Patent Publication Number: US-6343135-B1

Title: Retractable speaker assembly for a partition

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to audio speakers, and more specifically to a retractable speaker assembly for a partition. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Audio speaker systems have traditionally been mounted or installed into homes so that the audio speaker systems and specifically the speaker are visible to the occupants of the room. Since the speaker size is often significant, an ability to conceal the speaker so as to improve the overall appearance of the room would be desirable. 
     Prior art audio speaker systems for a room and for an automobile have tried to address some of the aforenoted problems. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,760 issued on Jun. 14, 1994 to Davidson Textron Inc. of Dover, N.H. by assignment from the inventor John D. Gray. This patent relates to a housing in which is mounted a speaker. The housing is mounted on a platform which is attached by trunnions to corresponding mounts. Mounts are secured to an automobile window ledge that extends between a rear seat and a rear window of the automobile, the housing is capable of rotation about an axis extending through the center of trunnions. Operation of actuator in the clockwise direction causes platform, and thus housing, to rotate upwards about axis from the retracted position to the extended position. Sideways rotation of housing is achieved by an actuator mounted on the topside of platform. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,501 issued on Feb. 8, 1994 to the inventor Harry A. Castillo. This patent relates to an arcuate speaker which is arranged for pivotal mounting relative to a vehicular rear shelf plate in operative communication with a cover plate, wherein pivoting of the speaker in communication with a bottom surface of the rear shelf plate effects pivotal displacement of the cover plate for audible access of the speaker relative to an associated passenger compartment of the vehicle. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,032 issued to Mark A. Nuernberger on May 8, 1990. This patent relates to a ceiling panel sound system having a completely self-containing high fidelity speaker system that is installed in a supporting gridwork for a suspended ceiling. The speakers are installed in a rectangular mounting panel having a shape that corresponds to the ceiling tile. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,796 was issued on Nov. 12, 1996 to Bose Corporation of Farmingham, Mass. This patent relates to a mount for mounting a loudspeaker in a room boundary structure having an outside surface away from the inside of the room which includes a frame constructed and arranged to rest on the outside surface. A spring has a first end attached to the frame and a free second end. The spring is constructed and arranged to exert a unidirectional force toward the outside surface whenever the second end of the spring is displaced from the outside surface toward the inside of the room. 
     Daniel N. Green, the inventor, assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,842 which issued on Jan. 2, 1990 to Posh Diversified Inc. of Oregon. This patent relates to an assembly for mounting a loudspeaker in a ceiling including a layer of sheet material, said assembly comprising: a mounting plate having an inner edge defining a circular opening; a circular ring extending down from the inner edge of said plate around said opening for forming an abutment to said sheet material of said ceiling; a recessed circular shoulder extending inward from the inner edge of said plate around said opening for mounting a loudspeaker in said opening; and a cover plate for covering said opening in said mounting plate, said cover plate including a screen and adapted for being removably mounted onto said circular ring in said mounting plate. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of one aspect of the invention is to provide an improved retractable speaker assembly for installation in a partition. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a retractable speaker assembly for a partition having a housing, a cavity, and actuator and a panel where the housing is retractable from a first closed position to a second operable position by the actuator. The partition may conceal the housing when the speaker assembly is in the first closed position. In the second operable position the housing is exposed. The panel is associated with the housing in such a way that the cavity is closed when the housing is in the first closed position. 
     In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a retractable speaker assembly for a ceiling having a housing, a cavity, and actuator and a panel where the housing is retractable from a first closed position to a second operable position by the actuator. The ceiling may conceal the housing when the speaker assembly is in the first closed position. In the second operable position the housing is exposed. The panel is associated with the housing in such a way that the cavity is closed when the housing is in the first closed position. 
     In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a retractable speaker assembly further comprising a pivot means such that the panel is retractable relative to the partition by the pivot means. 
     In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a retractable speaker assembly where the actuator is a rack and pinion means. 
     An advantage of the present invention over the prior art is that the speaker assembly is retractable into the partition and concealed by the panel when the system is not operating, yet the speaker assembly is then visible and oriented for optimum sound when the system is in the second operable position. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     A detailed description of the preferred embodiments are provided herein below by way of example only and with reference to the following drawings, in which: 
     FIGS. 1 a-d,  in perspective views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 2 a-b,  in cross-sectional front views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 3 a-b,  in cross-sectional side views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 4 a-b,  in cross-sectional side views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 5 a-b,  in cross-sectional side views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 c,  in a perspective view, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 6 a-b,  in cross-sectional side views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 7 a-b,  in cross-sectional side views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 8 a-b,  in cross-sectional side views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 9 a-b,  in cross-sectional side views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 10 a-b,  in cross-sectional side views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 11 a-b,  in cross-sectional side views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention including a movable lighting means. 
     FIGS. 12 a-b,  in cross-sectional side views, illustrate a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, in operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention including a stationary l amp. 
     FIG. 13, in a cross-sectional side view, illustrates a retractable speaker assembly for a partition, by manual operation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 14 a-b,  in cross-sectional views, illustrates a retractable speaker assembly in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     In the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. 
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     In the description which follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and the drawings with the same respective reference numerals. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and in some instances proportions may have been exaggerated in order to more clearly depict certain features of the invention. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 a-d,    2   a-b  and  3   a-b,  there is illustrated a retractable speaker assembly  10  for a partition  12  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. The retractable speaker assembly  10  for a partition  12  includes a housing  14 , a cavity  16 , an actuator  18  and a panel  20 . The housing  14  may be retractable or displaceable from a first closed position to a second operable position by the actuator  18 . In the first closed position, the housing  14  is concealed by the partition  12  and the panel  20 , whereas the housing  14  is exposed in a second operable position. The panel  20  is associated with the housing  14  so that the cavity  16  where the retractable speaker assembly  10  is inserted and installed, is concealed or closed when the housing  14  is in the first closed position. The housing  14  may be further defined as a speaker  28  and a platform  30 . The platform  30  may be structured so that it can rotate with the speaker  28  about a pivot means  22 . 
     The panel  20  which is associated with the housing  14  may be retractable or displaceable to the partition  12  by the pivot means  22 . The pivot means  22  may be a hinge. The partition  12  may be a ceiling or wall of a room. 
     In operation as shown in FIGS. 1 through 10, the retractable speaker assembly  10  is resting in the first closed position, wherein the housing  14  is concealed by the panel  20  and the partition  12 . Upon the activation of the retractable speaker assembly  10 , the housing  14  moves to the second operable position by the actuator  18 . The pivot means  22  allows for the housing  14  to be displaceable or retractable relative to the partition  12  when the housing  14  moves from the first closed position to the second operable position. The panel  20  may extend beyond the housing  14  so as to conceal the cavity  16 . 
     The installation of the retractable speaker assembly  10  may include defining a cavity  16  between two joists  26 , for the insertion of the retractable speaker assembly  10 . The retractable speaker assembly  10  may be secured into the partition  12  or ceiling by fasteners (not shown). The retractable speaker assembly  10  may be installed at such an angle so as to provide optimum sound when in operation. 
     The actuator  18 , as shown through FIGS. 1-10 and  14  may be one of the following, but not limited to: a rack and pinion means  32 , telescoping means  34 , a bellows mechanism,  35  a pneumatic piston mechanism, a scissor means  36 , or a ratchet mechanism  38 . The actuator  18  may include an electric motor (not shown) thereby moving said retractable assembly  10  from a first closed position to a second operable position. In FIGS. 4 a-b  and  7   a-b,  the pivot means  22  may be associated with the housing  14  and the internal structure of the partition  12  thereby allowing the housing  14  to rotate about the pivot means  22  moving the retractable speaker assembly  10  between a first closed position to a second operable position. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-13, the retractable speaker assembly  10  may include a lightening means  40 . The lightening means  40  may be mounted on to the panel  20  so that when the retractable speaker assembly  10  is in the first closed position, the lighting means  40  is visible to occupants of the room. When the retractable speaker assembly  10  is activated into the second operable position, the lighting means  40  is rotated up into the cavity  16 , and the speaker  28  is visible to the occupants of the room. The lighting means  40  may be activated and deactivated by a mercury switch  50 . The lighting means  40 , such as a fluorescent tube light, may also be mounted to the partition  12  so that it is stationary when the speaker  28  moves between the first closed position and the second operable position. 
     Referring to FIG. 13, the retractable speaker assembly  10  may be movable from the first closed position to the second operable position by manually rotating or tilting the housing  14  so that the panel  20  is concealed by the cavity and the speaker  28  is exposed to the occupants of the room. The retractable speaker assembly  10  may rotate 360° about the pivot means  22 . 
     Various embodiments of the invention have now been described in detail. Since changes in and/or additions to the above-described best mode may be made without departing from the nature, spirit or scope of the invention, the invention is not to be limited to said details.