U.S. patent application number 11/518937 was filed with the patent office on 2007-09-06 for supporting device for display units.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Jun Su Jung.
Application Number | 20070205340 11/518937 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38178946 |
Filed Date | 2007-09-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070205340 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jung; Jun Su |
September 6, 2007 |
Supporting device for display units
Abstract
A supporting device for display units enables height adjustment
with ease and accuracy, and stably maintains the adjusted height
while allowing a plurality of display units to be mounted thereon.
The supporting device includes a stationary member, an elevation
member coupled to the stationary member so as to be raised or
lowered, a rack gear secured to the stationary member, a pinion
gear installed to the elevation member so as to engage with the
rack gear, and a restriction unit installed to the elevation member
to restrict or allow rotation of the pinion gear. The supporting
device further comprises an upper-side supporting member installed
to an upper portion of the elevation member, first and second
movable members to move along a guide rail of the upper-side
supporting member, and connecting devices installed to the
respective movable members to connect the display unit,
respectively.
Inventors: |
Jung; Jun Su; (Suwon-si,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SUGHRUE MION, PLLC
2100 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W., SUITE 800
WASHINGTON
DC
20037
US
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO.,
LTD.
|
Family ID: |
38178946 |
Appl. No.: |
11/518937 |
Filed: |
September 12, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/125.9 ;
248/917 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16M 11/105 20130101;
F16M 11/2085 20130101; F16M 11/18 20130101; F16M 11/2064 20130101;
F16M 2200/048 20130101; F16M 11/24 20130101; F16M 2200/028
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/125.9 ;
248/917 |
International
Class: |
A47F 5/00 20060101
A47F005/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 6, 2006 |
KR |
2006-0021012 |
Claims
1. A supporting device for display units, comprising a stationary
member secured to a base, and an elevation member coupled to the
stationary member so as to be raised or lowered to support the
display unit and adjust a height thereof, the supporting device
further comprising: a rack gear secured to the stationary member; a
pinion gear disposed on the elevation member so as to engage with
the rack gear; and a restriction unit disposed on the elevation
member to restrict or allow rotation of the pinion gear.
2. The supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the
restriction unit comprises a lever coupled to the elevation member
and having a gear part to restrict the pinion gear, an operating
part positioned opposite to the gear part of the lever, and an
elastic member to press the lever to cause the gear part of the
lever to operate in a direction of restricting the pinion gear.
3. The supporting device according to claim 2, wherein the lever is
installed such that, when pressing the operating part, the gear
part is separated from the pinion gear.
4. The supporting device according to claim 2, further comprising:
a lift spring installed between the stationary member and the
elevation member to impart lifting force to the elevation
member.
5. The supporting device according to claim 4, wherein the lift
spring comprises a spiral spring having one end secured to the
stationary member, and the elevation member is provided with a
spring latching member to allow the spiral spring to be wound or
unwound according to a lifting or lowering behavior of the
elevation member.
6. The supporting device according to claim 1, further comprising:
an upper-side supporting member mounted to an upper portion of the
elevation member and extending in a horizontal direction; a guide
rail extending in a longitudinal direction on the upper-side
supporting member; first and second movable members positioned at
both sides of the upper-side supporting member to move along the
guide rail, respectively; and connecting devices, each having a
hinging part and a rotating part to adjust an installation angle of
the display unit, installed to the first and second movable
members, respectively.
7. The supporting device according to claim 5, wherein each of the
connecting devices comprises a first connecting member connected
with an associated one of the first and second movable members so
as to be hinged left and right to obtain a swivel function, a
second connecting member connected with the first connecting member
so as to be hinged up and down to obtain a tilting function, and a
third connecting member rotatably connected with the second
connecting member to obtain a pivot function.
8. The supporting device according to claim 1, further comprising:
an upper-side supporting member mounted to an upper portion of the
elevation member and extending in a horizontal direction; and a
connecting device having a hinging part and a rotating part to
adjust an installation angle of the display unit installed to the
upper-side supporting member.
9. A supporting device for display units, comprising a stationary
member secured to a base, and an elevation member coupled to the
stationary member so as to be raised or lowered to support the
display unit and adjust a height thereof, the supporting device
further comprising: a rack gear secured to the elevation member; a
pinion gear disposed on the stationary member so as to engage with
the rack gear; and a restriction unit disposed on the stationary
member to restrict or allow rotation of the pinion gear.
10. The supporting device according to claim 9, wherein the
restriction unit comprises a lever coupled to the stationary member
and having a gear part to restrict the pinion gear; an operating
part positioned opposite to the gear part of the lever; and an
elastic member to press the lever to cause the gear part of the
lever to operate in a direction of restricting the pinion gear.
11. The supporting device according to claim 10, wherein the lever
is installed such that, when pressing the operating part, the gear
part is separated from the pinion gear.
12. The supporting device according to claim 10, further
comprising: a lift spring installed between the stationary member
and the elevation member to impart lifting force to the elevation
member.
13. The supporting device according to claim 9, further comprising:
an upper-side supporting member mounted to an upper portion of the
elevation member and extending in a horizontal direction; a guide
rail extending in a longitudinal direction on the upper-side
supporting member; first and second movable members positioned at
both sides of the upper-side supporting member to move along the
guide rail, respectively; and connecting devices, each having a
hinging part and a rotating part to adjust an installation angle of
the display unit, installed to the first and second movable
members, respectively.
14. The supporting device according to claim 9, further comprising:
an upper-side supporting member mounted to an upper portion of the
elevation member and extending in a horizontal direction; and a
connecting device having a hinging part and a rotating part to
adjust an installation angle of the display unit installed to the
upper-side supporting member.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.A. .sctn.119
of Korean Patent Application No. 2006-0021012, filed on Mar. 6,
2006 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a supporting device for
display units, and, more particularly, to a supporting device for
display units, which can adjust a height of the display unit with
accuracy, maintain the adjusted height thereof with stability, and
allows display units having different weights to be selectively
mounted thereon.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Generally, a display unit such as a liquid crystal display
and a plasma display panel is supported by a supporting device,
which can stably support the panel, and allow adjustment in height
of the panel. One example of such a supporting device is disclosed
in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-361843.
[0006] The supporting device disclosed in the publication comprises
a stand body secured in a state of standing upright to a stand
base, and an elevation support body coupled to the stand body so as
to be raised or lowered with a display unit mounted thereon. The
elevation support body is supported by a spiral spring, which is
installed to the stand body to provide lifting force acting against
the weight of the display unit. The spiral spring is set to have
elasticity (restoring force) balanced with the weight of the
display unit. Accordingly, the supporting device is designed to
allow the elevation support body to be stopped at a location to
which the display unit is lowered and at a location to which the
display unit is lifted.
[0007] However, since the elasticity of the spiral spring of the
supporting device is predetermined, there is a problem in that, if
other display units having different weights from that of a
standard display unit are mounted on the supporting device,
equilibrium between the elasticity of the spiral spring and the
weight of the display unit is disrupted, causing the supporting
device not to exhibit the height adjustment function. In other
words, if a display unit heavier than the standard display unit is
mounted on the supporting device, the elevation support body is
lowered, whereas if a display unit lighter than the standard
display unit is mounted thereon, the elevation support body is
lifted, so that the supporting device fails to exhibit the height
adjustment function. As a result, the supporting device cannot be
commonly used for the display units having different weights.
[0008] Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2005-0066256
discloses a height adjustable stand for a display unit, which can
adjust the height of the display unit, and then maintain the
adjusted height thereof. However, such a supporting device has a
problem in that, since fixing grooves are separated a great
distance from each other on a side surface of a fixing part, and
since height adjustment positions are restricted to locations of
the fixing grooves, adjustment in height of the display unit cannot
be performed with accuracy.
[0009] Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-388004 discloses a
stand for display units, which enables a plurality of display units
to be simultaneously mounted in a limited space. However, since it
is necessary, for use of the stand, to fasten or release fastening
screws or nuts whenever installation angles of the display units or
separation distances therebetween are adjusted, the stand has a
difficulty in adjustment of the installation angles and the
separation distances therebetween. Accordingly, it is inconvenient
to use such a stand in such a case where the adjustment in distance
between the display units is frequently required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to
provide a supporting device for display units, which enables
adjustment in height of a display unit with ease and accuracy, and
stably maintains the adjusted height of the display unit while
allowing display units having different weight to be selectively
mounted thereon.
[0011] It is another aspect of the present invention to provide the
supporting device, which allows a plurality of display units to be
used in a mounted state thereon, and enables easy adjustment of
distance and installation angle between the display units.
[0012] Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will
be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part,
will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by
practice of the invention.
[0013] The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention are
achieved by providing a supporting device for display units,
comprising a stationary member secured to a base, and an elevation
member coupled to the stationary member so as to be raised or
lowered to support the display unit and adjust a height thereof,
the supporting device further comprising: a rack gear secured to
the stationary member; a pinion gear disposed on the elevation
member so as to engage with the rack gear; and a restriction unit
disposed on the elevation member to restrict or allow rotation of
the pinion gear.
[0014] The restriction unit may comprise a lever coupled to the
elevation member and having a gear part to restrict the pinion
gear, an operating part positioned opposite to the gear part of the
lever, and an elastic member to press the lever to cause the gear
part of the lever to operate in a direction of restricting the
pinion gear.
[0015] The lever may be installed such that, when pressing the
operating part, the gear part is separated from the pinion
gear.
[0016] The supporting device may further comprise a lift spring
installed between the stationary member and the elevation member to
impart lifting force to the elevation member.
[0017] The lift spring may comprise a spiral spring having one end
secured to the stationary member, and the elevation member may be
provided with a spring latching member to allow the spiral spring
to be wound or unwound according to a lifting or lowering behavior
of the elevation member.
[0018] The supporting device may further comprise: an upper-side
supporting member mounted to an upper portion of the elevation
member and extending in a horizontal direction; a guide rail
extending in a longitudinal direction on the upper-side supporting
member; first and second movable members positioned at both sides
of the upper-side supporting member to move along the guide rail,
respectively; and connecting devices, each having a hinging part
and a rotating part to adjust an installation angle of the display
unit, installed to the first and second movable members,
respectively.
[0019] Each of the connecting devices may comprise a first
connecting member connected with an associated one of the first and
second movable members so as to be hinged left and right to obtain
a swivel function, a second connecting member connected with the
first connecting member so as to be hinged up and down to obtain a
tilting function, and a third connecting member rotatably connected
with the second connecting member to obtain a pivot function.
[0020] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
a supporting device for display units is provided, comprising a
stationary member secured to a base, and an elevation member
coupled to the stationary member so as to be raised or lowered to
support the display unit and adjust a height thereof, wherein the
supporting device further comprises: a rack gear secured to the
elevation member; a pinion gear disposed on the stationary member
so as to engage with the rack gear; and a restriction unit disposed
on the stationary member to restrict or allow rotation of the
pinion gear.
[0021] The restriction unit may comprise: a lever coupled to the
stationary member and having a gear part to restrict the pinion
gear; an operating part positioned opposite to the gear part of the
lever; and an elastic member to press the lever to cause the gear
part of the lever to operate in a direction of restricting the
pinion gear.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention
will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the
following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:
[0023] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the construction
of a supporting device for display units in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating one
embodiment of a height adjustor of the supporting device in
accordance with the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the height
adjustor of the supporting device, in which an elevation member is
in a secured state;
[0026] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the height
adjustor of the supporting device in which the elevation member is
in a lifting state;
[0027] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another
embodiment of a height adjustor of the supporting device for the
display unit in accordance with the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating details
of an upper-side supporting member and a connecting device of the
supporting device;
[0029] FIGS. 7 and 8 are views illustrating using states of the
supporting device for the display unit via a pivot function and a
distance adjustment function thereof; and
[0030] FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a supporting
device for display units in accordance with another embodiment of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0031] Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary
embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference
numerals refer to the like elements throughout the drawings. The
embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by
referring to the figures.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, a supporting device for display units
according to the present invention comprises a stationary member 10
secured to a base 1, and an elevation member 20 coupled to the
stationary member 10 so as to be lifted or lowered for height
adjustment. In addition, the supporting device comprises an
upper-side supporting member 60 installed to an upper side of the
elevation member 20 to mount a plurality of display units, first
and second movable members 71 and 72 installed at both sides of the
upper-side supporting member 60 so as to move in a transverse
direction, and connecting devices 80 installed to the respective
movable members 71 and 72 to connect the display units.
[0033] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stationary member 10 stands
upright, and has a lower end secured to an upper surface of the
base 1 via a lower-side connecting member 2. The lower-side
connecting member 2 is fastened to the base 1 and the stationary
member 10 via fastening screws. Herein, although the stationary
member 10 is illustrated as being secured to the base 1 through the
lower-side connecting member 2, the stationary member 10 can be
secured directly to the base 1 via fastening screws or welding.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the stationary member 10 extends in the
vertical direction, and is provided at either side with a first
rail 11 which guides lifting or lowering of the elevation member 20
after being coupled to the elevation member 20. The elevation
member 20 also extends in the vertical direction like the
stationary member 10, and is provided at either side with a second
rail 21 which is correspondingly coupled to the first rail 11 of
the stationary member 10. The first and second rails 11 and 21 can
be coupled to each other so as to slide with respect to each other.
In this regard, although not shown in the drawings, the first and
second rails 11 and 21 are coupled to each other via a plurality of
balls or rollers in order to ensure a smooth lifting and lowering
behavior of the elevation member 20.
[0035] A lift spring 30 is installed in a space between the
stationary member 10 and the elevation member 20 to impart lifting
force to the elevation member 20, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The
lift spring 30 comprises a spiral spring which is secured at its
one end to an inner surface of the stationary member 10 and has
elasticity to wind upwardly. The elevation member 20 is provided
with a spring latching member 31 which is latched to a winding
portion of the lift spring 30 such that the lift spring 30 is wound
or unwound according to the lifting or lowering behavior of the
elevation member 20. Accordingly, the lift spring 30 tends to push
the spring latching member 31 upward, thereby imparting the lifting
force to the elevation member 20. Here, although the spiral spring
is provided as one example of the lift spring 30, it should be
noted that the lift spring 30 is not limited to this construction.
As for the lift spring, a tension coil spring or a compression coil
spring which can impart the lifting force to the elevation member
20 may be employed.
[0036] The elasticity (restoring force) of the lift spring 30
imparts the lifting force to the elevation member 20 so that, even
when a load of a display unit is applied to the elevation member
20, the height of the display unit can be easily adjusted by a
user. Accordingly, it is desirable to set the elasticity of the
lift spring 30 such that a lowering force of the elevation member
20 caused by the weight of the display unit is balanced with the
elasticity of the lift spring 30.
[0037] A height adjustor 40 is positioned in an upper space between
the stationary member 10 and the elevation member 20 to adjust the
height of the elevation member 20. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the
height adjustor 40 comprises a rack gear 41 secured to the inner
surface of the stationary member 10 and extending in the vertical
direction, a pinion gear 42 installed to the elevation member 20 so
as to engage with the rack gear 41, a restriction unit 50 installed
to the elevation member 20 to restrict or allow rotation of the
pinion gear 42, and a support bracket 43 secured to the inner
surface of the elevation member 20 for installation of the pinion
gear 42 and the restriction unit 50.
[0038] The support bracket 43 is secured to the inner surface of
the elevation member 20 via welding, fastening screws, and the
like. The pinion gear 42 is rotatably coupled to a lower end of the
support bracket 43 via a coupling pin 44 such that teeth of the
pinion gear 42 engage with the rack gear 41. Accordingly, the
pinion gear 42 moves and rotates up or down along the rack gear 41
when the elevation member 20 is lifted or lowered.
[0039] The restriction unit 50 serves to restrict the pinion gear
42, and comprises a lever 51, which is coupled at the center to the
support bracket 43 via a coupling pin 53 so as to move like a
seesaw and has a gear part 52 to engage with the pinion gear 42, an
operating part 54 positioned opposite to the gear part 52 of the
lever 51, and an elastic member 55 to press the operating part 54
of the lever 51 to cause the gear part 52 of lever 51 to operate in
a direction of restricting the pinion gear 42. As shown in FIG. 3,
the operating part 54 is protruded outwardly at the rear side of
the elevation member 20 through a hole 23 formed in the elevation
member 20. The elastic member 55 forces the end of the lever 51 at
a side of the operating part 54 within the support bracket 43 to be
protruded to the outside. It should be noted that, without being
limited to this construction, the elastic member 55 may be realized
by a torsion spring installed at a portion to which the coupling
pin 53 of the lever 51 is mounted.
[0040] When the operating part 54 is pushed by the user, the gear
part 52 is separated from the pinion gear 42, the restriction unit
50 releases the pinion gear 42, as shown in FIG. 4. In addition,
when the operating part 54 is released by the user, the lever 51 is
rotated by the elasticity of the elastic member 55, causing the
gear part 52 to engage and restrict the pinion gear 42.
[0041] Accordingly, if the user wants to move the elevation member
20 up or down for the height adjustment of the display unit, the
elevation member 20 is lifted or lowered, with the restriction of
the gear part 52 on the pinion gear 42 released by pushing the
operating part 54. Then, if the user wants to fix the height of the
elevation member 20 after suitably adjusting the height of the
display unit, the operating part 54 is released to force the gear
part 52 to restrict the pinion gear 42. When the pinion gear 42 is
restricted, rotation of the pinion gear 42 is restricted, and
prevents the elevation member 20 from being lifted. Thus, it is
possible to maintain a fixed state of the elevation member 20 with
stability after the height adjustment.
[0042] Since the height adjustor 40 has the structure wherein the
pinion gear 42 moves and rotates along the rack gear 41 during the
height adjustment of the elevation member 20, the height adjustment
of the elevation member 20 can be easily performed. Furthermore,
since it is possible to restrict the pinion gear 42 at any desired
position when fixing the elevation member 20 after the height
adjustment, the height of the elevation member 20 can be accurately
adjusted. In particular, more accurate height adjustment can be
realized by decreasing a pitch of the rack gear 41, the pinion gear
42, and the gear part of the lever 52.
[0043] In addition, since the supporting device for the display
unit consistent with the present invention can secure the elevation
member 20 by means of the restriction unit 50 after the height
adjustment, it is possible to maintain the adjusted height with
stability even in the case where a display unit heavier or lighter
than the standard display unit is mounted on the supporting device
according to needs of the user. In other words, in the case where a
display unit that is heavier than the standard display unit is
mounted on the supporting device, the load of the display unit
applied to the elevation member 20 is greater than the elasticity
of the lift spring 30, causing the elevation member 20 to be
lowered. However, even in this case, since the elevation member 20
is forcibly restricted by means of the restriction unit 50, it is
possible to stably maintain the adjusted height of the elevation
member 20. Likewise, in the case where the display unit lighter
than the standard display unit is mounted on the supporting device,
since the elevation member 20 can be restricted, it is possible to
stably maintain the adjusted height of the elevation member 20.
[0044] Accordingly, since the supporting device of the present
invention can adjust the height of the elevation member 20
irrespective of the load applied to the elevation member 20; that
is, the number or the weights of the display units directly or
indirectly mounted on the elevation member 20, and can maintain the
adjusted height of the elevation member 20 via restriction of the
pinion gear 42 after the height adjustment, it can be commonly used
to support various display units.
[0045] FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the supporting device for the
display unit, which has the upper-side supporting member 60
installed at the upper end of the elevation member 20, and allows
the plurality of display units to be mounted on the upper-side
supporting member 60. However, the present invention is not limited
to this construction, and can be applied to the case where a single
display unit is mounted on the upper portion of the elevation
member 20 as shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. 9, the supporting device
comprises an upper-side supporting member 600 positioned at an
upper end of the elevation member 20, and a single connecting
device 800 which mounts the single display unit to the upper-side
supporting member 600.
[0046] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another
embodiment of a height adjustor 400 of the supporting device for
the display unit consistent with the present invention. Unlike
height adjustor shown in FIG. 1, in the height adjustor 400 of the
embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a rack gear 410 is installed to the
elevation member 20, and a pinion gear 420, a restriction unit 500
and a support bracket 430 are installed to the stationary member
10. The pinion gear 420 is rotatably coupled to an upper portion of
the support bracket 430 so as to engage with the rack gear 410, and
is installed such that a gear part 520 of a lever 510 rotatably
coupled to the support bracket 430 engages with the pinion gear
420. An operating part 540 of the lever 510 is protruded at the
front of the stationary member 10 through a hole 13 formed in the
stationary member 10, and an elastic member 550 supports the end of
the lever 510 at a side of the operating part 540. In this
embodiment, the rack gear 410 is lifted via a lifting behavior of
the elevation member 20, causing the pinion gear 420 mounted to the
stationary member 10 to rotate without being lifted or lowered. The
pinion gear 420 is restricted or released according to operation of
the restriction unit 500. Accordingly, the height adjustor 400 of
this embodiment operates with the substantially same function as
that of the height adjustor 40 described above.
[0047] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, in both embodiments, the
upper-side supporting member 60 is mounted on the upper portion of
the elevation member 20. The upper-side supporting member 60
extends in the horizontal direction, and has a middle portion
secured to the upper end of the elevation member 20 via a
connecting member 61. Although the upper-side supporting member 60
is described as being secured by the upper-side connecting member
61 in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the upper-side supporting member 60
can be directly coupled to the upper end of the elevation member
20.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, the upper-side supporting member 60 is
provided with a guide rail 62, which extends in the longitudinal
direction and has first and second movable members 71 and 72
installed at both sides of the guide rail 62 so as to move in the
horizontal direction with the display units mounted thereon. The
first and second movable members 71 and 72 are slidably coupled to
the guide rail 62 so as to move in the horizontal direction. The
first and second movable members 71 and 72 are provided with
connecting devices 80 which connect the display units thereto,
respectively.
[0049] As shown in FIG. 6, each of the connecting devices 80 is
constructed to be hinged and rotated in order to adjust
installation angle and direction of the display unit according to
the needs of the user. To this end, the connecting device 80
comprises a first connecting member 81 connected with an associated
one of the first and second movable members 71 and 72 via a first
connecting pin 84 so as to be hinged left and right, a second
connecting member 82 connected with the first connecting member 81
via a second connecting pin 85 so as to be hinged up and down, and
a third connecting member 83 rotatably connected at its center with
the second connecting member 82. In order to prevent a portion
coupled to the second connecting pin 85 from being elongated due to
the weight of the display unit, a torsion spring 86 is provided to
this portion, and supports the second connection member 82 to
rotate it upwardly.
[0050] With this structure, the connecting devices 80 can realize a
swivel function to adjust the left and right installation angles of
a display screen, a tilt function to adjust a slant of the display
screen, and a pivot function to pivot the display screen.
[0051] The pivot function to pivot display units M1 and M2 can be
realized as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Specifically, the connecting
devices 80 can be used to allow screens of the display units M1 and
M2 to be laid horizontally, as shown in FIG. 7, or to be stood
vertically, as shown in FIG. 8. When using the display units after
changing directions of the screens as described above, it is
necessary to adjust a distance between the display units M1 and M2.
The distance between the display units M1 and M2 can be adjusted by
moving the display units M1 and M2 in the horizontal direction.
According to the present invention, since the first and second
movable members 71 and 72 can be moved in the horizontal direction
along the guide rail 62 of the upper-side supporting member 60, the
distance between the display units M1 and M2 can be easily
adjusted.
[0052] As apparent from the above description, consistent with the
present invention, height adjustment of the display unit can be
performed with ease and accuracy through the structure of the
supporting device wherein a pinion gear moves and rotates along a
rack gear to lift or lower an elevation member, and the structure
wherein the pinion gear can be easily restricted at any desired
position to maintain the adjusted height of the elevation
member.
[0053] In addition, consistent with the present invention, when
mounting a display unit that is heavier or lighter than the
standard display unit on the supporting device according to the
needs of the user, the adjusted height can be maintained with
stability through the structure wherein the pinion gear is
restricted by means of a restriction unit after adjusting the
height of the elevation member.
[0054] In addition, consistent with the present invention, a
plurality of display units can be mounted on the supporting device
by means of the upper-side supporting member, and can be easily
adjusted in distance therebetween, if necessary, through the
structure wherein first and second movable members can be moved in
the horizontal direction along the guide rail.
[0055] Furthermore, consistent with the present invention,
installation angles and directions of the display units can be
freely adjusted by means of the connecting devices which are
mounted to the movable members to connect the display units, and
have the swivel function, tilt function and pivot function.
[0056] Although a few exemplary embodiments of the present
invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by
those skilled in the art that various modifications, additions and
substitutions may be made in these embodiments without departing
from the principle and spirit of the invention, the scope of which
is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *