Support arm for visual display unit

• US 6,554,238 B1
• Filed: 04/23/2002
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Claiteal Pty., Limited
• Original Assignee: Claiteal Pty., Limited
• Inventors: Hibberd, Ronald Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Application Number:
  US10/111,435
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 248/278.1, 248/280.11, 248/288.31, 248/288.51, 248/918, 248/919, 248/920, 248/921, 248/922, 248/923, 248/924
• US Class Current: 248/278.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 81/061 the device supports being adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/041 Allowing quick release of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/14 with ball-joint ball-jointed hinges F16C11/06 ; adjustable mountings employing universal joints for lighting devices F21V21/26 - F21V21/30
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2064 for tilting and panning F16M11/2078 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/24 changeable in height or length of legs, also for transport only, e.g. by means of tubes screwed into each otherF16M11/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/028 by positive interaction, e.g. male-female connections
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/044 for balancing rotational movement of the undercarriage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1612 Flat panel monitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/921 Plural angular

Abstract

A mounting arrangement for a planar visual display unit includes a support base, which can be fixed to a support surface, spacer tubes for elevating a pivotable base above the support surface and an arm fixed to the base through a hinge pin and an air spring. The arm supports a shaped channel plate for holding the visual display unit when the visual display unit is attached to a complementary mounting bracket. The pivot base can rotate 360° with respect to the support base and the arm can move in a vertical plane limited by the action of an air spring. The shaped channel plate is attached to the arm by a pin pivot and a ball and socket joint. The arm and the visual display unit maintain a steady position by way of the dampening of the air spring and the frictional loading applied to each of the joint components, namely the hinge pin, and the pin pivot and ball and socket joint attaching the plate to the arm.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit including a support base, means to fix said support base to a support surface, at least one pivot base, each said pivot base being spaced from said support base and supported on bearing means allowing each of said pivot bases to be freely rotatable through 360°

with respect to said support base, or each of said pivot bases, an arm fixed at one end to said pivot base, and pivotable with respect to said pivot base about an horizontal axis, each said arm having means for dampening the motion of said arm and a mounting means at a free end of said arm for mounting a visual display unit, said mounting means including flange means attached by a further pivot means at said free end of said arm, said further pivot means allowing rotation of said flange means about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said arm, said flange means supporting at an end thereof distal from said further pivot means a ball and socket joint means to which is attached means for attaching a visual display unit.

2. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for attaching is rotatable through 180°

about said further pivot means, plus or minus 40°

in any other direction and 360°

about the longitudinal axis of said arm.

3. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of monitor arms are attached to said support base via respective pivot bases.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said arm can be raised or lowered through 110°

in a vertical plane through said arm, said mounting means being rotatable through 180°

in the plane of said arm, 360°

about the longitudinal axis of said arm and plus or minus 40°

in any other direction, wherein said arm is attached to said pivot base by arm pivot means and said arm is supported by a resilient means fixed between said pivot base and said arm, and wherein said resilient means and said arm pivot means further includes said means for dampening the motion of said arm whereby said arm is maintained in equilibrium.

5. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 4 wherein said arm pivot means is a pivot pin and said resilient means is a gas spring.

11. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 5 wherein said means for attaching is rigidly fixed to a component of said ball and socket joint means.

12. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 5 wherein said means for attaching is resiliently fitted to a component of said ball and socket joint means.

13. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 12 wherein said component is the socket portion of said ball and socket joint means and said means for attaching is resiliently fitted to said socket portion by spring biased adjustable fixtures.

14. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 12 wherein said visual display unit is a planar display screen.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 for supporting a plurality of visual display units including a plurality of pivot bases, each rotatable with respect to said support base and each having an arm, dampening means and mounting means for supporting respective ones of said plurality of visual display units.

16. An apparatus for supporting a plurality of visual display units as claimed in claim 15 further including spacer means for spacing said pivot base from said support base or from another pivot base.

17. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 1 further including spacer means for spacing said pivot base from said support base or from another said pivot base.

6. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim wherein said means for attaching includes a channel section.

7. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 6 wherein said channel section includes a base portion, and a pair of upstanding non parallel side walls for supporting a mounting bracket to which is affixed said visual display unit.

8. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 7 wherein said mounting bracket includes a back plate which attaches said mounting bracket to said visual display unit, a pair of non parallel channels for sliding engagement with said upstanding non parallel side walls of said channel section, and respective joining portions spacing said channels of said mounting bracket from said back plate.

9. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 8 wherein said means for attaching is rigidly fixed to a component of said ball and socket joint means.

10. An apparatus for supporting a visual display unit as claimed in claim 8 wherein said means for attaching is rigidly fitted to a component of said ball and socket joint means.