The present disclosure relates to a locking base mount for a display support system for supporting electronic displays (e.g., flat-screen monitors), and more particularly to a tool-less locking base mount for such an apparatus.
Display support systems are designed to support significant weight (e.g., the combined weight of multiple vertical columns, horizontal beam members, tilter assemblies, and monitors), and therefore must be strongly and safely secured to any supporting base members. Existing display support systems include upright columns that are fixedly attached to supporting base members by fasteners (e.g., machine screws), therefore requiring tools for disassembly. The need for tools slows down the repair and reconfiguration processes for these display support systems.
Accordingly, there is a need for a tool-less locking base mount for a display support system that addresses these and other drawbacks of the prior art.
The present embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements.
The ensuing detailed description provides preferred exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the ensuing detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing the preferred exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.
To aid in describing the embodiments in the present disclosure, directional terms may be used in the specification to describe portions of the embodiments (e.g., upper, lower, left, right, etc.). These directional definitions are merely intended to assist in describing and claiming the invention and are not intended to limit the invention, as set forth in the appended claims, in any way. In addition, reference numerals that are introduced in the specification in association with a drawing figure may be repeated in one or more subsequent figures without additional description in the specification in order to provide context for other features.
Referring generally to
In this embodiment, the system 10 comprises a pair of support beam assemblies 16a,16b that are rotatably attached to a column 30 via a respective one of a pair of hinges 18a,18b. Each of the hinges 18a,18b permits rotation of the respective support beam assembly 16a,16b about a generally-vertical axis (not labeled); i.e., these axes are each approximately parallel to the vertical, longitudinal axis (not labeled) of the column 30. Each support beam assembly 16a,16b comprises a respective one of a plurality of beam members 20a,20b, to which is attached a respective one of a plurality of display support assemblies 22a,22b. Each of the display support assemblies 22a,22b is used to support a respective electronic display 2a,2b and is movable along the length of the respective beam member 20a,20b so that the horizontal distances between the displays 2a,2b and the column 30 are adjustable. In alternate embodiments, an electronic display could be mounted directly or indirectly to the column 30 through any known means.
As will be described in further detail below, in this embodiment the column 30 is releasably attachable to a base member 66 via the tool-less locking mechanism 38 according to the present disclosure. As shown in
In this embodiment, the column 30 is made of metal using an extrusion process, and has a uniform cross-sectional profile along its height. In alternate embodiments, the column 30 may be made of any other suitable material, and need not have a consistent cross-sectional profile along its height. The column 30 may also have any height within the scope of the present disclosure, and may accommodate any number of support beam assemblies and accompanying display support assemblies and/or displays.
In the present embodiment, the column 30 comprises a rear side 32 including a slot 34, the slot 34 being sized to accommodate the placement of a clamping member (T-nut) 88 therein for supporting of the column 30 from the base member 66, as will be described in further detail below. The slot 34 includes a pair of slot inner surfaces 36a,36b (see
The base member 66 further comprises an upright portion 74 having an open rear portion 76 that accommodates placement of a locking lever 40 therein. As will be described below in further detail, the locking lever 40 is rotatable to adjust the tool-less locking mechanism 38 between its locked and unlocked positions. As shown in detail in
The base member 66 further comprises a surface 78 against which the column 30 is placed when the column 30 is installed on the base member 66. In this embodiment, the surface 78 is indented within the base portion 68 of the base member 66, so that the bottom end of the column 30 is supported within this indented region in contact with the surface 78 and prevented from sliding around on the base portion 68. The upright portion 74 of the base member 66 further comprises a front surface 75, which includes thereon a protruding flat surface 80 and a protruding angled surface 82 which fit within the slot 34 on the rear side 32 of the column 30. Flat surface 80 includes a fastener hole 81 therein, which in this embodiment includes internal threading. Angled surface 82 includes a fastener hole 83 therein, which in this embodiment is unthreaded.
T-nut 88 includes a front surface 90, a rear surface 93, fastener hole 91 for passage of fastener 95 therethrough, and fastener hole 92 for insertion of fastener 96 therein. T-nut 88 is fixedly attached to the upright portion 74 of the base member 66 by placing the rear surface 93 of the T-nut 88 against the flat surface 80 and routing the fastener 96 through fastener hole 92 in T-nut 88 and into the fastener hole 81 in the upright portion 74. Because fastener hole 81 in this embodiment includes internal threading, fastener 96 is fixedly attached to the upright portion 74. As seen in the Figures, in this embodiment fastener 96 is of a shorter length than fastener 95 and does not extend through the upright portion 74, although in alternate embodiments it could extend through the upright portion 74 without interfering with the functioning of the tool-less locking mechanism 38.
In this embodiment, fastener 95 and locking pin 60 are used to rotatably attach the locking lever 40 to the tool-less locking mechanism 38. Fastener 95 is routed through fastener hole 91 in T-nut 88, through the fastener hole 83 in the upright portion 74, and into a fastener hole 64 (containing internal threading) located in the locking pin 60. Fastener hole 83 is unthreaded, and therefore does not engage the length of the fastener 95 or hold the fastener 95 in place within the fastener hole 83. Locking pin 60 comprises an exterior surface 62, and the locking pin 60 is fitted within a locking pin passage 48 located in the locking lever 40 such that the exterior surface 62 is placed in contact with the interior surface of the locking pin passage 48. In this embodiment, except for the fastener hole 64, locking pin 60 is of cylindrical shape (i.e., having a circular cross-sectional area), and the locking pin passage 48 is of complementary shape.
The end of the locking lever 40 that includes the locking pin passage 48 includes a cam portion 46 built therein, as will be described in greater detail below. The locking lever 40 further comprises a handle portion 42 that includes a grip portion 44 located at a bottom end thereof opposite the cam portion 46. In this embodiment, the grip portion 44 has a rounded cross-sectional profile, and the handle portion 42 of the locking lever 40 has a hollow rear side that comfortably permits the user to place their hand behind the locking lever 40 and pull it upwardly to move the locking lever 40 from its locked position (see
In this embodiment, the cam portion 46 of the locking lever 40 includes a sidewall region 47 corresponding with the arc-length of the fastener cutout 50, the sidewall region 47 tapering from a first sidewall portion 53 of a maximum thickness to a second sidewall portion 55 of minimum thickness. Said another way, a first cam radius 52 is measured from a center axis 49 of the locking pin passage 48 to the exterior surface of the cam portion 46 corresponding with the first sidewall portion 53, a second cam radius 54 is measured from the center axis 49 to the exterior surface of the cam portion 46 corresponding with the second sidewall portion 55, and the first cam radius 52 is greater than the second cam radius 54. In this embodiment, the first cam radius 52 is approximately 15% larger than the second cam radius 54. In alternate embodiments, the first cam radius may be between 5-25%, or more preferably between 10-20%, larger than the second cam radius. It should also be understood that differences of greater than 25% between the first and second cam radii are possible within the scope of the present disclosure. Although in this embodiment the sidewall region 47 of the cam portion 46 tapers in thickness gradually between the first sidewall portion 53 and the second sidewall portion 55, in alternate embodiments the cam portion 46 need not taper in thickness but could instead step down gradually or suddenly in thickness between the two sidewall portions 53,55, such that the two sidewall portions 53,55 are not equal in thickness.
In the locked position of the locking lever 40, as shown in
As noted above, the rear side 32 of the column 30 includes a slot 34, which is sized to accommodate the placement of the T-nut 88 therein and which includes inner surfaces 36a,36b against which the rear surface 93 of the T-nut 88 presses when the locking lever 40 is in its locked position. Thus, when the tool-less locking mechanism 38 is in its locked position, the first sidewall portion 53 of the cam portion 46 of the locking lever 40, the fastener 95, and the T-nut 88 act together to clamp the T-nut 88 within the slot 34 of the column 30, thus rigidly holding the column 30 in place with respect to the base member 66.
When the locking lever 40 is rotated into its unlocked position, as shown in
Thus, the tool-less locking mechanism 38 allows for the column 30, and all portions of the system 10 attached thereto, to be quickly and easily secured to or removed from the base member 66, without the need for screwdrivers, wrenches, or other tools, by rotating the locking lever 40, by hand, between locked and unlocked positions. It should also be appreciated that the present disclosure teaches a tool-less joining system employing the rotating locking lever 40 taught herein that could be employed to join together any two (or more) members in which one of the members is at least partially fitted within an interior portion of another member, wherein the locking mechanism 38 is used to releasably clamp the two members together.
While the principles of the disclosure have been described above in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation of the scope of the disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62503600 | May 2017 | US |