Patent ID: 8508383

Claim:
An interior rearview minor system of a vehicle, said interior rearview mirror system comprising: an interior rearview mirror assembly having a reflective element, wherein said reflective element comprises a front substrate and a rear substrate and an electro-optic medium disposed between said front substrate and said rear substrate and bounded by a perimeter seal; wherein said front substrate has a first surface that generally faces a driver of the vehicle when said interior rearview minor assembly is normally mounted at the vehicle, and wherein said front substrate has a second surface opposite said first surface; wherein said second surface of said front substrate has a transparent conductive coating established thereat; wherein said rear substrate has a third surface that contacts said electro-optic medium and a fourth surface opposite said third surface, and wherein said third surface of said rear substrate has a metallic mirror reflector established thereat; wherein the surface area of said first surface is larger than the surface area of said third surface and wherein no part of said rear substrate extends beyond any part of said front substrate to be viewable by a viewer viewing said first surface of said front substrate; wherein said reflective element comprises (i) an electro-optic active region where said electrochromic medium is disposed and is bounded by said perimeter seal and (ii) a user input region outboard of said electro-optic active region; wherein a hiding band is disposed at said second surface of said front substrate and at a location that generally corresponds to said perimeter seal when said front and rear substrates are mated together, and wherein said hiding band substantially hides said perimeter seal from view by a viewer viewing said first surface of said front substrate; at least one backlit user input disposed at said reflective element at said user input region and outboard of said perimeter seal and said electro-optic medium, wherein said at least one backlit user input comprises a capacitive touch sensor; wherein an isolation line is established at said second surface of said front substrate to electrically isolate a first portion of said transparent conductive coating that is at said user input region and outboard of said perimeter seal and said electro-optic medium from a second portion of said transparent conductive coating that is at said electro-optic active region and in contact with said electro-optic medium; wherein said isolation line is established via scribing said transparent conductive coating at said second surface of said front substrate; and a control, wherein said control is operable to determine a location of a touch or proximity of a finger of a user that is at or near said first surface of said front substrate at said user input region, and wherein said control generates an output signal indicative of a determined touch or proximity of a finger of a user.