Patent ID: 7589883

Claim:
An exterior mirror suitable for use in an exterior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said exterior mirror comprising: a reflective mirror element having a front side and a rear side; said reflective mirror element comprising a mirror reflector coated onto a light-transmitting substrate, said mirror reflector comprising a metallic reflective layer; a visual indicator display disposed to the rear of said light-transmitting substrate; said visual indicator display being part of a display system of a vehicle equipped with the exterior mirror and wherein said visual indicator display is actuated to emit light responsive to an indication system of the vehicle equipped with the exterior mirror; wherein light emitted by said visual indicator display passes through said light-transmitting substrate to be viewed by a driver of the vehicle equipped with the exterior mirror; wherein said visual indicator display comprises at least a first light source at a first location to the rear of said light-transmitting substrate and a second light source at a second location to the rear of said light-transmitting substrate and wherein said first location is proximate to and spaced from said second location; wherein a first portion of said metallic reflective layer is at least partially removed by laser scribing at said first location in order to establish an at least partially light transmissive first portion of the mirror reflector at said first location so that light emitted by said first light source, when powered, passes through said at least partially light transmissive first portion of the mirror reflector to be viewed by a viewer viewing from the front of said reflective mirror element; and wherein a second portion of said metallic reflective layer is at least partially removed by laser scribing at said second location in order to establish an at least partially light transmissive second portion of the mirror reflector at said second location so that light emitted by said second light source, when powered, passes through said at least partially light transmissive second portion of the mirror reflector to be viewed by a viewer viewing from the front of said reflective mirror element.