Abstract:
In another embodiment, the above-mentioned design considerations are achieved by a mounting device having a generally vertical mounting post, a base plate, a pair of base brackets, and securing fixtures. The post is securable at one end to a support surface, such as a table or counter top, or even a floor or ceiling. The base plate is, in turn secured to the mounting post and has upper and lower flanges which are engaged by first and second retainers on each of the base brackets. The base brackets include fixtures that secure the appliance to the mounting assembly. Also, the base plate, brackets and appliance are rotatable about the axis of the mounting post.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part of commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/829,883 filed Apr. 22, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,964,399 and entitled “Appliance Mounting Device.” 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for adjustably mounting an appliance. More particularly, the invention relates to a device used to adjustably and securely mount an appliance such as a flat screen television. 
     When an appliance such as a flat screen TV is mounted on a support surface such as a wall or other structure, several design considerations should be considered. Positional adjustment may be highly desirable. For example, in a flat screen TV application, the monitor often may need to be oriented toward the viewing audience. In some instances, it may be desirable to angle or tilt the screen to eliminate glare that may otherwise result from an external light source. To take advantage of the flat screen design, it may also be desirable to mount the appliance in close proximity to the mounting surface. The mounting device preferably also has a relatively slim profile, with as much of the device hidden from view as possible for enhanced aesthetic appearance. In other instances it may be desirable to mount a flat screen TV to a table or counter top with a structure having a simplistic and aesthetically attractive design. 
     The present invention achieves all of these objectives and provides new advantages not previously obtainable with prior appliance mounting devices. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a novel solution to the above-mentioned design considerations by providing a mounting device that includes a base plate, one or more base brackets and associated swing brackets, a spring assembly, and a spring force adjustment assembly. The base plate includes a back panel and upper and lower flanges which are displaced from the plane of the back panel. The base bracket includes first and second retainers that engage, respectively, the upper and lower flanges. The swing bracket is pivotally connected to the base bracket and can be positioned in many different angular orientations relative to the base bracket. The appliance, in turn, is mounted to the swing bracket. The force adjustment assembly allows the force applied to the swing bracket to be varied. 
     In another embodiment, the above-mentioned design considerations are achieved by a mounting device having a generally vertical mounting post, a base plate, a pair of base brackets, and securing fixtures. The post is securable at one end to a support surface, such as a table or counter top, or even a floor or ceiling. The base plate is, in turn, secured to the mounting post and has upper and lower flanges which are engaged by first and second retainers on each of the base brackets. The base brackets include fixtures that secure the appliance to the mounting assembly. Also, the base plate, brackets and appliance are rotatable about the axis of the mounting post. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The novel features which are characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, together with further objects and attendant advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of one preferred embodiment of the appliance mounting device of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2–4  are enlarged views of the circled portions of the device shown in  FIG. 1  with the corresponding figure number; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged view of the circled portion of the device shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of the device shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of the device shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a rear perspective view of the device; 
         FIG. 9  is a rear perspective view illustrating a preferred technique for assembling the device shown in  FIG. 1  to an appliance having recessed mounting sites; 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged exploded view of a portion of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a rear perspective view of another embodiment of the invention adapted to mount the flat panel TV to a horizontal support surface; and 
         FIGS. 12 ,  13  and  14  are, respectively, front, top and side views of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 11  shown with a flat panel TV. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Set forth below is a description of what are believed to be the preferred embodiments and/or best examples of the invention claimed. Alternatives and modifications to this preferred embodiment are contemplated, and any such alternatives or modifications which make insubstantial changes in function, in purpose, in structure, or in result are intended to be covered by the claims of this patent. 
     With reference now to the various  FIGS. 1–10 , an apparatus constructed in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention is designated generally by reference numeral  20  and is shown for use in mounting a flat panel TV  25  to any suitable surface, typically a generally vertical wall. The apparatus includes, as major components, a base plate  30 , one or more elongated base brackets  40  and associated swing brackets  50 , a spring assembly  60 , and a spring adjustment assembly  65 . 
     Base plate  30  includes a generally planer back panel  32  having an array of slotted apertures  34  for conveniently mounting the apparatus to the wall surface by any one of the many fastening techniques well known to those of skill in the art. Base plate  30  also has upper and lower flanges  36  and  38  which are displaced from the plane of back panel  32 . 
     Each base bracket  40  is provided with first and second retainers to engage the base plate upper and lower flanges, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the base bracket includes a rear recess  42  having a slot  44  which comprises the first retainer and adapted to receive the upper base plate flange  36 . The second retainer comprises a fastener, preferably a threaded fastener such as bolt  46 , positioned to capture the base plate lower flange  38 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 3–5 , bolt  46  may extend upwardly from the end of the base bracket  40  so that its free end engages shoulder  35  on the base plate  30  and therefore locking the base plate and bracket in assembled relation. Recess  42  is preferably dimensioned so that the base bracket is mounted very close to or in contact with the wall surface to minimize the space requirements of the apparatus. In other words, the depth of the recess  42  is generally equal to the amount of displacement of the base plate flanges  36  and  38  relative to the base plate back panel  32 . The base bracket  40  also preferably includes upper slots  48  whose functionality will be described below. 
     A swing bracket  50  is associated with each base bracket  40 . In the illustrated embodiment, swing bracket  50  is pivotally mounted at its lower end to the lower end of the base bracket, allowing the swing brackets to be oriented at various angular positions relative to the base brackets and, therefore, relative to the wall surface as well. The swing brackets  50  are also provided with a plurality of elongated apertures  52  to accommodate the many different mounting site locations found on different sizes and brands of appliances  25 . Preferably, the swing bracket also has a series of side apertures  54  to allow different mounting locations for the spring assembly  60 . The swing bracket is pivotally connected to the base bracket  40  via a threaded pivot axis having pivot nuts  56  on each end. 
     The spring assembly  60  shown in the illustrated embodiment comprises on or more extension springs  62 , each attached at one end  63  to the swing brackets  50  and at the other end  65  to the base brackets  40 . Preferably, the spring assembly cooperates with a spring adjustment assembly, designated generally by reference numeral  65 , allowing the biasing force applied to the swing brackets  50  by the springs  62  to be varied. 
     The spring adjustment assembly  65  includes a carriage  67  to which the rod  69  is fixed. The rod  69  serves to anchor the upper spring end  65 .The carriage  67  is movably nested with the base bracket  40 . The ends of rod  69  extend through and are captured by slots  48 , thereby limiting the movement of the rod along the length of the base bracket  40 . The carriage  67 , in turn, engages the threaded fastener  71  located at the top of bracket  40 . Therefore, by adjustment of fastener  71 , the carriage  67  and rod  69  may be moved along the portion of the base bracket length defined by slots  48 , and thereby adjust the amount of biasing force applied via the springs  62  to the swing brackets  50 . 
     In use, the base plate  30  may be appropriately positioned and secured to the wall and the appliance  25  assembled to one or more swing brackets, as needed. Then the appliance and brackets are lifted onto the base plate, so that the slots  44  of the base brackets engage the upper flange  36  of base plate  30 . Because the upper flange extends substantially across the width of the base plate, positioning of the appliance is facilitated and a single sized base plate can accommodate many different TVs with widely different mounting site locations. Once properly positioned on the base plate, the assembly is secured to the base plate by tightening the base bracket fasteners  46 . Next, the angular orientation of the appliance may be set by adjustment of the fasteners  71 . Once properly positioned, the pivot nuts  56  are tightened to further secure the appliance in the desired position. Safety cables  70  are preferably employed to prevent catastrophic failure of the mounting device. 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate an assembly arrangement when the apparatus of the present invention is used with an appliance having recessed mounting sites. Typically, such sites include a well  27  with a centrally located threaded aperture. Studs  80  may be threaded into these apertures and lock nuts  82  used to fix the axial position of the studs. Then, the swing brackets  50  are located over the studs  80 , through apertures  52 , and secured to the studs via nuts  84 . In the case where the appliance has flush mounting sites, the brackets  50  are simply bolted directly to the back of the appliance. 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 11 through 14 , a second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated and designated generally as  100 . This embodiment is intended to mount the appliance, such as a flat panel TV  25 , to a generally horizontal surface. The support surface might be the top surface of a desk, chest, or counter; or it might be the floor or ceiling of the room. The mounting apparatus  100  includes a mounting post  102  that is secured to the support surface by pedestal  104  or another of the many fixtures well known in the art for such purposes. A base plate  106  is connected to the post  102  via collar  122 . The base plate has opposing side edges  108  and  109  and upper and lower flanges  110  and  112  extending between the side edges. Two elongated base brackets  114  and  116  engage the base plate  106 . For this purpose, each base bracket has a first retainer in the form of a recess  118  that engages the upper flange of the base plate and a second retainer in the form of an adjustable fastener that engages the lower flange. The second retainer may comprise a threaded bolt, lock pin or other mechanical device well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Preferably, the base plate  106  has a back panel  107  and the upper flange  110  or lower flange  112  or both are displaced from the plane of the back panel. The base brackets are also provided with fixtures (such as the slotted apertures  52  shown in  FIG. 6 ) or other known structures to mount the TV  25  to the apparatus  100 . With flanges  110  and  112  extending between the sides of base plate  106 , the brackets  114  and  116  may be positioned at many different points along the base plate to thereby accommodate a variety of TV sizes. The use of collar  122  allows the base plate, brackets and mounted TV to rotate about the axis of the mounting post  102  to facilitate viewing from different locations in the room. 
     Other changes and modifications constituting insubstantial differences from the present invention, such as those expressed here or others left unexpressed but apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. For example, the springs  62  may be anchored to the base plate rather than to the base bracket. Likewise, the spring force adjustment assembly may be associated with the base plate or the wing bracket rather than with the base bracket. It is, therefore, intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the following claims.