Patent Publication Number: US-2009218174-A1

Title: Pop-up lift pedestal for a television

Description:
This invention relates to an apparatus for vertically raising and lowering a television or monitor between two positions. 
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Having a television or video monitor rise and lower between a storage position within a piece of cabinetry or furniture or beneath a counter top and a viewable position above the piece of cabinetry, furniture or counter top is often advantageous for aesthetic and utilitarian reasons. A variety of complicated lift devices have been developed to raise and lower televisions and video monitors from cabinetry and other furniture pieces, but these devices have been complicated and expensive electro-mechanical devices designed for custom home theater applications. 
     The present invention provides a reliable and cost effective lift pedestal for raising and lowering a television or video monitor between a retracted storage position and an extended viewing position. The lift pedestal is ideal for mobile home applications and home theater applications where cost and space restrictions are a principle concern. The lift pedestal can be incorporated into any suitable piece of furniture or cabinetry. In addition the lift pedestal can be mounted directly to any wall or vertical support structure. The lift pedestal can also be used as a stand alone support device or incorporated into cabinetry or a furniture enclosure. 
     The lift pedestal embodying this invention includes a stationary back plate and an extensible support plate to which the television or video monitor is mounted. A pair of cabinetry drawer slides allow vertical translational movement of the support plate relative to the back plate between the retracted storage position and the extended viewing position. The drawer slides are mounted between angled sides of the back plate and support plate. The lift pedestal is actuated by a gas prop mounted to a third drawer slide. A cable and pulley operate in conjunction with the gas prop to increase the effective travel of the gas prop piston. 
     By using components, such as drawer slides and gas props, this lift pedestal eliminates the complicated electro-mechanical actuators and lifts commonly used in expensive home theater applications. The lift pedestal can be adapted to accommodate any size or weight of television or monitor. The use of the two angled drawer slides mounted between the angled sides of the back plate and the support plate ensure smooth stable transport of the television between its extended and retracted positions. The angled sides of the back plate and support plate reduce the footprint size of the lift pedestal and create a more stable lift mechanism. Mounting the gas prop to a third drawer slide and incorporating a cable and pulley system increases the effective travel of the gas prop piston rod without increasing the size of the gas prop. 
     These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the lift pedestal of this invention incorporated into a typical furniture cabinet and supporting a television in a raised position above the cabinet; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the lift pedestal of this invention incorporated into a furniture cabinet and supporting a television in a stored position within the cabinet; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the lift pedestal of this invention used as a stand alone support device showing a television in a raised position; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the lift pedestal of this invention used as a stand alone support device showing a television in a lowered position; 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of the lift pedestal of this invention in the extended position showing a portion of the support plate cutaway and also showing side and front views of the actuation mechanism; 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of the lift pedestal of this invention in an intermediate position showing a portion of the support plate cutaway and also showing side and front views of the actuation mechanism; 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of the lift pedestal of this invention in the retracted position showing a portion of the support plate cutaway and also showing side and front views of the actuation mechanism; 
         FIG. 8  is a partial exploded view of the actuation mechanism of the lift pedestal of this invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a partial exploded view of the upper portion of the actuation mechanism of the lift pedestal of this invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a partial exploded view of the lower portion of the actuation mechanism of the lift pedestal of this invention; and 
         FIG. 11  is a top sectional view of the lift pedestal of this invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral  10  generally designates an embodiment of the lift pedestal of this invention. Lift pedestal  10  is used to raise and lower a television, video monitor or other device between an extended or raised position and a retracted or lowered position. Lift pedestal  10  is designed to be incorporated into cabinetry or a furniture enclosure ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) or used as a stand alone support device ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ). Typically, lift pedestal  10  elevates the television or monitor from the furniture enclosure into the extended position for viewing and lowers the television or monitor into the furniture enclosure into the retracted position for storage. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5-11 , lift pedestal  10  includes an upright base plate  20  and an extensible television support plate  30 . Base plate  20  has a flat back  22  and two angled sides  24 , which converge toward each other. Support plate  30  also has a flat front  32  and two angled sides  34 , which diverge away from each other. Support plate sides  34  overlie base plate sides  24 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , base plate sides  24  and support plate sides  34  are angled at approximately 45° angles to base plate back  24  and support plate front  34 . Support plate  30  is shiftable mounted to base plate  20  by two vertically oriented telescoping drawer slides  40 . Drawer slides  40  allow vertical translational movement of support plate  30  relative to base plate  20  between an extended operational position and a retracted storage position. Drawer slides  40  are of conventional ball bearing design. Each drawer slide  40  includes three slide members: a proximal member  42 , an intermediate member  44  and a distal member  46 . The various slide members are nested within one another and extended in a telescopic manner riding on ball bearings (not shown) seated in raceways (not clearly shown) from in nested slide members. Proximal slide members  42  are connected to base plate side  24 . Distal slide members  46  are mounted to support plate sides  34 . Support plate  30  also includes a top mounting bracket  36 . As shown, a television or monitor  2  is mounted to support plate  30  and secured to bracket  36  by fasteners  38  or other hardware. Alternatively, a television or video monitor can be mounted directly to support plate front  32  by similar fasteners and hardware. 
     As shown, lift pedestal  10  is actuated by a gas prop  50  mounted to a third drawer slide  60 . Gas prop  50  provides the counterbalance force to actuate pedestal lift  10  between the raised operational position and the retracted storage position. Gas prop  50  is of conventional design and includes a cylinder  52  and piston rod  54 . The particular gas prop used in lift pedestal  10  is selected to have the necessary counterbalance force and travel to accommodate the weight and size of the television or video monitor to be supported by the lift pedestal. Lift pedestal  10  can be modified to operate with any size and weight of television or monitor by changing the dimension of the back and cover plates and selecting the appropriate gas prop to accommodate the size and weight of the television or monitor. In addition, one skilled in the art will note that gas prop  50  can be replaced in other embodiments of this invention with an electric linear actuator or any suitable extensible drive mechanism. 
     As shown, drawer slide  60  is another three section drawer slide, but any suitable drawer slide may be used within the teachings of this invention. The proximal slide member  62  is mounted to the base plate back  22 . A bracket  56  connects piston cylinder  52  to the distal slide member  66  of drawer slide  60 . Piston rod  54  is mounted to the back of support plate front  32 . A wire cable  70  and pulley  80  operate in conjunction with gas prop  50  to increase the effective travel of piston rod  54 . While a wire cable is illustrated in the drawings, one skilled in the art should note that any suitable cord, rope or chain can be used within the teachings of this invention. Cable  70  is trained around pulley  80 , which is mounted to bracket  56 . One end of cable  70  is fixed to base plate back  22  and the other end of cable  70  terminates in a turnbuckle  72  and is fixed to the end of piston rod  54 , which is secured to cover plate front  32  by a bolt or fastener  74 . Turnbuckle  72  is used to manually tighten and adjust the length of cable  70  and also allows some manual adjustment of the travel of lift pedestal  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , pedestal lift  10  shiftably supports television  2  between an extended operational position ( FIGS. 1 and 3 ) and a retracted storage position ( FIGS. 2 and 4 ). Gas prop  50  gives the operation of lift pedestal  10  a simple pop-up action. From the retracted storage position, downward manual pressure atop television  2  actuates gas prop  50  to lift television  2  to the raised operational position. Because gas prop  50  is mounted to drawer slide  60  and cable  70  is trained around pulley  80  with one end of the cable fixed to the end of piston rod  54  and the other end secured to base plate  20 , cable  70  effectively increases the travel of gas prop  50 . Extending piston rod  54  pulls cable  70 , which lifts gas prop  50  and extends drawer slide  60  ( FIG. 5 ). Retracting piston rod  54  relaxes the tension on cable  70  and allows gravity to retract drawer slide  60  ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ). 
     One skilled in the art will note that the lift pedestal of this invention is ideal for mobile home applications and home theater applications where cost and space restrictions are principle concerns. The lift of this invention is ideal for recreational vehicle applications where floor and counter top space is critical. The lift pedestal can be incorporated into any suitable piece of furniture or cabinetry. In addition the lift pedestal can be mounted directly to any wall or vertical support structure. The lift of this invention can be manufactured using common components in the cabinetry industry, namely drawer slides and gas piston props. The use of cabinetry components allows the lift to be manufactured quickly and inexpensively and ensures simple maintenance free operation. The use of drawer slides and gas props also eliminates the complicated electro-mechanical actuators and lifts commonly used in expensive home theater applications. The lift pedestal can be adapted to accommodate any size or weight of television or monitor. The use of the two drawer slides between the back plate and the support plate allows the smooth stable transport of the television between its extended and retracted positions. The angled sides of the back plate and support plate reduce the footprint size of the lift pedestal and create a more stable lift mechanism. Mounting the gas prop to a third drawer slide and incorporating a cable and pulley system increases the effective travel of the gas prop piston rod without increasing the size of the gas prop. 
     The embodiment of the present invention herein described and illustrated is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is presented to explain the invention so that others skilled in the art might utilize its teachings. The embodiment of the present invention may be modified within the scope of the following claims.