US 2,006,061,008 · Filed 2005-09-14
The Ball-Joint Patent That Lets Your Rearview Mirror Pivot Without Falling
This patent describes a clever way to mount your car's interior rearview mirror so it can tilt and swivel smoothly. Instead of a traditional hinge, the mirror arm has ball-shaped ends that get locked into a molded plastic base — kind of like how a socket joint works in your shoulder, but for your mirror.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a mounting assembly where a metal arm with ball-shaped ends is placed into molded plastic housings (either at the base or at the mirror itself), creating pivot points that can be adjusted to have different levels of resistance or friction. What's protected here is the specific method of molding the plastic around these ball members after they're positioned, plus the idea that different friction levels can be built into each joint separately.
Why it matters
This patent solves a real engineering problem: how to make a mirror mount that's adjustable, durable, and simple to manufacture. By embedding the ball joints during the molding process rather than assembling separate hinges afterward, the design reduces parts count and assembly steps — which saves automakers money and makes the mirror more reliable. The adjustable friction feature also lets engineers tune how easily the mirror pivots without adding complexity.
Real-world use
When you reach up and tilt your car's rearview mirror up or down to reduce glare, you're moving along pivot joints that likely use this ball-and-socket design to stay in place without rattling.
Original USPTO abstract
A method of making a mounting assembly of an interior rearview mirror assembly includes providing a mounting arm having at least one ball member at at least one end thereof and having at least one electrical conductor element passing the mounting arm and extending therefrom, and molding at least one of a mounting base portion and a mirror mounting portion over the ball member. The ball member is pivotally received in the mounting base portion and/or mirror mounting portion after the mounting base portion and/or mirror mounting portion is molded and cured. The pivot joints defined by the ball members and overmolded portions may provide different frictional resistance to provide different threshold torques for pivoting the mirror assembly or mounting arm about the respective pivot joints.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,006,061,008
- Filing date
- 2005-09-14
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Lee Karner / Kenneth Schofield / Lynam Niall R
- Inventor(s)
- KARNER LEE, SCHOFIELD KENNETH, LYNAM NIALL R.
- CPC class
- B29C45/0017
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