US 5,823,654 · Granted 1998-10-20
The Mirror Light That Turns Your Car Into a Security Zone
Imagine a small, waterproof light bulb that snaps inside your car's side mirror and shines outward to illuminate the ground around your vehicle at night. It's designed to deter thieves and make it safer to approach your parked car in the dark by creating a lit perimeter around it.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a removable light module that fits inside an exterior vehicle mirror housing. What's protected here is the specific design of the moisture-proof enclosure, the flexible wall that grips the light source with electrical contacts, the cover that stiffens the enclosure and creates a directed light pattern, and the reflective interior surface that focuses light outward. The symmetrical design allows the same unit to work in both left and right mirrors despite producing a non-symmetrical beam.
Why it matters
This patent solves a real problem: keeping vehicles safe in dark parking lots without adding bulk or complexity to the car's exterior. By embedding the security light inside an existing mirror assembly rather than as a separate fixture, Donnelly created a product that's harder to damage, blends seamlessly with the vehicle design, and works across different mirror configurations. The flexible-wall electrical contact system is a clever manufacturing solution that simplifies assembly and ensures reliable operation despite the tight quarters inside a mirror housing.
Real-world use
When you park your car at night and a subtle light illuminates the ground beside your vehicle, that's this patented mirror light at work, creating a safer perimeter around your car.
Original USPTO abstract
A mirror assembly security system for a vehicle includes an exterior mirror assembly and a light module removably positioned within the exterior mirror housing. The light module is moisture impervious and includes an enclosure, a light-emitting opening in the enclosure, a light source in the enclosure radiating light through the light-emitting opening, and a cover for the light-emitting opening adapted to direct the light from the light source to an area adjacent the vehicle to create a security area. The light source may be supported by a pair of electrical contacts provided on the inner surface of the enclosure. The enclosure wall supporting the electrical contacts is preferably flexible, in order to allow the light source to be captured by the contacts. Attachment of the cover adds rigidity to the enclosure to prevent further flexure of the enclosure wall in order to firmly retain the light source. The enclosure is preferably configured so that the same unit can be installed in both left and right handed exterior mirror assemblies even though the light module generates a non-symmetrical light pattern. A reflective surface is provided in the enclosure which cooperates with the cover to produce a generally collimated light pattern.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,823,654
- Filing date
- 1996-07-26
- Grant date
- 1998-10-20
- Assignee
- Donnelly Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- PASTRICK; TODD W., LITKE; MARK R., WILLMORE; DAVID K., MOUSSEAU; RICK
- CPC class
- B60Q1/2665
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