GB2252945A

GB2252945A - Sun visors

Info

Publication number: GB2252945A
Application number: GB9202380A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald John Jenkins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-02-09
Filing date: 1992-02-05
Publication date: 1992-08-26
Also published as: GB9102763D0; GB9202380D0

Abstract

A sun visor for an automobile can be enlarged by an add-on extension. A telescopic body (1, 7) with spring loaded (9) hooks (6) at opposite ends can clip onto an existing visor V by engagement with opposite edges. A shield (16) is hinged to this body at 19 and can be swung down to increase the vertical shading, or folded flat against the existing visor. The shield (16) can also be slid transversely on slider 18, effectively to give the existing visor more width. <IMAGE>

Description

"Improvements relations to Sun Visors" This invention relates to sun visors, and in particular to those fitted in cars, vans or lorries.

Such visors are usually pivoted to the roof so that they can be swung up out of the way or hinged down to shade the drivers or front seat passenger's eyes from the sun.

Often, they can also be swung about a vertical axis to give shade from the sun shining through the side window as well as their more normal function of shading the windscreen.

However, they are not always the answer. When the sun is really low, or when the vehicle is going uphill into the sun, the driver and passenger do not have the protection of the visors and can be practically blinded.

It is the aim of this invention to extend the protection of such visors.

According to the present invention, there is provided a sun visor extension for automobiles having a body attachable to an existing visor and a shield carried by said body and adjustable to increase the effective shade area of an existing visor.

The shield may be opaque, translucent but tinted or of "polaroid" material, or translucent but carrying a mesh or dots to reduce the translucent area.

The shield may be slidable with respect to said body to increase the shading laterally of an existing visor. It may also be pivotable with respect to said body to increase the shading below the existing visor. In the latter case, the pivot may be frictional or have a snap action whereby the shield can be held stably in different angular positions with respect to an existing visor.

There are various ways of holding the body to an existing visor, but preferably it will be by a spring clip engagement, enabling quick attachment and release. In that case, the body is conveniently of elongate form with hooks at opposite ends mutually spring urged towards each other, the hooks being for engagement around opposite edges of the existing visor. The body may be tubular with spring means for the hooks concealed therein, and in particular it may comprise a tube with one hook fixed to one end thereof and an element partially telescoped into the other end thereof with the other hook fixed to the exposed end of such element, the spring means acting within the tube between said element and a point at or near said one end of the tube.

In a modification, instead of having an add-on device, the body may be part of or provided by an existing visor.

Thus the extension would be built in at manufacture of the vehicle.

For a better understanding of the invention, some embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a simplified part plan view and part longitudinal section of a body forming part of a sun visor extension, Figure 2 is a simplified part side view and part longitudinal section of that body, Figure 3 is a cross section on the line III-III of Figure 2, in more detail and showing more of the extensions Figure 4 is a cross section of another body such as that of Figures 1 and 2, and Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 but also showing part of the extension illustrated in Figure 3.

In Figures 1 and 2, a body for attachment to a sun visor comprises a square or rectangular section tube 1 closed at one end by a plug 2. This is fixed in position, by adhesive for example, and within the tube it has a hook 3.

Externally, it has a rounded tongue 4 with a pivot 5 by which it carries a hook 6.

At the other end, the tube 1 is closed by an element 7 which is an elongated version of the plug 2. It likewise has a hook 3, a tongue 4, a pivot 5 and a swivelling hook 6 correspondingly arranged. However, it is not fixed, and it can telescope in and out of the tube 1, its inward movement being limited by a shoulder 8.

Between the hooks 3 there is a tension spring 9 so that normally the element 7 is in the innermost position as shown in Figures 1 and 2. However, for attachment to an existing visor, one of the hooks 6 is engaged around one edge, and the body is extended until the other hook 6 can engage around the opposite edge. The pivoting of those hooks 6 is provided since opposite edges of visors are often curved or non-parallel.

Referring to Figures 3 and 5, the tube 1 may be padded at 10 on the side to engage the existing visor, part of which is indicated in outline at V. At the edges of the other side there are formed elongate ribs 11 providing retention means for spring clips 12. These are generally Cshaped, with the ends turned in to engage under the ribs 11.

At their centre they have a slot 13 following the arc and transverse to the longitudinal direction of the tube 1.

Captive between each clip 12 and the tube 1 is a cam 14, of approximately elliptical form in cross section. Co-incident with its minor axis at the centre, there is a stud 15 which extends up from the cam 14 through the slot 13. A light shield 16 with any of the shading characeristics referred to above is attached to these studs 15 and can be adjusted in one of the arrowed directions to lie flat against the existing visor, to project perpendicularly from it (the position shown in Figure 3), or to extend it by lying parallel to the visor in the opposite direction. It will be seen from Figure 3 that it is held stably by the cam 14 when projecting at right angles to the existing visor. When moved in either direction as indicated by the arrows, the cam 14 distorts the spring clip 12.However, once it has moved through almost 900, there will be a snap action and the shield 16 will be held by the interaction of the clip 12 and the cam 14 in either direction parallel to the main visor.

In addition to the pivoting action, which can bring the shield 16 down below the existing visor and thereby increase the vertical shading, the shield can also be moved laterally, the clips 12 sliding along the tube 1 while still being retained by the ribs 11.

An alternative is shown in Figure 4, where the tube 1 has its sides extending away from the main visor extended and turned inwards at 17 to form undercut tracks. These confine a slider 18 which can move lengthways of the tube, but cannot otherwise escape. Centrally along the slider 18 there is a friction hinge 19 by which the shield 16 is attached. This gives the same adjustment as the arrangement of Figures 3 and 5 plus intermediate pivoted positions.

Claims

1. A sun visor extension for automobiles having a body attachable to an existing visor and a shield carried by said body and adjustable to increase the effective shade area of an existing visor.

2. An extension as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the shield is opaque.

3. An extension as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the shield is translucent but tinted or of "polaroid" material.

4. An extension as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the shield is translucent but carries a mesh or dots to reduce the translucent area.

5. An extension as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein the shield is slidable with respect to said body to increase the shading laterally of an existing visor.

6. An extension as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the shield is pivotable with respect to said body to increase the shading below an existing visor.

7. An extension as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the pivot is frictional or has a snap action whereby the shield can be held stably in different angular positions with reference to an existing visor.

8. An extension as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein said body has a spring clip engagement with an existing visor.

9. An extension as claimed in Claim 8, wherein said body is of elongate form with hooks at opposite ends mutually spring urged towards each other, the hooks being for engagement around opposite edges of an existing visor.

10. An extension as claimed in Claim 9, wherein said body is tubular with spring means for the hooks concealed therein.

11. An extension as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the tubular body comprises a tube with one hook fixed to one end thereof and an element partially telescoped into the other end thereof with the other hook fixed to the exposed end of said element, the spring means acting within the tube between said element and a point at or near said one end of the tube.

12. A sun visor extension substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

13. A sun visor for automobiles having an extension as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7, with the modification that the body is part of or provided by an existing visor.