information display being pivotal at least about a generally vertical axis independent of said mirror casing and said reflective element wherein said information display may be adjusted to face the driver of the vehicle or the passenger of the vehicle independent of said mirror casing and said reflective element.