Pivot coupler for pivotally connecting a monitor to a stand

• US 6,772,983 B1
• Filed: 08/19/2003
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tatung Company
• Original Assignee: Tatung Company
• Inventors: Liao, Chi-Cheng, Liu, Tsyr-Huey
• Primary Examiner(s): Braun, Leslie A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SZUMNY, JONATHON A
• Application Number:
  US10/642,604
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 248/291.1, 248/371, 248/397, 248/922, 248/923, 163/19, 163/37, 163/40, 163/41, 163/42, 163/74, 361/681
• US Class Current: 248/291.1
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/087 with substantially axial friction, e.g. friction disks
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/60 for other use
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/10 around a horizontal axis F16M11/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/08 Foot or support base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/923 Tilting

Abstract

A pivot coupler is constructed to include a hinge base fastened to a stand and holding two packing piece sets at two sides, a hinge bracket fastened to a monitor and holding two washers at two sides, and a shaft inserted in the hinge base and the hinge bracket and locked by a nut to pivotally secure the hinge bracket to the hinge base and to hold the packing piece sets of the hinge base in friction contact with the washers of the hinge bracket.

Claims

1. A pivot coupler coupled between a monitor and a stand, comprising:

a hinge base, said hinge base having a bottom wall fastened to said stand, and a cylindrical support horizontally extended on a top side of said bottom wall, said cylindrical support having a curved peripheral surface, a left side, a right side, a left locating recess formed in the center of said left side, a left packing piece set mounted in said left locating recess, a right locating recess formed in the center of said right side, a right packing piece set mounted in said right locating recess, and a central axle hole extended through said left locating recess and said right locating recess;

a substantially U-shaped hinge bracket, said hinge bracket comprising at least one mounting member, a left side plate, a right side plate, and a top plate, said at least one mounting member affixed to a back side of said monitor, said left side plate and said right side plate respectively suspended at two sides of said top plate and each having an inner face and an outer face, said top plate connected between said left side plate and said right side plate at a top side, a left through hole cut through the inner face and outer face of said left side plate, a right through hole cut through the inner face and outer face of said right side plate, a left washer mounted in the inner face of said left side plate, and a right washer mounted in the inner face of said right side plate, said top plate having a bottom face; and

a shaft inserted through the central axle hole of said hinge base, the left and right through holes of said hinge bracket, the left and right packing piece sets of said hinge base, and the left and right washers of said hinge bracket, said shaft having a stop block formed in one end thereof and stopped outside the outer face of said left side plate of said hinge bracket and a screw rod axially formed in an opposite end thereof and extended from out of the outer face of said right side plate of said hinge bracket and screwed up with a nut, keeping the left and right packing piece sets of said hinge base respectively disposed in contact with the left and right washers of said hinge bracket.

2. The pivot coupler as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one spring washer mounted on said shaft and adapted to impart an axially extended spring force to hold the left and right packing piece sets of said hinge base respectively in contact with the left and right washers of said hinge bracket.

3. The pivot coupler as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hinge base has a limit slot formed in said curved peripheral surface;

said hinge bracket has a protruded stop member formed in the bottom face of said top plate and movably inserted into the limit slot of said hinge base.

4. The pivot coupler as claimed in claim 1, wherein said left packing piece set of said hinge base comprises a locating plate mounted in the left locating recess of the left side plate of said hinge base, and a packing piece fastened to the locating plate of said left packing piece set;

said right packing piece set of said hinge base comprises a locating plate mounted in the right locating recess of the right side plate of said hinge base, and a packing piece fastened to the locating plate of said right packing piece set.

5. The pivot coupler as claimed in claim 4, wherein the locating plates of said left packing piece set and said right packing piece set each have at least one locating notch, and the packing pieces of said left packing piece set and said right packing piece set each have at least one retaining projection respectively fastened to the at least one locating notch of the locating plates of said left packing piece set and said right packing piece set.

6. The pivot coupler as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner faces of the left side plate and the right side plate of said hinge bracket each have at least one retaining hole, and the left washer and right washer of said hinge bracket each have at least one retaining projection respectively engaged into the retaining holes in the inner faces of said left side plate and said right side plate.

7. The pivot coupler as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a left shaft cover and a right shaft cover respectively axially covered on the left side and right side of said cylindrical support of said hinge base.