Abstract:
A support for supporting an object such as audiovisual equipment within a motor vehicle in operable position for viewing by passengers of the motor vehicle. The support may comprise an expansible post comprising spring urged telescoping sections and an adjustable shelf. The shelf may comprise a collar having a setscrew enabling selective positioning of the shelf along the post both along the length and also at a selected angular orientation. A variable length arm may fix the shelf at a selected orientation within a range from vertical to horizontal when the post is vertically mounted within the motor vehicle. The post may have a soft pad for protecting the ceiling surface of the motor vehicle. The spring may be exposed at the bottom end of the post.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to supports, and more particularly to a spring biased vertical stand for video equipment. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Passenger motor vehicles have been provided with built-in audiovisual equipment, including for example swing-down screens for displaying video. However, many vehicles do not have built-in audiovisual equipment. Audiovisual equipment has become widespread in ownership due to minimal dimensions and modest cost. Therefore, there are many vehicle owners who possess portable audiovisual equipment and vehicles not originally equipped with audiovisual equipment. 
         [0003]    It would be desirable to adapt portable audiovisual equipment for use in motor vehicles. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention provides a support for supporting audiovisual equipment not originally designed for incorporation into a motor vehicle to be supported in deployable positions within motor vehicles. The support mounts between the floor and the ceiling of the vehicle, or alternatively between the ceiling and other parts of the vehicle having horizontal support surfaces, such as seats and armrests. 
         [0005]    The support may comprise a telescopic pole which is spring biased to expand between for example the ceiling and the floor. A support shelf is adjustably secured to the telescopic pole. The support shelf is adjustable as to its location along the height of the pole, its angular orientation at any selected height, and the angle of the shelf relative to a vertical orientation. 
         [0006]    The support is self-contained and needs no engagement with the motor vehicle which would entail forming holes or making other penetrations into the motor vehicle. The novel support is therefore not only portable, but readily installed within and removed from a motor vehicle without tools and without damaging or altering the motor vehicle. 
         [0007]    Audiovisual equipment such as portable digital video disc players may then be secured to the support shelf and used in the motor vehicle for the benefit of passengers in the motor vehicle. 
         [0008]    It is therefore an object of the invention to enable portable audiovisual equipment to be used in a passenger motor vehicle. 
         [0009]    It is an object to provide a self-contained support for audiovisual equipment which does not require penetration of the motor vehicle. 
         [0010]    It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof by apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable, and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
         [0011]    These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a side environmental view of a support according to at least one aspect of the invention mounted in the interior of a motor vehicle. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a perspective detail view of the shelf of the support of  FIG. 1 , drawn to greater scale than that of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a side detail view of the lower end of a support according to one aspect of the invention, drawn to greater scale than that of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]      FIG. 1  shows a support  10  holding an object at a selected orientation within a motor vehicle (not shown in its entirety). The support  10  may comprise a post  12  which in  FIG. 1  is lodged in vertical orientation within the passenger cabin of the motor vehicle, and more particularly between the ceiling  2  and the floor  4  of the passenger cabin. As employed herein, orientational terms such as vertical, upper, lower, and others will be understood to refer to the orientations depicted in the referenced drawing figures. In turn, the drawing figures depict their subject matter in orientations of normal use, such as in the illustrated motor vehicle. Therefore, orientational terms must be understood to provide semantic basis for purposes of description, and do not limit the invention or its component parts in any particular way. 
         [0017]    Not being limited to engaging the floor  4 , the support  10  may be anchored at its lower end against a threshold  6 , the upper surface  8  of an armrest, or against any other suitably sturdy generally upwardly facing surface of the motor vehicle. 
         [0018]    The post  12  is adjustable in length, and may comprise telescoping sections  14 ,  16 ,  18  disposed in coaxial relation to one another. Telescoping action enables adjustment of overall length of the post  12 . A resilient expansion feature enables the post  12  to remain lodged in vertical orientation between two selected opposed horizontal surfaces of the motor vehicle. The length may be adjusted to about equal the dimension of open space between the two opposed surfaces, such as the ceiling  2  and the floor  4 , which have been selected to support the support  10 . Once a suitable overall length has been selected, the telescoping sections  14 ,  16 ,  18  may be locked or immobilized in their respective positions relative to one another. The resilient expansion feature is disposed to urge the upper and lower ends of the post  12  apart, thereby engaging the environmental surfaces securely by friction. 
         [0019]    The post  12  may comprise locks  22 ,  24 , which may be of the type used with conventional appliances (none shown) having telescoping legs. Each one of the locks  22 ,  24  may comprise a collar which may be screwed against its associated telescoping section  14  or  16 . Each lock  22  or  24  may for example comprise a resilient member (not seen) which is compressed against the collar and the associated telescoping member, such as the telescoping members  14 ,  16  when the collar is screwed against the telescoping member  14  or  16 . Such compression may thereby increase frictional engagement of an adjacent telescoping member such as the telescoping members  16 ,  18  to the point that spontaneous mutual relative motion in the axial direction between the telescoping members is opposed. 
         [0020]    The resilient expansion feature may comprise one or more springs, such as a spring  20  located at the lower end of the post  12 . The upper end of the spring  20  may seat against a flange  26  such that the spring  20  is constrained against traveling along its associated telescoping member, such as the telescoping member  18 . The lower end is exposed to bear against the floor  4  or other selected horizontal surface of the motor vehicle. The spring  20  is biased to expand, such that expansion characteristics of the spring  20  lodge the post  12  against the floor  4  or other environmental surface. 
         [0021]    An internal tube or rod  28  may be provided to guide the spring  20  to assure that the spring  20  remain substantially coaxial with its associated telescoping member, such as the telescoping member  18 . The tube or rod  28  may be fixed to the telescoping member  18  or may be slidably retained thereto. These components may also be seen in the detail view of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0022]    The support  10  may comprise a platform for receiving the object to be held on the support  10 , such as a shelf  30 . The shelf  30  is attached to the post  12  in the following way. A clamp is disposed to secure the shelf  30  to the post  12  at a selected location along the length of the post  12 . The clamp also is disposed to secure the shelf  30  to the post  12  at a selected angular orientation with respect to the post  12 . Alternatively stated, the shelf  30  may rotate about the post  12  throughout a full three hundred sixty degrees thereabout, and be locked at any selected position. 
         [0023]    The clamp may comprise a sleeve or collar  32  which encircles the post  12 , and which is movable axially and angularly along the circumferential surface of the post  12 . The circumferential surface will be understood to comprise the outer cylindrical section of that telescoping section, such as the telescoping sections  14 ,  16 ,  18 , to which the collar  32  is being fixed. A fastener such as a setscrew  34  having an enlarged head for tightening and untightening by hand threads to the collar  32 . The setscrew  34  when tightened pins the collar  32  to its associated telescoping member by bearing against the latter. Because the collar  32  can be moved axially along its associated telescoping member and also rotated thereabout, the collar  32  and setscrew  34  collectively fix the collar  32  to the post  12  at any selected axial position along the post  12  and at any selected angular orientation relative to the post  12 . 
         [0024]    The support  10  may comprise an angle adjuster which is disposed to vary the angle of the shelf  30  at any selected orientation between vertical and horizontal when the post  12  is vertically oriented as depicted. The angle adjuster may comprise a hinge  36  disposed to pivotally hold the shelf  30  to the post  12 , and a variable length arm disposed to secure the shelf  30  at a selected angle relative to the post  12 . The variable length arm may for example comprise an articulated arm having an upper section  38  which is pivotally connected to a lower section  40 . The upper section  38  may be pivotally connected to the collar  32  at a hinge  42 . The lower section  40  may be pivotally connected to the shelf  30  at a hinge  44 . 
         [0025]    The upper end of the post  12  is prevented from damaging a delicate environmental surface such as a headliner of the ceiling  2  by cushioning the point of contact by a soft pad  46  attached to the upper end of the post  12 , such as the upper end of the telescoping member  14 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  shows the shelf  30  and the collar  32 . The object intended to be held by the support  10  may be retained on the shelf  30  by a retainer which may comprise an elastic strap  48  which spans the shelf  30  and is disposed to hold the object thereagainst. The selected orientation of the shelf  30  may be assured by selecting friction characteristics of the pivot joint connecting the upper section  38  to the lower section  40  at the axis of mutual pivot  50 . Alternatively, a securing arrangement (not shown) comprising a manual fastener may be employed. 
         [0027]    The present invention is susceptible to modifications and variations which may be introduced thereto without departing from the inventive concepts. For example, referring now to  FIG. 3 , although the invention has been described with respect to the spring  20  being located at the lower end of the post  12 , the spring  20  or a corresponding spring (not shown) may be relocated to the upper end of the post  12  or even to an intermediate location. 
         [0028]    Also, the retainer which has been presented as the elastic strap  48  may comprise other holding devices including those comprising rigid arms, adhesive surfaces, hook and loop fasteners, threaded fasteners, spring clamps, magnets, and others. 
         [0029]    A pad corresponding to the soft pad  46  may be provided to cushion the lower end of the post  12 , either in addition to or instead of the pad  46 . 
         [0030]    While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible.