Abstract:
A bracket enables mounting of non-standard sized or shaped instruments in openings of a standard pillar mount or similar instrument mounting arrangement. The bracket includes a first extension that fits in a standard opening and a second extension that mounts the instrument at a position offset from the standard opening.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to apparatus for mounting instruments of various types and sizes in a motor vehicle, and in particular to an arrangement for mounting instruments on the A-pillar of a car or truck. The arrangement is in the form of an adapter that includes a portion arranged to fit into a standard opening of a pillar mount, and that accommodates different size instruments by also including an instrument-receiving portion that is offset from the portion arranged to fit into the pillar mount opening. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
     FIG. 1  shows a currently-available instrument mounting arrangement made up of a mounting structure  1  that attaches to the A-pillar of a motor vehicle and that includes a plurality of openings into which may be fitted instruments and/or gauges having a circular cross-section and an appropriate diameter. This arrangement enables vehicle owners to install the instruments and/or gauges without having to cut holes in the A-pillar, and yet obtain a professional or factory installed appearance. 
   By way of background, the A-pillar extends substantially vertically on the side of the windshield in a car or truck. By mounting instruments on the A-pillar, the instruments can easily be viewed by the driver without obstructing the driver&#39;s view of the road, and without forcing the driver to look down away from the road. Instruments that are conventionally mounted in a pillar mount include, by way of example, tachometers, boost gauges for measuring turbocharger performance, pyrometers for measuring exhaust gas temperatures, and engine oil temperature gauges. 
   One limitation of the conventional pillar mount arrangement is that it only fits a single instrument or gauge size. While the hole size can be varied to fit different instruments, once the hole size is established, so is the instrument/gauge size. It is not possible to replace an instrument with an instrument requiring a different size opening. 
   In addition, the conventional pillar mount arrangement only support instruments with a predetermined shape. Once the pillar mount is installed, the purchaser can only mount instruments having the predetermined shape. Thus instruments that require a larger size or different shape, such as a GPS navigation system, cannot be mounted on the conventional pillar mount. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is accordingly a first objective of the invention to provide an arrangement that enables instruments or gauges of different sizes and shapes to be mounted in a conventional pillar mount having instrument-receiving openings with a fixed dimension. 
   It is a second objective of the invention to enable instruments or gauges of different sizes and shapes to be mounted without the need for any cutting or special tools. 
   These objectives are achieved, in accordance with the principles of a preferred embodiment of the invention, by mounting the instrument or gauge to a bracket that offsets the instrument or gauge from the mounting hole in the pillar mount. The bracket includes a cylindrical portion arranged to fit into a hole in the pillar mount and to be secured thereto by any convenient means, such as a simple interference or pressure fit, and a second offset portion arranged to be attached to the instrument. 
   The second offset portion may be a circular bracket arranged to receive the threaded cylindrical stem of an instrument, the threaded stem being held in place by an internally threaded nut or cup. Alternatively, the second offset portion may be in the form of, or may accommodate, a bracket arranged to be screwed onto or otherwise fastened to the instrument. In addition, in order to help prevent rotation of the instrument relative to the bracket, an o-ring or gasket may optionally be added to generate friction between the mounting bracket and the part that secures the instrument or gauge. 
   By offsetting the instrument mount, the instrument or gauge may be designed to have a larger diameter than a conventional gauge, without interference from the pillar mount. In addition, by separating the instrument mounting hole from the pillar mounting hole, the bracket can be arranged to accommodate different instrument shapes and mounting configurations. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a pillar mount manufactured by Pro Parts LLC, and with which the present invention may be used. 
       FIG. 2  is an cross-section view of the mounting arrangement of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is an isometric view of an instrument or gauge mounting arrangement that utilizes the principles of a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 4  is an isometric view of an alternative instrument or gauge mounting arrangement that may be used instead of or in addition to the mounting arrangement of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is an isometric view of another alternative instrument or gauge mounting arrangement that may be used instead of or in addition to the mounting arrangement of  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
       FIG. 6  is an isometric view of the panel of  FIG. 1 , to which instruments have been mounted using the arrangements illustrated in  FIGS. 3-5 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The pillar mount shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is a commercially available pillar mount that may be used with the claimed invention. It includes a main body  1  arranged to be fitted over and secured to the A-pillar of a car or truck. The shape of the pillar mount main body  1  depends on the shape of the A-pillar in the particular vehicle for which the pillar mount is intended, but in general the main body is a molded structure that includes room for both the A-pillar and wires  3  leading from instruments or gauges  4 . Instruments or gauges  4  may be mounted in the opening  2  by means of an internally-threaded cup or nut  5 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The structure of the main body  1  and openings  2  is illustrated for purpose of context, and is not a part of the present invention. Suitable hardware or other means for mounting the main body  1  in a vehicle is well known and not illustrated herein. 
   It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the adapter or bracket of the invention may be used with pillar mounts other than the one illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and that it may in addition be used with instrument mounts other than pillar mounts, so long as the instrument mount includes openings corresponding to openings  2  into which the instruments are conventionally inserted, and through the adapter of the invention may instead be inserted according to the principles discussed below in connection with  FIGS. 3-5 . 
   As is apparent from  FIG. 1 , because of the curvature of the body  1 , which is necessary to accommodate a typical A-pillar, it is not possible to increase the size of the instrument that can be mounted to the main body  1  of the pillar mount. In contrast, as illustrated in  FIGS. 3-5 , the mounting arrangement of the present invention can accommodate a wide variety of instrument sizes and shapes. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the mounting arrangement of the invention includes a bracket  10  having a first extension  11  for insertion into one of the openings  2  of the pillar mount body  1  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , or corresponding openings of another instrument/gauge mounting structure. In addition, bracket  10  includes a second extension  12  provided with a circular opening for receiving a cylindrical mounting structure  13  of an instrument  14  that would be too large to fit in the space provided by the main body  1  if it were not offset by the extension  12 . 
   The first extension  11  is cylindrical and dimensioned to provide an interference fit when inserted into the opening  2  of body  1  of the pillar mount illustrated in  FIG. 1 , or into the corresponding opening of another pillar mount. It is also within the scope of the invention to provide a clamp, threads and a nut or internally-threaded cup, or other means for securing the first extension  11  to the pillar mount. Preferably, first extension  11  includes a slot  15  for accommodating wires (not shown) extending from the rear of the instrument. The wires extend through the slot  15  and inside the pillar mount for connection with the appropriate sensors or other electronics in the dashboard or engine of the vehicle in conventional fashion. 
   The second extension  12  includes a rim or shoulder  17  for positioning a corresponding shoulder  18  on the instrument  14 . A threaded portion of the cylindrical mounting structure  13  of instrument  14  extends through the circular bracket for mating with a cup or nut  19  having internal threading so that the cup can be threaded onto the extension  13  of the instrument to secure the instrument  14  in place without the need for special tools. The bracket  10  may additionally be locked in place against rotation by press fit pins, set screws, or other fasteners. 
     FIG. 4  shows an alternative  10 ′ to the bracket  10  of  FIG. 3 , in which the instrument mounting section  20  of the adapter is rectangular and sized to accommodate a rectangular instrument  14 ′ such as, for example, a GPS navigation system. The bracket has the same shape as the instrument, including four walls  21  extending perpendicularly to a planar base  22  into which the instrument may be snapped or otherwise secured. The first extension  11  for mounting the bracket to the opening  2  of the pillar mount of  FIG. 1 , or into the corresponding opening of another instrument mounting structure, may be identical to that shown in  FIG. 3 . A fitting  23  may be added to hold wires  3  extending from the side of the instrument, which may then be positioned in the slot  15  of the mounting extension  11  so as to pass into the interior space of the pillar mount main body. The slot  15  may be positioned identically to that shown in  FIG. 3 , or situated at a different angle or location to accommodate a wire configuration. 
     FIG. 5  shows a second alternative to the bracket of  FIG. 1 , in which the instrument-mounting extension  12  of the bracket is arranged to accommodate a circular plate  25 . The circular plate  25  includes openings  27  for accommodating screws or other fasteners  28  used to secure the instrument  29  to the bracket, and may either be a separate structure that may be used with a bracket identical to the one shown in  FIG. 3 , or that may be integral with the instrument-mounting extension  12 . The first extension  11  used to mount the bracket to a pillar mount or other instrument mounting structure is preferably identical to the ones shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . This configuration permits instruments, such as LCD monitors, that are substantially larger than the bracket itself to be mounted on the bracket, and therefore to the pillar mount main body  1  with standard circular openings. 
   If the plate  25  of  FIG. 5  is a separate element, a gasket  29  made of a suitably resilient material may be included to create friction between the plate and the bracket to prevent unintentional rotation of the instrument. Such a gasket may be used in connection with any of the embodiments of the invention to help secure the instrument or bracket against rotation within a circular opening. 
   Finally,  FIG. 6  illustrates use of the mounting arrangement of the preferred embodiments to mount a variety of instruments on a pillar mount body. These instruments include the instrument  4  of  FIG. 2 , and the instruments  14 ′ and  14 ″ of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , which are too large to be mounted on the conventional pillar mount without the bracket arrangements of  FIGS. 3-5 . 
   Having thus described a preferred embodiment of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention, it will nevertheless be appreciated that numerous variations and modifications of the illustrated embodiment may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the bracket of the invention may be used in connection with instrument mounts other than those intended for vehicles other than cars or trucks, or even instruments for machinery or apparatus other then vehicles. In addition, the shapes and sizes of the first and second extensions may be freely varied to accommodate different instruments and mounting configurations. It is therefore intended that the invention not be limited by the above description or accompanying drawings, but that it be defined solely in accordance with the appended claims.