Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to a manually operable sun visor
appropriate to all manner of automotive vehicles to shield
the eyes of the driver and front seat occupant from the
sun's rays while driving.
A common current type of sun visor is one which is secured
immediately above and in front of the driver and front seat
passenger positions in an automotive vehicle. These visors
are usually comprised of a single plastic oblong base plate
(possibly with a soft plastic overlay) covered with a
protective pile cloth fabric. The plate is secured to the
inside roof structure of the car, typically by a single
quarter inch round metal rod at one end and by a clip in the
ceilng of the vehicle at the other end. The metal rod is the
main shaft and it allows the visor to be flipped down to any
desired position just a~ove eye level and immediately in
front of the front seat occupant or rotated to the side
window position.
These prior art visors have one primary function..... that of
shieliding the eyes of the front seat occupants from the
rays of the sun while the car is being driven. Further, in
recent years, visors have been used as a base to attach a
mirror and/or light and in some cases to store small pull
out plates to address the specific shortcomings of the large
single plate eg the sun's rays coming in corners, below the
visor, etc. In addition, the appearance of the visor has
been enhanced. Each of the following prior art sun visor
patents address a different aspect of the visor's structure
and aesthetics but none researched, including these, address
the safety and ease of movement features identified in this
patent application : U.S. Pat # 5,054,839 focuses on an
aesthetically enhanced appearance and improved structure;
U.S. Pat # 5,011,211 recommends an improved manufacturing
process; Canadian Pat # 1,325,823 addresses the multiple
visor issue; U.S. Pat # 5,152,573 and U.S. Pat # 5,016,938
focus on blocking the sun's rays below the existing single
plate unit for shorter drivers; U.S. Pat #'s 5,104,174 and
5,042,867 address internally stored plates to be used to
block the sun's rays around and about the single plate and
U.S. Pat #'s 4,950,021 and 5,080,420 address multiple visor
shields at the front and side windows at the same time.
The major difficulty of existing visors occurs when the
visor needs to be moved from the front window position to
the side window position. This movement could occur with the
visor flap in its 'resting' position, ie horizontal to the
roof of the car or in the 'flap down' position, protecting
the eyes of the driver from the sun's rays.
Due to the length of the visor, as the driver swings it from
the front to the side position, the visor makes direct
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contact with the driver's head regardless of whether the
flap is in the 'resting' or 'flap down' position.
The head contact even occurs in the 'resting' position
because the visor's ability to move smoothly over the
driver's head depends directly on the ability of the driver
to execute this awkward manoever, the height of the driver
within the car, the driver's positioning in his seat and the
engineering installation of the visor..... if any one or
more of these variables interferes with the movement, the
visor will make contact with the driver's head. To minimize
head contact with the visor, the driver is forced to lower
his head or move it backward and/or to the side. There is no
alternative.
Visors are approximately 37-50 cm's long. The distance of
the driver's head from the metal rod fastener in the upper
left corner of the car's interior, to a comfortable driving
position is normally about 16-25 cm's.
The fact that existing visors make contact with the driver's
head unless he/she moves it out of the way is a significant
and dangerous design flaw which this invention seeks to
correct. During the second or split second that the driver's
eyes are off the road ..... ..anything could happen or begin
happening.. ....specifically loss of control, disorientation,
etc........ and probably has. The inventor feels strongly that
some car accidents on the road are the direct result of the
driver losing control...... over reacting or under reacting
to a situation or perceived situation which may or may not
have occurred while his/her head was moved to allow the
visor to pass.
Further, there is another significant problem. If the driver
is wearing eye glasses, the visor, swinging across in front
of the driver's head may inadvertently touch the glasses and
knock them askew, causing momentary panic in the driver or
worst case, knock the glasses off the head of the driver.
This latter situation could have a disastrous affect,
resulting in a car accident which could prove fatal...... and
probably has.
The primary inventive idea of this invention is that of
having a sun visor made up of two separate portions with one
telescoping in parallel with the other. This idea, allows
for the visor to become approximately half its length,
resulting in minimal to no interference with the driver's
head when being swung into the side window position and back
again. The passenger also receives the benefit of the
visor's reduced length however the situation is not as
critical as the driver's.
It is one object of this invention to provide an adjustable
sun visor assembly for a vehicle including, a bracket for
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attaching said assembly to said vehicle; a dual arm unit
pivotally attached to said bracket, said unit including a
base arm, a base sleeve arm and a hinge; a visor including a
base plate and a slide plate wherein said base plate is
attached to said base arm and said side plate is slidably
mounted on said base sleeve arm, such that said visor can be
moved from side to side by pivotal movement of said dual arm
unit in said bracket; said visor can be moved from an up or
down position (or vice versa) by pivoting the visor about
said hinge; and said slide plate can be moved with respect
to said base plate by sliding movement of said slide plate
on said base sleeve arm to provide an elongated sun visor.
It is another object of this invention to provide an
adjustable vehicular sun visor assembly including a bracket
for attaching said assembly to said vehicle, an arm
pivotally attached to said bracket, and a visor including a
base plate and a slide plate, wherein said base plate is
pivotally attached to said arm, and said slide plate is
slidably mounted to said base plate such that said visor can
be moved (1) from side to side by pivotal movement of said
arm with respect to said bracket, (2) from an up or down
position (or vice versa) by movement of said visor with
respect to said arm, and (3~ from an extended to a collapsed
position (or vice versa) whereby said slide plate is moved
horizontally with respect to said base plate to provide an
elongated sun visor.
The invention will now be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred
embodiments of the invention:
Figure 1 is a plan view of the fully extended sun visor
using the Dual Arm Unit,
Figure 2 is a plan view of the Dual Arm Unit including the
hinge.
Figure 2A is cut away drawing showing an optional design of
the Dual Arm Unit
Figure 3 is a plan view of the Base Plate to accept the Dual
Arm Unit.
Figure 3A is the section along the line I-I of the Base
Plate shown in Figure 3, named Edge A
Figure 3B is the section along the line II-II of the Base
Plate shown in Figure 3, named Edge B
Figure 4 is the plan view of the Slide Plate.
Figure 4A is the section along line III-III of the Slide
Plate shown in Figure 4, named Edge C.
Figure 4B is a top view of the Clip Arm 11.
Figure 4C is a modified view of the Clip arm 11 which could
be used in vans.
Figure 5 is a plan view of an alternate design of the visor
using a single main shaft support unit.
Figure 6A is the section along the line IV-IV in Figure 5,
known as Edge AA.
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Figure 6B is the section along the line V-V in Figure 5,
known as Edge BB.
Figure 6C is the section along the line VI-VI in Figure 5,
known as Edge CC.
Figure 7 is a cut away of the base plate showing a modified
single main shaft support unit.
Figure 8A is a cut away of the visor showing a modified clip
arm.
Figure 8B is the top view of the modified clip arm in 8A
Figure 8C is a cross section of edge BBB of Figure 8A along
the line VII-VII
Figure 1:
The visor illustrated in Figure 1 is the plan view from the
driver's perspective in the 'flap down' position, ie showing
the visor as it would look pulled down in front of and just
above the driver's eyes.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the radical design
change of the visor from prior art is immediately obvious.
Specifically, the introduction of the Dual Arm Unit 1, 2 and
3, the hinge 4 on the main shaft, the two plates 6 and 7 and
the design and location of the Clip Arm 11. The visor could
be covered in a deep pile cloth consistent with existing
prior art except on the top and bottom of Slide Plate 7
which make direct contact with Base Plate 6 parts.
This visor invention is designed to replace existing prior
art visors within existing vehicles and be included as part
of the manufacturing process of new vehicles. The Bracket 5,
to attach the visor to the auto, is consistent with existing
visor brackets and as a result the entire visor unit can be
installed with the screws available. The visor's Dual Arm
Unit will rotate within the bracket as today but the flap
movement's vertical control will come from the hinge on the
Dual Arm Unit. There are two arms, Base Arm 2 and Base
Sleeve Arm 3, extending from the Dual Arm Unit. Base Arm 2
supports the Base Plate 6, while Base Sleeve Arm 3 and Track
9 accept and allow Slide Plate 7 to slide back and forth
within Base Plate 6. The overlap distance between Edge B and
Edge C and the quality of the fitting of Slide Sleeve 8 on
Base Sleeve Arm 3, and Flange 10 in Track 9 assures the
rigidity and strength of the two plates of the visor. Air
holes 17 in both plates, shown in later figures, facilitate
the movement of the Slide Plate. The thickness of Clip Arm
11 provides strength and stability to the visor when it is
being snapped into and out of the clip at the 'resting'
position. A Spring Ratchet Mechanism 12, to be described
later, attached to a wall of Base Plate 6 and to Slide
Plate 7 by metal bands, provides for the controlled release
of the Slide Plate.
Figure 2:
The basic infrastructure of the visor is comprised of the
Dual Arm Unit 1 with its two extending arms, Base Arm 2 and
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Base Sleeve Arm 3. The Dual Arm Unit has a hinge 4 to allow
the visor to be flipped down to shade the driver's eyes and
flipped up to its stationary fixed position. The Dual Arm
Unit goes beyond the hinge and is secured to a Bracket 5
which is fastened with screws into the overhead roof of the
car's interior the same as prior art visors.
The Dual Arm Unit is the frame on which the entire visor
superstructure rests. ThiS unit is hollow to the point where
the two arms begin their extension to allow for the running
of electric wires as desired. Certain sections of the Dual
Arm Unit may be solid metal ie the Base Arm and/or the Base
Sleeve Arm.
The Dual Arm Unit 1 begins as a single metal rod permanently
fastened to a Bracket 5 in such a way that the Dual Arm Unit
may rotate within the Bracket to allow the entire visor to
swing to various positions yet provide the fixed stable base
required. The Bracket 5, is a round metal disk which is
attached by two screws to the roof of the vehicle holding
the entire visor in place.
Immediately below the Bracket 5 on the Dual Arm Unit is a
Hinge 4 which forms a part of the rod and therefore must
allow for the passing of the electrical wires through it. If
this is not possible then the wires may have to skirt around
the hinge and then be put back in to the rod. The design of
the hinge must have at least 90 degree movement to allow the
visor to flip down and flip up and the ability to stop and
hold the visor at any desired position. In existing sun
visors the oblong plate rotates on a single base metal shaft
which has the ability to provide this requirement. ThiS
cannot occur in this design because the Base Arm 2 is
permanently fixed to the Base Plate 6.
The second arm, the Base Sleeve Arm 3 is also a metal
extension on which the Slide Plate 7's Slide Arm Sleeve 8 is
mounted. The Base Sleeve Arm 3 has a low friction surface to
allow the Slide Arm Sleeve 8 to move easily on it. Further,
the Base Sleeve Arm 3 is designed with a 'flange stop' 3A,
just in from the end to limit Slide Plate 7 from coming away
from the Base Plate once mounted on it. The design here is
to provide an overlap and thus added strength to the visor
structure given that the unit is a two piece one. It is
extremely important that the Base Sleeve Arm 3 fit the Slide
Arm Sleeve 8 very snuggly to minimize play but at the same
time provide ease of movement for the complete Slide Plate
7.
Figure 2A
This figure is a cut away of the Dual Arm Unit showing how
it may be designed to allow the Slide Plate 7 to move
~urther into the Base Plate 6. Specifically, this modified
dual arm unit 1-1 would allow the Slide Plate 7 to telescope
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further within the base Plate 6 and therefore reduce even
further the distance between the telescoped visor and the
driver.
Figure 3:
Base Plate 6 is made of a suitable material; it may be that
plastic will suffice. The Base Plate 6, then, is a hollow
sleeve or shell like structure, comprised of a solid
material at the top to allow for a horizontal bore 2A
throughout its length to just short of Edge B and the
formation of a Track 9 at the bottom. The bore, 2A allows
the Base Plate 6 to fit snuggly on the Base Arm 2 and be
permanently secured therein. Further, the Base Plate 6
allows Slide Plate 7 to fit into it by having the Base
Sleeve Arm 3 accept the Slide Arm Sleeve 8 and Track 9 to
accept the Flange 10. The Base Plate 6 provides within its
shell design, a plug 12A to hold a slow release Spring
Ratchet Mechansism 12, Guides 16 for Metal Bands 13, and
Plugs 15 to hold screws for a mirror, a light, and/or any
other such accessories. The Plate may also be designed to
include guides for electrical wiring, not shown.
There may be a need in the overall design for a mechanism to
control the movement of the Slide Plate 7 as it travels in
and out of the Base Plate 6. Specifically, if the Slide
Plate 7 fits into the Base Plate 6 without any movement
facilitator other than friction and the push and pull
supplied by the driver, or passenger , as the case may be,
the Slide Plate 7 will move inward, totally subject to the
strength of the push and be totally reliant on the pull of
the driver to come back out. In fact, coming back out, could
in some circumstances be awkward, ie the driver pulling the
Slide Plate out over his left shoulder in traffic. As a
result, a ratchet mechanism could be included and used of
appropriate design. This mechanism would take control of the
Slide Plate as it was pushed in eg a thin metal band
attached to the Slide Plate 7 which winds back to a circular
spring ratchet mechanism fixed within Base Plate 6. Once the
Slide Plate 7 was depressed, the mechanism would release it
slowly back to its fullest extension. This action is
required to prevent the Slide Plate, if the mechanism were
jus~ a spring load action, from jetting back out quickly and
uncontrollably and hitting the driver in the head. This
controlled action also aids the driver because once he/she
depresses the visor in and swings it to the desired
position, the Slide Plate automatically returns to its
fullest extension.
Figure 3A is the end view of the Base Plate 6, known as Edge
A, down the line I-I in Figure 3. This Edge A has two holes
bored through, shown as 2A and 20, one to accept the Base
Arm 2 and one underneath it to accept Base Sleeve Arm 3. In
addition there are a number of small air holes 17 to
facilitate the dissipation of the air forced through from
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the inside of Plate 6 when the Slide Plate 7 is telescoped
inside.
Figure 3B is the end view of Base Plate 6, known as ~dge B,
down the line II-II in Figure 3. This view shows the hollow
body of the Base Plate 6 with dotted lines showing where the
bore 2A would be, through the solid material at the top of
the Plate into which the Base Arm 2 is permanently fixed.
The view also shows the placement of where the Base Sleeve
Arm 3 would be positioned if the Dual Arm Unit were fitted.
The diagram further shows the Track 9 formed out of the
bottom of the plastic Plate 6 into which Flange 10 fits to
provide the guide for Slide Plate 7.
This cross section further shows the general placement of
screw plugs 1~ for the attachment of a mirror and or a
light. Also, the Guide Flanges 16 for the Metal Bands 13
which are an integral part of the spring Ratchet Mechanism
12 are shown, as is the plug 12A onto which the Ratchet
Mechanism is secured.
Figure 4 is a plan view of Slide Plate 7. This plate could
be made of plastic, and has a bore at the top of the plate
running its entire length. The bore is called Slide Arm
Sleeve 8 and with the bore going through to Edge D, the hole
providing an outlet for the air to escape when the Plate is
telescoped inside Base Plate 6. At the bottom of the Plate
is Flange 10 which fits into Track 9 and holds the Slide Arm
Plate in place as shown in Figure 4A.
The Clip Arm 11 could be moulded as part of the Slide Plate
7 and is thicker, as is shown in Figure 4B, to provide the
strength and durability required as it is clipped and un-
clipped from a ceiling receptacle, not shown. A modified
Clip Arm 11 is shown in Figure 4C to allow the visor to be
used in vans. The van extension could even be a pull out.
Further, two flanges 14 are shown on Edge C, to which the
Metal Bands 13 of the Ratchet Mechanism 12 would be
attached.
Figure 4A is the end view of Base Plate 7, known as Edge C,
down the line III-III in Figure 4. This view shows a ~ore at
the top known as Slide Arm Sleeve 8 which is mounted onto
the Base Sleeve Arm 3 of Base Plate 6 and Flange 10 at the
bottom of Plate 7 which is fitted into Track 9 of Plate 6 to
provide for the sliding motion of Plate 7 within Plate 6.
Air holes 17 are provided for air dissipation and flanges 14
for attaching the metal bands 13 of Ratchet Mechanism 12.
Figure 4B is a top view of Clip Arm 11 showing the increased
thickness of the unit to provide the strength required to
allow the clipping and un-clipping action to and from the
receptacle in the car's ceiling. The thin section is where
the Arm is clipped into the ceiling.
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Figure 5 is an alternate plan view of the visor showing
almost the same construction and design as that in Figure 1,
except that this design shows a Single Main Shaft Support
Unit 23 consistent with existing prior art visors eg ( see
U.S. Patent 5,011,211) The operation of the visor is the
same as previously described except that the Slide Plate 7-1
does not have a bore 8 and Base Plate 6-1 does not have a
base sleeve arm 3 on which the Slide Plate rides. Rather, as
is shown in Figure 6B, the Base Plate 6-1 has a Track 22,
into which the Flange 21 in Figure 6C is fitted and rides.
The Flange 10-1 is consistent in design and use with Flange
10, as is Track 9-1 and Track 9. Other parts are consistent
with the first design.
Figure 6A is the end view of the Base Plate 6-1, known as
Edge AA, down the line IV-IV in Figure 5. This Edge AA shows
a Bore Hole 19 for the mounting of the Single Main Shaft
Support Unit 23. It is recognized that the mountimg of this
Unit 23 may not be as simple as placing it into a bored
opening 19 within the Base Plate 6-1 and that construction
may very well require a more complex attachment process to
ensure the Unit 23 is secured to the Base Plate 6-1. Again,
as shown in Figure 3A, there are air holes 17 bored through
to facilitate the dissipation of air.
Figure 6B is the end view of base Plate 6-1, known as Edge
BB, down the line V-V in Figure 5. This Edge BB shows the
hollow body of the Base Plate 6-1 with dotted lines showing
where the Single Main Shaft Support Unit would be and the
two Tracks 22 and 9-1, along with other parts consistent
with that shown in Figure 3B. The change in design here is
the replacement of the Base Sleeve Arm with the Track 22
into which the Flange 21 of the Slide Plate 7-1 fits and
allows the Plate 7-1 to slide back and forth within the Base
Plate 6-1. Other actions would be the same as that described
in 3B.
Figure 6C is the end view of Slide Plate 7-1, known as Edge
CC, down the line VI-VI in Figure 5. This Edge CC shows the
two Flanges 21 and 10-1 which are fitted into Tracks 22 and
9-1 respectively, thus allowing the Slide Plate 7-1 to slide
within the Base Plate 6-1. Air holes 17 are also shown as
they may be required for air dissipation to facilitate the
movement of the Plate 7-1. TWo flanges 14 are also shown
consistent with that shown on Edge C of Slide Plate 7 for
the attachment of the bands of Ratchet Mechanism 12.
Figure 7 is a cut away view of Base Plate showing a Modified
Single Main Shaft Support Unit 24; modified in that the main
shaft has an Extension 24A, the equivalent of a Base Sleeve
Arm 3, attached to it to allow the acceptance of a Slide
Plate with a Slide Arm Sleeve. This design integrates the
Single Shaft with all of its capabilities of existing prior
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art ie allowing the visor to be flipped-up, flipped-down and
hold at any point, while at the same time allowing for the
telescoping of one plate within the other without the hinge
unit noted earlier.
Figure 8A is a cut away of the visor assembly showing a
modification to both the Clip Arm 11, known as Clip Arm llA
and the Base Plate 6, known as Base Plate 6-2. Clip Arm llA
is extended over to the Base Plate 6-2 and is attached to it
as shown in Figure 8C to allow for greater rigidity of the
visor unit and to provide for a 'Stop' 6-2A, built into the
top of the Plate 6-2, to prevent the Plate 7-2 from coming
away from the Base Plate 6-2.
Figure 8B is a view of the top of the Clip Arm llA showing
its shape.
Figure 8C is a cut away end view of Base Plate 6-2 known as
Edge BBB down the line VII-VII in Figure 8A. This edge BB8
shows the top of the base Plate 6-2 with its modified track
6-2A-1 on which the modified clip arm llA would fit to
provide increased rigidity in the overall visor.
Although it is apparent that specific preferred embodiments
of an adjustable sun visor assembly have been described, it
is apparent to those skilled in the art that many
alternatives and modifications may be made to aspects of the
disclosed embodiments without digressing from the spirit of
the disclosed invention.
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