Abstract:
An in-wall mount for supporting an electronic display from a wall. The in-wall mount includes a wall interface structure, a display interface structure, and an extensible arm assembly. The display interface structure is selectively outwardly shiftable relative to the wall interface structure between a first position wherein the display interface structure is proximate the wall interface structure and a second position wherein the display interface structure is spaced apart from the wall interface structure, the display interface structure rising vertically relative to the wall interface structure as the display interface structure is shifted from the first position to the second position.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation under 35 U.S.C. §120 of International Application PCT/US2008/000130, filed Jan. 4, 2008, entitled IN-WALL MOUNT, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/883,652, filed Jan. 5, 2007, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/957,937, filed Aug. 24, 2007, and this application further claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/957,941, filed Aug. 24, 2007, all the recited applications being incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to mounts for flat panel displays, and more particularly to in-wall mounts for flat panel displays. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Flat panel electronic displays have become very popular due to their compact size, desirable aesthetics, and superior performance. The inherent form factor and weight advantages of these displays have made large screen sizes economically and practically feasible, leading to rapidly increasing demand for these large screens. 
     Often, it is desirable to mount a flat panel display from a fixed structure such as a wall, ceiling, column or other structural feature. Consequently, specialized mounts have been developed to enable displays to be mounted from fixed structures, while also enabling selective positioning of the display for visibility or convenience. 
     One of the desirable aesthetic aspects of flat panel displays is the flat appearance of the display when mounted on a wall—resembling a framed photograph or painting. In order to enhance this flat appearance, it is desirable for the mounting structure to enable the rear side of the display to be mounted as close as possible to the wall surface. While very low profile fixed mounts have been developed, it is often desirable for the mount to enable selective positioning of the display. Such positionable mounts typically are thicker in depth and result in the back of the display being mounted further from the wall surface. For such mounts, it is desirable for the mount to be attached in a recess in the wall surface. 
     In-wall recessed mounts are typically disposed in a recess formed in a wall between the wall framing studs. A limitation of the present in-wall recessed mounts is that they are typically constrained to being centered between adjacent studs. It is rare, however, that the most desirable location for the mount is precisely centered between studs. Usually, the optimal aesthetic location for the display will be at a point that is closer to one adjacent stud than the other adjacent stud. In order to avoid these constraints and achieve the optimal location, a stud must often be cut and framed in much the same manner as framing in an opening for a window. Such framing can be an expensive modification that is both time consuming and messy in an existing structure. 
     Some prior adjustably positionable mounts include various arrangements of brackets and arms to enable tilting of the display screen. Examples of such tilt mounts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,363 to Boele and U.S. Published Patent Application No. US20020033436A1 by Peng, et. al.; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,905,101 to Dittmer and 7,028,961 to Dittmer, et. al., each hereby fully incorporated herein by reference. 
     One advantage of flat-panel electronic display devices over CRTs is the appealing aesthetic of a very shallow device that resembles a framed photo or painting when mounted on a wall. As this aesthetic advantage has been achieved, users have become more discerning about aesthetics in general, desiring ever more accuracy of positioning of the display on a particular wall, and desiring the display to be positioned ever closer to the wall, while still retaining full positioning capability for the display. 
     There is a need then in the industry for an in-wall mount that may be centered at any lateral location between framing studs. 
     Previous mounting solutions have sometimes enabled the mounting arms or other apparatus to be stowed in an enclosure in the wall in order to enable closer positioning of the display to the wall. A disadvantage of these prior solutions, however, is that the in-wall enclosure must be attached to the wall studs in order to support the weight of the display, and thus the position of the in-wall enclosure is typically limited by the location of the wall studs. Enclosures have typically been made in a width to fit a standard stud spacing (e.g. 16 inches O.C.). This results in a large in-wall enclosure that may be unsightly. In addition, such enclosures cannot be installed in locations where the stud spacing is not at the standard width without cutting or relocating the studs, possibly compromising wall structural integrity and/or causing disruption and expense. 
     Where prior in-wall enclosures are narrower than the stud spacing, they typically have been attached to one or the other of the adjacent studs. This limits location of the in-wall enclosure to locations proximate studs, which may not be optimal for aesthetic purposes. 
     Further, prior mounting solutions, while sometimes enabling the display to be selectively positioned at a distance from the wall assembly, have typically experienced significant sag at greater distances from the wall, due to the significant weight of the display. This sag problem can be especially acute for heavy plasma displays, and can be unsightly. 
     What is still needed in the industry is an in-wall display mounting solution that addresses the drawbacks of prior in-wall display mounting solutions by enabling easy positioning of the display mount at nearly any position on a wall and that also counteracts display sagging when the display is positioned at a distance from the wall. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The centering in-wall mount of the present invention substantially meets the aforementioned needs of the industry. The centering in-wall mount eliminates the need for remodeling wall framing when mounting a recessed mount in a wall. Additionally, it provides for horizontal translation of the mount to position the flat panel display at virtually any desired location on the wall that is not directly obstructed by a stud. 
     Further, embodiments of the present invention may address the need of the industry for an in-wall display mounting solution that enables easy positioning of the display mount at nearly any position on a wall and that also counteracts display sagging when the display is positioned at a distance from the wall. 
     In an embodiment, the present invention is an in-wall mount for supporting a display, the in-wall mount being mountable in a wall formed in part by a plurality of studs, including mount structure fixedly couplable between selected adjacent studs of the wall, and a mount base laterally shiftably operably couplable to the mount structure. Embodiments of the present invention may further include methods for supporting a display. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the following drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front cross-sectional view of the centering in-wall mounts of the present invention in the left most disposition having an affixed mount interface; 
         FIG. 2  is a front cross-sectional view of the centering in-wall mount of  FIG. 1  in the right most disposition having an affixed mount interface; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the centering in-wall mount of  FIG. 1  in a centered disposition; 
         FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view of the centering in-wall mount of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a front cross-sectional view of the centering in-wall mount of  FIG. 3  depicted in the centering position; 
         FIG. 6  is a front cross-sectional view of the centering in-wall mount of  FIG. 5  in a leftward disposition; 
         FIG. 7  is a front cross-sectional view of the centering in-wall mount of  FIG. 5  in a left most disposition; and 
         FIG. 8  is a rear perspective view of the centering in-wall mount having a mount box according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an in-wall mount interface according to an embodiment of the invention in a wall assembly and with a flat panel electronic display mounted thereon and shifted away from the wall assembly; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the in-wall mount interface of  FIG. 9  depicted in a retracted position and with the studs of the wall assembly exposed; 
         FIG. 11  is a side elevation view of the in-wall mount interface of  FIG. 9  with the housing depicted in phantom; 
         FIG. 12  is an opposite side elevation view of the in-wall mount interface of  FIG. 9  with the housing depicted in phantom; 
         FIG. 13  is a fragmentary front perspective view of the in-wall mount interface of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a front elevation view of the in-wall mount interface of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a front perspective view of the housing and arm assembly of the in-wall mount interface of  FIG. 9  with the arm assembly in a retracted position; 
         FIG. 16  is a front perspective view of a housing of the in-wall mount interface of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a fragmentary front perspective view of an in-wall mount interface according to an embodiment of the invention with an external mounting track system depicted in phantom; 
         FIG. 18  is another fragmentary front perspective view of an in-wall mount interface according to an embodiment of the invention with portions of an external mounting track system depicted in phantom; 
         FIG. 19  is a fragmentary side elevation of the in-wall mounting assembly of an in-wall mount interface according to an embodiment of the invention with portions of the assembly depicted in phantom; 
         FIG. 20  is a fragmentary front elevation view of an in-wall mount interface according to an embodiment of the invention with portions of an external mounting track system depicted in phantom; 
         FIG. 21  is a side elevation view of the external mounting track system depicted in  FIG. 20 ; 
         FIG. 22  is a perspective view of an in-wall mounting assembly for an in-wall mount interface according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 23  is a perspective view of a housing interface component of the in-wall mounting assembly depicted in  FIG. 22 ; 
         FIG. 24  is a perspective view of an end flange component of the in-wall mounting assembly depicted in  FIG. 22 ; and 
         FIG. 25  is a perspective view of a carrier component of the in-wall mounting assembly depicted in  FIG. 22 . 
     
    
    
     While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A typical wall  10  is depicted in the figures. Wall  10  includes framing comprising a sill plate  12 , an opposed parallel header  14 , and studs  16 . The header  14  is supported on the plurality of generally parallel vertical studs  16  that are mounted on top of the sill plate  12  and extend upward to the header  14 . Dry wall sheeting  18  is affixed to the wall framing to complete the wall structure. A rectangular aperture  19  is defined in the dry wall  19  between two adjacent studs  16 . The aperture  19  is formed just slightly bigger than the exterior dimensions of the mount  20 . 
     The centering in-wall mount  20  of the present invention includes two major subcomponents: mount box  21  and mount base  28 . The mount box  21  is preferably made of relatively heavy structural material in order to support the cantilevered weight of a flat panel display and is fixedly secured to the adjacent studs  16  on either side of the aperture  19 . The mount box  21  has a top  40  and an opposed bottom  42  that are joined by opposed parallel sides  44 . A back plate  46  extends between the top  40 , bottom  42  and sides  44 . The mount box  21  is open facing the viewer in  FIG. 1 . 
     The mount box has a height  22 , a width  24 , and a depth  26 . The width  24  of the mount box  21  is selected to be such that the mount box  21  fits between two adjacent studs  16 . Typically, the studs  16  are either 16″ on center or 20″ on center. In both cases the width dimension  24  is selected to be the width of a stud less the applicable on center dimension. The depth dimension  26  of the mount box  21  is selected to be no greater than the depth dimension of a stud  16 . For a standard 2×4 inch stud  16 , the depth  26  is approximately 3½ inches. 
     The mount base  28  is laterally shiftably disposable within the mount box  21 . The mount base  28  is fixedly mounted to the back plate  46  by bolts as being mounted in bore  29 . 
     The mount base  28  has a footprint  30 . The footprint  30  has a relatively narrow width  32  relative to the width dimension  24  of the mount box  21 . Preferably, the width dimension  32  of the mount base  28  is about 4″. Accordingly, as can be seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the mount base  28  can be mounted in the mount box  21  at virtually any position between the two adjacent studs  16 , thereby effecting the centering capability of the mount  20 . In this manner, the flat panel display can be mounted at any location along a wall with the exception of where an actual stud  16  is located. The mount base  28  further has a height dimension  34 . The mount base  28  includes extendable mount structure  36 . A mount frame  38  is shiftably coupled to the extendable mount structure  36 . The mount frame  38  provides the mounting interface between the flat panel display and the centering mount  20 . Referring to  FIG. 8 , an embodiment of the mount box  60  is sized such that the back plate  61  approximates the size of the footprint  30  of the mount base  28 . 
     A second embodiment of the centering mount  20  is depicted in  FIGS. 5-8 . The centering mount  20  of the second embodiment retains the versatility exhibited by the centering mount  20  of the first embodiment by being positionable at virtually any position between two adjacent studs  16  as depicted in  FIGS. 5-7 . In distinction, the second embodiment of the centering mount  20  employs a narrow housing  39  which is attached between two spaced apart horizontal brackets  50 . Preferably, the brackets  50  are identical and when mounted in the wall  10  are inverted with respect to one another. 
     Each of the brackets  50  is formed of a ribbed plate  52  possessing significant structural strength to support the flat panel display. On a first side of the ribbed plate  52 , a pair of spaced apart elongate stud mounting slots  54  are defined. On the opposed side of the ribbed plate  52 , a plurality of elongate base mounting slots  56  are defined. The brackets  50  may be fixedly mounted to the studs  16  by means of lag bolts or similar fasteners passed through the slots  54  and into the wood of the respective studs  16 . The brackets  50  may be slightly recessed into the respective studs  16  and drywall  18  applied over the brackets  50  to create a more appealing appearance of the wall  10 . 
     An aperture  19  only slightly greater than the footprint  30  of the base  28  is defined in the drywall  18  at any desired location between the two adjacent studs  16 . An aesthetic advantage of the second embodiment as compared to the first embodiment is that the aperture  19  need only be as great as the footprint  30 , making the interface of the centering mount  20  with the wall  10  less obtrusive. It should be noted that the mounting base  28  can be positioned at virtually any position left or right between the two adjacent studs  16 . Once in the selected position, the housing  39  of the mounting base  28  is affixed to the two brackets  50  by couplers  58  extending between the mounting base  28  and the base mounting slots  56 . It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, housing  39  may be omitted and the mounting base  28  attached directly to the brackets  50 . 
     An embodiment of an in-wall mount interface  120  for interfacing a display mounting assembly  122  with a wall assembly  124  of a structure is depicted generally and in its various component parts in  FIGS. 9-25 . Interface  120  generally includes housing assembly  126  and extensible arm assembly  128 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 9-12 , housing assembly  126  generally includes housing  130 , in-wall mounting assembly  132 , and external mounting assembly  134 . Housing  130 , as depicted in  FIG. 16 , generally includes sidewalls  136 , end walls  138 , and back wall  140 . It should be noted that housing  130  may be made from metal, polymer, or other material having sufficient structural strength to bear loads imposed by arm assembly  128  and display  166  mounted thereon. Sidewalls  136  define knockout openings  142  with knockout panels  143  for selectively receiving a standard electrical box  144 , as depicted in  FIG. 10 . Sidewalls  136  further define horizontally registered apertures  146  for receiving lower pivot axle  148  of arm assembly  128 . Upper end wall  150  defines a knockout opening  142  with a knockout panel  143  for selectively receiving a standard electrical box  144 . Upper end wall  150  further defines locator notch  152  along rear edge  154 . Lower end wall  156  may define a plurality of knockout openings  158 , each with a knockout plug  160 , for selectively receiving conduit, the conduit bearing signal or other wiring or cabling. Lower end wall  156  further defines locator notch  162  along rear edge  14 . 
     Housing  130  may be secured in wall assembly  124  with transverse in-wall mounting assemblies  132  located at the top and bottom of housing  130 . See  FIGS. 10 and 22 . Each in-wall mounting assembly  132  generally includes interface plate  168 , carrier  170 , end flange  172 , and retainer  174 . As depicted in  FIGS. 22 and 23 , interface plate  168  defines central aperture  176  and fastener holes  178  and includes projecting tab  180 . Carrier  170 , depicted in  FIG. 25 , presents inner end  182  and outer end  184 . Wall engaging flange  186  projects perpendicularly proximate outer end  184  and defines elongate apertures  188 . Projections  190  are defined in forward edge  192 . Main body portion  194  defines central aperture  196  and fastener holes  197 , and has channels  198 ,  200 , defined along lateral edges  202 ,  204 , respectively. 
     As depicted if  FIG. 24 , end flange  172  generally includes interface portion  206  defining elongate apertures  208 , and presenting guides  210 ,  212 , along lateral edges  214 ,  216 , respectively, and wall engaging flange  218  projecting perpendicularly therefrom. Flange  218  defines elongate apertures  220  and presents projections  222  along forward edge  224 . 
     Retainer  174 , depicted in  FIG. 22 , is generally rectangular in shaped and overlies interface portion  206  of end flange  172 . Retainer  174  defines threaded fastener holes  226 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 15 and 16 , each interface plate  168  is received and secured on outer side  227  of each end wall  156  of housing  130 , with projecting tab  180  engaged in locator notch  152 ,  162 . Central aperture  176  registers with knockout opening  142  or with knockout openings  158 , depending on which end wall  156  that interface plate  168  is received. Carrier  170  is secured to one of studs  16  (see  FIG. 10 ) of wall assembly  124  with lag bolts (not depicted) through each of elongate apertures  188 . Apertures  188  may be staggered as depicted in  FIG. 25  to inhibit splitting of wood studs  16  by the lag bolts. End flange  172  is secured to an opposing one of studs  16  with lag bolts (not depicted) through elongate apertures  220 . Apertures  220  may be staggered as depicted to inhibit splitting of wood studs by the lag bolts. End flange  172  is secured to carrier  170  at inner end  182  with fasteners (not depicted) extending through holes  197 , elongate apertures  208  and threaded into holes  226  in retainer  174 . Referring to  FIGS. 22 and 24 , end flange  172  is slidable relative to carrier  170  by means of elongate apertures  208 , thereby enabling the variable spacing between wall engaging flange  186  and wall engaging flange  218  to be adjusted to accommodate the spacing between studs  16 . Projections  190 ,  222 , depicted in  FIG. 17  engage rear surface of sheet rock  18  as depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
     Interface plate  168  (see  FIGS. 16 and 23 ) is received in channels  198 ,  200 , of carrier  170  (see  FIGS. 22 and 25 ) and is slidable therein to enable housing  130  to be positioned anywhere between wall engaging flange  186  and wall engaging flange  218 , and thereby anywhere between adjacent studs  228  as may be desired. It will be appreciated that the location of knockout openings  142  on both sidewalls  136  and on upper end wall  156  of housing  130  (see  FIG. 16 ) enables at least two electrical boxes  144  to be used with housing  130  regardless of the position of housing  130  relative to adjacent studs  228 . 
     As an alternative to in-wall mounting assembly  132 , housing  130  may be secured in wall assembly  124  using external mounting assemblies  134 . Each external mounting assembly  134 , as depicted in  FIGS. 17-21 , generally includes housing flange  236 , wall track  238 , spacers  240 , and cover assembly  242 . 
     Housing flange  236 , depicted in  FIG. 17 , being generally L shaped in cross section, generally includes housing interface portion  244  with wall flange  246  extending perpendicularly therefrom. Housing flange  236  is secured to end wall  138  with one or more fasteners  248 . Rear side  250  of wall flange  246  abuts front surface of sheet rock  18 , depicted in  FIG. 1 . Wall track  238  defines a plurality of elongate apertures  254  and abuts front side  256  of both the wall flange  246  and the spacers  240 . Wall track  238  is secured to wall assembly  124  with fasteners  258  extending through elongate apertures  254  and apertures  260  defined in wall flange  246 . By inserting fasteners  258  through different elongate apertures  254  and by sliding fasteners  258  in the elongate apertures  254 , housing  130  may be positioned at nearly any desired position between respective adjacent studs  16  of  FIG. 10 . 
     As depicted in  FIGS. 10-15 , extensible arm assembly  128  generally includes lower pivot axle  148  as previously specified, along with lower arm  262 , upper arm  264 , central axle assembly  266 , knuckles  268 ,  270 , outer column  272 , guide track  274  and guide roller  276 . 
     Lower pivot axle  148  extends between apertures  146  and pivotally receives inner end  278  of lower arm  262 , such that lower arm  262  pivots about axis A-A of  FIG. 12 . Outer end  280  of lower arm  262  is pivotally attached to knuckle  270  at pivot  282 . Outer end  284  of upper arm  264  is pivotally attached to knuckle  268  at pivot  286 . Inner end  288  of upper arm  264  is operably coupled with guide roller  276  such that upper arm  264  pivots about axis B-B of  FIG. 12 . Guide roller  276  also rolls in channel  290  defined by guide track  274 . Guide track  274  is secured to rear wall  140  of housing  130  with fasteners  192 . Outer column  272  rests on knuckle  268  and is fixed thereto, while knuckle  270  is slidable up and down on outer column  272 . Lower arm  262  and upper arm  264  are pivotally coupled to each other in scissors fashion with central axle assembly  266 . Mounting head  294  is received on outer column  272 , and couples display  166  with arm assembly  128 . Details of mounting head  294  are disclosed in International Patent Application No. PCT/US2008/000117, filed Jan. 4, 2008, hereby fully incorporated herein by reference. 
     In use, arm assembly  128  may be folded into housing  130 , as depicted in  FIGS. 10 and 15 , in order to place display  166  proximate, or even in contact with, wall assembly  124  of  FIG. 9 . As a user pulls display  166  away from wall assembly  124 , lower arm  262  pivots on lower pivot axle  148 , guide roller  276  rolls downward in guide track  274 , and knuckle  270  slides downward on outer column  272  to enable lower arm  262  and upper arm  264  to pivot in scissors fashion relative to each other to support display  166  away from wall assembly  124  as depicted in  FIG. 11 . 
     With either embodiment, an aperture may be formed in the sheet rock  18  that closely conforms to the desired location of housing  130  relative to studs  16 . A thin trim ring  300  (see  FIG. 9 ) may then be disposed around the opening to cover any unsightly edges of the sheet rock  234 . 
     In embodiments of the invention, axis A-A is positioned slightly closer to the front of housing  130  than axis B-B, as depicted in  FIG. 12 , by the dimension ΔD. Arms  262 ,  264  may be of unequal length. This lateral displacement of the respective couplings of the lower arm  262  and the upper arm  264  causes the outer column  272  and the display  166  attached thereto to rise in elevation slightly along an arcuate path as display  166  is shifted away from wall assembly  124 , thereby counteracting sag of arm assembly  128  due to bending thereof from the weight of display  166 . It will be appreciated that the rate of rise of outer column  272  and display  166  inherently increases with the distance of outer column  272  and display  166  from wall assembly  124 . The distance ΔD by which axis A-A is located forward of axis B-B, as depicted in  FIG. 12 , may be varied depending on the degree and rate of rise desired for outer column  272 . Generally, without limitation, distance ΔD may vary between 1/16 inch and 2 inches, the greater the distance ΔD resulting in a greater amount of vertical rise. 
     Those of ordinary skill will appreciate that, in the depicted embodiments, the weight of display  166  inherently applies a moment force tending to urge display  166  away from the wall due to the locations of the fixed pivotal connections of arms  262 ,  264 , with housing  130  and outer column  272  vertically below the sliding connections of arms  262 ,  264 , with housing  130  and outer column  272 . It will be further appreciated, however, that this force may be at least partially counteracted by the positioning of axis A-A forward of axis B-B as previously described, making display  166  rise vertically as it moves away from housing  130 . By balancing these forces, display  166  may self balance in a desired spaced apart position from the wall without additional friction being added to the assembly. 
     The embodiments above are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Additional embodiments are encompassed within the scope of the claims. Although the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For purposes of interpreting the claims for the present invention, it is expressly intended that the provisions of Section 112, sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “means for” or “step for” are recited in a claim.