Wall-avoiding self-balancing mount for tilt positioning of a flat panel electronic display

• US 8,094,438 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Legrand AV Inc. (Legrand SA)
• Original Assignee: Milestone AV Technologies LLC (Legrand SA)
• Inventors: Dittmer, Jay, Schuh, Mathew
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jinhee
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAUGHTON, ANTHONY MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/712,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.01, 248/274.1, 248/125.7
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/10 around a horizontal axis F16M11/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2014 around a vertical axis F16M11/2035 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/38 by folding , e.g. pivoting or scissors tong mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/02 for supporting on, or attaching to, an object, e.g. tree, gate, window-frame, cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/022 repositionable
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/061 Scissors arms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/64 Constructional details of receivers, e.g. cabinets or dust covers furniture aspects of television cabinets A47B81/06

Abstract

A device for mounting an electronic display to a wall includes a support structure operably connected to a tilt head assembly and a display interface structure. The support structure includes an arm assembly that can be extended and rotated so that the electronic display avoids contacting the wall. The tilt head assembly includes an attachment member, guide structures for tilting the electronic display so that the electronic display remains self-balancing, and a plate for positioning the guide structures. The display interface structure facilitates attachment of the attachment member to the electronic display.

Claims

1. A mount for attaching an electronic display to a wall, the electronic display presenting a rear side, the mount comprising:

a support structure adapted to attach to the wall; and

at least one tilt assembly, the tilt assembly including a display interface member presenting a display mounting surface for abuttingly receiving the rear side of the electronic display, and a support structure interface coupled with the support structure, the display interface member and the support structure interface operably coupled such that when the support structure is coupled to the wall and the electronic display is attached to the display interface member with the display mounting surface abutting the rear side of the electronic display, the display interface member is selectively tiltable about a substantially horizontal tilt axis spaced apart forwardly from the display mounting surface and disposed proximate a bottom end of the display interface member.

2. The mount of claim 1, wherein one of the display interface member and the support structure interface defines a pair of elongate guide slots in a plane perpendicular to the display mounting surface and the other one of the display interface member and the support structure interface carries a pair of guide pins, each of the guide pins engaged in a separate one of the guide slots to couple the display interface member with the support structure interface, the guide pins shiftable in the guide slots to enable tilting of the display interface about the substantially horizontal tilt axis.

3. The mount of claim 2, wherein at least one of the guide slots is substantially straight and oriented at an angle relative to the display mounting surface.

4. The mount of claim 1, further comprising a height adjustment mechanism operable to selectively vertically shift the display interface member relative to the support structure.

5. The mount of claim 1, wherein the support structure comprises an arm assembly.

6. The mount of claim 5, wherein the arm assembly is extendable to enable selective shifting of the at least one tilt assembly away from the wall.

7. An electronic display system comprising:

an electronic display device presenting a rear side; and

a mount for attaching the electronic display device to a wall, the mount comprising;

a support structure adapted to attach to the wall; and

at least one tilt assembly, the tilt assembly including a display interface member presenting a display mounting surface, the electronic display device received on the display mounting surface with the display mounting surface abutting the rear side of the electronic display, and a support structure interface coupled with the support structure, the display interface member and the support structure interface operably coupled such that the electronic display device is selectively tiltable about a substantially horizontal tilt axis spaced apart forwardly from the display mounting surface and disposed proximate a bottom end of the display interface member, wherein a center of gravity of the electronic display device is shifted in a substantially horizontal plane as the electronic display device is tilted.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein one of the display interface member and the support structure interface defines a pair of elongate guide slots in a plane perpendicular to the display mounting surface and the other one of the display interface member and the support structure interface carries a pair of guide pins, each of the guide pins engaged in a separate one of the guide slots to couple the display interface member with the support structure interface, the guide pins shiftable in the guide slots to enable tilting of the electronic display device about the substantially horizontal tilt axis.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the guide slots is substantially straight and oriented at an angle relative to the display mounting surface.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising a height adjustment mechanism operable to selectively vertically shift the electronic display device relative to the support structure.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the support structure comprises an arm assembly.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the arm assembly is extendable to enable selective shifting of the at least one tilt assembly away from the wall.

13. A mount for attaching an electronic display to a wall, the electronic display presenting a rear side, the mount comprising:

a support structure adapted to attach to the wall; and

at least one tilt assembly, the tilt assembly including a display interface member presenting a display mounting surface for abuttingly receiving the rear side of the electronic display, and a support structure interface, the display interface member and the support structure interface operably coupled with first and second guide structures defining a substantially horizontal tilt axis spaced apart forwardly from the display mounting surface and disposed proximate a bottom end of the display interface member, the first and second guide structures defining a tilt path of the display interface member about the substantially horizontal axis such that when the support structure is attached to the wall and the electronic display is attached to the display interface member with the display mounting surface abutting the rear side of the electronic display, the display interface member is selectively tiltable about the substantially horizontal axis between a first substantially vertical orientation in which a top edge of the display interface member and a bottom edge of the display interface member are substantially equidistant from the wall, and a second fully tilted orientation in which the top edge of the display interface member is a greater distance from the wall than the bottom edge of the display interface member.

14. The mount of claim 13, wherein each of the first guide structure and the second guide structure comprises an elongate guide slot defined in one of the display interface member and the support structure and oriented in a plane perpendicular to the display mounting surface, and a guide pin carried in the other one of the display interface member and the support structure interface and engaged in the guide slot, the guide pins shiftable in the guide slots to enable tilting of the display interface member about the substantially horizontal tilt axis.

15. The mount of claim 14, wherein at least one of the guide slots is substantially straight and oriented at an angle relative to the display mounting surface.

16. The mount of claim 13, further comprising a height adjustment mechanism operable to selectively vertically shift the display interface member relative to the support structure.

17. The mount of claim 13, wherein the support structure comprises an arm assembly.

18. The mount of claim 17, wherein the arm assembly is extendable to enable selective shifting of the at least one tilt assembly away from the wall.

19. The mount of claim 13, in combination with an electronic display device, wherein when the electronic display device is received on the display mounting surface, the electronic display device is substantially self-balancing at any point along the tilt path between the first position and the second position, and wherein a center of gravity of the electronic display translates in a substantially horizontal plane as the display interface member is tilted between the first position and the second position.

20. An electronic display system adapted to attach to a substantially vertical fixed structure, the system comprising:

an electronic display device presenting a rear side;

a support structure adapted to attach to the fixed structure; and

a tilt head assembly operably coupled with the support structure, the tilt head assembly presenting a display mounting surface abuttingly receiving the rear side of the electronic display device thereon, the tilt head assembly enabling selective tilting of the electronic display device between a first position in which a top edge of the electronic display device and a bottom edge of the electronic display device are each spaced apart a first distance from the fixed structure, and a second position in which the bottom edge of the electronic display device is spaced at substantially the same first distance from the fixed structure while the top edge of the electronic display device is spaced apart a second distance from the fixed structure, the second distance being greater than the first distance, wherein a center of gravity of the electronic display device translates along a substantially horizontal axis as the electronic display device is tilted between the first position and the second position.

21. A device for mounting an electronic display to a substantially vertically oriented surface, the electronic display presenting a rear side, the device comprising:

a display interface structure presenting a display mounting surface;

a support structure; and

a tilt head assembly for tilting the electronic display, the tilt head assembly including an attachment member and first and second guide structures, the attachment member being operably connected to the support structure, the first and second guide structures defining a path of travel of the electronic display about a tilt axis such that when the electronic display device is attached to the display interface structure with the display mounting surface abutting the rear side of the electronic display device, a bottom edge of the electronic display remains at substantially a same first distance from the substantially vertically oriented surface while a top edge of the electronic display tilts away from the substantially vertically oriented surface as the electronic display travels about the tilt axis, and such that a center of gravity of the electronic display translates along a substantially horizontal axis as the electronic display travels about the tilt axis, wherein the electronic display is substantially self-balancing at any point along the path of rotation and the support structure is operably connected to the display interface structure and the attachment member.