Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02271527 1999-OS-12
INFANT OBSERVATION MIRROR ATTACHABLE TO AN INFANT CAR SEAT
by
Karen Sorenson, of RR 4 Site 19 Box 35, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
CROSS-REFERENCES
There are no applications related to this application filed in this or any
foreign country.
BACKGROUND
The use of rear-facing infant car seats in the back seat results in the
problem of the driver not
being able to see the infant during travel. Use of rear-facing seats is
frequently considered to be safer
and may be legally required. Additionally, installation in the backseat gives
the infant greater protection.
However, both factors contribute to the driver's inability to actually see the
child in the infant car seat.
With forward-facing infant car seats, the driver can see the child in the
rearview mirror while
driving. However, with a rear-facing seat, all the driver can see is the back
of the infant car seat. This
can cause the driver to be anxious at times, due to concerns over the welfare
of the child. Such concerns
could be easily overcome if the driver could see the child, but given the
arrangement, this is not possible.
As a result, it is known to use a second, forwardly-facing infant-viewing
mirror to see the child.
Such mirrors are mounted on the backseat or rear deck of the car, and when
used in conjunction with the
rearview mirror, allow the driver to see the infant. Such a second mirror is
clearly advantageous because
it allows the driver to see a reflected image of the infant's face in the
rearview mirror. U.S. patents
4,902,118 and 4,909,618 are both examples of mirrors which are mounted on the
rear seat or rear deck
in a manner that allows light to travel from the infant to the mirror, from
which it is reflected forward to the
driver's rearview mirror.
A limitation of infant observation mirrors is that they generally must be
installed in a rear portion
of a car or mini-van by some type of hardware. This may damage the vehicle
somewhat, in that the finish
may be marred when the infant mirror is removed for vehicle resale.
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A related difficulty is that once the infant mirror is installed, it is not
easily moved to another
location should the infant car seat be needed in a different location or in a
different vehicle.
A further limitation of known infant observation mirrors is that the distance
of the mirror from the
infant is such that the field of view is narrowed considerably. Particularly
where the mirror is mounted on
the rear deck, underneath the car's rear window, the distance between the
mirror and the child's face is
such that the field of view is cut dramatically. In fact, the further the
infant mirror is from the child's face,
the smaller the portion of the mirror which reflects the child's face, and the
larger the portion of the mirror
with reflects other things.
Similarly, the greater the distance between the driver's rearview mirror and
the infant mirror the
smaller the infant mirror appears. The further to the rear of the car the
mirror is, the smaller the infant
mirror would appear in the driver's rearview mirror.
As a result, when the infant mirror is removed from the child's face by too
great a distance, and
when the infant mirror it too far from the driver's rearview mirror, the
driver's view of the child is difficult
at best.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an infant observation mirror
attachable to an infant
car seat that resolves the above limitations. The infant observation mirror
should be carried in an
adjustably positionable location close to the infant, thereby increasing the
percentage of the mirror on
which the child's face is actually viewable. The infant mirror should be
easily installed and removed
without marring the finish of the vehicle. Additionally, the infant mirror
should be transportable between
vehicles.
SUMMARY
The present invention is directed to an apparatus that satisfies the above
needs. A novel infant
observation mirror attachable to an infant car seat is disclosed having some
or all of the following
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structures.
(A) A fastening assembly allows attachment of the infant observation mirror to
the upper
edge of the back of the infant car seat. A preferred fastening assembly
provides a C-clamp
having a tightening bolt which allows adjustable attachment to infant seat
backs of differing
thickness.
(B) A curved arm assembly is supported at a first end by the fastening
assembly, and
supports a mirror assembly at a second end. A preferred curved arm assembly is
adjustable,
thereby allowing positioning of the mirror assembly in a desired location. A
pivot allows the
curved arm assembly to be adjusted with respect to the fastening assembly.
(C) A mirror assembly is carried by the second end of the curved arm assembly,
and allows
the driver of the vehicle to see the face of the baby carried in a rear-facing
infant car seat in the
car's rearview mirror. A preferred mirror assembly includes a mylar film
mirror covering a
light-weight base having a soft protective frame.
(D) An adjustment assembly allows rotation about a horizontal and a vertical
axis in a manner
that allows more accurate positioning of the mirror assembly so that the
baby's face may be
easily viewed.
(E) A lighting assembly is typically supported within the adjustment assembly,
and allows a
soft light to be directed to the baby's face, allowing better night viewing by
the driver. The lighting
assembly typically provides a battery supplying power to a light bulb or diode
and a controlling
switch.
(F) An auxiliary rearview mirror assembly is easily attached and detached to
the car's
rearview mirror. The auxiliary rearview mirror assembly allows the driver to
view the mirror
assembly without the need to adjust the car's rearview mirror.
It is therefore a primary advantage of the present invention to provide a
novel infant observation
mirror that allows easy attachment and removal to an infant car seat, thereby
allowing the observation
mirror to be used regularly with a number of car seats or in a number of
different vehicles.
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Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel infant
observation mirror
attachable to an infant car seat that includes a mirror that is adjustable
about a vertical and a horizontal
axis.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel infant
observation mirror having
an auxiliary mirror assembly attachable to the car's rearview mirror, thereby
eliminating the driver's need
to use the car's rearview mirror to view the infant observation mirror.
A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel
infant observation mirror
attachable to an infant car seat that provides a light source which may be
used to illuminate the baby's
face with soft lighting.
DRAWINGS
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention
will become better
understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and
accompanying drawings where:
FIG. 1 is a side orthographic view of a version of the infant observation
mirror, attached to an infant car
seat which is mounted in the rear-facing direction.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the infant observation mirror of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a first version of the
fastening assembly of the invention,
having a C-clamp design.
FIG. 4 is a front view if the fastening assembly of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a side view of a second version of the fastening assembly of the
invention, having a modified
alligator clamp design.
FIG. 6 is a side view of a third version of the fastening assembly of the
invention, having a resiliently
deformable horseshoe shaped design.
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FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the adjustment assembly and the
mirror assembly, illustrating
a preferred version of these structures.
FIG. 8 is a view similar to that of FIG. 7, showing a second version of the
invention attachable to the
ceiling of the vehicle.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the auxiliary rearview mirror assembly which is
easily attached and removed
from the support carrying the car's rearview mirror.
DESCRIPTION
OVERVIEW. Referring in generally to FIGS. 1 through 7, an infant observation
mirror 10
attachable to a rear-facing infant car seat 200 constructed in accordance with
the principles of the
invention is seen. A fastening assembly 20 is releasably attachable to an
upper edge of the back of the
rear-facing infant car seat. A preferred version of the fastening assembly
includes a C-clamp. Alternative
versions of the fastening assembly include a modified alligator clamp and a
resilient spring clamp. A first
end of a curved arm assembly 50 extends from the fastening assembly over the
car seat. A preferred
curved arm assembly provides a resilient skeleton the shape of which may be
adjusted and a soft
protective covering. A mirror assembly 60 is supported by the second end of
the curved arm assembly,
and typically provides a light-weight mylar plastic mirror. An adjustment
assembly 70 allows rotation of
the mirror about a horizontal and a vertical axis. A lighting assembly 90
provides soft lighting to illuminate
the child during night driving. An auxiliary rearview mirror assembly 300
attaches to the support carrying
the car's rearview mirror, thereby allowing the driver to view the mirror
assembly 60 without moving the
car's rearview mirror.
FASTENING ASSEMBLY; C-CLAMP. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 it can be seen that a
fastening
assembly 20 supports the infant observation mirror 10 on the upper edge 202 of
the back 201 of a
rear-facing infant car seat 200. By supporting the observation mirror on the
infant car seat 200, rather
than car's seat 220, the mirror assembly is closer to the child's face, and
therefore allows the image of
the child's face to be larger when viewed from the driver's rearview mirror
240.
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Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a preferred version of the fastening assembly 20
includes a C-clamp
21 sized to fit over the back of the car seat. A threaded tightening bolt 22
is manually operated by a knob
or butterfly 24 which moves a pad 23 against the seat back 201 in a manner
that is easily understood.
FASTENING ASSEMBLY; ALLIGATOR CLAMP. As seen in FIG. 5, an alternative
fastening
assembly 20 includes a modified alligator clamp 30 having a fixed jaw 31 and a
movable jaw 34. The
movable jaw is biased about a pivot 33 by a spring 32.
FASTENING ASSEMBLY; RESILIENT SPRING CLAMP. As seen in FIG. 6, a still further
example of a fastening assembly includes a resilient clamp 40 having flexible
inner and outer forks 41,
42 supported by a base 43. The clamp 40 is sized to allow it to be slipped
over the back of most car seats
when the forks are flexed apart, and to allow the clamp to firmly grip the
back of the car seat when the
forks are released.
CURVED ARM ASSEMBLY. As seen in FIG. 2, a first end 51 of the curved arm
assembly 50
extends from the fastening assembly out over the infant car seat, allowing the
mirror assembly to be
supported in any desired position. A preferred version of the curved arm
assembly includes a resilient
skeleton 54 made of flexible metal or plastic. A soft covering 53 may be made
of foam rubber or similar
material which would protect the baby if contact was made.
ARM SUPPORT PIVOT. In a manner best seen in FIG. 4, an arm support pivot 55
allows for
adjustment of the angle of the curved arm assembly with respect to the
fastening assembly. As seen in
FIG. 4, the resilient skeleton portion of the first end 51 of the curved arm
is fastened to two flanges 59
which extend from the fastening assembly 20. A bolt 56 having a manually
operable butterfly 57 is
threaded into a nut 58 or similar fastener. The angle between the fastening
assembly 20 and the first end
of the curved arm 50 may be adjusted by loosening the bolt and rotating the
arm with respect to the
fastening assembly.
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As seen in FIG. 7, the second 52 end of the curved arm assembly 50 is attached
to the hollow
cylindrical body 71 of the adjustment assembly 70. A pair of ears 72,
extending from the hollow cylindrical
body 71 provide holes sized for passage of a bolt 73 which is easily manually
rotated by butterfly 74 into
nut 75 or similar fastener.
MIRROR ASSEMBLY. As seen in FIG. 7, a mirror assembly 60 is carried by the
second end
52 of the curved arm assembly 50. The mirror assembly reflects the face of the
baby carried in a
rear-facing infant car seat, allowing the driver 260 to see the reflection by
use of the rearview mirror.
A preferred version of the mirror assembly provides a flat planar base 62
which is typically made
of light weight sheet plastic or paperboard. A perimeter 63 of the base is
typically edged with a frame 64
which can be made of foam, plastic, rubber or other soft material. The frame
tends to soften any contact
between the baby and the mirror assembly.
In a preferred version, the generally planar surface of the base is covered
with a thin layer of
mylar 61 or similar mirrored plastic film. Such a material is of adequate
optical quality, without having the
weight associated with mirrored surfaces of better quality and higher expense.
An important factor in
selecting such a mirrored surface is the elimination of the possibility of
broken glass or similar sharp
fragments of material.
ADJUSTMENT ASSEMBLY. As seen in FIG. 7, an adjustment assembly 70 is carried
between
the mirror assembly and the curved arm assembly. The adjustment assembly
allows the mirror assembly
to be pivoted about a substantially vertical and a substantially horizontal
axis. As a result of this
adjustment, the mirror may be positioned to best reflect the face of the baby
carried in the reverse-facing
infant car seat in a manner that will allow the reflection to be most easily
seen by the driver using the
rearview mirror.
A preferred version of the adjustment assembly, carried by the mirror
assembly, includes a
hollow cylindrical body 71 having a threaded lower portion 76. A vertical
pivot nut 77 is internally threaded
to mate with the threaded lower portion of the cylindrical body. Rotation of
the vertical pivot nut about the
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threaded lower portion results in rotation of the mirror assembly about a
generally vertical axis.
Once the vertical pivot nut is rotated as desired, further rotation can be
prevented by moving the
locking nut 79 into contact with the vertical pivot nut. Friction between the
two prevents further rotation
by either until the friction is overcome, thereby releasing both.
The vertical pivot nut defines a pair of opposed threaded holes 78 sized to
support the horizontal
pivot 80. The opposed threaded holes are perpendicular to the hollow
cylindrical body and allow rotation
of the mirror assembly about a generally horizontal axis.
As seen in FIG. 7, a preferred version of the horizontal pivot 80 includes
opposed bolts 81,
having a threaded portion 83 sized to thread by manual rotation of butterflies
82 into the opposed threaded
holes 78 defined in the vertical pivot nut 77. A non-threaded portion 84 of
the bolts passes through holes
66 defined in the ears 65 of the mirror assembly 60. Rotation of the mirror
assembly prior to tightening
the bolts 81 allows the mirror assembly to be adjusted about the horizontal
axis.
LIGHTING ASSEMBLY. In a preferred version of the invention, a lighting
assembly 90 is carried
within the hollow cylindrical body 71. The lighting assembly provides a soft
light which may be directed
at the child's face and upper body, thereby enhancing the reflected image seen
by the driver in the mirror
assembly.
As seen in FIG. 7, the lighting assembly provides a light bulb 91 powered by a
battery 93. The
bulb may be a of conventional incandescent style or may be a low-power diode
designed for maximizing
battery life. A switch 92 allows the user to turn the light on and off.
Replacement of the bulb, battery or
a damaged switch is easily done by removing the hollow cylindrical body 71
from the second end 52 of
the curved arm assembly by removal of the bolt 73.
AUXILIARY REARVIEW MIRROR. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 9, an auxiliary rearview
mirror
assembly provides the driver with a clear view of the mirror assembly 60, and
therefore a clear view of
the baby in the infant car seat. The auxiliary rearview mirror assembly is
therefore located in the line of
sight of the mirror assembly 60. The auxiliary mirror assembly allows the
driver to maintain the position
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of the car's rearview mirror on the road, and to maintain the position of the
auxiliary mirror on the mirror
assembly. As a result, constant readjustment is not required on either
assembly.
A preferred auxiliary rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror 310 carried
in a frame 312. The
mirror may be of an optically clear glass or lightweight plastic film type.
The frame may be made of a soft
material to prevent injury in a car wreck.
A first end of a support arm 320 supports the frame and mirror in the desired
location, typically
adjacent to the car's rearview mirror. A preferred support arm may be made of
somewhat deformable
material, such as plastic or foam coated metal, so that the mirror may be
positioned to suit the driver.
A second end of the support arm carries a fastener 330 which is suitable for
attachment to the
arm supporting the car's rearview mirror, or to the rearview mirror itself or
to an adjacent surface such as
the windshield. A preferred version of the fastener 330 includes an alligator
type jaw 334 and coiled spring
332; however a number of other fastener types are well-known and could be
substituted. For example,
where the auxiliary mirror assembly is to be attached to the car's windshield,
a suction cup may be used.
SECOND VERSION. As seen in FIG. 8, an alternative version of the invention is
supported by
the car's ceiling in an area immediately above the infant car seat. In a
preferred version, a roof support
assembly 100 includes a covering of female VELCRO~ 102 attached to the ceiling
by an adhesive layer
101. A layer of male VELCRO~ 103 is sized to attach to the female VELCRO.
Extending from the male
VELCRO~ is an arm 104 protected by a soft covering 105. The arm is attached to
the mirror assembly
60 by bolt 73 in a manner similar to that seen above.
USE. To use the infant observation mirror 10, the user attaches the fastening
assembly 20 to
the upper edge 202 of the back 201 of the infant car seat 200. Where a C-clamp
21 is used, the knob 24
is operated, tightening the pad 23 against the back 201. Where an alligator
clamp is used, the jaw is
opened against the bias of the spring and allowed to close on the back of the
car seat.
The adjustment assembly is then use to position the mirror assembly in a
location where the
child's face is best reflected in the mirror. The mirror may first be adjusted
about a generally vertical axis.
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The locking nut 97 is retracted somewhat from the vertical pivot nut, allowing
rotation. Once rotated
properly, the vertical pivot nut is again fixed by use of the locking nut. The
mirror may then be adjusted
about a generally horizontal axis. The bolts 81 may be loosened, the mirror
adjusted, and the bolts
re-tightened. Once properly adjusted, the driver is then able to see the image
of the baby's face in the
mirror assembly by looking into the car's rearview mirror or in the auxiliary
rearview mirror assembly.
In a preferred application, the auxiliary rearview mirror assembly 300 is
attached to the arm
supporting the car's rearview mirror 240 by fastener 330. The somewhat
deformable support arm 320 is
bent slightly, so that the mirror 310 is positioned so that the baby's face
can be seen in the mirror
assembly.
ADVANTAGES. The previously described versions of the present invention have
many
advantages, including a primary advantage of providing a novel infant
observation mirror that allows easy
attachment and removal to an infant car seat, thereby allowing the observation
mirror to be used regularly
with a number of car seats or in a number of different vehicles.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel infant
observation mirror
attachable to an infant car seat that includes a mirror that is adjustable
about a vertical and a horizontal
axis.
A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel
infant observation mirror
attachable to an infant car seat that provides a light source which may be
used to illuminate the baby's
face with soft lighting.
The invention resides not in any one of these features per se, but rather in
the particular
combination of all of them herein disclosed and claimed and it is
distinguished from the prior art in this
particular combination of all of its structures for the functions specified.
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Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail and
with reference to
certain preferred versions, other versions are possible. For example, while
several preferred versions of
the fastening assembly have been disclosed, alternate variations of the same
or similar element could
result in generally equivalent structures. Therefore, the spirit and scope of
the appended claims should
not be limited to the description of the preferred versions disclosed.
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