Furniture with vertically movable flat panel display screen
First Claim
1. A furniture assembly comprising:
- a base having a front, a rear, and a pair of opposed sides;
a pair of lifting mechanisms arranged adjacent to respective said sides, each said lifting mechanism comprising means for vertically raising and lowering an article fixed thereto;
a mounting panel arranged adjacent to the front of said base and fixed to said lifting mechanisms so that said mounting panel can be vertically raised and lowered by said lifting mechanisms;
a flat electronic display screen fixed to said mounting panel; and
at least one wire coupled to said display screen for inputting electronic video signals, wherein said base is configured as a base module, said assembly further comprising at least one end module which can be detachably fixed to a respective at least one of said sides of said base module with a respective at least one of said lifting mechanisms between said at least one end module and said base module.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A furniture assembly includes a base, a pair of lifting columns flanking the base, a mounting panel fixed to the lifting columns in front of the base so that it can be raised and lowered, and a flat electronic display screen fixed to the mounting panel. According to a preferred embodiment, the furniture assembly is a modular assembly and includes a top module detachably fixed to a base module. The mounting panel can be moved between an upper position, where it at least partially covers the top module, and a lower position, where it at least partially covers the base module. The assembly includes a wiring harness fixed to the back of the screen for inputting video signals to the display screen from a number of electronic sources such as a TV antenna, a VCR, a DVD player, and a computer. The harness is movable through a space between the front and the rear of the base under the action of a retracting mechanism which keeps the harness taut as the panel is raised and lowered.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A furniture assembly comprising:
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a base having a front, a rear, and a pair of opposed sides;
a pair of lifting mechanisms arranged adjacent to respective said sides, each said lifting mechanism comprising means for vertically raising and lowering an article fixed thereto;
a mounting panel arranged adjacent to the front of said base and fixed to said lifting mechanisms so that said mounting panel can be vertically raised and lowered by said lifting mechanisms;
a flat electronic display screen fixed to said mounting panel; and
at least one wire coupled to said display screen for inputting electronic video signals, wherein said base is configured as a base module, said assembly further comprising at least one end module which can be detachably fixed to a respective at least one of said sides of said base module with a respective at least one of said lifting mechanisms between said at least one end module and said base module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for positioning a flat electronic display screen, comprising:
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a furniture piece having a front facing into a room, and a rear;
motive means for moving the flat electronic display screen vertically in a plane adjacent to the front of said furniture piece;
powered drive means for driving said motive means;
drive control means for actuating said powered drive means to move said flat electronic display screen to a desired position in said plane; and
a sensor for detecting when said flat electronic display screen is turned OFF to generate an output signal;
wherein said drive control means responds to said output signal when said screen is turned OFF to move said screen to a predetermined position, and a safety detector including means for inhibiting motion of said screen in said plane when the detector is activated by a person touching a portion of said motive means. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A furniture assembly comprising:
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a base having a front, a rear, and a pair of opposed sides;
a pair of lifting mechanisms arranged adjacent to respective said sides, each said lifting mechanism comprising means for vertically raising and lowering an article fixed thereto;
a mounting panel arranged adjacent to the front of said base and fixed to said lifting mechanisms so that said mounting panel can be vertically raised and lowered by said lifting mechanisms;
a flat electronic display screen fixed to said mounting panel;
at least one wire coupled to said display screen for inputting electronic video signals, a space through which said at least one wire extends between the front and the rear of said base, and means for moving said at least one wire through said space so that said harness remains substantially taut between said rear of said base and said mounting panel as said mounting panel is raised and lowered. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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Specification