Adjustable television stand

An adjustable television stand is provided including a base fixedly positioned on a recipient surface. Also included is an intermediate portion slidably situated on the base along a vertical axis. An upper support is rotatably coupled to the intermediate portion about a vertical axis and further tiltable about a horizontal axis. A plurality of mechanisms are provided for selectively raising and lowering the intermediate portion and further rotating and tilting the upper support.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to television stands and more particularly 
pertains to a new adjustable television stand for allowing the selective 
positioning of a television set. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The use of television stands is known in the prior art. More specifically, 
television stands heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist 
basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, 
notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art 
which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and 
requirements. 
Known prior art television stands include U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,663; U.S. 
Pat. No. 5,331,413; U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,848; U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,805; U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,706,920; and U.S. Pat. Des. 320,126. 
In these respects, the adjustable television stand according to the present 
invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs 
of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily 
developed for the purpose of allowing the selective positioning of a 
television set. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of 
television stands now present in the prior art, the present invention 
provides a new adjustable television stand construction wherein the same 
can be utilized for allowing the selective positioning of a television 
set. 
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described 
subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new adjustable television 
stand apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the 
television stands mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result 
in a new adjustable television stand which is not anticipated, rendered 
obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art television 
stands, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a hollow base 
having a weighted bottom face, an upstanding side wall, and a top face. 
The top face has an annular slit formed therein. Such slit requires a 
circular central portion of the top face to be supported via an L-shaped 
support mounted within an interior space of the base. Also included is an 
intermediate portion having a vertically oriented hollow cylindrical 
configuration. As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate portion is slidably 
situated within the annular slit formed in the top face of the base. The 
intermediate portion also has a horizontal circular divider mounted 
therein adjacent to an open top thereof. Next provided is an upper support 
including a top plate having a planar square configuration. A stop is 
formed along a front edge of the top plate. A rigid bracket is mounted 
between side edges of the top plate for encompassing a television mounted 
on the top plate. The upper support includes a post having a top end 
pivotally coupled about a horizontal axis to the top plate. A bottom end 
of the post is rotatably coupled about a vertical axis to a top face of 
the divider of the intermediate portion. A hollow hemispherical portion is 
mounted to a bottom surface of the top plate. As shown in FIG. 3, the 
hollow hemispherical portion slidably abuts an upper peripheral edge of 
the open top of the intermediate portion. FIGS. 3 & 4 best show a riser 
mechanism including a vertically oriented ball screw. The ball screw has a 
top end rotatably mounted to the divider of the intermediate portion. A 
bottom end of the ball screw remains in screwable engagement within a ball 
nut. Such ball nut is in turn rotatably coupled to the central portion of 
the base. The ball nut has a periphery with a plurality of teeth for 
engaging a gear of a first motor mounted within the base. The first motor 
is adapted for selectively raising and lowering the intermediate portion 
and upper support. Also included is a rotator mechanism including a gear 
fixedly coupled in concentric relationship with a bottom of the post. Such 
gear serves for engaging a gear of a second motor mounted on the divider 
of the intermediate portion. By this interconnection, the second motor is 
capable of selectively rotating the upper support about a vertical axis. 
Next included is a tilt mechanism including a portion of a gear mounted to 
a bottom surface of the top plate of the upper support. A center of the 
portion of the gear remains in alignment with the horizontal axis 
associated with the pivotal coupling between the post and the upper 
support. The tilt mechanism further includes a third motor mounted on the 
post. Such motor is equipped with a gear for engaging the portion of the 
gear thereby selectively tilting the upper support about a horizontal 
axis. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood, and in order that the present 
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional 
features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which 
will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention 
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its 
application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the 
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the 
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being 
practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood 
that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose 
of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon 
which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the 
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the 
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, 
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions 
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present 
invention. 
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent 
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the 
scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar 
with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a 
cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of 
the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention 
of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to 
be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new 
adjustable television stand apparatus and method which has many of the 
advantages of the television stands mentioned heretofore and many novel 
features that result in a new adjustable television stand which is not 
anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the 
prior art television stands, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new adjustable 
television stand which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and 
marketed. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new adjustable 
television stand which is of a durable and reliable construction. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new 
adjustable television stand which is susceptible of a low cost of 
manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly 
is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby 
making such adjustable television stand economically available to the 
buying public. 
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
adjustable television stand which provides in the apparatuses and methods 
of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously 
overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
adjustable television stand for allowing the selective positioning of a 
television set. 
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new 
adjustable television stand that includes a base fixedly positioned on a 
recipient surface. Also included is an intermediate portion slidably 
situated on the base along a vertical axis. An upper support is rotatably 
coupled to the intermediate portion about a vertical axis and further 
tiltable about a horizontal axis. A plurality of mechanisms are provided 
for selectively raising and lowering the intermediate portion and further 
rotating and tilting the upper support.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 8 
thereof, a new adjustable television stand embodying the principles and 
concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the 
reference numeral 10 will be described. 
The present invention, designated as numeral 10, includes a hollow 
rectangular base 12 having a weighted bottom face, an upstanding side 
wall, and a top face. The top face has an annular slit 14 formed therein. 
Such slit requires a circular central portion of the top face to be 
supported via an L-shaped support 16 mounted within an interior space of 
the base. 
Also included is an intermediate portion 18 having a vertically oriented 
hollow cylindrical configuration. As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate 
portion is slidably situated within the annular slit formed in the top 
face of the base. An annular guide 20 is mounted to the top face of the 
base and abuts an interior surface of the intermediate portion for guiding 
the same. Note FIG. 3. The intermediate portion also has a horizontal 
circular divider 22 mounted therein adjacent to an open top thereof. 
Next provided is an upper support 26 including a top plate having a planar 
square configuration and a size approximately equal to the top face of the 
base. A stop 28 is formed along a front edge of the top plate. A padded 
rigid bracket 30 is mounted between side edges of the top plate for 
encompassing a television mounted on the top plate. As shown in the 
Figures, the bracket includes a pair of U-shaped portions a bottom one of 
which is mounted to the support plate and a top one of which is coupleable 
to the bottom one via a pair of bolts. 
The upper support further includes a central post 32 having a top end 
pivotally coupled about a horizontal axis to the top plate. A bottom end 
of the post is rotatably coupled about a vertical axis to a top face of 
the divider of the intermediate portion. A hollow hemispherical portion 34 
is mounted to a bottom surface of the top plate. As shown in FIG. 3, the 
hollow hemispherical portion slidably abuts an upper peripheral edge of 
the open top of the intermediate portion. 
As shown in FIG. 1, a bellowed sleeve 24 is preferably coupled at a top end 
thereof to a bottom surface of the top plate and at a bottom end thereof 
to the top face of the base. It is mandatory that the top end be rotatably 
coupled to the top plate via an O-ring sleeve or the like to accommodate 
the rotation of the upper support. In an alternate embodiment, a magnet or 
other release mechanism may be used to allow the sleeve to simply 
disconnect from the support plate when the support plate tilts or rotates. 
The sleeve functions to protect fingers of a user in operation. 
FIGS. 3 & 4 best show a riser mechanism 36 including a vertically oriented 
ball screw 38. The ball screw has a top end rotatably mounted to the 
divider of the intermediate portion. A bottom end of the ball screw 
remains in screwable engagement within a ball nut 40. Such ball nut is in 
turn rotatably coupled to the central portion of the top face of the base 
in a fixed horizontal plane. The ball nut has a periphery with a plurality 
of teeth for engaging a gear of a first motor mounted within the base. The 
first motor is adapted for selectively raising and lowering the 
intermediate portion and upper support. 
Also included is a rotator mechanism 42 including a gear 44 fixedly coupled 
in concentric relationship with a bottom of the post of the upper support. 
Such gear serves for engaging a gear 46 of a second motor mounted on the 
divider of the intermediate portion via a belt 48. By this 
interconnection, the second motor is capable of selectively rotating the 
upper support about a vertical axis. 
Next included is a tilt mechanism 50 including a portion of a gear 52 
mounted to a bottom surface of the top plate of the upper support. A 
center of the portion of the gear remains in alignment with the horizontal 
axis associated with the pivotal coupling between the post and the upper 
support. The tilt mechanism further includes a third motor mounted on the 
post. Such motor is equipped with a gear 54 for engaging the portion of 
the gear thereby selectively tilting the upper support about the 
horizontal axis. 
As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of cables are provided each having a first 
adapter end mounted to the side wall of the base and a second adapter end 
mounted to a rear edge of the top plate of the upper support. An 
intermediate portion of each cable extends through holes formed in both 
the divider and top face of the base. Further, the cables are run through 
a hollow interior of the top plate. The cables function for providing both 
power and cable TV outlets at the rear edge of the top plate of the upper 
support for convenient access. 
It should be noted that the support plate of the present invention may be 
sized to accommodate televisions of any size. Further, the motorized 
mechanisms may be replaced with hydraulics for the purpose of maneuvering 
the various components of the present invention. 
As an option, a hand held infrared remote control 56 may be employed to a 
send signals to a receiver in the base. Such receiver is in turn adapted 
to control the motors in such a way that a user may orient the television 
in a desired manner simply by depressing three toggle switches on the 
remote control. Note FIG. 2. Further options include an anti-theft alarm 
system and recesses formed in the side wall of the base for housing a VCR 
or the like. 
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the 
present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. 
Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and 
operation will be provided. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.