Abstract:
Systems and devices relating to the mounting of video display units (VDUs) in vehicles. A mounting system includes a mounting plate that is attached to the floor of the rear passenger area of the vehicle. A hollow shaft is attached to the mounting plate and is vertically positioned relative to the floor. At the top of the shaft, a VDU enclosure is mounted by inserting a portion of the enclosure in the shaft. The enclosure is rigid and has a transparent viewing panel which corresponds to the screen of the terminal contained in the enclosure. The enclosure may be rotated about the shaft and the shaft can pivot abut the plate. This allows the VDU to be positioned to the optimal position for viewing by any of the rear passengers. Also, the VDU may be moved away from either the rear of the front passengers as the need arises. In case of a vehicular accident, the pivotable nature of the shaft allows the terminal unit to not be a safety hazard.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to display units, interactive/smart terminals and is especially applicable but not limited to means for mounting such devices inside vehicles.  
         BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The ever decreasing size of televisions have made their deployment in vehicles a matter of inevitability. Nowadays, video display units (VDUs) are ubiquitous—they can be found in all manners of vehicles. Previously, vehicle mounted VDUs were the exclusive area of luxury cars and limousines. Today, VDUs can be found mounted in the passenger seats of aircraft, in the cabins of vans and mini-vans, and even in taxi-cabs.  
           [0003]    This widespread adoption of VDU technology in vehicles has given rise to a latent problem—the placement and mounting of the VDU. Currently, VDUs can be mounted from the roof of vehicles. These drop-down configurations are usually found in vans and mini-vans that are equipped with ample head room. While such a configuration provides good security for the VDU, they may affect the resale value of the vehicle as their mounting requires that holes be made in the ceiling liner. Furthermore, uniformity between installations cannot be achieved since the VDU has to be installed in the vehicle&#39;s rib line for structural support. Since the rib line is in a different place for different vehicle models, there is no guarantee that one installation location in one vehicle model will work for another vehicle model. Also, this configuration cannot be adapted for regular automobiles that, generally, have less head room than vans or mini-vans. If drop down VDUs were installed in automobiles, they will not only obstruct the driver&#39;s rear view, and thereby become a potential hazard, but they are also inconvenient for the rear passengers who are supposed to be using them. Even though roof mounted VDUs provide good viewing characteristics (since there is very little there is very little glare from sunlight), they are fairly inconvenient to view for the rear passengers of automobiles. These passengers generally have to tilt and crane their necks at unusual angles to be able to watch the VDU. In terms of safety, roof mounted VDUs may be problematic in collisions. Tall passengers in the rear passenger compartment may hit their head on the VDU in a collision. Finally, due to the destructive modifications required to install the VDU in the drop-down configuration, the resale value of the vehicle can be adversely affected by such a VDU installation.  
           [0004]    Another possible configuration is that of mounting the VDU in or behind the headrests of one of the front seats. While similar in function and configuration to the personal entertainment units found in some passenger aircraft, this configuration also has significant drawbacks. One main drawback is the inconvenient viewing angle that one of the rear passengers has to endure. The rear passenger sitting directly behind the VDU-equipped front seat has a good view but the other rear passenger does not have a good view. This other passenger needs to stretch and crane his or her neck to obtain even a glimpse of the VDU. While mounting a VDU in each of the head rests solves this viewing problem, this also doubles the cost.  
           [0005]    A third option is to mount or hang a VDU behind one of the front seats but not in the headrest. Again, this option suffers from the drawbacks that only one rear passenger can clearly view the VDU. A further option, that of installing the VDU inside one of the front seats and facing the rear passengers, suffers from the same drawbacks noted above.  
           [0006]    Another issue plaguing the vehicle mounted VDU is the threat of theft and vandalism. If the VDU is mounted in a taxicab, the VDU should be protected from the unpredictable and sometimes destructive behaviour of rear passengers. Furthermore, vehicle mounted VDUs can serve as focal points for potential thieves when the vehicle is left unattended or is parked in a vulnerable area. Ideally, the vehicle mounted VDU is easily removable or concealable to remove the temptation from would be vandals and thieves.  
           [0007]    A further issue that may affect VDUs and their mountings is passenger safety. Ideally, vehicle mounted VDUs should not present a safety hazard in the event of a vehicular accident. The above described mounting techniques may present safety issues since, in the event of a vehicular accident, the VDUs may be dislodged and collide with the rear passengers.  
           [0008]    All of the installations listed above have one drawback in common: all of these mounting methods are, essentially, custom mounts, custom designed and custom fitted for their specific vehicles. Currently, there does not seem to be any mounts which can be used for a majority of vehicles that does not require extensive destructive modifications that adversely affects a vehicle&#39;s resale value, is safe for passengers, and provides good viewing angles for the rear passengers.  
           [0009]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to mitigate if not overcome the issues and drawbacks of the prior art. There is therefore a need for a mounting technique that can mount a VDU in a vehicle and provide adequate viewing coverage to the VDU for most if not all of the rear passengers. Such a mounting technique should also avoid the safety issues noted above.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    The present invention provides systems and devices relating to the mounting of video display units (VDUs) in vehicles. A mounting system includes a mounting plate that is attached to the floor in a passenger viewing area and underneath one of the front seats of the vehicle. A hollow shaft is attached to the mounting plate and is vertically positioned relative to the floor. At the top of the shaft, a VDU enclosure is mounted by inserting a portion of the enclosure in the shaft. The enclosure is rigid and has a transparent viewing panel which corresponds to the screen of the VDU contained in the enclosure. The enclosure may be rotated about the shaft and the shaft can pivot about the plate. This allows the VDU to be positioned to the optimal position for viewing by any of the rear passengers. Also, the VDU may be moved away from either the rear or the front passengers as the need arises. In case of a vehicular accident, the pivotable nature of the shaft allows the VDU unit to not be a safety hazard.  
           [0011]    In a first aspect, the present invention provides a plate for use in mounting a terminal in a vehicle, the plate comprising:  
           [0012]    a mounting portion attachable to a floor of said vehicle by an attachment means;  
           [0013]    a coupling portion attachable to mounting means for mounting said terminal, said coupling portion being attached to said mounting portion.  
           [0014]    In a second aspect the present invention provides a system for mounting a terminal in a vehicle, the system comprising:  
           [0015]    a plate attachable to a floor of said vehicle;  
           [0016]    a shaft means attachable to said plate;  
           [0017]    a terminal enclosure mountable on said shaft means for holding said terminal,  
           [0018]    wherein  
           [0019]    said terminal is in a substantially upright position relative to said floor when said shaft means is attached to said plate and when said terminal enclosure is mounted on said shaft means.  
           [0020]    In a third aspect the present invention provides a terminal enclosure for use in mounting a terminal on a shaft, the enclosure comprising:  
           [0021]    a rigid shell enclosing said terminal, said shell having a transparent section corresponding to a viewing area of said terminal;  
           [0022]    a rigid top removably attachable to said shell;  
           [0023]    rigid bottom removably attachable to said shell, said bottom having securing means for securing said terminal to said bottom; and  
           [0024]    mounting means attached to said enclosure for mounting said enclosure on said shaft. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0025]    A better understanding of the invention will be obtained by considering the detailed description below, with reference to the following drawings in which:  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal mounting system according to the invention;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 1A is an exploded view of the terminal mounting system of FIG. 1.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the mounting plate and shaft of the system of FIG. 1;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mounting plate of FIGS. 1 and 2;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 3A is a front end view of the mounting plate and shaft of FIG. 2 illustrating the deployment of the mounting plate on a vehicle with a transmission hump;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the enclosure used in FIG. 1;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the enclosure in FIG. 4 illustrating the different parts of the enclosure;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cradle used in the enclosure of FIGS. 4 and 5;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a mounting bar for use in mounting the enclosure of FIG. 4 on to the shaft of FIG. 2; and  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a coupling bar for use in mounting the mounting bar of FIG. 7 on the mounting plate of FIG. 3; and  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative mounting plate for use on vehicles not equipped with a transmission hump. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0037]    Referring to FIG. 1, a mounting system  10  for a video display unit in a vehicle is illustrated. The system  10  has a mounting plate  20 , a shaft  30 , and a terminal enclosure  40 . The mounting plate  20  is attached to the floor of a vehicle, preferably to the floor of a passenger area, and the shaft  30  is attached to the mounting plate  20  such that the shaft is substantially upright relative to the vehicle floor. The terminal enclosure  40  is mounted atop the top end of the shaft  30 .  
         [0038]    Referring to FIG. 1A, an exploded view of the mounting system  10  is illustrated. As can be seen, the terminal enclosure  40  attaches to a cradle  200 . The cradle  200  couples to a mounting bar  220  and the mounting bar  220  inserts into the shaft  30 . Details regarding these different parts are outlined below.  
         [0039]    Referring to FIG. 2, an exploded view of the shaft  30  and of the mounting plate  20  is illustrated. The plate  20  has a coupling portion  50  on which a coupling bar  60  is attached by a nut  70  and bolt  80  arrangement. The coupling bar  60  can then be inserted into one end of the shaft  30 . Washers  70 A,  70 B are also used to provide sufficient friction to prevent the coupling bar  60  from being too tightly bolted to the coupling portion  50 .  
         [0040]    It should be noted that, preferably, the shaft  30  is hollow to accommodate the coupling bar  60 . While the inner cross-sectional shape of the hollow shaft  30  is not critical, it must match the outer cross-sectional shape of the coupling bar  60 . Furthermore, while the above discussion recounts inserting the coupling bar  60  into the shaft  30 , the converse could also be done with some design changes. Thus, by having a hollow coupling bar  60  and a solid shaft  30 , both of which have cross-sectional areas which mate, the shaft  30  may be inserted into the bar  60 .  
         [0041]    It should further be noted that the shaft  30  is, preferably, covered by a protective covering  30 A. Such a protective covering would protect the passengers in case there is any hard contact or collision between a passenger and the shaft  30 . As such, a rubber coated covering or foam such as polyethylene foam or EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) foam may be used. Ideally, such a covering would be closely conformed to the shape of the shaft  30 . In one embodiment, Tygon™ plastic tubing is heat shrunk around the shaft as protective covering  30 A may also be provided with a channel  30 B that accommodates the cables and wires that feed into the terminal enclosure  40  for the terminal  170 . Alternatively, the shaft  30  may be manufactured such that it is equipped with a channel for the cables and wires. For this configuration, the channel  30 B in FIG. 2 may therefore be a hollow rubber tube provided as a cushion in case the passenger collides with the mounting system. The protective covering  30 A can therefore be shrunk around both the shaft  30  and the channel  30 B with the wires and cables being passed through either the channel  30 B or through a channel integral to the shaft  30 .  
         [0042]    It has been found that the use of a lightweight material such as aluminum is ideal for the shaft. The coupling bar  60  may also be of equally strong material. For an aluminum implementation of the shaft  30 , a rectangular cross-section provides structural strength to the shaft  30 .  
         [0043]    Referring to FIG. 3, a perspective view of the mounting plate  20  is illustrated. The mounting plate  20  has 3 portions—a mounting portion  90 , a connecting portion  100 , and a coupling portion  50 . The mounting portion  90  is attachable to a vehicle floor by attachment means such as bolts rivet nuts and/or screws. Ideally, rivet nuts are used for attaching the mounting portion  90  to the vehicle floor as rivet nuts not only attach the mounting portion  90  but they also seal the hole through which they are inserted. The coupling portion  50 , as noted above, can be attached to the shaft  30  by way of a coupling bar  60  and a nut and bolt. The connecting portion  100  connects the mounting portion  90  and the coupling portion  50 . As can be seen in the illustration, the mounting portion  90  is in a substantially horizontal orientation relative to the vertical orientation of the coupling portion  50 . The connecting portion  100  is in an angled relationship to both the mounting portion  90  and the coupling portion  50 . It has been found that the ideal mounting configuration of the mounting plate  20  is to mount it to the floor underneath one of the supports for a front seat. This provides greater strength and stability to the mounting. Mounted as such, the shaft  30  is positioned between the two front seats and the terminal enclosure is also positioned between the front seats.  
         [0044]    The angle relationship allows the system  10  to be deployed in the passenger area of automobiles that have a so-called “transmission hump”. This transmission hump, present in vehicles that have a transmission axle running from the front to the rear, is usually found between the foot wells of the rear passengers areas. Referring to FIG. 3A, an end view of the system  10  deployed in such a vehicle is illustrated. As can be seen, the transmission hump  110  lies behind the connecting portion  100  while the mounting portion  90  is attached to the vehicle floor  120 . The angled relationships between the three portions of the mounting plate  20  can also be clearly seen in FIG. 3A. For differently sized transmission humps, the positioning of the mounting plate can be adjusted by inserting properly sized washers between the connecting portion  100  and the transmission hump  110 . Also, to better secure the mounting plate  20 , the connecting portion  100  can be attached to the transmission hump by means of screws, bolts, washers, rivet nuts, or any suitable attachment means (as shown in FIG. 2).  
         [0045]    Regarding the construction of the mounting plate  20 , as can be seen from FIG. 3, it is preferably of a unitary construction. Preferably, the mounting plate  20  is of rigid metal construction with appropriate holes to accommodate the relevant screws or bolts required to attach the plate to any of the vehicle floor, the transmission hump, or the shaft  30 .  
         [0046]    Referring to FIG. 4, a perspective view of the terminal enclosure  40  is illustrated. The enclosure  40  has three main parts: a top  130 , a shell  140 , and a bottom  150 . These parts all attach to provide a rigid enclosure for the terminal  170  which is housed inside. The enclosure  40  also has a transparent area  160  which corresponds to the viewing area of the terminal housed inside.  
         [0047]    Referring to FIG. 5, an exploded view of the enclosure  40  is illustrated. As can be seen, the three parts of the enclosure mate together to form the enclosure  40  as illustrated in FIG. 4. The top  130  is preferably of rigid construction such as hard ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic or PE (polyethylene) may be used. To avoid some environmental concerns with temperature, it has been found that polyethylene plastic is preferable. The top  130  is secured to the shell  140  by means of screws or bolts  180 . The terminal  170  sits inside the shell  140  and the terminal&#39;s viewing area  175  corresponds to the transparent area  160  of the shell  140 . The shell  140  can, again, be constructed out of hard plastic while the transparent area can be a sheet of Plexiglass™ or any other type of transparent sheet of plastic (such as Lexan™) that is impact and, preferably, scratch resistant. The shell  140  encircles and encloses the terminal  170  on all of the terminal&#39;s sides except for its top and bottom. The use of hard plastic and of scratch and impact resistant materials for the enclosure will ensure that the terminal is safe from the unpredictable actions of rear passengers. The optional use of an anti-glare covering or material for the transparent area  160  can vitiate the effects of sunlight and/or headlights on the passenger&#39;s viewing experience.  
         [0048]    The bottom  150  of the enclosure  140  is, again, constructed from a hard plastic and is provided with connection points  190  (in a cradle  200 ) that not only holds the terminal  170  in place but also provide the electrical/data coupling points for the terminal  170 . These connection points  190  are adjacent a hole (not shown) in the bottom  150 . Extra holes in the bottom can be provided to direct sound coming from the terminal downward. These downward facing holes are advantageous as they allow sound to escape from the enclosure  40  but, because they are directed downward, they are not readily accessible to mischief minded rear passengers  
         [0049]    Mating with the bottom  150 , a cradle  200  is shown in FIG. 6. The cradle  200  has the connection points  190  including a Centronics connector that provides the electronic connection to the terminal  170 . As noted above, the cradle  200  mates with the bottom  150  and is adjacent the hole in the bottom. This hole is provided to accommodate a tube  210  that is connected to the cradle  200 . The tube  210  acts as a sleeve to a mounting bar  220 . This mounting bar  220  is illustrated in FIG. 7. A locking mechanism  190 A is also provided so that the terminal may be locked into place within the enclosure  140 .  
         [0050]    Referring to FIG. 7, the mounting bar  220  has an upper portion  230  and a lower portion  240 . The upper portion  230  has a cross-sectional shape that mates with the cross-sectional shape and size of the tube  210  so that the enclosure  40  can rotate about the shaft  30 . This rotatability is due to the fact that the lower portion  240  of the mounting bar  220  can be mounted on to the hollow shaft  40 . In this embodiment, this is done by inserting the lower portion  240  into a top end of the shaft  40 . The top most end of the upper portion  230  is provided with a threaded end  250  that screws into the top  130  of the enclosure. The bottom  150  of the enclosure  40  is attached to the shell  140  by way of screws or bolts  260 .  
         [0051]    To prevent unfettered rotatability of the enclosure  40  about the shaft  30  the inside of the tube  210  or the outside of the upper portion  230  may be provided with frictional covering (such as rubber) to allow for frictional resistance. This frictional resistance should prevent unfettered rotatability of the enclosure but should still allow the enclosure to be rotated and positioned at desired angles. The frictional covering also provides cushioning for the enclosure  40  against vibrations.  
         [0052]    The different parts of the enclosure  40  should be held together by screws or bolts that are not easily removable once they are installed. This way, the owner can install the terminal in the enclosure  40  and passengers do not have direct access to the terminal. The passengers can view the viewing area of the terminal through the transparent area  160  without having the access or opportunity to possibly damage the terminal.  
         [0053]    As noted above, the shaft  30  may pivot about the coupling portion  50  of the plate  20 . Thus, from FIG. 1, the shaft  30  may move in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the viewing area of the terminal  170 . This is accomplished by the use of the nut and bolt arrangement which attaches the coupling bar  60  to the plate  20 . The coupling bar may be securely attached to allow for some “play” or movement in the shaft  30 . This may be accomplished by using washers with the nut  70  and bolt  80  arrangement. This will allow the shaft  30  to give way in case the rear passenger collides with the shaft  30  in a vehicular accident. For the same eventuality, the protective covering  30 A is provided for the shaft  30 .  
         [0054]    Referring to FIG. 7A, an illustration of the coupling bar  60  is provided. As can be seen, multiple holes  72  are provided. This allows for mounting the shaft  30  at different heights. As can also be seen, a passage  74  is also provided. This passage accommodates a pin  76  (see FIG. 2) that is placed below a hole  78  in the coupling portion  50 . The pin  76  allows the bar  60  to pivot about the hole  78 . The sides of the passages  74 , in conjunction with the pin  76 , allow the bar  60  a limited pivotability or range.  
         [0055]    It should also be noted that the enclosure  40  may be removable from its mounted position on the shaft  30  by the removal of screws that hold the lower portion  240  from its inserted position in the shaft  30 . This allows the enclosure  40 , with the terminal inside, to be removed from its mounting for safekeeping. Thus, vehicle owners can remove the terminal from the vehicle prior to leaving the vehicle unattended for long periods of time.  
         [0056]    As an alternative to the removal of screws to remove the enclosure  40 , an automatically latching lock system, similar to that used for laptop docking stations, may be used. The locking mechanism  190 A (see FIG. 6) which locks the enclosure  40  into place may be provided with a quick release mechanism activatable by a key provided to the vehicle owner. Thus, owners can use the key to easily remove/unlock the enclosure  40  without using inconvenient screws. Owners can therefore unlock the enclosure  40  and remove it from the mounting system  10  without uninstalling the mounting bar  220  or the cradle  200 . To reinstall the enclosure  40 , the owner merely has to align the bottom  150  with the cradle  200  and the hole with the tube  210 . Then, the owner slides the enclosure  40  into place as the locking mechanism  190 A locks the enclosure into place. The use of a Centronics connector (or any similar connector) simplifies this operation as alignment and attachment of the various electrical connection points are easily accomplished by the Centronics connector.  
         [0057]    In terms of placement, it has been found that deploying the system  10  in the rear passenger area but between the two front seats was optimal. Both rear passengers can be given a useful view of the terminal while the safety risks are minimized. In case of a vehicular accident, neither of the two rear passengers is directly behind the terminal and the safety features outlined above minimize any injury should there be a collision between a passenger and the terminal mounting system. The placement of the system  10  is ideally between the two front seats and behind the passenger front seat so that the rear passenger&#39;s leg room is unobstructed. For vehicles without the transmission hump, the rear passenger&#39;s leg room is not obstructed since no portion of the mounting plate is in the rear passenger footwell area.  
         [0058]    Referring to FIG. 8, a second embodiment of a mounting plate  20 A is illustrated. This mounting plate  20 A is to be deployed in vehicles that do not have a transmission hump. As can be seen, it also has a mounting portion  90 A, a connecting potion  10 A, and a coupling portion  50 A. The mounting portion  90 A mounts on to the floor of the vehicle, preferably under one of the front seats, and the coupling portion  50 A serves the same function as the coupling portion  50  of the mounting plate  20  illustrated in FIG. 3.  
         [0059]    It should be noted that even though the above description refers to a terminal such as a VDU, other types of terminals may be mounted using the above described invention. Smart terminals, interactive terminals, computer terminals, and any other device which facilitates passenger viewing of video and/or multimedia content may be used in lieu of the VDU.  
         [0060]    A person understanding this invention may now conceive of alternative structures and embodiments or variations of the above all of which are intended to fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims that follow.