U.S. patent application number 12/984483 was filed with the patent office on 2012-07-05 for user-adjustable wall mount for display panel.
Invention is credited to Joseph D. Lee.
Application Number | 20120167486 12/984483 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46379485 |
Filed Date | 2012-07-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120167486 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Joseph D. |
July 5, 2012 |
USER-ADJUSTABLE WALL MOUNT FOR DISPLAY PANEL
Abstract
A wall mount for mounting a flat display panel on a wall enables
an attached panel to be user-movable within predetermined limits in
a curved travel path including an upper limit location with the
panel in proximity to the wall, and a lower working location with
the panel spaced out from the wall at a predetermined distance. A
parallelogram type support structure with four double-hinged
coupling arms enables the required movability while holding the
panel level and vertically oriented. In a powered embodiment, an
electric motor/winch assembly is controlled by a local and/or
remote, wireless, wired and/or Wi-Fi control unit enabling a user
to relocate the panel to any desired location in the travel path
and to lock the panel in place for viewing.
Inventors: |
Lee; Joseph D.; (Santa
Monica, CA) |
Family ID: |
46379485 |
Appl. No.: |
12/984483 |
Filed: |
January 4, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/125.2 ;
52/126.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B 81/064 20130101;
H04N 5/642 20130101; F16M 2200/063 20130101; F16M 13/02 20130101;
F16M 11/18 20130101; H04R 2201/021 20130101; F16M 11/046 20130101;
A47B 81/062 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/125.2 ;
52/126.3 |
International
Class: |
E04B 1/343 20060101
E04B001/343 |
Claims
1. A wall mount assembly for adjustable support of a generally flat
display panel, comprising: a wall plate made and arranged to be
attached to a vertical wall; a panel plate, having a designated
vertical dimension, made and arranged to support a display panel in
a vertical plane; coupling structure made and arranged to couple
said wall plate together with said panel plate in a manner that,
with said wall plate attached to the vertical wall, said panel
plate is enabled to support the display panel in stabilized viewing
condition at one of at least two predetermined locations relative
to the wall including an upward location, close to the wall, and a
downward location spaced further from the wall than the upward
location by a predetermined horizontal distance, and located lower
than the upward location by a predetermined vertical distance; and
a hoist system, applying primary actuating tensile force via at
least one flexible tension-drive member, deployed in a manner to
perform user-directed relocation of the display panel in a
predetermined travel path between the upward and the downward
locations.
2. The wall mount assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the
predetermined horizontal distance is made approximately equal to
the predetermined vertical distance.
3. The wall mount assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said
coupling structure comprises a plurality of coupling arms each
having a first end hingedly attached to said wall mount plate at a
selected location thereupon, and a second and opposite end hingedly
attached to said panel mount plate, at corresponding predetermined
attachment locations at top and bottom regions thereof, such that
said coupling arms are held parallel to each other causing said
wall plate and said panel plate to form a first pair of parallel
opposite sides of a hinged parallelogram, and causing said coupling
arms to form a second pair of parallel opposite sides of the hinged
parallelogram, such that, with said wall plate attached to a
vertical wall, said panel plate is movable in an arcuate travel
path extending in a travel range between (1) an upper limit at the
upward location, characterized by said coupling arms being oriented
in a generally vertical direction and said panel plate being
located in close proximity to the wall, and (2) a lower limit at
the downward location characterized by said coupling arms being
oriented in a generally horizontal direction with said wall plate
and said panel plate being displaced from the upper limit panel
location by the predetermined horizontal distance and by the
predetermined vertical distance.
4. The wall mount assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein: said
panel plate is attached to a flat display panel; and said wall
plate is attached to a vertical wall at a location intended for
viewing the display panel.
5. The wall mount assembly as defined in claim 4 wherein said panel
plate is attached to said display panel via intermediate panel
attachment hardware.
6. The wall mount assembly as defined in claim 4 wherein said hoist
system comprises: a cylindrical roller rotatably mounted in close
proximity to the wall at a predetermined height dimension above a
bottom edge of said wall plate that approximates twice the vertical
dimension of said panel plate: a first end of said at least one
flexible tension-drive member being attached to said cylindrical
roller in a wrap-around manner to act as a winch; a second and
opposite end of said at least one flexible tension-drive member
being attached to a lower region of said panel plate: and actuation
means enabling a user to actuate said cylindrical roller in a
rotational manner to provide capability of supporting and
relocating said panel plate and the display panel via tension in
said at least one flexible tension-drive member as required to move
the display panel in the travel path and to support the display
panel in a stable condition at any selected location.
7. The wall mount assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein said at
least one flexible tension-drive member comprises two fabric
webbing straps each located in a corresponding opposite end region
of said cylindrical roller and wound spirally thereupon.
8. The wall mount assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein said
actuation means comprises an electric motor located in a hollow end
region within said cylindrical roller along with an associated gear
reduction mechanism, the electric motor being attached, at least
indirectly, to the wall by a mounting bracket.
9. The wall mount assembly as defined in claim 8 wherein said
electric motor further comprises braking and locking capability
automatically applied to said cylindrical roller whenever
electrical power is absent in said electric motor.
10. A wall mount assembly for wall-mounting a generally flat
display panel in a manner to be user-relocatable, comprising: a
wall plate attached to a vertical wall; a panel plate, having a
designated vertical dimension, attached to the display panel; four
coupling arms each having a first end hingedly attached to said
wall mount plate at a selected location thereupon, and a second and
opposite end hingedly attached to said panel mount plate, at
corresponding predetermined attachment locations at top and bottom
end regions thereof, such that said coupling arms are held parallel
to each other causing said wall plate and said panel plate to form
a first pair of parallel opposite sides of a hinged parallelogram,
and causing said coupling arms to form a second pair of parallel
opposite sides of the hinged parallelogram, such that the display
panel is movable in a travel path approximating a 90 degree arc
extending in a travel range between two user-selectable locations
including an upward location close to the wall at a predetermined
height with said coupling arms oriented in a generally vertical
direction, and a downward location, wherein with the coupling arms
are oriented in a generally horizontal direction and the display
panel is displaced downwardly by a vertical dimension and displaced
further from the wall by a horizontal dimension that approximates
the vertical dimension; and a hoisting system comprising: a
cylindrical roller rotatably mounted in close proximity to the wall
at a predetermined height dimension, relative to a bottom edge of
said wall plate, that approximates twice the vertical dimension of
said panel plate; a first fabric webbing strap having a first strap
end attached to said cylindrical roller in a first end region
thereof and spirally wound thereupon, and having a second strap end
attached to a lower region of said panel plate near a first end
thereof; a second fabric webbing strap having a first strap end
attached to said cylindrical roller in a second end region thereof
and spirally wound thereupon, and having a second strap end
attached to a lower region of said panel plate near a second end
thereof: and an actuation mechanism including a control system made
and arranged to enable a user to initiate and control rotation of
said cylindrical roller in a manner to apply supportive motive
force to said panel plate via tension in said first and second
fabric webbing straps as required to move and relocate said panel
plate in the travel path, and to apply locking against rotation,
upon demand, so as to support said panel plate in a stable
condition at any selected location.
11. The wall mount assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein said
actuation mechanism includes an electric motor, including reduction
gearing, located in an end region of said cylindrical roller and
having a housing attached by a bracket to a fixed mass that
includes the wall and said wall plate, said electric motor enabled
to rotate said cylindrical roller and thus relocate the panel upon
actuation by the user, and to prevent rotation of said cylindrical
roller in absence of actuation.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is in the field of mounts for display
devices and more particularly a wall-mount system, for a flat
display panel, with capability of adjustment over a designated
range in a path that includes height and wall-to-panel spacing
variation, optionally powered and remotely controllable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The evolution from bulky CRT type TV/video displays to flat
panel display technology has brought to public reality the
previously wished-for picture-on-the-wall configuration. With the
availability of virtually any desired size panel for optimal
viewing as determined by room size, audience size, or taste, flat
panel displays have opened up many new interior decorating and
placement concepts, and along with the adoption of high definition
standards, and an abundance of programming, including movies,
sports, shows, information, games, etc., have become a highly
desirable and popular feature, in business, regular homes, and
particularly in high-end custom home entertainment systems.
[0003] While floor or table-top support may be required or desired
for unusually large and heavy panels and/or in
institutional/commercial environments, there has been considerable
increasing demand for wall-mounting, especially for residential
installations, typically adapted to depend upon engagement with
wall studs for structural integrity.
DISCUSSION OF KNOWN ART
[0004] For video flat panel mounting, a variety of wall-mounting
hardware has become available. The great majority of such mounting
hardware currently available provides some range of location
adjustment at installation, typically in conjunction with
additional rear mounting hardware, allowing an installer to
initially secure basic framework to the wall studs and to then
utilize the available amount of adjustment range provided by the
mounting hardware to accomplish a desired final fixed location.
Interior decoration and placement considerations taking into
account variations in room size, shape and available wall space
frequently pose difficult choices that cannot be resolved
satisfactorily with available mounting hardware.
[0005] For example, if the optimal location in a room is already
occupied by a fireplace, art, seating, or an electronic equipment
cabinet, the user may have to make a difficult choice with an
unacceptable compromise of either mounting the viewing panel on the
wall above the fireplace mantel, which is typically too high for
comfortable seated viewing, or mounting the viewing panel and/or
center loudspeaker offset to one side, off-center to the seating
and other loudspeaker placement in the room.
[0006] Known available display panel mounting products, even those
made to be user-adjustable, with tilt, swivel, and/or cantilevered
side to side adjustment, either by hand or powered, fail to provide
a satisfactory solution to room obstacle problems such as the
fireplace dilemma described above. Thus there remains an
unfulfilled need and demand for special mounting hardware that
provides such extraordinary additional degree of versatility.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 7,784,757 to Woods et al for TILTABLE WALL
MOUNTS and U.S. Pat. No. 7,494,099 to Shin for WALL MOUNT USABLE
WITH DISPLAY APPARATUS typify disclosures of wall mounts that are
hinged to provide tilt adjustment.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 7,661,640 to Persson for WALL MOUNTABLE
STRUCTURE FOR IMAGE DISPLAY SCREEN typifies disclosures of wall
mounts that provide some degree of movement in one specified
direction at installation.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,027 to Nye for METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
ADJUSTING A BASKETBALL GOAL and U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,676 to Bearson
et al for ADJUSTABLE BASKETBALL GOALS both disclose a parallelogram
support structure wherein a goal backboard is pivotally mounted
onto a main structure by pair of upper and lower radius arms, with
horizontal hinge axes at each end, to enable manual height
adjustment during which the goal backboard remains vertical while
it moves in curved path set by the length of the radius arms,
causing a variation in goal-to-support spacing. For play use, the
backboard is locked in place at the adjusted location by one or
more angled support struts, optionally fitted with a form of
turn-buckle.
[0010] Published application US 2008/0237424 to Clary for WALL
AFFIXED VERTICALLY ARTICULATED FLAT PANEL DISPLAY discloses two
frame assemblies connected by pivotally connected links,
counter-balanced by pneumatic springs and optionally powered by a
linear actuator.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0011] It is a primary object of the invention to provide a wall
mount hardware structure for supporting a flat display panel onto a
vertical wall in a manner that enables adjustment and holding in
place within a travel range that includes an upper limit located in
proximity to the wall and a lower location spaced out from the wall
at a predetermined distance.
[0012] It is a secondary object for the wall mount hardware
structure to be equipped with a motive mechanism enabling the
display panel to be relocated and set for use at any user-selected
location within the travel range by a remote control from any
viewing location.
[0013] It is a further object to provide an embodiment wherein the
display panel can be set for use in at least two designated
locations within a designated range of deployment, by a hand-held,
table-top or computerized remote control.
[0014] It is a further object to provide an embodiment made and
arranged to locate the wall mount assembly behind a large display
panel in a manner to be concealed from a normal viewpoint when the
panel is located at the upper limit.
[0015] It is a further object of the invention to operate in
conjunction with at least one standard and/or front-center type
surround loudspeaker located so as to be concealed when the wall
mount holds the panel at the upper limit location, and revealed
when the wall mount holds the panel at the lower limit
location.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The objects of the invention have been met by configuring
wall mount hardware that enables an attached display panel to be
user-movable within predetermined limits in a curved travel path
including an upper limit location with the panel in proximity to
the wall, and a lower working location with the panel spaced out
from the wall at a predetermined distance. A parallelogram type
support structure with four double-hinged coupling arms enables the
required movability while holding the panel level and vertically
oriented. In a powered embodiment, an electric motor/winch assembly
including braking and locking capability, controlled by a local
and/or remote, wireless and/or wired control unit, can relocate the
panel to any desired location in the travel path.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective side/front view of an adjustable
wall mount assembly of the present invention in a first
illustrative embodiment characterized by an upward extending wall
plate supporting a motorized winch assembly and an optional
loudspeaker. The wall plate is attached by four hinged coupling
arms to four corner regions of a movable panel mounting plate,
shown set at the lower limit of the adjustment range.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the wall mount of FIG.
1 reset to the upper limit of the range.
[0019] FIGS. 3-6 are side and front views depicting lower and upper
limit panel locations of a relatively small sized display panel
attached to the wall mount assembly of FIG. 1, also exemplifying a
first installation option that exposes the winch assembly and upper
wall plate extension when set at the lower limit (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4)
and conceals the entire wall mount assembly when set at the upper
limit (FIGS. 2, 5 and 6).
[0020] FIGS. 7-10 are side and front views depicting working and
upper limit panel locations of a second illustrative wall mount
embodiment, characterized by the winch assembly being mounted
directly to the wall (FIG. 7), and also depicting a second
installation option that enables a relatively larger-sized display
panel to conceal the entire wall mount assembly within the
adjustment range (FIGS. 8 and 10).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective side/front view of an adjustable
wall mount 10 of the present invention in a first illustrative
embodiment, characterized by the winch assembly with roller 10D
being supported by wall plate 10A and optionally providing a cutout
pattern 10H for mounting of a loudspeaker. Upwardly extended wall
plate 10A, made to be fastened to a wall, and a substantially
narrower panel plate 10B, made to be fastened to a display panel
typically via adaptive rear attachment hardware, are linked
together by four doubly-hinged coupling arms 10C, one attached at
each corner region of panel plate 10B and attached at corresponding
locations in the lower portion of wall plate 10A. Each coupling arm
10C has both ends configured to form a hinged attachment to a
corresponding one of the four plate-attached angle brackets, as
shown.
[0022] A motorized winch assembly, formed by tubular roller 10D
surrounding electric drive motor 10F (e.g. Somfy model L40 or L50),
is attached to an uppermost region of wall plate 10A. At the left
hand end of roller 10D, the motor 10F is attached to wall plate 10A
by angle bracket 10G'; at the right hand end of roller 10D, a
bearing for roller rotation is supported from wall panel 10A by
angle bracket 10G''. A pair of webbing straps 10E, attached to
roller 10D and spiraled around opposite end regions thereof, extend
diagonally to ends that are securely clamped to a bottom region of
panel plate 10B. The winch assembly motor 10F is actuated by a user
control to exert tensile force via webbing straps 10E as required
to relocate panel plate 10B in its arcuate travel path. Motor 10F
also provides a brake-lock action to support panel plate 10B at any
location including the lower limit shown in FIG. 1 and the upper
limit (FIG. 2).
[0023] A loudspeaker mounting hole pattern 10H may be provided in
wall plate 10A, immediately beneath roller 10D, for optional
mounting of a loudspeaker, typically 6-10 inch diameter, e.g. to
serve as front-center speaker of a surround sound system.
[0024] The four coupling arms 10C with their eight hinged ends form
a variable-angle corner-hinged dual parallelogram assembly that
defines the arcuate travel path for panel plate 10B, ranging from
the lower limit shown in FIG. 1, with the coupling arms 10C
oriented horizontally, to the upper limit shown in FIG. 2, with the
coupling arms 10C oriented vertically.
[0025] FIG. 2 shows the panel plate 10B having been relocated to
the upper limit, the coupling arms 10C having rotated to the
vertical orientation shown.
[0026] FIGS. 3-6 are side and front views depicting lower and upper
limit panel locations of a display panel 16 attached to the wall
mount assembly 10 of FIG. 1 exemplifying a first illustrative
embodiment of the present invention characterized by mounting of
the winch assembly with roller 10D to an upper extension of wall
plate 10A, and also depicting a first installation option that
exposes the extended upper portion of wall plate 10A supporting the
winch assembly with roller 10D and webbing straps 10E when the
panel 16 is set to the lower limit setting (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4). The
entire wall mount assembly is concealed behind panel 16 when set to
the upper limit (FIGS. 2, 5 and 6).
[0027] FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the wall mount 10 of FIG. 1,
exemplifying the first illustrative embodiment of the present
invention, shown installed with wall plate 10A secured onto a wall
12 at a substantial distance above the mantel of fireplace 14, and
supporting a panel 16, e.g. 61''.times.35'', from panel plate 10B,
located at the lower limit as shown. Panel plate 10B is secured to
rear mounting hardware 16A located in the upper rear region of
panel 16 in accordance with the first installation option. Panel
16, being spaced away from the wall 12 by the horizontally-oriented
coupling arms 10C at the designated lower limit of the travel
range, extends downwardly past the mantel of fireplace 14. As an
option, immediately beneath roller 10D a loudspeaker 18 may be
either flush mounted or surface mounted in panel plate 10B and may
be provided with a rear enclosure set into the wall 12 as indicated
by the dashed lines. The travel path is an arc of approximately 90
degrees, as indicated by the curved dashed line showing the lower
edge of panel 16 clearing the mantel of fireplace 14. Optionally,
the lower viewing location could be designated at a lower level,
making the travel range arc greater than 90 degrees and moving the
panel 16 back closer to the wall 12.
[0028] FIG. 4 is a frontal elevation of FIG. 3 as seen from a room
viewpoint, showing a lower portion of panel 16 concealing an upper
portion of fireplace 14, while above the top of panel 16, the
speaker 18 is exposed for acoustic benefit: also exposed is an
upper portion of wall plate 10A including the attached winch
assembly with roller 10D and webbing straps 10E.
[0029] FIG. 5 is a side elevation showing panel 16 having been
relocated to the upper limit location as shown, with the panel 16
located at its maximum height, close to the wall 12, and with the
coupling arms vertically oriented as shown.
[0030] FIG. 6 is a frontal elevation of FIG. 5, as seen from a user
viewpoint, showing panel 16 at the upper limit, entirely above the
mantel of fireplace 14, totally concealing the wall mount assembly
and speaker. This upper limit location of the panel 16 could
provide a preferred display condition in the event of many
occupants standing in the room, while the lower limit location of
FIG. 4 provides a display advantage to seated occupants by locating
panel 16 about two feet lower and two feet closer into the
room.
[0031] FIGS. 7-10 show side and front views depicting lower and
upper limit panel locations of a second illustrative embodiment
implemented by wall mount assembly 10', characterized by mounting
the winch assembly, with roller 10D, directly to the wall 12, and
also depicting an installation option that can enable a
sufficiently large panel 16' to conceal the entire wall mount
assembly 10' at any location of panel 16' within the travel
range.
[0032] FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the wall mount 10',
exemplifying the second illustrative embodiment of the present
invention, with a wall plate 10A' that may be made equal in height
to panel plate 10B as shown. Wall plate 10A' is secured to wall 12
at a location that leaves only minimal working clearance above the
mantel of fireplace 14, and the motorized winch assembly with
roller 10D is separately attached directly to the wall 12 above
panel plate 10B.
[0033] According to a second installation option, along with the
relatively lower location of wall mount 10A' on wall 12, panel
plate 10B is attached by rear panel mounting hardware to a central
region of panel 16' as shown. This second installation option, with
panel 16' sufficiently large, e.g. 80''.times.45'', enables the
wall mount assembly 10' to remain totally concealed throughout its
full travel range including the lower viewing location shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8 and the upper limit location shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.
The travel path approximates a 90 degree arc as indicated by the
curved dashed line showing the lower edge of panel 16' clearing the
mantel of fireplace 14.
[0034] FIG. 8 is a frontal elevation of FIG. 7 as seen from a room
viewpoint, showing panel 16' located at the lower working location,
exposing an optional pair of (stereo) loudspeakers 18 mounted in
the wall 12 above. Optionally, a single loudspeaker could be
located centrally to serve as a mono or as front-center of a
surround sound system.
[0035] FIG. 9 is a side elevation showing the items of FIGS. 7 and
8 with display panel 16' relocated to the upper limit, close to the
wall 12 above the fireplace 14, with the lower edge of panel 16'
having moved upwardly in the travel path shown by the curved dashed
line in FIG. 7.
[0036] FIG. 10 is a frontal elevation of FIG. 9 as seen from a room
viewpoint, showing panel 16' located at its upper limit above the
fireplace 14, fully concealing the wall mount assembly and speakers
from the viewer.
[0037] Power and signal cables may be dressed alongside or within
one or more of the coupling arms 10C, extending from the wall to
the display panel. The motor and roller assembly may be enclosed by
a decorative cover.
[0038] Either of the first or second illustrative embodiments,
characterized mainly by the relative panel size and height
dimensions of wall plates 10A and 10A' and plate-mounting versus
wall-mounting of the winch assembly, can be utilized in conjunction
with either the first or second installation option described above
as well as with other installation options relating to panel size
and the choice of height for attachment of the wall plate onto the
wall and the choice of height on the panel for attachment to the
panel plate via panel attachment hardware, with regard to
consequences regarding viewer concealment/exposure of the wall
mount assembly and optional loudspeaker(s) at the travel range
limits.
[0039] In the first illustrative embodiment described above in
connection with FIGS. 3-6, intended for typical viewing panel sizes
ranging from 3' to 5' wide, the wall plates and panel plates are
made 36'' long from T6 aluminum 3/8'' thick. Wall plate 10A (FIGS.
1-3) is made 24'' high. Panel plate 10B and wall plate 10A' are
made 8'' high. The coupling arms 10C are made 24'' long at hinge
hole centers, and are made 1/2'' by 11/4'' in cross-section. Roller
10D is approximately 24'' long. The invention could be practiced
with variations in these dimensions and/or ruggedized construction,
e.g. to accommodate unusual-sized display panels. The wall plates
and panel plates could be fabricated from alternative metal
material or non-metal material of equivalent strength, possibly
formed from thinner material stiffened with flange edges, wood,
plastic, carbon fiber, or even cast from renewable materials. The
coupling arms 10C could be made with other cross-sectional shapes
such as square or round, tubular or solid, and other hinge options,
such as a simple folding hinge, engaging a pin through an eyelet
installed, cast, welded, or molded to the wall plate and panel
mounting plate. The function of the two fabric webbing straps 10E
could be performed by a single strap, by more than two straps, or
by one or more equivalent flexible tension-drive members made from
other suitable material such as such as leather, rope, chain, mesh,
plastic or stranded metal cable e.g. stainless steel, optionally
plastic-sheathed.
[0040] It is a normal design objective that the panel is to be held
accurately in a vertical (or designated near-vertical) plane at all
locations within the travel range. Excessive clearance or "play" in
the fit of the hinge pins can allow the weight of the panel to
allow some downward tilt of the panel plate and the panel,
especially at the upper end of the travel range where the
parallelogram shape has approached or folded into a straight line
and the bulk of the weight has been shifted from the hoist system
onto the vertically-oriented coupling arms. Also, in a powered
embodiment, when relocating the panel from the upper location,
there could be potential difficulty in initiating the transfer of
the weight load from the vertically-oriented coupling arms back
onto the flexible straps of the powered hoist system, depending on
the system design and configuration. This "dead center" effect
could require the design to include a mechanical "boost" to ensure
positive automatic start-up outward from the upper end location.
Either or both of these two issues can be addressed by the
inclusion of at least one compressible resilient buffer, e.g. in
the form of steel coil spring or equivalent made from
suitably-resilient material, attached to a corresponding coupling
arm at a designated distance near the panel plate or the wall
plate, made and arranged to become compressed between the coupling
arm and the panel plate or the wall plate by the hoist system in
the final approach to the upper travel limit location such that,
when docked at the limit location, the panel remains held securely
in the desired non-tilted vertical orientation by compression of
the buffer(s), and then, in panel relocation, the needed initial
"boost" is provided by the buffer(s).
[0041] In an alternative implementation of the first illustrative
embodiment, wall plate 10A could be made with a substantially
smaller height dimension, e.g. same height as panel plate 10B, and
the motor-driven winch assembly could be supported in a
functionally equivalent manner at the desired location above wall
plate 10A by alternative smaller structure, e.g. a pair of
structurally adequate members, attached to wall plate 10A,
extending upwardly and attached to each end of motor-driven winch
assembly.
[0042] In addition to the ability to move the panel in the travel
path described above, the invention could be practiced with the
addition of further user-controllable movement capabilities such as
tilting the panel about a horizontal axis and/or rotating the panel
about a vertical axis.
[0043] Actuation of the wall-mounted panel 16 by the motor/winch
assembly requires some form of user control, e.g. operable by a
pushbutton or switch, preferably including sensor-controlled
automatic motor shutoff and braking, e.g. at the lower and upper
limit locations. The control could be local, e.g. located nearby on
wall 12 or elsewhere in the room, since location on the movable
panel 16 is impractical. The control could be wired and/or wireless
(e.g. IR, RF and/or Wi-Fi), hand-held and/or affixed. The control
can be made to activate only a transition between the lower and the
upper limit location of the panel, or it can be made to further
stop and hold the panel 16 at any setting between the upper and
lower limit to provide a desired display condition.
[0044] In an "automatic" powered embodiment, wherein it desired for
panel 16 to remain "parked" in the upper limit location whenever
the associated electronic unit, e.g. television receiver and/or
video player, is not in use, the system may include limit sensors
controlling an automatic relay that activates the motor to lower
the panel to the lower limit location automatically whenever the
associated electronic unit is turned on (typically by remote
control), and to return the panel to the "parked" upper limit
location automatically whenever the electronic unit is turned
off.
[0045] To reduce the power requirements of the motor, the winch
assembly could be further fitted with a counterbalancing mechanism
such as a coil spring, counterweight, hydraulic or pneumatic
system. Typically any counterbalancing would be made
under-equilibrium so the power winch would never become unloaded. A
coil spring could be enclosed in the roller 10D.
[0046] The invention could be practiced in a manual embodiment to
be raised and lowered directly by the user; the motor of the winch
assembly could be replaced by a counterbalancing mechanism such as
a coil spring, counterweight, hydraulic or pneumatic system along
with suitable user handling hardware including a
friction/braking/locking mechanism. A mechanical manual system
could provide toggling or detent between two stable locations at
the travel limits, e.g. with over-equilibrium counterbalancing at
each of the two limits. Optionally, the upper limit location could
be positively secured by a user-releasable latching mechanism.
[0047] In addition to the travel path described in connection with
the illustrative embodiment above, i.e. an arc of about 90 degrees,
the available travel path could be extended downwardly to increase
the angle to substantially greater than 90 degrees, to provide a
greater range of height selection, for example in a large room with
an unusually high ceiling.
[0048] The invention may be embodied and practiced in other
specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential
characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to
be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive,
the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims
rather than by the foregoing description; and all variations,
substitutions and changes which come within the meaning and range
of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced
therein.
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