Patent Publication Number: US-7584705-B2

Title: Monitor rising and storing system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   (1) Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a system for rising and storing a monitor, wherein only a small opening is required in the top of the desk when moving the monitor. 
   (2) Description of the Prior Art 
   A conventional system  100  for raising and storing a monitor  300  to a desk is shown in  FIG. 1  and generally includes a box  101 , a motor  102 , a driving mechanism  103  and a cover  104 . The box  101  is located under a top  200  of the desk and includes a receiving space  101   a  and an opening  101   b  on a top of the box  101 . The motor  102  is located in the receiving space  101   a  so as to activate a support device  103  in the box  101 . The support device  103  has a support board  103   a  such the monitor  300  is fixed on the support board  103   a.  The cover  104  can close the opening  101   b  and is opened along with the upward movement of the monitor  300 . 
   In order to let the lower edge of the monitor  300  be in flush with the top surface of the top of the top  200  of the desk, a significant size of opening has to be cut in the top  200  of the desk. Although the opening in the top  200  can be covered by the cover  104 , the desk looks award when the cover  104  closes the opening of the top  200 . 
   The present invention intends to provide a system for rising and storing a monitor wherein the cover for closing the opening of the desk can be vertically moved into the opening then pivoted such that the size of the opening of the desk can be made as small as possible. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a system for rising and storing a monitor through an opening in the desk includes a box located beneath a top of the desk and the box has a space defined therein and a top hole is defined in a top of the box. The top hole communicates with the space. A motor is located in the space and a guide rail is located on an inside of the box. A base connected with a monitor is located in the space the monitor is driven along the guide rail. 
   A link mechanism is located in the box and includes a transverse bar, two first links, two plates and two second links. Two first frames are located on two opposite insides of the box and each first frame has a first slot. Two ends of the transverse bar are movably engaged with the two first slots of the two first frames. The base is rested on the transverse bar. Each first link has a first end pivotably connected to one of the two ends of the transverse bar and a protrusion extends laterally from each of the first links. The two plates are pivotably connected to two supports on the two opposite insides of the box at two respective mediate portions of the two plates. A second end of each first link is pivotably connected to a first end of the plate corresponding thereto. Two second frames are connected to the two opposite insides of the box and each second frame has a second slot defined therein. The two second frames are located higher than the first frames in vertical direction. 
   The two second links each have a first end pivotably connected to a second end of the plate corresponding thereto and a second end of each second link is movably engaged with the second slot of the second frame corresponding thereto. A cover removably closes the opening of the desk and has two side portions extending vertically from two ends of the cover. The two side portions are pivotably connected to the two respective second ends of the second links. Two springs are connected between the protrusions of he two first links and the two supports of the two plates so as to exert an upward force to the transverse bar. When the monitor rises, the plates pull the second link downward to move the cover directly into the space of the box. 
   The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a conventional system for rising and storing a monitor to a desk; 
       FIG. 2  shows the system for rising and storing a monitor of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view to show the system for rising and storing a monitor of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a side view to show that the monitor is lowered and the cover closes the top hole of the box, and 
       FIG. 5  is a side view to show that the monitor is risen and the cover moved downward. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the system for rising and storing a monitor  20  comprises a box  1  having a space  11  defined therein and a top hole  12  is defined in a top of the box  1 . The top hole  12  communicates with the space  11 . The box  1  is located beneath a top  10  of a desk and an opening  101  is defined through the top  10 . The top hole  12  communicates with the space  11 . 
   A motor  22  is located in the space  11  and a guide rail  21  is located on an inside of the box  1 . A base  3  connected with a monitor  20  is located in the space  11  and the monitor  20  drives by the motor  22  along the guide rail  21  so that the monitor  22  can be moved upward through the top hole  12  of the box and the opening  101  of the top  10  of the desk, or be lowered and stored in the box  1 . 
   A link mechanism  5  received in the box  1  and includes a transverse bar  52 , two first frames  51  on two opposite insides of the box  1 , two first links  53 , two plates  56 , two second links  55  and two second frames  54 . Each first frame  51  has a first slot  511  defined therein and two ends of the transverse bar  52  are movably engaged with the two first slots  511  of the two first frames  51 . The base  3  is rested on the transverse bar  52  when the monitor  20  is stored in the box  1 . The two first link  53  are on the two opposite insides of the box  1  and each first link  53  has a first end pivotably connected to one of the two ends of the transverse bar  52 . A protrusion  531  extends laterally from the first link  53 . 
   The two plates  56  are pivotably connected to two supports  13  on the two opposite insides of the box  1  at two respective mediate portions of the two plates  56 , so that the first end and the second end of each plate  56  can be moved up and down about the mediate portion. A second end of each first link  53  is pivotably connected to the first end of the plate  56  corresponding thereto. The two second frames  54  are connected to the two opposite insides of the box  1  and each second frame  54  has a second slot  541  defined therein. Each second slot  541  includes a curved trace  5411 . The two second frames  54  are located higher than the first frames  51  in vertical direction relative to a horizontal direction. 
   The two second links  55  each have a first end pivotably connected to the second end of the plate corresponding thereto and a second end of each second link  55  is movably engaged with the second slot  541  of the second frame  54  corresponding thereto. 
   A cover  4  removably closes the opening  101  of the top  10  of the desk and has two side portions  41  extending vertically from two ends of the cover  4 . The two side portions  41  are pivotably connected to the two respective second ends of the second links  55 . Two springs  57  are connected between the protrusions  531  of the two first links  53  and the two supports  13  of the two plates  56  so as to exert an upward force to the transverse bar  52 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , when the monitor  20  is stored in the box  1 , the base  3  is rested on the transverse bar  52  and the first links  53  are located at the lower ends of the first slots  511  in the first frames  51 . The first end of each plate  56  is at the low position while the second end of each plate  56  is located at high position, and the second links  55  push the two side portions  41  of the cover  4  to close the top hole  12  of the box  1 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , when the monitor  20  is driven by the motor  22  to move upward, the base  3  is removed from the transverse bar  52  and the springs  57  pull the first links  53  and the transverse bar  52  upward along the first slots  511 . The plates  56  are then pivoted about the two respective mediate portions, so that the second links  55  are moved downward along the second slots  541 . The second links  55  pull the side portions  41  of the cover  4  downward vertically. After the cover  4  is received in the box  1 , the second links  55  together with the side portions  41  move along the curved trace  5411  and the cover  4  is pivoted an angle. Therefore the top hole  12  is needed to be made the same size as the cover  4 . 
   While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.