Apparatus for mounting a computer peripheral device at selectively variable locations on a dislay monitor

• US 5,769,374 A
• Filed: 05/17/1996
• Issued: 06/23/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Wasserman, Dennis J., Heard, Julie, Morris, Kit R., Martin, Randall W., Kimbrough, Mark S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, Long Dinh
• Application Number:
  US08/649,220
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 248/918, 248/442.2, 312/7.2, 312/223.2
• US Class Current: 248/221.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1607 Arrangements to support accessories mechanically attached to the display housing G06F1/1603, G06F1/1605 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1609 to support filters or lenses
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/918 Ancillary device support associated with a video display screen

Abstract

The screen of a computer monitor is surrounded by a generally rectangular monitor housing frame portion having an outer peripheral side edge disposed generally perpendicularly to the screen, and a rear side edge area disposed generally parallel to the screen. A mounting groove is formed in and extends continuously around the peripheral frame side edge, and a spaced series of mounting holes extend around the length of the rear side edge area. A computer peripheral device has a body portion from which a spline outwardly projects, and a mounting flange portion with a spaced pair of holes formed therein and alignable with a selected pair of the frame mounting holes. The peripheral device may be removably mounted on a selectively variable position on the screen frame portion by inserting the spline into the frame groove and inserting suitable fastening members inwardly through the mounting flange holes and into the frame mounting holes aligned therewith. The peripheral device mounting flange is adjustable to compensate for width variations along the screen frame portion, and auxiliary support pins are provided that may be inserted into vacant screen frame mounting holes to act as wiring supports upon which wiring from the mounted peripheral device may be rested to route the wiring from the peripheral device to a suitable source of power and at the same time at least partially conceal the wiring from view from the front of the monitor.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus display monitor comprising:

a display screen;

a housing having a front side and a frame portion extending around said display screen and operatively supporting it on said front side of said housing; and

mounting means disposed on said frame portion and being cooperatively associatable with a peripheral device in a manner permitting the device to be removably mounted on said frame portion at selectively variable locations around its periphery, said mounting means including;

first means carried by said frame portion and being removably and slidably interlockable with a portion of the device in a manner permitting the device to be slidably moved to a selectively variable location along the periphery of said frame portion, and

second means carried by said frame portion and being useable to removably lock the device to the frame portion in a manner precluding sliding movement of the device around the periphery of said frame portion.

2. The electronic apparatus display monitor of claim 1 wherein:

said frame portion has a front side surface, a rear side surface spaced rearwardly apart from said front side surface, and an outer peripheral side surface extending between said front and rear side surfaces of said frame portion, and

said first means include a groove formed in and extending around said outer peripheral side surface of said frame portion.

3. The electronic apparatus display monitor of claim 2 wherein:

said second means include a spaced series of holes formed in said frame portion and configured to removably receive fastening members.

4. The electronic apparatus display monitor of claim 1 wherein:

said second means include a spaced series of holes formed in said frame portion and configured to removably receive fastening members.

5. The electronic apparatus display monitor of claim 1 wherein:

said first means are operative, when interlocked with said portion of the device, to essentially preclude movement of the device in front-to-rear directions relative to said frame p portion of said housing.

6. The electronic apparatus display monitor of claim 1 wherein:

said display monitor is a computer display monitor.

7. The electronic apparatus display monitor of claim 6 wherein:

said computer display monitor is a desktop computer display monitor.

8. Electronic apparatus comprising:

a display monitor having a display screen, and a housing having a front side and a frame portion extending around said display screen and operatively supporting it on said front side of said housing;

a peripheral device; and

mounting means for removably mounting said peripheral device on said frame portion at selectively variable locations around the periphery of said frame portion, said mounting means including;

first means carried on said frame portion and being removably interlockable with said peripheral device in a manner preventing appreciable front-to-rear movement of said peripheral device relative to said frame portion, but permitting said peripheral device to be moved around the periphery of said frame portion, and

second means for releasably anchoring said peripheral device to said frame portion in a manner preventing appreciable movement of said peripheral device around the periphery of said frame portion.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

said display monitor is a computer monitor.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 9 wherein:

said computer monitor is a desktop computer monitor.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

said frame portion of said housing has a front side surface, a rear side surface spaced rearwardly apart from said front side surface, and an outer peripheral side surface extending between said front and rear side surfaces of said frame portion, and

said first means include a groove formed in and extending around said peripheral side surface and configured to slidingly receive a portion of said peripheral device.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 11 wherein:

said portion of said peripheral device is an external spline on said peripheral device.

13. The electronic apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

said frame portion of said housing has a front side surface, a rear side surface spaced rearwardly apart from said front side surface, and an outer peripheral side surface extending between said front and rear side surfaces of said frame portion, and

said second means include a plurality of mounting holes formed in said frame portion and configured to receive fastening members extended through a portion of said peripheral device.

14. The electronic apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

said portion of said peripheral device is a wall portion thereof and has a plurality of holes extending therethrough and being alignable with a selectively variable plurality of said mounting holes.

15. The electronic apparatus of claim 14 further comprising:

a plurality of fastener members extendable through said plurality of holes in said portion of said peripheral device and removably insertable into a plurality of said mounting holes aligned therewith.

16. The electronic apparatus of claim 15 wherein:

said fasteners are expansion pin structures.

17. The electronic apparatus of claim 14 wherein:

said wall portion is slidingly adjustable relative to the balance of said peripheral device in a manner providing for mounting compensation for thickness variations along the periphery of said frame portion of said housing.

18. The electronic apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

said mounting holes are formed in said rear side surface of said frame portion,

said peripheral device is an electronic device having an elongated electric cable structure extending outwardly therefrom, and

said electronic apparatus further comprises routing pin members removably and partially insertable into selected ones of said mounting holes in said rear side surface of said frame portion in a manner such that outwardly projecting portions of the partially inserted routing pin members define a support structure disposed behind said frame portion and by which said electric cable structure may be restrained to at least partially conceal it from the view of a user positioned in front of said display screen.