Patent ID: 7572017

Claim:
A signal mirror system for a vehicle, said system comprising: a reflective mirror element having a front side and a rear side; said reflective mirror element comprising a semitransparent nondichroic mirror reflector coated onto a light-transmitting substrate; wherein visible light transmission through said reflective mirror element is in the range of from about 1% visible light transmission to about 30% visible light transmission; wherein visible light reflectance by said reflective mirror element is in the range from about 40% visible light reflectance to about 80% visible light reflectance for visible light incident upon the front side of said reflective mirror element; wherein said reflective mirror element does not exhibit substantial spectral selectivity in its reflectance of visible light incident upon the front side of said reflective mirror element; said semitransparent mirror reflector comprising an elemental semiconductor thin film layer; a signal display; wherein said signal display comprises at least one light emitting diode; said signal display emitting visible light upon at least one of (a) actuation of a turn signal by a driver of a vehicle equipped with said reflective mirror element and (b) a detection by a blind-spot detector that is part of a vehicle equipped with said reflective mirror element; said signal display disposed to the rear of the rear side of said reflective mirror element and configured so that said light emitted by said signal display passes through said reflective mirror element to be viewed by a viewer viewing from the front of said reflective mirror element; wherein said signal display exhibits, when electrically powered and when operated in the vehicle during day time driving conditions, a display luminance of at least about 30 foot lamberts as measured with said signal display placed behind, and emitting light through, said reflective mirror element; wherein said reflective mirror element comprises a vehicular exterior rearview reflective mirror element; and wherein said light-transmitting substrate comprises a glass substrate.