Electronic product display system

• US 7,549,925 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2004
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Blake, Guiden, Aaron, Scholen, Jonah M., Romerio, Raul S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): PINHEIRO, JASON PAUL
• Application Number:
  US10/958,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20060084508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,723 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/46, 312/351.6, 211/84
• US Class Current: 463/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/90 Constructional details or arrangements of video game devices not provided for in groups A63F13/20 or A63F13/25, e.g. housing, wiring, connections or cabinets

Abstract

An electronic product display system comprises a housing, a support plate, and a tilt mechanism. The housing includes a pair of side walls defining a cavity and defining an opening to the cavity. The support plate is configured to support an electronic product. The support plate extends between the side walls of the housing and includes a pair of opposite sides mounted to the side walls of the housing via the tilt mechanism. The tilt mechanism is configured to enable the support plate to move relative to the housing between a first position in which the support plate extends within the cavity of the housing generally upward at a non-perpendicular angle relative to a generally horizontal plane, and a second position in which the support plate extends partially out of the cavity generally parallel to the generally horizontal plane.

Claims

1. An electronic product display system comprising:

a housing defining a cavity for containing an electronic product and including a pair of side walls disposed within the cavity; and

a support plate configured to support the electronic product, the support plate extending between the side walls of the housing and including a pair of opposite sides mounted to the side walls of the housing via a tilt mechanism,

wherein the tilt mechanism is configured to enable the support plate to move relative to the housing between a first position in which the support plate extends generally upward within the cavity at a non-perpendicular angle relative to a generally horizontal plane, and a second position in which the support plate extends generally parallel to the generally horizontal plane;

wherein in the first position, a front portion of the support plate extends within the cavity of the housing to maintain the electronic product within the cavity, and in the second position, the front portion of the support plate extends partially outward from the housing through an opening in the housing to enable access to the cavity below the support plate; and

further wherein;

the tilt mechanism comprises a first slidable pivot mechanism positioned at a midportion of the support plate and a front portion of the side walls of the housing, and a second slidable pivot mechanism is positioned at a rear portion of the support plate and a rear portion of the side walls;

the first slidable pivot mechanism comprises;

a pair of first protrusions disposed on the opposite sides of the support plate at the midportion of the support plate and extending through a pair of generally arcuate slots in the front portion of each of the side walls of the housing, each generally arcuate slot being generally convex toward the second slidable pivot mechanism, and the first protrusions are slidably movable through, and pivotal relative to, respective ones of the generally arcuate slots of the side walls of the housing;

the second slidable pivot mechanism comprises;

a pair of second protrusions disposed on the opposite sides of the support plate at the rear portion of the support plate and extending through a pair of generally vertical slots in the rear portion of each of the side walls of the housing, and the second protrusions are slidably movable through, and pivotal relative to, respective ones of the generally vertical slots of the side walls of the housing; and

the first slidable pivot mechanism and the second slidable pivot mechanism are spaced and positioned relative to each other so that in the first position of the support plate, the pair of first protrusions is positioned in a lower portion of the pair of generally arcuate slots and the pair of second protrusions is positioned in an upper portion of the pair of generally vertical slots, and in the second position of the support plate, the pair of first protrusions is positioned in an upper portion of the pair of generally arcuate slots and the pair of second protrusions is positioned in a lower portion of the pair of generally vertical slots.

2. The display system of claim 1 wherein the pair of generally arcuate slots and the pair of generally vertical slots of the side walls of the housing are spaced from each other to cause, during movement between the first position and the second position of the support plate, the first protrusions to slide along the respective ones of the generally arcuate slots between the upper portion and the lower portion of the respective ones of the generally arcuate slots and to pivot relative to the respective ones of the generally arcuate slots, and the second protrusions to slide along the respective ones of the generally vertical slots between the upper portion and the lower portion of the respective ones of the generally vertical slots and to pivot relative to the respective ones of the generally vertical slots.

3. The display system of claim 1 wherein the support plate comprises a central support surface extending between the opposite sides of the support plate, and each of the opposite sides of the support plate comprising a side portion that extends upward generally perpendicular relative to the central support surface, with each side portion of the support plate supporting one of the pair of first protrusions of the first slidable pivot mechanism.

4. The display system of claim 1 and further comprising:

a transparent cover removably mounted on the housing and positioned to extend across the opening of the housing to prevent access to the cavity.

5. The display system of claim 4 wherein the transparent cover comprises a bottom portion removably insertable into a receiving portion of the housing and a top portion configured for selective locking relative to the housing when the bottom portion of the transparent cover is inserted into the housing, wherein the transparent cover is configured to be lockable relative to the housing when the support plate is in the first position, and configured to be unlocked and removed from the housing when the support plate is moved into the second position.

8. The display system of claim 1 and further comprising:

a video display monitor disposed on an exterior surface of the housing above, and spaced from, the support plate.

9. The display system of claim 1 wherein the electronic product comprises a video game console.

15. The electronic product display system of claim 1, wherein each generally arcuate slot in the pair of generally arcuate slots has a first total travel distance, and each generally vertical slot in the pair of generally vertical slots has a second total travel distance, wherein the second total travel distance is more than approximately twice the first total travel distance.

6. The display system of clam 1 wherein the housing comprises a rear portion and a top portion, wherein each of the rear portion and the top portion includes a vent to enable passive flow of heat from an interior of the housing out through the vent in the top portion of the housing.

7. The display system of claim 6 and further comprising a fan mounted within the interior of the housing and positioned between the vent in the top portion and the vent in the rear portion to cause active air flow through the interior of the housing from the vent in the rear portion to the vent in the top portion.

10. A method of displaying an electronic product, the method comprising:

supporting the electronic product within a housing upon a support surface of a support plate;

positioning a transparent cover to extend over an opening of the housing to enclose the electronic product and the support surface within an interior of the housing;

positioning the support surface in a first position in which the electronic product extends generally upward within the interior of the housing at a non-perpendicular angle relative to a generally horizontal plane;

periodically removing the transparent cover from the housing, and maneuvering the support surface to a second position in which the electronic product extends generally parallel to the generally horizontal plane and partially out of the interior of the housing, thereby enabling access to the interior of the housing below the support surface; and

providing a tilt mechanism including a first slidable pivot mechanism positioned at a midportion of the support plate and a front portion of side walls of the housing, and a second slidable pivot mechanism positioned at a rear portion of the support plate and a rear portion of the side walls;

wherein;

the first slidable pivot mechanism comprises;

a pair of first protrusions disposed on opposite sides of the support plate at the midportion of the support plate and extending through a pair of generally arcuate slots in the front portion of each of the side walls of the housing, each of the generally arcuate slots is generally convex toward the second slidable pivot mechanism, and each of the first protrusions are slidably movable through, and pivotal relative to, respective ones of the generally arcuate slots of the side walls of the housing;

the second slidable pivot mechanism comprises;

a pair of second protrusions disposed on the opposite sides of the support plate at the rear portion of the support plate and extending through a pair of generally vertical slots in the rear portion of each of the side walls of the housing, the second protrusions being slidably movable through, and pivotal relative to, respective ones of the generally vertical slots of the side walls of the housing;

the first slidable pivot mechanism and the second slidable pivot mechanism are spaced relative to each other; and

positioning the support surface in the first position includes positioning the pair of first protrusions in a lower portion of the pair of generally arcuate slots and the pair of second protrusions in an upper portion of the pair of generally vertical slots; and

maneuvering the support surface to the second position includes moving the pair of first protrusions to an upper portion of the pair of generally arcuate slots and moving the pair of second protrusions to a lower portion of the pair of generally vertical slots.

11. The method of claim 10 and farther comprising:

maneuvering the support surface into the first position, and reinstalling the transparent cover across the opening of the housing.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein positioning the support surface in the first position includes elevating the rear portion of the support plate above the midportion of the support plate, and maneuvering the support surface to the second position includes locating the rear portion of the support plate below the midportion of the support plate.

16. The method of claim 10, further including:

maneuvering the support surface into the first position and reinstalling the transparent cover across the opening of the housing;

wherein, in the first position, the rear portion of the support plate is elevated above the midportion of the support plate and the first protrusions are seated at upper limits of the respective ones of the generally arcuate slots, and in the second position, the rear portion of the support plate is located below the midportion of the support plate and the first protrusions are seated at lower limits of respective ones of the generally arcuate slots.

13. A display system comprising:

means for supporting a video game console within an interior of a housing;

means for blocking access to the interior of the housing while permitting visual access to the video game console; and

means for maneuvering the video game console between a first position in which the video game console extends within the interior of the housing in a non-vertical, upwardly tilted orientation and a second position in which the video game console extends partially out of the interior of the housing in a generally horizontal orientation;

wherein;

the means for maneuvering the video game console comprises a pivot means configured to enable slidable pivoting movement of the means for supporting relative to the interior of the housing, the pivot means including a first slidable pivot mechanism positioned at a midportion of the means for supporting and a front portion of the housing, and a second slidable pivot mechanism positioned at a rear portion of the means for supporting and a rear portion of the housing;

the first slidable pivot mechanism comprises a pair of first protrusions disposed on opposite sides of the midportion of the means for supporting and extending through a first set of slots in the front portion of the housing, wherein the first set of slots is curvilinear and generally convex toward the second slidable pivot mechanism, and wherein the first protrusions are slidably movable through, and pivotal relative to, the first set of slots; and

the second slidable pivot mechanism comprises a pair of second protrusions disposed on opposite sides of the rear portion of the means for supporting and extending through a second set of slots in the rear portion of the housing, wherein the second set of slots are generally linear and vertical, and wherein the second protrusions are slidably movable through, and pivotal relative to, the second set of slots;

the first slidable pivot mechanism and the second slidable pivot mechanism are spaced and positioned relative to each other so that in the first position of the means for supporting, the pair of first protrusions is positioned in lower portions of the first set of slots and the pair of second protrusions is positioned in upper portions of the second set of slots, and in the second position of the means for supporting, the pair of first protrusions is positioned in upper portions of the first set of slots and the pair of second protrusions is positioned in lower portions of the second set of slots; and

the pair of first protrusions has a first total travel distance within the first set of slots, and the pair of second protrusions has a second total travel distance within the second set of slots, the first total travel distance being less than about half of the second total travel distance.

14. The display system of claim 13 wherein the means for supporting comprises a support plate, the means for blocking access comprises a transparent cover removably mountable over an opening of the housing adjacent the interior of the housing, and the pivot means is configured to enable slidable pivoting movement of the support plate relative to the interior of the housing.