U.S. patent application number 10/288242 was filed with the patent office on 2004-05-06 for projection system.
Invention is credited to Herkimer, Scott A., Jones, Robert W., Kepley, Le Roy Francis JR., King, William K..
Application Number | 20040085520 10/288242 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32175872 |
Filed Date | 2004-05-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040085520 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kepley, Le Roy Francis JR. ;
et al. |
May 6, 2004 |
PROJECTION SYSTEM
Abstract
Projection system. A projection apparatus is disclosed having a
first vertical member and a second vertical member disposed
parallel to the first vertical member, the second vertical member
substantially the same length as the first vertical member. An
upper crossbar member is disposed between the first and second
vertical members and perpendicular thereto. An intermediate
crossbar member is disposed between the first and second vertical
members and perpendicular thereto and below the upper crossbar
member to define a viewing area bounded by the first and second
vertical members, the upper crossbar member and the intermediate
crossbar member. A viewing screen is disposed over the viewing
area. A mounting member is provided extending over the upper
crossbar member and having a mounting end disposed forward of the
viewing area a first predetermined distance and a securing end
extending rearward of the viewing area a second predetermined
distance, the mounting member interfaced to the upper crossbar
member in a pivotal manner such that the mounting end is disposed
along the length of the viewing area at a predetermined length. A
securing device secures the securing end of the mounting member to
at least one of the vertical members outside of the viewing
area.
Inventors: |
Kepley, Le Roy Francis JR.;
(Dallas, TX) ; King, William K.; (Carrollton,
TX) ; Herkimer, Scott A.; (Dallas, TX) ;
Jones, Robert W.; (Dallas, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HOWISON & ARNOTT, L.L.P
P.O. BOX 741715
DALLAS
TX
75374-1715
US
|
Family ID: |
32175872 |
Appl. No.: |
10/288242 |
Filed: |
November 5, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
353/79 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10S 248/918 20130101;
G03B 21/10 20130101; G03B 21/14 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
353/079 |
International
Class: |
G03B 021/14 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A projection apparatus, comprising: a first vertical member; a
second vertical member disposed parallel to said first vertical
member, said second vertical member substantially the same length
as said first vertical member; an upper crossbar member disposed
between said first and second vertical members perpendicular
thereto; an intermediate crossbar member disposed between said
first and second vertical members and perpendicular thereto and
below said upper crossbar member to define a viewing area bounded
by said first and second vertical members, said upper crossbar
member and said intermediate crossbar member; a viewing screen
disposed over said viewing area; a mounting member extending over
said upper crossbar member and having a mounting end disposed
forward of said viewing area a first predetermined distance and a
securing end extending rearward of said viewing area a second
predetermined distance, said mounting member interfaced to said
upper crossbar member in a pivotal manner such that said mounting
end is disposed along the length of said viewing area at a
predetermined length; and a securing device for securing said
securing end of said mounting member to at least one of said
vertical members outside of said viewing area.
2. The projection apparatus of claim 1 wherein said securing device
is operable to secure said securing end of said mounting member to
both of said first and second vertical members outside of said
viewing area.
3. The projection apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mounting end is
disposed along the length of said viewing area at substantially the
center thereof.
4. The projection apparatus of claim 1 wherein a projector is
disposed on said mounting member at said mounting end.
5. The projection apparatus of claim 3, wherein said projector is
mounted on a mounting bracket, said mounting bracket pivoting to
allow adjustment of the angle of said projector relative to said
mounting member.
6. The projection apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mounting member
comprises: a first longitudinal member having first and second
ends; a second longitudinal member having first and second ends,
said first ends of said first longitudinal member disposed
proximate to the first end of said second longitudinal member to
form said mounting end of said mounting member; the angle between
said first and second longitudinal members dimensioned such that
the distance between said second ends of said first and second
longitudinal member is equal to a greater than the distance between
said first and second vertical members; and each of said first and
second longitudinal members pivotally interfaced with said upper
crossbar member a distance from the second ends thereof.
7. The projection apparatus of claim 1, wherein said securing
device comprises first and second cables associated with respective
ones of said first and second longitudinal members secured to the
second ends thereof and extending to the one of said first and
second vertical members proximate thereto at a distance along the
length thereof.
8. The projection apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising an
adjustment device on each of said first and second cables to allow
adjustment of the length thereof to adjust the angle of said
mounting member relative to a horizontal position perpendicular to
said viewing area.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention pertains in general to projector
systems and, more particularly, to a mounting system for mounting a
projector and screen in combination.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Audio visual displays typically utilize some type of forward
projection system that utilizes a liquid crystal display (LCD)
projector that is mounted a predetermined distance away from a
screen. This screen can either be reflective for viewing from the
same side as the projector or the screen can be somewhat less than
opaque such that the projector can be mounted on the rear side of
the screen. Typically, these projectors are mounted on some type of
mobile caddy that can be disposed in the room. However, such a
mounting of the projector utilizes valuable floor space in a
viewing room. As such, some of these projectors have been ceiling
mounted such that they can be mounted on the ceiling away from the
seating area or above the seating area. The problem with this type
of mounting is the wiring, the fact that the mounting has to be
predefined and the lack of mobility therefor. In some applications,
there has been provided a combination of a structure for mounting
the projector wherein the screen is part of that structure.
However, these types of structures require some type of support for
the projector in front or at the rear, in addition to the mounting
structure for the screen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention disclosed and claimed herein, in one
aspect thereof, comprises a projection apparatus having a first
vertical member and a second vertical member disposed parallel to
the first vertical member, the second vertical member substantially
the same length as the first vertical member. An upper crossbar
member is disposed between the first and second vertical members
and perpendicular thereto. An intermediate crossbar member is
disposed between the first and second vertical members and
perpendicular thereto and below the upper crossbar member to define
a viewing area bounded by the first and second vertical members,
the upper crossbar member and the intermediate crossbar member. A
viewing screen is disposed over the viewing area. A mounting member
is provided extending over the upper crossbar member and having a
mounting end disposed forward of the viewing area a first
predetermined distance and a securing end extending rearward of the
viewing area a second predetermined distance, the mounting member
interfaced to the upper crossbar member in a pivotal manner such
that the mounting end is disposed along the length of the viewing
area at a predetermined length. A securing device secures the
securing end of the mounting member to at least one of the vertical
members outside of the viewing area.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] For a more complete understanding of the present invention
and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings in
which:
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the projector
mounting system of the present disclosure;
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the projector mounting
system;
[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates a rear view of the projector mounting
system;
[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the projector mounting
system;
[0009] FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a detail of the pivoting
mechanism;
[0010] FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of the projector mount;
[0011] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the projector
mounting system of the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 9 illustrates a diagrammatic view of two different uses
of the projector mounting system of the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 10 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the support
mechanism for the projector; and
[0014] FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of the support
structure for the projector system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a perspective
view of the projector mounting system of the present disclosure.
First and second vertical members 102 and 104 are provided which
are approximately 79 inches in height and disposed a distance of
approximately forty inches apart and extend in a vertical direction
from a flat surface. A bottom crossbar member 106 is provided for
connecting the bottom ends of the two vertical members 104 and 102.
A top crossbar member 108 is provided that is disposed across the
top of the two vertical members 102 and 104 and is connected
thereto. Each of the crossbar members 106 and 108 are approximately
42 inches in length. There is also provided a middle crossbar
member 110 disposed between the two vertical members 102 and 104 at
a distance from the crossbar member 106 of approximately forty
inches from the crossbar member 108 with a length of approximately
forty inches. A screen 112 is disposed over the area bounded by the
two vertical members 102 and 104, the upper crossbar member 108 and
the middle crossbar member 110. The screen 112 can either be
reflective for front viewing or of an opaqueness to provide for
rear viewing, i.e., one can view the image from the opposite side
of an image source.
[0016] Each of the vertical members 102 and 104, the upper and
lower crossbar members 106 and 108 and the middle crossbar member
110 are fabricated from a one inch extruded aluminum stock that is
rectangular. This provides a fairly lightweight structure. To
support the structure, there are provided two support arms or leg
members 114 and 116 disposed at the bottom of each of the vertical
members 102 and 104 and perpendicular to the ends of the bottom
crossbar member 106. Each of the leg members 114 and 116 has a
dimension of approximately 24 inches in length and is affixed at
the center thereof to the ends of the crossbar member 106. Each of
the leg members 114 and 116 are fabricated from the same extruded
stock of which the members 102 and 104 were fabricated.
[0017] A projector 120 is provided as an image source. This
projector can be an LCD projector or any type of image source that
can project an image from the front thereof a distance therefrom to
a screen and be focused thereon. Any type of such source can be
utilized, provided that it is reasonably lightweight and is
required to be a predetermined distance from the screen. In the
present disclosure, the projector 120 is an LCD projector that
weighs approximately 4 lbs.
[0018] A projector mounting structure is provided that is comprised
of two longitudinal members 122 and 124 that are joined together at
one end to form an apex 126 and which extend outward from the apex
126 in a diverging manner and at an angle to each other, each of
the longitudinal members 122 and 124 having a length of
approximately ninety inches. At the end thereof, opposite apex 126,
they are joined together with a crossbar member 128 having a
dimension of approximately forty two inches. This dimension is
substantially the same as that of the crossbar member 108. Each of
the crossbar members 122 and 124 have an end 130 and an end 132,
respectively. The longitudinal members 122 and 124 are disposed on
the upper surface of the crossbar member 108 such that the crossbar
member 124 is interfaced with the crossbar member 108 on the upper
surface thereof at a pivot point 134 and the longitudinal member
122 is interfaced with the upper surface of the crossbar member 108
at a pivot point 136. The pivot points 134 and 136 are disposed
along the length of longitudinal members 124 and 122 such that the
end 132 and the end 130 are both disposed along the perpendicular
from the end of the longitudinal member 124 a distance of
approximately eleven inches.
[0019] The end 132 is secured with a cable 140 to a point 142
approximately twelve inches from the crossbar member 106 on the
vertical member 102 with the point 142 secured with a cable 144 to
the leg member 114 approximately eleven inches from the vertical
member 102 and on the same side thereof as the end 132. Similarly,
the end 130 is connected with a cable 148 to a point 150 on the
rear of the vertical member 104 approximately twelve inches above
the end thereof and the point 150 secured with a cable 152 to the
end of the leg member 116 approximately eleven inches from the
vertical member 104 on the same side as the end 130.
[0020] The cables 140 and 148 exert a downward force on the ends
132 and 130, respectively to support the apex 126 holding the
projector 120. The projector 120, weighing only approximately 4
lbs. and the longitudinal members 122 and 124, being fabricated
from the same material as the vertical members 102 and 104 will
maintain the center of gravity of the overall structure behind the
forward extending ends of the leg members 114 and 116, such that
the structure will be self-supporting. However to prevent any
inadvertent "toppling" of the structure, an additional chain 160
can be provided at the apex 126 for attachment to an attachment
point 162 on the ceiling or some structure above the projector 120.
This is for the purpose of preventing the structure from toppling
due to external forces, such as an individual bumping into the
structure or even external vibrations. This structure is operable
to be disposed in a military or tactical situation where it may be
disposed proximate to a battlefield. This is a harsh environment
that can result in large vibrations from explosions, etc. Although
the chain 160 is optional, it can prevent unwanted toppling due to
these external forces.
[0021] Referring now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a side view of
the projection system of the present disclosure, with FIG. 3
illustrating a rear view thereof and FIG. 4 illustrating a top view
thereof. It can be seen in FIG. 2 that the projector is mounted to
the apex with a projector mount 202, such that the projector 202
can project an image onto the screen 112. The projector 120 can be
tilted with the mount 202 to accurately project the image on the
screen 112. The pivot point 134 illustrated in FIG. 2 on one side,
is disposed between the longitudinal member 124 and the upper
surface of the crossbar member 108. The cable 140 is illustrated as
being connected to the point 142 on the vertical member 102 a
distance above the lower end thereof. There is provided a
turnbuckle 204 on the cable 140 to allow for tensioning thereof and
a turnbuckle 206 on the cable 144 for allowing tensioning thereof.
However, it could be that an eyelet is provided at the point 142
and the cable 140 and cable 144 are a continuous cable such that
only a single turnbuckle would be required. Additionally, the end
132 of longitudinal member 124 could be connected through a cable
directly to the end of the leg member 114. However, such a
connection might cause "bowing" of longitudinal member 102. The
configuration illustrated in FIG. 2 would prevent this to some
extent.
[0022] With the configuration illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, it can be
seen that a single structure is provided that allows for both
forward viewing and rear viewing in a single structure that
combines both the screen 112 and the projector 120. Since the ends
130 and 132 with the associated cables 140 and 148 are disposed at
the outermost edges of the screen 112, it can be seen that they
will not be in the viewing area when viewing the screen from the
rear side thereof for a rear projection system. The cable 140 is
substantially parallel with the associated vertical member 102.
This provides maximum support therefor. Since the end 132 does not
extend sufficiently beyond the rearward portion of the leg 114,
this allows the structure to be disposed against a back wall with
the rear portion of the leg 114 defining the rearmost dimension
thereof. As such, as long as the end 132 is disposed away from the
vertical member 102 along the perpendicular at a distance equal to
or less than the rearward extending portion of the leg 114, this
will not interfere with the end 132, i.e., it will not touch the
wall that the structure is disposed against.
[0023] Referring now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a detailed
view of a pivot apparatus that is disposed at the pivot point 134
and at the pivot point 136. The apparatus is that disclosed as
disposed at pivot point 134, it being recognized that the same
pivot apparatus is disposed at the pivot point 136. FIG. 5
illustrates an end view looking from the end of the crossbar member
108 and FIG. 6 illustrates a view looking from the end view of the
longitudinal member 124 in cross section. The pivot apparatus is
comprised of first and second eyelet bolts 502 and 504. Each of the
eyelet bolts 502 and 504 have a circular end 506 and 508,
respectively, for opening therein. The circular sections 506 and
508 are disposed adjacent to each other such that the openings
therein line up. A bushing 510 is disposed therebetween which has a
generally cylindrical shape with a diameter that is selected to fit
within the openings of each of the circular ends 506 and 508. This
allows the two circular ends 506 and 508 to rotate relative to each
other and in a plane parallel to the openings therein.
[0024] Each of the eyelet bolts 502 and 504 has a longitudinal
threaded section 512 and 514, respectively, that is oriented such
that they extend in opposite directions. The threaded longitudinal
end 512 of eyelet bolt 502 extends upwards through a hole in the
longitudinal member 124 to the opposite sides thereof to be
connected thereto with a bolt 518. Similarly, the longitudinal
threaded end of the eyelet bolt 504 extends through a hole in the
crossbar member 108 and extends out the other side thereof and is
affixed thereto with a bolt 520.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated a side view of
the projector mount 202 for mounting the projector 120 to the
bottom surface of the crossbar members 122 and 124 and FIG. 7A
illustrates a bottom view of the mounting of the projector. The
projector mount 202 is comprised of an upper securing portion 702
and a lower securing portion 704. The upper portion 702 is
comprised of a socket member with the portion 704 having a ball 708
that is disposed within the socket portion. This allows the portion
704 to rotate with respect to the portion 702. A bottom view of the
longitudinal members 122 and 124 proximate the apex 126 is
illustrated in FIG. 7A. It can be seen that the portion 702 has two
or more holes 708 therein for mating with corresponding holes (not
shown) in the longitudinal members 122 and 124 such that they can
be secured together in a proximate relationship thereto to form the
apex 126. With the projector mounting bracket 202, the projector
120 can be tilted at a desired angle. A threaded compression screw
712 is provided that can cause the socket on the member 102 to
restrict about the ball 708 to fix the projector 120 at a
predetermined angle or position relative to the screen 112.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 8, there is illustrated an alternate
embodiment of the disclosed projection system. In the embodiment of
FIG. 8, the distance between the two vertical members 102 is
increased from a dimension of forty two inches to approximately
twice that, or a dimension of eighty four inches. To facilitate
this, a bottom crossbar member 802 is disposed between the lower
ends of the vertical members 102 and 104, and an upper crossbar
member 804 is disposed between the upper ends of the vertical
members 102 and 104 and is secured thereto. A center crossbar
member 806, similar to the crossbar member 110 is disposed between
the center of the two vertical members 102 and 104 at approximately
the same distance from the upper crossbar member 804 as was the
distance of the crossbar member 110 from the crossbar member 108. A
screen 812 is disposed within the region bounded by the upper
crossbar member 804, the intermediate crossbar member 806 and the
vertical members 102 and 104. This screen is approximately the same
height as screen 112 but twice the width thereof.
[0027] The longitudinal members 122 and 124 are disposed at
approximately the same configuration as those associated with the
embodiment of FIG. 1. The difference is that the ends thereof
extending outward toward the projection side are separated and are
no longer joined at an apex. Rather, the ends of the longitudinal
members 122 and 124 extending outward from the projection side are
connected together with a crossbar member 814 that has a dimension
of approximately forty inches. On an end 816 of the member 122
disposed away from the projection side of the apparatus, there is
disposed a first projector 818 mounted on the lower surface thereof
with a mounting bracket 202 (not shown). A second projector 820 is
disposed on an end 822 of the longitudinal member 124 outward from
the projection side of the apparatus. At the opposite end of the
longitudinal members 122 and 124, there is disposed a crossbar
member 826 that is secured to the ends 130 and 132 of the
longitudinal members 122 and 124, respectively.
[0028] With the configuration of FIG. 8, it can be seen that two
projectors can be utilized to provide a wider viewing area, which
wider viewing area can be either forward projection or rear
projection. Since the cables 140 and 148 are disposed along and
parallel to the longitudinal members 102 and 104, they will not be
within the viewing area. Further, the cables 140 and 148 are not
outside the plane of the longitudinal members 102 and 104 and the
leg members 114 and 116 and, therefore, do not interfere with the
apparatus being disposed to the side thereof against a wall. The
viewing area will not be impeded in a rear projection viewing
orientation, since there is no center support disposed vertically
upward between crossbar members 802 and 804.
[0029] Referring now to FIG. 9, there is illustrated a side view of
a typical viewing for both rear projection and forward projection.
The projection apparatus is generally referred to by a reference
numeral 902. In one embodiment, a seat 904 is provided, it being
understood that there is more than one seat provided, that is
disposed on the forward projection side. This will allow a viewer
to view the projection screen from the "front" side thereof. For
rear viewing, a seat 906 representative of a plurality of seats in
the viewing area on the rear side can be provided for viewing the
program from the rear side.
[0030] Although not illustrated, the projector 120 requires cabling
thereto for the purpose of providing for signal delivery thereto.
This cabling will be provided with fairly light CAT5 cabling that
will be run along one of the longitudinal members 122 and 124 and
down the vertical members 102 or 104. Further, the cabling could be
attached thereto and suspended from a ceiling or some other such
source. This will provide the video feed to the projector 120.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 10, there is illustrated an alternate
embodiment for the support structure for the projector 120. There
is provided a single longitudinal member 1002 that replaces the two
longitudinal members 122 and 124. This has the projector 120
mounted on a mounting end 1004 with the opposite end, an end 1006,
secured to substantially the center of the crossbar member 128. The
longitudinal member 1002 is interfaced with the upper crossbar
member 108 on a pivot point 1006 with the pivoting apparatus of
FIGS. 5 and 6.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 11, there is illustrated an alternate
embodiment of the embodiment of FIG. 1 wherein there are provided
two longitudinal members 1102 and 1106, similar to the longitudinal
members 122 and 124. However, the angle between the two
longitudinal members 1002 and 1006 from an apex 1108 adjacent the
attachment point to the projector 120 is smaller than that between
the longitudinal members 122 and 124. The two longitudinal members
1002 and 1006 will therefore be interfaced with the upper
longitudinal member 108 at pivot points 1110 and 1112 that are
closer together than the pivot points 134 and 136. The longitudinal
members 1102 and 1106 will be attached to the crossbar member 128
at points 1114 and 1116 at the distal ends thereof such that they
are disposed a distance from the ends of the crossbar member
128.
[0033] Although the preferred embodiment has been described in
detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions
and alterations can be made therein without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended
claims.
* * * * *