Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MULTI-POSITION MOUNT FOR ELECTRONIC DISPLAY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to mounts for video display devices,
and
more particularly to mounts for flat panel displays.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Flat panel monitors and televisions have become highly popular and widely used
throughout commercial, business, and residential environments around the
globe. These
flat panel displays allow an enhanced viewing experience with layout
versatility, space
savings, and the ability to replace bulky computer monitors and television
sets with
displays that are merely a fraction of the depth and weight of similar prior
displays of
identical screen size.
The dimensional characteristics of the displays allow them to be conveniently
hung on a wall or connected to a mounting surface such as a column, post, or
flat surface
of a piece of furniture. The ability to mount these devices near a wall
provides an
attractive display arrangement. When such mounting is utilized, it is highly
desirable to
be capable of readily adjusting the position or orientation of a flat panel
display.
Versatility of movement of the mount is often important to achieving a device
that is
positioned exactly in the most functional or aesthetically pleasing location
desired by the
user. Such versatility is particularly desirable as the unique characteristics
of a wall or
mounting surface may dictate the location where the mount may be attached.
Many past mounts have provided designs that, while adjustable, do not provide
the option of a mounting arrangement that places the flat panel display in
extremely close
relation with a wall. This is often the case when clearance space is needed
for tilting
movement of adjustable mounting structures and for accommodating the
adjustment
mechanisms necessary for such movement. The ability to have a flat panel
arrangement
mounted very closely to a wall is desirable for aesthetic reasons in addition
to space
savings provided. It is also desirable, however, to have a mount equipped with
adjustability features
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that can be easily implemented. Moreover, a simple design which can be easily
manufactured is also sought.
Therefore, there is a need for a display mount providing close wall-mounting,
enhanced versatility of positioning and adjustment, and which can be
manufactured at a
relatively low cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the need of the industry for a flat panel
display mount
that provides enhanced positioning ability, versatility of movement, and ease
of installation,
maintenance, and manipulation.
Embodiments of the display mount generally include an adjustable display
interface
that includes a mounting structure for attachment to a flat panel display
providing adjustable
movement in at least one direction as determined by a plurality of follower
members disposed
within slots for slideable movement, and a mounting bracket having flanges
adapted for
receiving the adjustable display interface so that it may reside in one of a
plurality of
potential locations.
The invention provides advantages of multiple possible mounting locations
which
may be quickly engaged and disengaged, where at least one location allows for
mounting a
flat panel device in very close proximity to a mounting surface, and at least
one location
allows for angled adjustment of a flat panel display. Further, the mount is
arranged such that
it is largely self-balanced when the display is adjusted.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the
following
detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection
with the
following drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a flat panel display mount according to an
embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the parts of the display mount of Figure 1
where the
adjustable display interface is separated from the mounting bracket;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the mounting bracket for the display mount
of Figure
1;
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Figure 4 is a rear view of the parts of an adjustable display interface of a
display
mount of Figure 1;
Figures 4a-c are perspective views of parts of an adjustable display interface
of a
display mount of Figure 1;
Figure 4d is a front view of a follower member of a display mount of Figure 1;
Figure 5 is perspective view of a display mount of Figure 1 in a first
position utilizing
a first bracket slot;
Figure 6 is side view of a display mount of Figure 1 in a second position
utilizing a
second bracket slot;
Figure 6a is top view of a display mount of Figure 1 in a second position
utilizing a
second bracket slot;
Figure 7 is side view of a display mount of Figure 1 in a second position
utilizing a
second bracket slot and in a pivoted alignment;
Figure 8 is a front view of the flat panel display mount of Figure 1 where the
display
interface is removed from the mounting bracket and connecting assembly; and
Figure 9 is a rear view of the flat panel display mount of Figure 1.
While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative
forms,
specifics thereof have been depicted by way of example in the drawings and
will be described
in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to
limit the invention to
the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to
cover all
modifications, equivalents, and alternatives.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention relates to an adjustable display mount for attaching a
flat panel
electronic display to a fixed structure. Such fiat panel displays include
plasma displays,
liquid crystal displays (LCDs), or any other kind of electronic display that
is of similar
dimensions or characteristics. Fixed structures generally refer to walls, but
also may include
ceilings, beams, columns, pieces of furniture, booths, or any other fixed or
permanent
structure to which a display mount might be attached.
An embodiment of a flat panel display wall mount is depicted in Figures 1
through 9.
Such a mount embodiment may be particularly well-suited for mounting
relatively small or
midsize flat panel electronic devices. Figure 1 depicts an embodiment of the
present
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invention in which an adjustable display mount 10 generally includes an
adjustable display
interface 12 and a mounting bracket 14. The adjustable display interface 12
generally
includes a mounting assembly 16, connecting assembly 18, two arcuate follower
members 20
and 22, a bolt 24 and a fastener 26. Mounting bracket 14 is a single piece
mounting structure
that is generally attachable to a fixed structure with any suitable fastener
or attachment means
that utilizes upper mounting aperture 28 and lower mounting aperture 30.
Figure 1 also designates, for reference purposes, the relative directions of x-
y-z
coordinates as applied to the mounting system. Any reference herein to
movement in an x-
axis direction, a y-axis direction, or a z-axis direction relates to these
coordinate axes. The y-
axis is oriented up and down, the z-axis is fore-and-aft, and the x-axis is
perpendicular to the
z-axis and the y-axis, and is oriented laterally from side-to-side of the
mounting system.
The device seen in Figure 1 is a display mount which provides dual position
mounting
as well as tilt adjustability. When mounting bracket 14 is fixed to a wall or
similar surface,
mounting assembly 16 of adjustable display interface 12 would typically be
mounted to the
back of a flat panel display, although no such display is shown here for
clarity and better
viewing of the mount. Receiving slots 34 in the back of the adjustable display
interface 12
are coupled to four corresponding flange members 40 located on mounting
bracket 14. These
slots may be a set of interior slots 36 or outer slots 38 located on mounting
bracket 14. (See
Figs. 2 and 3) Engagement with the interior slots 36 provides an extremely
close mounting
configuration with respect to the a wall or other surface where the mounting
bracket 14 may
be attached. Alternatively, engagement with the outer slots 38 provides
clearance space such
that the mounting assembly 16 and an attached flat panel display can be
adjusted by tilting to
achieve a desired viewing angle.
The individual parts of the adjustable mount 10 can be better understood from
Figure
2 where the adjustable display interface 12 and adjustable mounting bracket 14
are shown
separated from one another. Mounting bracket 14 is a single piece rigid member
with two
slots 36 and 38 on each of its four flange members 40. The adjustable display
interface 12 is,
however, a multi-piece assembly of parts that may be moved and adjusted.
Figure 3 discloses the mounting bracket 14 in greater detail. Mounting bracket
14
generally has a flat rectangular base plate 42 with a front face 44 and a rear
face 46. The
back face 46 is abutted into engagement with a wall or other fixed mounting
structure. The
front face 44 is exposed to an attached adjustable display interface 12. The
mounting bracket
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14 is secured to a wall with fasteners through the upper mounting aperture 28
and lower
mounting aperture 30. The mounting bracket 14 also has four flanges 40
disposed in
perpendicular relation to the base 42. Each flange 40 shown has a
corresponding interior slot
36 and an exterior slot 38 that are formed within the upper edge of the
flange. Flanges with
additional slots providing further adjustment locations and capabilities are
contemplated by
this invention as well. Taken as a group, interior slots 36 or exterior slots
38 form sets of
engagement structure with four corresponding coupling locations.
In Figure 4, the parts of the adjustable display interface can be seen in a
disassembled
form for purposes of explanation. Generally, the adjustable display interface
12 includes a
mounting assembly 16, connecting assembly 18, two arcuate follower members 20
and 22, a
bolt 24, and a fastener 26. The example of a bolt 24 and fastener 26 might be
used to hold
the adjustable display interface 12 together in adjustable, slideable
relation. This fastener and
bolt arrangement may be placed in the assembly for tightening through either
side of the
mount assembly, as desired. The individual parts of the adjustable display
interface 12 can
be seen individually in greater detail in Figures 4a - 4c.
The mounting assembly 16 is shown in Figure 4a. Mounting assembly 16 is
generally
a continuous flat plate of sheet metal formed to contain two outwardly
projecting sections 48
and 50 from either side of a top bar 52, two lower portions 54 and 56
extending from mid
sections 58 and 60. The mounting assembly 16 additionally contains two
perpendicular metal
flanges 62 and 64 surrounding the open central portion 66. The perpendicular
flanges have a
curved periphery and interior arcuate slots 68 and 70 formed in each flange,
such that the
slots 68 and 70 are in spaced-apart parallel relation to one another.
Apertures 72 are found in
various locations on the mounting assembly 16 for attachment by fasteners to
the back of a
flat panel display. The back face 46 of the mounting assembly 16 is shown in
Figure 4a.
This back face 46 faces away from a mounted flat panel display. The generally
flat front-face
of the mounting assembly 16 (not shown), is mounted in abutting relationship
to the back
surface of a mounted flat panel display.
Figure 4b sets forth a connecting assembly 18 of the adjustable display
interface 12.
The connecting assembly 18 generally has a primarily flat surface 74 with four
outwardly
projecting corners 76 which form a somewhat rectangular shape. The width of
the
connecting assembly 18 is narrower than the span between the flanges 62 and 64
of the
mounting assembly 16. Along each of the longer edges of the connecting
assembly 18 are
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perpendicularly disposed flanges 78. The flat surface 74 of the connecting
assembly 18 has
four receiving slots 34 spaced around its edges. These slots 34 are used for
connection with
the slots located on the flanges 40 of the mounting bracket 16 during
operation. The flat
surface 74 also contains a large central aperture 80 and two curved perimeter
surfaces 82 and
84.
Centrally located in the flanges 78 are arcuate slots 86. The angle of
curvature of the
arcuate slots 86 being approximately the same as the arcuate slots 68 and 70
in the flanges 62
and 64 of the mounting assembly 16. When assembled these arcuate slots help to
provide an
tiltable adjustment relationship between the connecting assembly 18 and the
mounting
bracket 16.
At one corner of the connecting assembly 18 is a locking mechanism 88. Locking
mechanism 88 is generally a pivotally mounted metal latch that may partially
cause
interference with one of flanges 40 when disposed in one of the receiving
slots 34 when the
locking mechanism 88 is pivoted into position.
Figure 4c and 4d set forth the follower members 20 and 22 of the adjustable
display
interface 12. Each member has a flat arcuate shaped outer portion 90 from
which smaller
inner arcuate shaped protrusions 92 extend on both sides. The inner
protrusions 92 are
shaped to mate with the slots 86 in the connecting assembly 18 on one side and
the second
inner protrusion 92 is shaped to slide within the arc shaped slot 68 or 70 of
the mounting
assembly 16. There is a central aperture 94 in the follower members 20 and 22
through
which a bolt 24 may extend. As depicted in Figure 4d one side of follower
members 20 and
22 may have a recessed surface 91 sized to accommodate fastener 26 in order to
achieve a
tighter frictional interference with the outer side of flange 62 or 64 of the
mounting assembly
16 when the adjustable display mount 10 is assembled.
The configuration and adjustability of the assembled adjustable wall mount 10
can be
seen in Figures 5-7. Figure 5 shows the mount assembled in a first
configuration where the
mount enables a flat panel display to be mounted on mounting assembly 16 in
very close
relation to the wall 32. Here, the receiving slots 34 of the adjustable
display interface 12 are
engaged over flanges 40 and into the four corresponding interior slots 36 of
the mounting
bracket 14. This position generally requires the mounting assembly 16 to be in
a generally
upright position parallel to the wall 32 as the bracket 14 and assembly would
cause
interference with the mounting assembly 16 if rotated. Maximum space is saved
by
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mounting a flat panel display in this way and an appealing wall-mounted
arrangement is
achieved.
Figure 6 shows the mount assembled in a second configuration where the mount
enables adjustment of the flat panel display. In this arrangement, the
receiving slots 34 of
the adjustable display interface 12 are engaged over flanges 40 and into the
four
corresponding outer slots 38 of the mounting bracket 14. Utilizing this
configuration
provides clearance for rotation of the mounting assembly 16 and an attached
flat panel
display (not shown). The rotation of mounting assembly 16 is governed by
tightening and
loosening the fastener 26 and allowing the slots 68 and 70 of the mounting
assembly 16
to slide along the protrusions 92 of follower members 20 and 22 located in
slots 86 of the
connecting assembly 18.
For example, Figure 7 discloses an example of a mount in the configuration of
Figure 6 where the mounting assembly 16 is being tilted in an angled manner.
To achieve
this configuration a user must loosen the fastener 26 from the bolt 24 (not
shown here for
clarity) such that the arcuate slots 70 of the mounting assembly 16 may slide
freely along
the outer protrusion 92 of the follower members 20 and 22. This movement
provides
tilting that enables a user to position a flat panel display in an angled
manner while still
positioning the flat panel display in relatively close relation to the wall or
mounting
surface.
Another feature of this design is that the arrangement provided may be a self-
balanced adjustable system for flat panel mounting. When the adjustable
display interface
12 is attached to a flat panel display a curved guide structure may provide a
systantially
constant radius of curvature with a center disposed proximate the center of
gravity of the
flat panel display. This configuration enables the positioning of the display
with virtually
equal effort to the display in any desired orientation. Therefore, in one
embodiment,
when a flat panel display is attached to a fixed surface with the adjustable
display mount,
the display is adapted to revolve about a substantially horizontal axis
extending
proximate a center of gravity of the display such that the display and display
interface
allow for self-balancing. Further, details of how such self-balancing is
accomplished may
be understood from U.S. Patent No. 6,905,101.
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Figures 8 and 9 reveal front and rear views, respectively, of the display
mount 10
for greater structural clarity. In Figure 8 the mounting assembly 16 is
removed for clarity.
The relative spacing of the connecting assembly 18 and mounting assembly 16
can be
seen as well as the centrally disposed bolt 24 and general configuration of
the locking
mechanism 88 in the locked position.
Therefore, installation and use of the display device may be performed by
carrying out a series of steps. In general, the user must first mount the
bracket 14 to a
fixed structure using any suitable fastening means in connection with
apertures 28 and
30. The user must also attach the adjustable display interface 12 to the
desired flat panel
display by using any suitable fastening means in connection with apertures 72
on the
mounting assembly 16. Next, the user must select the desired slot in the
mounting bracket
14 for engagement and then place the receiving slots 34 of the adjustable
display
interface 12 in engaged relation to the slots 36 or 38 of the mounting bracket
14. If the
user selected the outer slots 38 for engagement, the user may then loosen
fastener 26 such
that mounting bracket 14 may glide around the followers 20 and 22 according to
the
movement allowed by slots 68 and 70. The fastener 26 may then be tightened
into
position at the desired configuration.
Embodiments other than those explicitly set forth in the figures are
contemplated
by this invention as well. For example, while only a single slot 68 and 70 are
used on
each side of the mounting assembly 16, using a plurality of slots is likewise
contemplated. Similarly, while the slots disclosed in the figures are arcuate
and curved,
utilizing straight guide slots is likewise contemplated. An arrangement having
an
adjustable display interface allowing motion in more than one direction is
also possible
through use of readily known mounting devices with multidirectional mounting
features.
In another embodiment a mounting bracket is configured to provide more than
two locations where the display interface 12 is attached to the mounting
bracket. For
example, the mounting bracket having a variety of flange structures is
contemplated
where the display interface 12 is mounted at different heights and distances
from the
fixed structure along the mounting bracket. An arrangement reversing the
location of the
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engagement slots and the flanges between the display interface and the
mounting bracket
is also contemplated.
The scope of the claims should not be limited by particular embodiments set
forth
herein, but should be construed in a manner consistent with the specification
as a whole.
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