Breakaway mirror mounting

Claim 1

A breakaway mirror mounting for detachably attaching a rear view mirror device to the interior structure of a motor vehicle comprising: a mirror; a mirror supporting arm having said mirror attached at one end of said arm; a synthetic resin base plate having upper and lower surfaces and constructed for the upper surface to be secured to the interior structure of a motor vehicle; and means for detaching the mirror and the mirror supporting arm as a whole from the base plate upon application of a force greater than a predetermined magnitude to the mirror supporting arm; said means for detaching the mirror and the mirror supporting arm comprising an abutting surface provided on the other end of the mirror supporting arm, a supporting surface provided on said lower surface of the base plate, a platform provided on said abutting surface, an engaging projection including a head portion and a neck portion extending from said platform, said base plate having therethrough an accommodation opening partially formed by inner walls, and a pair of resilient engaging strips each extending from opposing edges of said accomodation opening and being separated from each other at their adjacent ends to define between them a gap smaller in width than said head portion, said strips having a configuration corresponding to that of said head portion; said accommodation opening being formed with slanting surfaces along its lower side edges; said platform having side surfaces slanting at an angle corresponding to the slanting angle of the slanting surfaces of said opening; said head portion of said engaging projection having on opposite edges respective lateral protrusions, the upper surface of each said protrusion gradually sloping upwardly toward the top portion of the engaging projection; said engaging strips having upper and lower surfaces, said upper surface including a portion extending from the inner walls substantially at a right angle, said lower surface being comprised of an upwardly sloping portion and connected thereto at its lower end to said slanting surface and a supporting surface continuously connected to the slanting surface at the lower end of the slanting surface to cause the lower surface to present a gradual upward curvedness so as to impart more thickness to the bottom side of the strip near the inner walls, the connection between the inner walls and the upper surface portion being located outwardly of the connection between the slanting surface and the lower surface portion, for causing the resilient engaging strips to bend at the connection between the slanting surface and the lower surface portion, upon the insertion of said engaging projection into said accommodation opening, to expand said gap so that the strips permit the insertion of the projection and hold the same by its lateral protrusions.