FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a rotating mirror, and more particularly, to a rotating mirror having a sealed inner chamber containing a liquid therein.
BACKGROUND
Mirrors are well known in the art. The mirror was first invented by a German chemist in 1835 and employed silvered glass to create a reflective surface by the deposition of a thin layer of metallic silver onto glass through the chemical reduction of silver nitrate. Today, mirrors are commonly made of a plate of transparent glass, with a thin reflective layer on the back. However, the plain design of current mirrors do not incorporate special effects.
Thus, there is a long-felt need for a mirror that provides a reflection but also special effects in the form of floating particles within an inner chamber comprising a liquid.
SUMMARY
According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a rotating mirror assembly, comprising a mirror including a front surface and a rear surface, a front cover engaged with the front surface, a fluidly sealed cavity formed between the front cover and the mirror, a rim operatively arranged to clamp the mirror and the front cover together, and a wall bracket comprising an aperture, the mirror arranged to rotatably engage the aperture.
In some embodiments, the rotating mirror assembly further comprises a seal arranged between the front surface and the cover. In some embodiments, the front cover comprises a meniscus portion edge operatively arranged to engage the front surface, a concave meniscus portion extending radially inward from the meniscus portion edge, and a lip extending radially outward from the concave meniscus portion. In some embodiments, the seal is arranged between the lip and the front surface. In some embodiments, the rim comprises a crimped C-channel rim. In some embodiments, the mirror further comprises a through-bore extending to the cavity, the through-bore operatively arranged to allow the cavity to be filled with fluid. In some embodiments, the rotating mirror assembly further comprises a plug operatively arranged to engage the through-bore to fluidly seal the fluid within the cavity. In some embodiments, the rotating mirror assembly further comprises fluid arranged in the cavity. In some embodiments, the rotating mirror assembly further comprises a plurality of particles arranged in the fluid. In some embodiments, the aperture is key-hole shaped. In some embodiments, the rotating mirror assembly further comprises a wheel bracket connected to the rear surface, the wheel bracket comprising a groove operatively arranged to engage the aperture.
According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a rotating mirror assembly, comprising a mirror including a front surface and a rear surface, a transparent front cover engaged with the front surface, a seal arranged between the front surface and the cover, a fluidly sealed cavity formed between the front cover and the mirror, the cavity being at least partially filled with a fluid, a rim operatively arranged to clamp the mirror and the front cover together, and a wall bracket comprising an aperture, the mirror arranged to rotatably engage the aperture.
In some embodiments, the front cover comprises a meniscus portion edge operatively arranged to engage the front surface, a concave meniscus portion extending radially inward from the meniscus portion edge and axially away from the front surface, and a lip extending radially outward from the concave meniscus portion and axially away from the front surface. In some embodiments, the seal is arranged between the lip and the front surface. In some embodiments, the mirror further comprises a through-bore extending to the cavity, the through-bore operatively arranged to allow the cavity to be filled with fluid. In some embodiments, the rotating mirror assembly further comprises a plug operatively arranged to engage the through-bore to fluidly seal the fluid within the cavity. In some embodiments, the rotating mirror assembly further comprises a plurality of particles arranged in the fluid. In some embodiments, the aperture is key-hole shaped, the mirror is connected to a wheel bracket including a groove, and the groove is operatively arranged to removably engage the aperture.
According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a rotating mirror having a sealed cavity, comprising a front cover and a mirror, a C-channel rim arranged to fixedly seal a front surface of the mirror to a rear surface of the front cover, and a bracket rotatably secured to said mirror, wherein when the front cover and the mirror are fixedly secured by the C-channel rim a sealed cavity is formed between the front cover and the mirror.
According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a rotating mirror having a sealed cavity, comprising a front cover and a mirror secured by a C-channel, the mirror rotatably secured to a bracket, and a cavity, the cavity arranged between the front cover and the mirror, wherein the cavity is arranged to hold a liquid therein and the liquid is arranged to suspend a plurality of particles therein.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a mirror that may be rotatably attached to a wall. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a mirror having a sealed cavity therein. Specifically, the sealed cavity is arranged to hold a liquid wherein the liquid suspends a plurality of particles that produce a snow globe effect when the mirror is rotated.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become readily apparent upon a review of the following detailed description of the disclosure, in view of the drawings and appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various embodiments are disclosed, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts, in which:
FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a rotating mirror assembly showing a user and the user's reflection;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rotating mirror assembly shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the rotating mirror assembly shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating mirror assembly taken generally along line 4-4 in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a detail view of the rotating mirror assembly taken generally at detail 5 in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a rear elevation view of the rotating mirror assembly shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a right side elevation view of the rotating mirror assembly shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the rotating mirror assembly shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating mirror assembly taken generally along line 9-9 in FIG. 3;
FIG. 10 is a detail view of the rotating mirror assembly taken generally at detail 10 in FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the rotating mirror assembly shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 12 is a front elevation view of the rotating mirror assembly with the particles settled at the bottom thereof; and,
FIG. 13 is a front elevation view of the rotating mirror assembly shown in FIG. 12 rotated 270° degrees clockwise.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements. It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the disclosed aspects.
Furthermore, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular methodology, materials and modifications described and as such may, of course, vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It should be understood that any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the example embodiments.
It should be appreciated that the term “substantially” is synonymous with terms such as “nearly,” “very nearly,” “about,” “approximately,” “around,” “bordering on,” “close to,” “essentially,” “in the neighborhood of,” “in the vicinity of,” etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. It should be appreciated that the term “proximate” is synonymous with terms such as “nearby,” “close,” “adjacent,” “neighboring,” “immediate,” “adjoining,” etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. The term “approximately” is intended to mean values within ten percent of the specified value.
It should be understood that use of “or” in the present application is with respect to a “non-exclusive” arrangement, unless stated otherwise. For example, when saying that “item x is A or B,” it is understood that this can mean one of the following: (1) item x is only one or the other of A and B; (2) item x is both A and B. Alternately stated, the word “or” is not used to define an “exclusive or” arrangement. For example, an “exclusive or” arrangement for the statement “item x is A or B” would require that x can be only one of A and B. Furthermore, as used herein, “and/or” is intended to mean a grammatical conjunction used to indicate that one or more of the elements or conditions recited may be included or occur. For example, a device comprising a first element, a second element and/or a third element, is intended to be construed as any one of the following structural arrangements: a device comprising a first element; a device comprising a second element; a device comprising a third element; a device comprising a first element and a second element; a device comprising a first element and a third element; a device comprising a first element, a second element and a third element; or, a device comprising a second element and a third element.
Moreover, as used herein, the phrases “comprises at least one of” and “comprising at least one of” in combination with a system or element is intended to mean that the system or element includes one or more of the elements listed after the phrase. For example, a device comprising at least one of: a first element; a second element; and, a third element, is intended to be construed as any one of the following structural arrangements: a device comprising a first element; a device comprising a second element; a device comprising a third element; a device comprising a first element and a second element; a device comprising a first element and a third element; a device comprising a first element, a second element and a third element; or, a device comprising a second element and a third element. A similar interpretation is intended when the phrase “used in at least one of:” is used herein. Furthermore, as used herein, “and/or” is intended to mean a grammatical conjunction used to indicate that one or more of the elements or conditions recited may be included or occur. For example, a device comprising a first element, a second element and/or a third element, is intended to be construed as any one of the following structural arrangements: a device comprising a first element; a device comprising a second element; a device comprising a third element; a device comprising a first element and a second element; a device comprising a first element and a third element; a device comprising a first element, a second element and a third element; or, a device comprising a second element and a third element.
By “non-rotatably connected” elements, it is meant that: the elements are connected so that whenever one of the elements rotate, all the elements rotate; and, relative rotation between the elements is not possible. Radial and/or axial movement of non-rotatably connected elements with respect to each other is possible, but not required. By “rotatably connected” elements, it is meant that the elements are rotatable with respect to each other.
Adverting now to the figures, FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of mirror assembly 100 showing user 600 and user's reflection 601. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of rotating mirror assembly 100. Both FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate mirror assembly 100 with internal particles 500 suspended within liquid 400 that is contained within a sealed inner chamber. In FIGS. 1-2, cross-hatching illustrates liquid 400 that is contained within mirror assembly 100, and dark dotting illustrates particles 500 suspended within liquid 400.
Mirror assembly 100 generally comprises front cover 10, C-channel rim 20 (shown in FIG. 2), and mirror 30 (shown in FIG. 4). Front cover 10 is secured to mirror 30 via C-channel rim 20, which acts as a clamp that is arranged to hold front cover 10 and mirror 30 together. In some embodiments, C-channel rim 20 also includes clip 90, which may be used as an extra support to maintain the crimp of C-channel rim 20 and/or as a sign on which a brand name may be displayed. When front cover 10 and mirror 30 are secured by C-channel rim 20, sealed inner cavity or chamber 80 is formed therebetween. In some embodiments, inner cavity 80 is arranged to hold internal liquid 400 which includes plurality of particles 500 suspended therein. Particles 500 create a snow globe effect that may be seen when user 600 views reflection 601 in mirror 30 of mirror assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 1. It should also be appreciated that mirror assembly 100 is attached to a rotating bracket assembly that allows mirror assembly 100 to be rotated. When mirror assembly 100 is rotated, particles 500 are displaced from the bottom of mirror assembly 100 to the top of mirror assembly 100, at which point particles 500 fall back down to the bottom of internal cavity 80 (i.e., rotating mirror assembly 100 agitates particles 500 within internal cavity 80). The falling particles 500 within internal liquid 400 creates the snow globe effect.
FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of rotating mirror assembly 100. Although FIG. 3 illustrates clip 90 located at the bottom of rim 20 (i.e., at “six o'clock”), clip 90 may be positioned anywhere on rim 20.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of rotating mirror assembly 100 taken generally along line 4-4 in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a detail view of rotating mirror assembly 100 taken generally at detail 5 in FIG. 4. The sectional views in FIGS. 4-5 draw particular attention to cavity 80. Cavity 80 is a sealed space that is defined by the inside surface of front cover 10, the outside edge of front cover 10, and the inside or front surface of mirror 30. Cavity 80 is sealed by C-channel rim 20 engaging and securing front cover 10 and mirror 30 to each other, as previously described. Cavity 80 is arranged to hold internal liquid 400 and particles 500 that are suspended within internal liquid 400.
In a preferred embodiment, liquid 400 can comprise a mixture of light oil and water, ethylene glycol, or glycerin and water. The exact composition of snow globe liquid 400 is well known in the art, Historically, the snow or “flitter” particles 500 could also be made of a wide variety of materials, including but not limited to bone chips, pieces of porcelain, sand, sawdust, gold foil, non-soluble soap flakes, or, preferably, plastic. For health and safety reasons, white plastic has become more common in the construction of modern snow globes. An added benefit of glycerol is that is slows the descent of the snow.
FIG. 6 is a rear elevation view of the rotating mirror assembly 100, specifically illustrating the bracket of assembly 100 and the rear or outside surface of mirror 30. Plug 32 is shown engaged with the rear surface of mirror 30. Plug 32 is arranged to sealably close opening or aperture 33 located in mirror 30 (see FIG. 9). Opening 33 is used to fill cavity with liquid 400 and/or particles 500. In some embodiments, opening 33 is arranged in front cover 10 instead of in mirror 30. Mirror bracket 40 is operatively arranged to be non-rotatably connected to mirror 30. In some embodiments, mirror bracket 40 is fixedly secured to the rear surface of mirror 30, for example, via adhesives, welding, soldering, fasteners, screws, bolts, pins, rivets, etc. Mirror bracket 40 includes centrally arranged aperture 41 that is arranged to accept fastener 51 to secure wheel bracket 50 to mirror bracket 40. Wheel bracket 50 includes channel or groove 54 operatively arranged to engage an inside edge of an aperture of wall bracket 60. Wall bracket 60 includes a plurality of apertures arranged near an outside edge thereof to engage fasteners 61-64 to secure wall bracket 60 to an external surface or structure, such as a wall. Mirror bracket 40, wheel bracket 50, and wall bracket 60 are described in greater detail below.
FIG. 7 is a right side elevation view of rotating mirror assembly 100. FIG. 8 is a top plan view of rotating mirror assembly 100. Mirror bracket 40 is non-rotatably connected to the rear surface of mirror 30. Wheel bracket 50 is connected to mirror bracket 40, for example via fastener 51 and nut 55. In some embodiments, wheel bracket 50 is rotatably connected to mirror bracket 40. In some embodiments, wheel bracket 50 is non-rotatably connected to mirror bracket 40. In use, wall bracket 60 is fixedly secured to an external surface, such as a wall, via fasteners 61-64 (see FIG. 11). To attach mirror assembly 100 to wall bracket 60, wheel bracket is inserted into the aperture of wall bracket 60, where an edge of the aperture of wall bracket 60 seats within groove 54 of wheel bracket 50, which allows wheel bracket 50, wall bracket 40, mirror 30, C-channel rim 20, and front cover 10 of mirror assembly 100 to rotate.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of rotating mirror assembly 100 taken generally along line 9-9 in FIG. 3. As shown, mirror bracket 40 is non-rotatably connected to mirror 30, specifically, rear surface 31 of mirror 30. Mirror bracket 40 is arranged to extend away from its outside edges towards its center (i.e., bowl shaped), creating a space between rear surface 31 of mirror 30 and the center inside surface of mirror bracket 40 where aperture 41 is arranged (see FIG. 11). In some embodiments, mirror bracket 40 is integrally formed with mirror 30. In some embodiments, mirror bracket 40 is a separate component connected to rear surface 31 of mirror 30, for example, via fasteners such as screws, snap-fit fasteners, additional grooves on rear surface 31 to slidably accept mirror bracket 40, adhesives, soldering, welding, etc. The space created allows the head of wheel bracket fastener 51 to be axially arranged between rear surface 31 of mirror 30 and the inside center surface of mirror bracket 40. Wheel bracket fastener 51 removably secures wheel bracket 50 to mirror bracket 40 via nut 55. In some embodiments, nut 55 is arranged in a counterbore of through-bore 53, the counterbore arranged on the outside surface of wheel bracket 50 (see FIG. 9). After wheel bracket 50 is attached to mirror bracket 40 via wheel bracket fastener 51 and nut 55, groove 54 of wheel bracket 50 is then engaged with wall bracket 60, as will be described in greater detail below.
FIG. 10 is a detail view of rotating mirror assembly 100 taken generally at detail 10 in FIG. 9. Cavity 80 is formed between front cover 10, mirror 30, and C-channel rim 20 and is sealed to hold liquid 400 therein. Front cover 10 comprises meniscus portion 14, meniscus portion edge 16, and lip 18. Meniscus portion edge 16 is operatively arranged to engage front surface 34 of mirror 30. Meniscus portion 14 extends from meniscus portion edge 16 in a radially inward direction and away from mirror 30. Lip 18 extends from meniscus portion edge 16 in a radially outward direction and away from mirror 30. Lip 18 is arranged to contact an inner surface of C-channel rim 20. Seal 70 is arranged axially between front surface 34 and lip 18. C-channel rim 20 is arranged to clamp rear surface 31 of mirror 30, seal 70, and the front surface of lip 18 together. In some embodiments, seal 70 comprises silicone or silicone gel. Seal 70 is arranged about the entire inner surface of lip 18 and arranged circularly about the entire outer edge of front surface 34 of mirror 30. Seal 70 acts as a secondary seal between front cover 10 and mirror 30, with the primary seal being formed by the engagement of meniscus portion edge 16 and front surface 34. The abutment of meniscus portion edge 16 and front surface 34 also serves as a stop to prevent seal 70 from entering cavity 80. It should be appreciated that meniscus portion edge 16 is an outer surface of front cover 10 and is the contacting surface that engages front surface 34 of mirror 30 when C-channel rim 20 is engaged to front cover 10 and mirror 30. In some embodiments, to assemble mirror assembly 100, rear surface 31 of mirror 30 is placed on top of a first flange of C-channel rim 20 with the second flange of C-channel rim 20 being generally perpendicular to the first flange (i.e., uncrimped). Then seal 70 is arranged on top of front surface 34 and front cover 10 is arranged on top of front surface 34 and seal 70. The second flange of C-channel rim 20 is then crimped to clamp the elements together and formed sealed cavity 80.
FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of rotating mirror assembly 100. Front cover 10 and mirror 30 are arranged to be clamped together by C-channel rim 20. Opening 33 is arranged in cavity 80. In some embodiments, opening 33 is a through-bore extending from rear surface 31 to front surface 34. Plug 32 is arranged to sealingly engage opening 33. Thus, plug 32 can be removed to fill cavity 80 with liquid 400 and/or particles 500. Once filled, plug 32 is engaged with opening 33. Before mirror bracket 40 is non-rotatably connected to rear surface 31 of mirror 30, wheel bracket fastener 51 is inserted into aperture 41 of bracket 40. Wheel bracket 50 includes a substantially central through-bore 53 that is arranged to accept wheel bracket fastener 51. Nut 55 engages fastener 51 to secure wheel bracket 50 to mirror bracket 40. In some embodiments, nut 55 is arranged completely within a counterbore of through-bore 53, as best shown in FIG. 9. Wheel bracket 50 also includes mounting groove 54. Wheel bracket 50 is substantially cylindrical, having a first base facing rear surface 31 of mirror 30 and a second base facing wall bracket 60. Mounting groove 54 is arranged between both faces of wheel bracket 50, wherein mounting groove 54 has an outer circumference that is less than the outer circumference of both faces of wheel bracket 50.
Wall bracket 60 is secured to an external surface, such as a wall, via a plurality of fasteners 61-64 that each have a respective aperture arranged on each of the four corners of wall bracket 60. Although FIG. 11 depicts wall bracket to have four (4) fasteners 61-64 and four respective apertures, it should be appreciated that any number of fasteners and apertures would be acceptable so long as the selected number provides a sufficient weight-bearing securement of wall bracket 60 to an external surface. Wall bracket 60 comprises a keyhole-shaped aperture which is defined by upper aperture 65 and lower aperture 66. Upper aperture 65 comprises edge 65a having a first width or radius and lower aperture 66 comprises edge 66a having a second width or radius, the second width or radius being less than the first width or radius. The first width or radius is also greater than the radius of wheel bracket 50. As such, wheel bracket 50 is first inserted in upper aperture 65 and then wheel bracket 50, along with the rest of mirror assembly 100, is lowered into lower aperture 66. Lower aperture 66 has a width or radius that is greater than mounting channel 54 of wheel bracket 50 and less than the bases of wheel bracket 50, such that when mounting channel 54 is engaged with edge 66a of lower aperture 66 it cannot be removed unless it is lifted upwardly into upper aperture 65 and pulled out. Once wheel bracket 50 is seated on edge 66a of lower aperture 66, wheel bracket 50 and the connected components of mirror assembly 100 may be rotated while wheel bracket 50 maintains a seated position within lower aperture 66.
FIG. 12 is a front elevation view of rotating mirror assembly 100 with particles 500 settled at the bottom thereof. For exemplary purposes, upper portion 110 of mirror assembly 100 refers to the upper hemisphere and lower portion 120 of mirror assembly 100 refers to the lower hemisphere. Internal liquid 400 is trapped and contained within cavity 80, which is formed by front cover 10 and mirror 30. Preferably, cavity 80 is filled completely with liquid 400 such that there are no air pockets within cavity 80. Particles 500 suspended within liquid 400 are shown resting at the very bottom of lower portion 120 of mirror assembly 100. As mirror assembly 100 is rotated in clockwise direction 200 (or a counterclockwise direction) with respect to wall bracket 60, particles 500 will displace.
FIG. 13 is a front elevation view of rotating mirror assembly 100 shown in FIG. 12 rotated 270° degrees clockwise. As shown, mirror assembly 100 is rotated, at which point particles slide via gravity and fall through internal liquid 400 in a downward direction, creating a snow globe effect in front of mirror 30.
It should be appreciated that particles 500 may take a variety of forms, shapes, sizes, and colors. Particles 500 could be white and relatively small to produce a snow globe effect when falling. Alternatively, particles 500 could be larger and possibly made of a glow in the dark material for themed settings. The design of the suspended particles could take a variety of different forms to accommodate various aesthetics.
It will be appreciated that various aspects of the disclosure above and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
REFERENCE NUMBERS
10 Front cover
14 Meniscus portion
16 Meniscus portion edge
18 Lip
20 C-channel rim
30 Mirror
31 Rear surface
32 Plug
33 Opening
34 Front surface
40 Mirror bracket
41 Aperture
50 Wheel bracket
51 Wheel bracket fastener
52 Bolt
53 Through-bore
54 Groove
55 Nut
60 Wall bracket
61 Fastener
62 Fastener
63 Fastener
64 Fastener
65 Upper aperture
65
a Edge
66 Lower aperture
66
a Edge
70 Seal
80 Cavity
90 Clip
100 Mirror assembly
110 Upper portion
120 Lower portion
200 Clockwise rotation
400 Internal liquid
500 Particles
600 User
601 Reflection
Patent Application
20230000268
