Patent Application
20140265193
Supports for devices such as monitors, televisions, other information technology (IT) equipment or other similar devices are known and may comprise articulating arms. Technology carts that may typically comprise a rolling cart that includes IT technology such as a computer, CPU, monitor, keyboard, or other equipment or devices are also known. Technology carts are often found in healthcare environments such as hospitals where they may be moved between patient areas for use by a healthcare professional. Supports may be used to support a monitor on a technology cart and in environments and configurations other than technology carts such as wall mounted supports, cabinet mounted supports, table top supports or the like.
In some embodiments, a support comprises a device mount adapted to be connected to a user device. The device mount is supported on a first pivot for rotational motion about a first axis of rotation. A slide assembly comprises a carriage where the carriage is mounted for translational movement and supports the first pivot such that the first axis of rotation may be translated transversely.
In some embodiments, the first axis of rotation is substantially vertical. The slide assembly may be mounted on a lift mechanism such that the height of the device mount may be adjusted. The slide assembly may be mounted on a column that is adapted to be mounted to a surface such that the column is disposed substantially vertically. The column may comprise the lift mechanism for supporting the slide assembly for substantial vertical movement. The slide assembly may comprise a rail that supports the carriage such that the carriage may be manually moved transversely relative to the support. The slide assembly may support the carriage for substantially horizontal movement. The slide assembly may comprise a first rail and a second rail that extend substantially parallel to one another and substantially horizontally and the carriage may span the first rail and the second rail and include an engagement structure that freely slides on the rails. A center position locater may be provided for locating a center position of the carriage. A support plate may support the slide assembly where the center position locater comprises a ball on one of the carriage and support plate that releasably engages a detent on the other one of the carriage and the support plate.
In some embodiments, a technology cart comprises an upright supported on wheels. The upright has a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge and supports a movable work platform. A device mount is adapted to be connected to a monitor where the device mount is mounted to the movable work surface such that the device mount is located adjacent the upright. The device mount is supported on a first pivot for rotational motion about a first axis of rotation. A slide assembly supports a carriage where the carriage is mounted for translational movement and supports the first pivot such that the first axis of rotation may be translated transversely relative to the upright such that the first axis of rotation may be located adjacent to the first lateral edge and the second lateral edge.
In some embodiments, the first axis of rotation is substantially vertical. The slide assembly may be mounted on a lift mechanism such that the height of the device mount may be adjusted relative to the work platform. The slide assembly may be mounted on a column that is adapted to be mounted to the work platform such that the column is disposed substantially vertically. The slide assembly may support the carriage for substantially horizontal movement. The slide assembly may comprise at least one rail and the carriage may comprise an engagement structure that freely slides on the at least one rail such that the carriage may be manually moved transversely relative to the support. A center position locater may be provided that locates a center position of the carriage. The center position locater may comprise a ball and detent. The device mount may rotate about a second axis where the second axis may be orthogonal to the first axis. The device mount may be adapted to support a monitor. The technology cart may further comprise a computer. The slide assembly may be mounted on a lift mechanism such that the height of the device mount may be vertically adjusted relative to the work platform where the slide assembly supports the carriage for substantially horizontal movement with the first axis of rotation oriented substantially vertically. The first axis of rotation may be substantially vertical and the slide assembly may be mounted on a lift mechanism such that the height of the device mount may be vertically adjusted relative to the work platform, the slide assembly may support the carriage for substantially horizontal movement and the device mount may rotate about a second axis where the second axis may be orthogonal to the first axis.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Like references numbers are used to refer to like elements throughout.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical” or “top” or “bottom” or “front” or “rear” may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element, area or region to another element, area or region as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.
One embodiment of a technology cart is shown in
The upright 20 extends substantially vertically from base 16 and supports the work platform 1 such that the height of the work platform 1 may be adjusted to comfortably accommodate a variety of users. The work platform 1 may be moved up and down at least a portion of the length of the upright 20 such that at certain positions of the work platform 1 a portion 20a of the upright 20 may extend vertically above the work platform. A lift mechanism may be provided in the upright 20 to assist the user in moving the work platform 1 and setting the height of the work platform 1. The lift mechanism may comprise a hydraulic, pneumatic or spring cylinder, a counterweighted pulley system or other counterbalance mechanism that counterbalances the combined weight of the work platform 1 and the equipment supported by the work platform 1. The lift mechanism may be designed to also support external loads such as may be applied by a user. The lift mechanism may also comprise a motorized lift system. The cart may be made of a combination of materials including aluminum extrusions, sheet metal, cast metal and molded plastic.
A monitor, display, other user interface device, or other equipment or devices (hereinafter referred to collectively as “user device”) 2 may be supported on the platform 1 such that raising or lowering of the platform 1 also raises and lowers the user device 2. As will be appreciated, space may be limited in such an application where it is desired to maintain the work surface 4 and/or work platform 1 unobstructed such that a user may utilize the work surface 4 while having access to the user device 2. Most supports use an articulating arm that is relatively large and that supports the user device 2 in a manner that obstructs and limits access to the areas below and adjacent to the user device and support. Further, in some embodiments the portion of the upright 20a that extends above the platform 1 may interfere with the ability of the monitor mounting device and/or user device 2 to articulate. A support 50 is provided that has a small footprint, and supports the user device 2 in a manner that minimizes the space occupied by the user device and allows the user device to articulate without interference with the upright 20.
Referring to
The mounting bracket 58 is connected to and supports a mounting plate 60. In one embodiment, the mounting bracket 58 comprises a first arm 62 and a second arm 64 that are operatively connected to and supported on the lift mechanism 56. The first arm 62 and the second arm 64 support a face plate 66. Face plate 66 is connected to the mounting plate 60 such as by fastener 68 such that the mounting bracket 58 and the mounting plate 60 move vertically as a unit. In one embodiment, the fastener 68 extends through an aperture 69 in the mounting plate 60 and engages a threaded hole 70 in the face plate 66. In one embodiment the mounting bracket and the mounting plate may be formed as one-piece rather than as separate components.
The column 52 and lift mechanism 56 may be covered by a housing 72 that isolates the lift mechanism 56 from the exterior of the mount and provides a decorative appearance to the mount. The housing 72 may comprise a first housing section 74 and a second housing section 76 that may be connected to one another and/or to the column 52 such that the housing 72 is secured to and surrounds the column 52 and lift mechanism 56. The housing sections 74 and 76 and the column 52 may be connected to one another by any suitable connectors including a snap-fit connector, fasteners such as screws, friction fit or other suitable connector. The mounting bracket 58 extends through an aperture 74 in the housing 72 such that the mounting bracket 58 may move linearly relative to the column 52 and the housing 72. A cover 78 may be secured over the aperture 74 to close the aperture where the cover 78 has a width slightly smaller than the width of the aperture 74 such that two slots 80 are created in the housing 72. Slots 80 receive the arms 62 and 64 of the mounting bracket 58 with the face plate 66 and mounting plate 60 disposed outside of the housing 72.
A slide assembly 82 is supported on mounting plate 60 to provide lateral movement of user device 2. The slide assembly 82 comprises a carriage 84 that is slidably mounted on the mounting plate 60 by a slide mechanism such that the carriage 84 may move substantially horizontally relative to the mounting plate 60. In one embodiment the slide mechanism comprises rails that support carriage 84 such that the carriage 84 may be manually moved transversely on the rails relative to the support 52. In one embodiment, the slide mechanism comprises a first rail 86 and a second rail 88 that are supported by the mounting plate 60 and that extend substantially parallel to one another. In one embodiment, the rails 86 and 88 extend substantially horizontally when the support 52 is mounted in a vertical orientation. The rails 86 and 88 extend transversely to the vertical direction of motion of the mounting bracket 58 and mounting plate 60. In one embodiment, the rails are mounted to laterally spaced flanges 90 formed on the mounting plate 60 by fasteners 92. The rails 86 and 88 support carriage 84 for substantially horizontal movement along the length of the rails in the directions of arrow A. The carriage 84 comprises a member that spans the rails 86 and 88 and includes an engagement structure that freely slides on the rails. In one embodiment, the engagement structure comprises first lower through hole(s) 94 and second upper through hole(s) 96 that receive the first rail 86 and the second rail 88, respectively. Suitable low friction bushings 98 may be disposed in the holes 94 and 96 to provide free movement of the carriage 84 over the rails 86 and 88. While one embodiment of a slide assembly 82 is shown numerous changes may be made to the slide assembly. For example, a fewer or greater number of rails may be used and the rails may have other than a cylindrical shape. The engagement structure on the carriage may be a structure other than through holes and may comprise additional components such as wheels, rollers, ball bearings or the like. A cover 110 may be secured to the mounting plate 60 to isolate the slide assembly and to provide a decorative appearance.
The carriage 84 supports a post 100 that is disposed substantially vertically when the carriage 84 is mounted on the rails 86 and 88. A collar 102 is rotatably mounted on the post 100 such that the collar 102 may rotate about axis A-A of the post 100 where axis A-A is orthogonal to sliding direction A. Suitable low friction bushings 104 may be used to allow free rotation of the collar 102 on the post 100. The post 100 may comprise a threaded end 106 that is engaged by a corresponding threaded nut 108 to retain the collar 102 on the post 100. Other mechanisms for mounting the collar 102 for rotation about axis A-A may be used. The cover 110 includes a slot 112 through which the post 100 extends such that when the carriage 84 is translated on rails 86 and 88 the post 100 freely translates in slot 112. A cover 114 may also be mounted over the collar 102 to isolate the collar 102 and to provide a decorative appearance.
A user device mount 120 is supported by the collar 102 (such as by fasteners 122) such that the carriage 84 and the device mount 120 translate together in the direction of arrow A when carriage 84 is moved on the slide mechanism. In one embodiment, the device mount 120 comprises a plate that is adapted to be coupled to the user device 2; however, the device mount 120 may have a wide variety of configurations, shapes and sizes. The user device 2 may be mounted to the device mount 120 using any suitable connector including screws, bolts, or the like or by a coupler such as a snap fit connection, tongue and groove connection or other suitable connector. The user device mount 120 may include a yoke 121 that is connected to the collar 102. The device mount 120 may be connected to the yoke at a pivot 123 such that the device mount 120 may rotate along a second rotational axis B-B that is orthogonal to the first rotational axis A-A and may be disposed substantially horizontally.
A center position locater is provided to assist the user in locating the carriage 84 in a center position on mounting plate 60. The center position locater may comprise a ball and detent arrangement as shown in the drawings. The center position locater in the illustrated embodiment comprises a ball 130 mounted in a sleeve 132 that is retained in a bore 134 on the carriage 84. A spring 136 biases the ball to an extended position. An adjustment screw 140 may be provided that may be threaded into or out of the bore 134 to increase or decrease the bias force on the ball 130. The mounting plate 60 comprises a detent 138 that is positioned such that the ball 130 is disposed opposite to the detent 138 when the carriage 84 is in a center position relative to the mounting plate 60. The spring 136 biases the ball 130 into engagement with the detent 138 to temporarily lock the carriage in the center position. The engagement of the ball 130 with detent 138 also provides audible and tactile feedback to the user that the device is centered. Detents may also be provided on the mounting plate 60 to lock the carriage in the extreme left and right positions if desired. The engagement of the ball 130 with the detent 138 may be overcome by the user by pushing on the monitor 2. While in the illustrated embodiment the ball is supported on the carriage and the detent is formed on the support plate, the location of the components may be reversed such that the detent is formed on the carriage and the ball is located on the support plate.
An embodiment of the operation of the mount will now be described. The column 52 is mounted to a surface such as a technology cart 1 such that the column extends substantially vertically from the surface. The column may be mounted directly in front of and closely adjacent to, or abutting, the upright 20 such that the support occupies a minimum amount of space over work platform 1. In one embodiment the column 52 extends below the housing 72 such that the exposed portion of the column 52 may be inserted into a receptacle 124 formed on the cart or other surface. A suitable connection mechanism such as fasteners may engage holes formed on the column 52 to secure the support to the surface. Other mechanisms for mounting the column to a surface may also be used. For example, the column 52 may have a pedestal based that sits on top of a surface. The connection mechanism for securing the column 52 to the surface may comprise welding, a snap fit connection, friction fit or the like. A user device 2 is mounted to device mount 120 using any suitable connection mechanism. In one embodiment, the user device 2 comprises a monitor such as a computer monitor. The user device 2 may be raised and lowered relative to the platform 1 by adjusting the height of the lift mechanism 56. Movement of the work platform 1 provides gross adjustment of the height of user device 2 and lift mechanism 56 provides fine adjustment of the height of the user device 2 and allows the height of the user device to be adjusted relative to the platform 1.
Referring to
Specific embodiments of an invention are disclosed herein. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention has other applications in other environments. Many embodiments are possible. The following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention to the specific embodiments described above.
