The present invention is directed towards an economical and aesthetically pleasing means for slidably concealing a flat screen television display stand within an item of furniture, such as a bed footboard.
One prior art attempt at concealing a television within an item of furniture has included an electrically motorized lift for vertically lifting and descending the television display stand from a dresser or footboard, which can be very expensive and difficult to manufacture and maintain. Additionally, such motorized lifts typically add a substantial amount of weight (about 50 to 60 lbs) to the furniture and require the addition of an electrical surge protector.
The present invention overcomes the noted deficiencies in the prior art by slidably concealing a television display stand in an item of furniture, such as the footboard of a bed or a console unit, such that the display stand may be mechanically lifted from within the item of furniture to expose the corresponding television.
An article of furniture including a substantially hollow cavity that defines a housing, and a slidable frame disposed within the housing for facilitating (i) concealing an object associated with the slidable frame within the housing and (ii) exposing the object outside the housing, wherein the slidable frame vertically slides with respect to a stationary frame between a descended position and an ascended position, wherein when the slidable frame is in the descended position, the object is substantially concealed within the housing, and wherein when the slidable frame is in the ascended position, the object is substantially exposed outside the housing. In an embodiment of the present invention, the object is a television.
The slidable frame vertically slides between the descended position and the ascended position upon physical manipulation by a user. At least one sliding track system is affixed to the slidable frame and the stationary frame to facilitate the slidable frame sliding between the descended position and the ascended position. The sliding track system may be a telescoping slide system or non-telescoping slide system, such as a telescoping ball bearing slide system or a linear motion slide system.
The furniture also includes a counterbalance system that facilitates controlled sliding of the slidable frame between the descended position and the ascended position. The counterbalance system may comprise a weight and pulley system, a spiral balance torsion spring system, a block and tackle system, or a constant force coil spring system.
The furniture may include a lid that is configured for removably closing a top of the housing. The furniture may also include a display stand that is integrated with or affixed to the slidable frame, the display stand being configured for attachment to the object to facilitate movement of the object.
In additional embodiments of the present invention, the stationary frame is formed by inner walls of the housing, the furniture is a bed, and/or the furniture is a footboard for a bed.
The present invention is directed towards an item of furniture wherein a television or other object to be displayed is slidably concealed within an item of furniture, such as the footboard of a bed or a console unit.
As shown in
As shown in
In an embodiment of the invention, the inner frame 60 is affixed to the outer frame 50 with a pair of known sliding track systems 70 on each side to permit the inner frame 60 to vertically and smoothly slide with respect to the stationary outer frame 50. Particularly, a fixed member of each sliding track system 70 is affixed to each end of the outer frame 50 or the inner frame 60. The corresponding sliding member of each sliding track system 70 is affixed to the other of the outer frame 50 or inner frame 60. Each sliding track system 70 may comprise a known telescoping track or non-telescoping track, and may be formed of any suitable material capable of withholding the weight of the inner frame 50 and corresponding television 30. An exemplary full extension ball bearing (telescoping) slide system 70 is shown in
Referring again to
It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to use of a display stand 40 as particularly shown in the Figures for attachment to the television 30 or other object to be displayed. Rather, the television 30 or other object may be attached to the inner frame 60 without the use of the particular display stand 40 shown in the Figures. For example, the television 30 or other object may simply rest on or be attached to a platform formed by the top of the inner frame 60. One manner of securing the television 30 could be to affix the television 30 to the handle 110 that is affixed to the inner frame 60.
The inner frame 60 that supports the display stand 40 is configured to slidably ascend and descend with respect to the stationary outer frame 50 with enough tension that prevents the inner frame 60 from forcefully transitioning from one position to the other, yet light enough tension that the inner frame 60 is easily manipulatable by the user when he or she uses his or her hand to lightly pull the inner frame 60 up or push it back down. This appropriate amount of tension is achieved by use of a known counterbalance (or sometimes called counterweight) system wherein the combined weight of the slidable inner frame 60 and television 30 is countered with the weight provided by the counterbalance system. In its simplest form, a counterbalance system incorporates forces or weights that act to balance one another. Some known counterbalance systems include: (1) spiral balance torsion springs; (2) counterbalancing weights used in connection with cables and pulleys; (3) block and tackle balances; and (4) constant force coil springs. It should be noted that any appropriate counterbalance system may be incorporated into the present invention for the purpose of providing the appropriate amount of tension for the inner frame 60 to slidably ascend and descend with respect to the stationary outer frame 50 of the footboard 10. The present invention is not limited to use of the counterbalance systems expressly disclosed herein.
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In the embodiment shown in
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In the embodiment shown in
The display stand 40 of the present invention is configured to accommodate varying sizes of televisions having varying weights. Thus, the counterbalance system for the display stand 40 may be adjusted depending on the weight of the television 30 affixed to the inner frame 60. For example, if the combined weight of the television 30, display stand 40, and inner frame 60 is lighter than the counterweight of the counterbalance system, weights 140 can be added to dowels 142 affixed to the inner frame 60, as shown in
It is noted that in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the portions of the counterbalance system that are affixed to the inner frame 60 and outer frame 50 are not limited to specific locations on such frames. The optimal position for the counterbalance system may depend, for example, on which type of counterbalance system is being used. Thus, the counterbalance system could be affixed to the front, rear, or ends of the inner frame 60 and outer frame 50.
In the furniture manufacturing industry, it may be desirable to manufacture beds with a traditional footboard that can be optionally connected to a separate module, such as a console unit 150 that houses the display stand 40 and corresponding television 30. For example, as shown in
Based on the foregoing, the present invention provides an item of furniture, such as a bed footboard or console unit, that may be economically manufactured and used for concealing and revealing on object, such as a television. Controlled, vertical sliding is provided by use of a counterbalance system in combination with a sliding track system that enables an inner frame supporting the television to ascend and descend with enough tension to provide controlled sliding yet light enough tension that the inner frame is easily moved by the user with hand manipulation. It is noted that the present invention is not limited to the display stand holding a television. Rather, it could also be used to hold other items such as artwork.
Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the forgoing description. All such modifications and improvements of the present invention have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/643,507, filed May 7, 2012, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/194,221, filed Jul. 29, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/369,217 filed Jul. 30, 2010, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61643507 | May 2012 | US | |
61369217 | Jul 2010 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13194221 | Jul 2011 | US |
Child | 13888916 | US |