Video monitor mounting system

• US 7,201,354 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KTV USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: KTV USA, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Jong Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedman; Carl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duckworth; Bradley
• Application Number:
  US11/018,578
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 248/231.9, 248/226.11, 248/228.8, 248/919, 297/217.3, 224/275, 224/282, 224/483, 224/546, 224/547, 224/548
• US Class Current: 248/231.9
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0235 of flat type, e.g. LCD
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0017 Head-rests
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 21/02 Releasable fastening devices locking by rotation with snap-action F16B21/06; studs or coupling pins with resilient protrusions F16B21/08
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0657 at least one of the plates providing a raised structure, e.g. of the doghouse type, for connection with the clamps or clips of the other plate
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0664 at least one of the sheets or plates having integrally formed or integrally connected snap-in-features
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/917 Video display screen support

Abstract

A video monitor mounting system for use in conjunction with seat back, head restraint or roof mount applications, includes a mounting tray fixed in a hollowed out socket formed in a seat back, the rear face of a head restraint or within a roof mount overhead console. The mounting tray includes an anchor plate having a pair of apertures each having a keyway passage. A video display assembly includes a video display panel housed in a cabinet which is pivotally connected to a shell casing. A back wall of the shell casing carries a pair of twist fasteners which are registered with the keyway passages in the anchor plate. A coin may be utilized to rotate the twist fasteners to secure the shell casing and the display panel after connecting the wiring to the display panel.

Claims

1. A video monitor mounting system, the mounting system comprising a mounting tray, the mounting tray including an anchor plate, a support socket formed in a rearwardly facing surface of a vehicle seat back or head restraint, the anchor plate being secured to and supported by the support socket, the anchor plate having top, bottom and side peripheral walls surrounding its periphery and defining a mounting tray cavity, the anchor plate having a plurality of apertures, each aperture having a noncircular keyway passage, a video monitor assembly, the video monitor assembly including a plurality of twist fasteners, each twist fastener including a body having a head at one axial end and a noncircular portion adjacent the opposite axial end, the video monitor assembly being nestable in the mounting tray cavity with the mounting tray peripheral walls surrounding the video monitor assembly, the plurality of twist fasteners being registered with the plurality of apertures the twist fasteners being movable from a position wherein its noncircular portion registered with and positioned forwardly of the keyway passage to a locked position, wherein its noncircular portion is not registered with the keyway passage and is positioned between the anchor plate and the socket, whereby the video monitor assembly is supported by the support socket.

2. A video monitor mounting system as constructed in accordance claim 1 wherein the video monitor assembly includes a video display panel, the video display panel being carried in a shell casing, the shell casing having a back wall, the plurality of twist fasteners extending through the back wall with the head of each twist fastener positioned one side of the back wall and the noncircular portion of each twist fastener being positioned on the other side of the back wall.

3. A video monitor mounting system as constructed in accordance with claim 2 wherein each twist fastener includes a radial projection adjacent the noncircular portion, the radial projection being positioned on the other side of the back wall for preventing inadvertent disengagement between the twist fasteners and the back wall.

4. A video monitor mounting system as constructed in accordance with claim 3 wherein each twist fastener includes a pair of diametrically opposed radial projections.

5. Video monitor mounting system as constructed in accordance with claim 2, the shell casing further including top, bottom and side peripheral walls surrounding the back wall and defining a shell casing cavity, the video monitor assembly further including a video display panel housed in a parallelepiped cabinet, the cabinet being pivotally mounted to the side peripheral walls of the shell casing for rotation relative to the back wall the cabinet being nestably receivable in the shell casing cavity.

6. A video monitor mounting system as constructed in accordance with claim 1 wherein each aperture includes an annular collar and a pair of flanges at the end of the collar, the collar and the flanges defining the keyway passage.

7. A video monitor mounting system as constructed in accordance with claim 2 further including a parallelepiped cabinet housing the video display panel, the cabinet being pivotally mounted to the shell casing.

8. A video monitor mounting system as constructed in accordance with claim 2 further including a plurality of noncircular passageways formed in the back wall, each twist fastener extending through a noncircular passageway, the noncircular passageways being dimensioned larger than the noncircular portion of each twist fastener.

9. A video monitor mounting system as constructed in accordance with claim 8 wherein each twist fastener includes a radial projection adjacent the noncircular portion with negative clearance provided between the radial projection and the noncircular passageway when the noncircular portion is registered with the noncircular passageway, whereby inadvertent disengagement between the twist fasteners and the back wall is precluded.

10. A video monitor mounting system as constructed in accordance with claim 1 further including a wiring aperture extending through the anchor plate.

11. A video monitor mounting system as constructed in accordance with claim 1 wherein the noncircular portion of each twist fastener is defined by a pair of diametrically opposed radial tabs.

12. A video monitor mounting system as constructed in accordance with claim 11 wherein the radial tabs have curved radial ends.

13. A video monitor installation, the video monitor installation comprising a support having a socket, a mounting tray fixed in the socket, the mounting tray having an anchor plate, top, bottom and side peripheral walls extending from the anchor plate and defining a mounting tray cavity, the anchor plate including a plurality of apertures, each aperture having a noncircular keyway passage, a video monitor assembly, the video monitor assembly being nested in the mounting tray cavity, the video monitor assembly including a video monitor cabinet and a shell casing, the shell casing having a back wall positioned in the mounting tray cavity adjacent the anchor plate, one side of the anchor plate facing the back wall and the other side of the anchor plate facing the support socket, a plurality of twist fasteners, each twist fastener including a body having a head at one axial end and a noncircular portion adjacent the opposite axial end, the head of each twist fastener being positioned on a side of the back wall facing the cabinet, each twist fastener extending through a noncircular keyway passage, with the noncircular portion of each twist fastener being positioned on the other side of the anchor plate and being out of registration with the keyway passage, the support supporting the weight of the video monitor assembly.

14. A video monitor installation as constructed in accordance with claim 13 wherein the video monitor cabinet is pivotally joined to the shell casing.

15. A video monitor installation as constructed in accordance with claim 14 wherein the shell casing includes top, bottom and side peripheral walls surrounding the back wall and the video monitor cabinet pivots about the peripheral side walls of the shell casing.

16. A method of installing a video monitor having a video display panel housed in a cabinet, the method comprising the steps of:

a) forming a socket in a support medium,

b) forming a mounting tray having a cavity defined by an anchor plate and top, bottom and side walls surrounding the periphery of the anchor plate, the anchor plate having a plurality of noncircular keyway passages,

c) securing the anchor plate to the socket,

d) providing a shell casing dimensioned to be received in the cavity and dimensioned to receive the cabinet,

e) extending a plurality of twist fasteners having a noncircular portion adjacent an axial end through a back wall of the shell casing,

f) nesting the shell casing in the cavity with the back wall adjacent the anchor plate while registering the noncircular portion of each twist fastener with a noncircular keyway passage,

g) axially extending each twist fastener through its registered noncircular keyway passage until the noncircular portion of each twist fastener is positioned rearwardly of the noncircular keyway passage,

h) rotating each twist fastener to a position wherein the noncircular portion is out of registration with the keyway passage; and

j) employing the support medium to carry the weight of the video monitor and to maintain the shell casing fixed relative to the support medium.

17. A method of installing a video monitor in accordance with claim 16 wherein each twist fastener includes an enlarged slotted head, the step of rotating each twist fastener including engaging the slotted head with an implement and rotating the twist fastener one quarter turn.

18. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein the cabinet is pivotally mounted to the shell casing, the method including the further step of:

j) rotating the cabinet relative to the shell casing to a position nested within the shell casing.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18 including the further step of:

k) pivoting the cabinet relative to the shell casing to a suitable viewing angle.

20. A method of installing a video monitor in accordance with claim 18 wherein the shell casing includes top, bottom and side peripheral walls defining a shell casing cavity, the cabinet being pivotally mounted between the side peripheral walls, and step j) is performed by pivoting the cabinet about a pivot axis which extends transverse to the shell casing side peripheral walls.