US 6,329,925 · Granted 2001-12-11
The Rearview Mirror That Became Your Car's Second Screen
Imagine your car's rearview mirror with a tiny built-in display that shows you information like your car's compass direction or temperature. This patent locks down the design of a mirror with a see-through window where you can mount a small screen or light-up display, letting you read data without taking your eyes off the road.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a rearview mirror assembly where a reflective mirror element has a window cut through it, and behind that window sits a carrier with a display component. The display can light up to show information (compass readings, temperature, or other vehicle data) that's visible to the driver through the window in the mirror itself. What's protected is this specific architecture: the offset carrier design that positions the display behind the mirror's reflective surface, plus the light assembly that illuminates the indicia so it shows through.
Why it matters
This patent represents an early approach to integrating digital information into the rearview mirror, a piece of hardware every driver stares at dozens of times per trip. By embedding a display directly into the mirror rather than mounting it separately on the dashboard, it saves dashboard real estate and keeps information within the driver's natural line of sight. This concept became a foundation for modern connected vehicle features and helped establish the rearview mirror as a multi-function component rather than a simple reflective surface.
Real-world use
When you glance at your rearview mirror and see a small compass heading or temperature reading displayed right on the mirror itself rather than on a separate gauge, you're looking at the type of integration this patent pioneered.
Original USPTO abstract
An interior rearview mirror assembly for vehicles includes a mirror case having a reflective element and a carrier positioned in the mirror case. The mirror case is adapted to mount to a vehicle. The reflective element includes a substrate, with a reflective coating on one side of the substrate, and a window therethrough. The carrier has a display element for displaying one or more indicia through the window to define a display area on the reflective element. The carrier comprises a plate member, with a first portion and a second portion offset rearwardly from the reflective element and from the first portion. The second portion includes the display element. Preferably, the interior rearview mirror assembly further includes at least one light assembly for displaying the indicia through said window so that it is visible to an occupant of the vehicle.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,329,925
- Filing date
- 1999-11-24
- Grant date
- 2001-12-11
- Assignee
- Donnelly Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- SKIVER TIMOTHY G., MCCAW JOSEPH P., UKEN JOHN T., DELINE JONATHAN E.
- CPC class
- B60R1/12
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