Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to mounting brackets. More specifically, the present invention relates to an adjustable mounting bracket for supporting a flat panel television or display from a wall or similar surface. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Flat panel televisions and displays are becoming increasingly common and will gradually replace virtually all cathode ray tube televisions and displays. Flat panel televisions and displays are frequently hung on a wall in a fashion reminiscent of paintings and photographs because their structures are similar. Flat panel displays are large, heavy, and expensive, and therefore the process of mounting them to a vertical surface is daunting. Installers and users who do their own installation typically avoid repetitive mounting and dismounting of a flat panel display because of the difficulty of the task and the risk of damage involved. 
     Current flat panel display mounts include a wall plate and a display bracket. The wall plate is securely mounted to a wall, usually bolted into wall studs or other structural components able to bear the load of the display. The display bracket is bolted to the back of the flat panel display. There may be plural wall plates or plural display brackets used. After the display bracket is securely fastened to the back of the flat panel display, it is lifted into place, where the display bracket is hung from the wall plate. While this arrangement is straightforward, it does present certain problems in practical applications. 
     A flat panel display, like a photograph or picture, needs to be precisely positioned so that its appearance within the local environment is pleasing. Even a slight misalignment, tilt or skew will be obvious to the casual observer. In order for the alignment to be precise and level, the installer must determine the relationship between the wall plate and display bracket as well as the relationship between the display bracket and the outer periphery of the flat panel display itself. In addition, structural mounting fasteners, such as lag bolts, toggle bots, and expansion fasteners are not precise instruments by their very nature. The location of structural components in the wall may not be located in optimum positions. In the case where an installer is hired to do an installation, the end user may request a subtle adjustment after the installation is complete, even though the installation was positioned accurately in the first place. Making a subtle adjustment is a major undertaking with prior art mounts. Thus, there is a need in the art for a flat panel display mount and method that enables precise adjustment of position and tilt of a flat panel display to a wall or other vertical surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The need in the art is addressed by the apparatus of the present invention. A mounting bracket apparatus for adjustably supporting a flat panel display from a wall is taught. The mounting bracket includes a wall bracket, a display bracket and two traversing mounts. The first traversing mount is supportively disposed between the wall bracket and the display bracket, and driven along a first linear axis by a first actuator. The second traversing mount is also supportively disposed between the wall bracket and the display bracket, and driven along a second linear axis, oriented substantially parallel to the first linear axis, by a second actuator. 
     In a specific embodiment of the mounting bracket, the first traversing mount and the second traversing mount are flexibly coupled between the wall bracket and the display bracket, thereby enabling misalignment of the positions of the first traversing mount and the second traversing mounts to adjust the skew of the display bracket relative to the wall bracket. In another specific embodiment, the first traversing mount and the second traversing mount are flexibly coupled to enable rotation within a plane that is parallel to the wall on which the wall bracket is disposed. In another specific embodiment of the mounting bracket, the first traversing mount is flexibly connected to the first actuator and the second traversing mount is flexibly connected to the second actuator, thereby enabling misalignment of the positions of the first traversing mount and the second traversing mount to adjust the skew of the display bracket relative to the wall bracket. 
     In a specific embodiment of the mounting bracket, the first actuator and the second actuator are threaded rods that engage the first traversing mount and the second traversing mount, respectively. The threaded rods extend to a peripheral location on the mounting bracket, thereby enabling access for actuation thereof by a user. In another specific embodiment, the display bracket is configured as a first portion and a second portion that are independently supported, thereby enabling adjustment of their spacing adaptation to the mounting configuration of the flat panel display. 
     In a specific embodiment of the mounting bracket, the first traversing mount and the second traversing mount are removably disposed between the wall bracket and the display bracket. In a refinement, the mounting bracket also includes a horizontal mounting flange disposed to removably engage the first traversing mount and the second traversing mount, thereby enabling adjustment of the horizontal position of the display bracket relative to the wall bracket. In another refinement, the mounting bracket further includes a mount lock coupled to selectively lock the position of the display bracket to the wall bracket, and, the mount lock is selectively actuated by a lock actuator. In a further refinement, the mount lock is positioned to urge the first traversing mount and the second traversing mount against the horizontal mounting flange, thereby preventing disengagement there from. The lock actuator may be a threaded rod that engages the mount lock and extends to a peripheral location on the mounting bracket. The lock actuator may engage the first actuator or the second actuator. 
     The present invention also teaches a mounting bracket apparatus for adjustably supporting a flat panel display from a wall configured as follows. A wall bracket has a first horizontal flange aligned in parallel with a second horizontal flange. A first display bracket has a first traversing mount driven along a first linear axis and engaged with a first threaded rod actuator that extends to a peripheral location on the mounting bracket. The first traversing mount has a curved extension formed to supportively engage the first horizontal flange and enable rotation of the first display bracket along a plane parallel to the wall on which the wall bracket is mounted. The first display bracket further includes a first mount lock slidably positioned along the first threaded rod actuator and aligned to be urged against the second horizontal flange by a first lock actuator that is concentric to and engaged with the first threaded rod, and that extends to a peripheral location on the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket also includes a second display bracket that has a second traversing mount driven along a second linear axis and engaged with a second threaded rod actuator that extends to a peripheral location on the mounting bracket. The second traversing mount has a curved extension formed to supportively engage the first horizontal flange and enable rotation of the second display bracket along the plane parallel to the wall on which the wall bracket is mounted. The second display bracket further includes a second mount lock slidably positioned along the second threaded rod actuator that is aligned to be urged against the second horizontal flange by a second lock actuator that is concentric to and engaged with the second threaded rod, and that extends to a peripheral location on the mounting bracket. The first display bracket and the second display bracket are independently positionable along the first horizontal flange, thereby enabling adjustment of the horizontal position of the flat panel display, and further enabling adjustment of the spacing between the first display bracket and the second display bracket to allow adaptation to the mounting configuration of the flat panel display. 
     The present invention also teaches a mounting bracket for adjustably supporting a flat panel display from a wall that is configured as follows. A wall bracket rotatably supports a first threaded rod and a second thread rod that are in a generally vertical orientation and substantially parallel to one another. A traversing mount has a flexibly supported first coupler engaged to be driven by rotation of the first threaded rod, and a flexibly supported second coupler engaged to be driven by rotation of the second threaded rod. The traversing mount has a horizontal flange. A first display bracket has a first mounting lip for selective engagement along the horizontal flange, and, a second display bracket has a second mounting lip for selective engagement along the horizontal flange. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a prior art installation drawing of a flat panel display. 
         FIG. 2  is a prior art installation drawing of a flat panel display. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view drawing of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view drawing of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a top view drawing of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a side section view of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a front view drawing of a wall plate according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a side view drawing of a wall plate according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a top view drawing of a wall plate according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a front view drawing of an adjustable display bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a side view drawing of an adjustable display bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a top view drawing of an adjustable display bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a top view drawing of an adjustable display bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a back view drawing of a traversing mount according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a side view drawing of a traversing mount according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a front view drawing of a traversing mount according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a bottom view drawing of a traversing mount according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a front view detail of a traversing lock according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 21  is a side section view detail of a traversing lock according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 22  is a side view installation drawing of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 23  is a side view installation drawing of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 24  is a side view installation drawing of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 25  is an exploded diagram of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 26  is a side view drawing of a wall plate according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 27  is a front view drawing of a wall plate according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 28  is a side view drawing of a traversing mount according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 29  is a front view drawing of a traversing mount according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 30  is an assembled view of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 31  is a side view drawing of a display bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 32  is a front view drawing of a display bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Illustrative embodiments and exemplary applications will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to disclose the advantageous teachings of the present invention. 
     While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility. 
     The present invention advances the art of mounting flat panel displays, such as plasmas and LCD televisions and video monitors, by teaching mounting bracket apparatus that enable adjustment of the mounted position of such displays vertically, horizontally and skew. The apparatus include wall brackets and display brackets. In use, the wall brackets are solidly attached to a wall, or other generally vertical surface, and the display brackets are attached to the back of a flat panel display. The display is supported by the wall when the wall brackets and display brackets are coupled together, typically using a flange and hanging clip or hook combination. A pair of traversing mounts is provided between the wall brackets and display brackets, which enable adjustment of the display position while the flat panel display is supported from the wall. If the traversing mounts are adjusted in synchronous, the display position is vertically adjusted. If the traversing mounts are adjusted in opposite directions, the display skew position is adjusted. Infinite combinations of movement and adjustment are thereby realized. The horizontal position of the display is adjusted by moving the hanging clips laterally along the mounting flange. This approach greatly simplifies the “fine tuning” adjustments that are frequently required when a flat panel display is installed. The actuators for the traversing mounts extend to a common edge along the periphery of the mounting bracket, thereby providing convenient access after the flat panel display has been installed. Adjustments are made using common hand tools, such as wrenches, screwdrivers, and other driving tools. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , which are prior art installation drawings for flat panel displays. A flat panel display  2  is mounted within a framed opening  4 . The use of a framed opening and concealment of flat panel displays is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,901,987 to Graham for Furled Decorative Covering Apparatus and Method, also the inventor of the present invention. In addition to framed openings, flat panel displays are frequently aligned adjacent to objects that provide a visual queue as to orientation, such as the top of a mantle, wall seam, corner, adjacent wall hanging, and etc. The human eye is very sensitive to spatial misalignment. In  FIG. 1 , the display  2  is vertically misaligned, as the upper gap  6  is wider than the lower gap  8 , which is quite noticeable to the casual observer. This misalignment occurs because of the rather coarse initial positioning of the wall bracket (not shown).  FIG. 2  illustrates the problem of skew misalignment in a display, where the upper-left gap  10  is larger than the upper-right gap  12 , which is also readily apparent to the casual observer. The correction of skewed misalignment requires rotation of the display and mount about a plane lying in parallel to the plane of the wall or other mounting surface. In the prior art, the solution to these kinds of misalignment was to remove the display from the mounting bracket, attempt to remove and re-mount the wall bracket, then re-hang the display. Re-mounted is a time consuming and often times frustrating process as the re-mounting process frequently revealed another misalignment of the mounted display. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 4 , and  FIG. 5 , which are front view, side view, and top view drawing, respectively, of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The mounting bracket includes a wall bracket  20  that is rigidly attached to a wall surface  19 , typically using screws, lag bolts, toggle fasteners, or expansion anchors depending on the type wall construction involved. A first display bracket  22  and a second display bracket  24 , both of which include a traversing mount with actuators  26 ,  28  are attached to the back of a flat panel display  2  using screws that fit existing mounting holes in the display  2 . The display brackets  22 ,  24  are hung from the wall bracket  20  thereby supporting the display  2  from the wall  19 . After installation, the display bracket actuators  26 ,  28  are rotated to actuate the traversing mounts, thereby independently adjusting the vertical position of both display brackets  22 ,  24  relative to the wall bracket  20 . This arrangement enables an installer to mount the wall bracket  20  using a rather coarse approach to position and then hang the display  2 . If there is any misalignment noticed, the actuators  26 ,  28  can be adjusted from beneath the display  2  using a suitable tool, all without having to remove the display from its hung position, hence the problem in the prior art is overcome. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , which are front view, side view, and end view drawings, respectively, of the adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. These figures are a more detailed view of the aforementioned mounting bracket. The wall bracket  20  is shown, which includes an upper horizontal flange  42  and a lower horizontal flange  44 . The first display bracket  22  is supported from the upper horizontal flange  42  by a first traversing mount  30 . The first traversing mount  30  is held is position along a vertical axis of travel by a first threaded rod actuator  38 , which threadably engages the first traversing mount  30 . A first lock mount  34  is slidably positioned along the first threaded rod  38 , and is urged against the lower horizontal flange  44  of the wall mount  20  by first actuator  26 , which will be more fully discussed hereinafter. The second display bracket  24  is supported from the upper horizontal flange  42  by a second traversing mount  32 . The second traversing mount  32  is held in position along a vertical axis of travel by a second threaded rod actuator  40 , which threadably engages the second traversing mount  32 . A second lock mount  36  is slidably positioned along the second threaded rod  40 , and is urged against the lower horizontal flange  44  of the wall mount  20  by second actuator  28 , which will be more fully discussed hereinafter. The first and second lock mounts  34 ,  36  are urged against the lower horizontal flange  44  of the wall bracket  20  after the position of the display is adjusted via the threaded rods  38 ,  40  and the first and second traversing mounts  30 ,  32 . This action binds the traversing mount  30 ,  32  and the mount locks against the wall bracket  20 , thereby locking the position of the display brackets  22 ,  24  relative to the wall mount  20 . The first and second actuators  26 ,  28  include adjustments for the position of both the traversing mounts  30 ,  32  and both mount locks  34 ,  36 , which will be more fully discussed hereinafter. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 9 ,  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11 , which are front view, side view and top view drawings, respectively, of the wall bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The wall bracket  20  is formed from flat plate that is bent to form an upper horizontal flange  42  and a lower horizontal flange  44 . A first row of slotted holes  46  and a second row of slotted holes  48  are punched along the upper and lower portions of the plate to facilitate mounting the wall bracket to a wall. The rows of slotted holes enable flexible positioning of the wall bracket to a variety of wall construction environments. Larger holes are punched in the central area of the wall bracket to reduce weight through removal of unneeded material. The design of the illustrative embodiment wall bracket achieves low cost through simplicity of design. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 12 ,  FIG. 13 , and  FIG. 14 , which are front view, side section view, and top view drawings, respectively, of the first adjustable display bracket  22  according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The second adjustable display bracket  24  is a similar structure, reflected about the vertical axis as compared to the first display bracket. Display bracket  22  is formed as a ‘C’ channel with a flange extending from one edge, which is punched with plural mounting holes and slots  94 . The plural mounting holes and slots  94  facilitate the attachment of the display bracket  22  to a variety of flat panel display mounting hole patterns, as are known to those skilled in the art. Each side of the ‘C’ channel shape  23  is punched with an upper pair of slots  68 ,  72  and a lower pair of slots  84 ,  88 , which acts as guides for the traversing mount  30  and mount lock  34  along their respective vertical axis travel paths. The slots are approximately one and one-half inch long in the illustrative embodiment. Locating pins  66 ,  70  slidably engage the traversing mount slots  68 ,  70 , and similar locating pins  82 ,  86  engage the mount lock slots  84 ,  88 . This arrangement allows free vertical travel of the traversing mount  32  and the lock mount  34  within the one and one-half inch slot length. It has been empirically determined that one and one-half inches of travel is sufficient flexibility for a typical coarsely positioned wall bracket, to enable precise alignment of the installed display. Other degrees of travel can be employed in alternative embodiments, depending on the application of the invention involved. 
     The threaded rod  38  is supported near the central vertical axis of the ‘C’ channel  23  using a pair of nuts  60 ,  62  that are rotatably joined to the ‘C’ channel using a thermoplastic bushing  62 . The nuts  60 ,  64  are crimped or otherwise seized to the threaded rod  38  to prevent rotation relative thereto. Thusly, the threaded rod  38  is free to rotate while being held in vertical alignment within the channel  23 . The traversing mount  32  has a hole bored through its vertical axis that is threaded to engage the threaded rod  38 . Therefore, rotation of the threaded rod  38  causes the traversing mount  32  to travel up and down the threaded rod along the vertical axis of the display bracket  22 . The traversing mount  32  has a hook  74  and recess  76  that are configured to engage the upper horizontal flange of the wall bracket (not shown). Thusly, the traversing mount  32  hangs from the upper horizontal flange of the wall bracket and supports the flat panel display, while being adjustable along its vertical axis. The mount lock also has a hook  78  and recess  80 , which may engage the lower horizontal flange on the wall mount (not shown). In an illustrative embodiment, the traversing mount and mount lock have identical hooks,  74 ,  78  and recesses  76 ,  80 , such that the entire display bracket can be mounted upside down, thereby enabling adjustment access from an upper peripheral location of the mounting bracket. 
     The mount lock  34  has a hole bored through its vertical axis, however, the hole is oversize as compared to the threaded rod  38 , so that the mount lock  34  is free to slide up and down relative to the threaded rod  38  and the channel  23 . The travel of the mount lock  34  is limited by the locating pins  82 ,  86  and the slots  84 ,  86 . Normally, the mount lock rest by gravity against the lock follower  92  portion at the upper end of the actuator assembly  26 . When the lock bolt  90  at the lower end of the actuator assembly  26  is rotated, the lock follower, which is threadably engaged to the threaded rod  38 , is driven to urge the mount lock  34  against the lower horizontal flange (not shown) of the wall bracket (not shown). Counter rotation of the lock bolt  90  releases the mount lock by lowering it away from the flange. The actuator assembly  26  thereby controls the position of both the traversing mount  32  through rotation of the threaded rod, and the mount lock  34  from a peripheral location, the bottom, of the bracket assembly. The actuator assembly will be more fully discussed hereinafter. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 15 , which is a top view drawing of an adjustable display bracket according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment in  FIG. 15  is similar to that in  FIG. 14 , except for a few notable distinctions. In  FIG. 15 , the ‘C’ channel  100  with the mounting flange  102  is shallower. This is possible because the traversing mount  104  with the threaded rod  108  passing there through is also shallower. This is possible because the locating pins  110 ,  112  do not pass all the way through the traversing mount  104 . Note that in  FIG. 14 , the locator pins  66 ,  70  pass all the way through so that there must be sufficient depth of the traversing mount  32  to accommodate both the threaded rod bore and the locator pin bores. In  FIG. 15 , such clearance is not required so the depth of the traversing mount  104  can be shallower. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 16 ,  FIG. 17 ,  FIG. 18 , and  FIG. 19 , which are back view, side view, front view, and bottom view drawings, respectively, of a traversing mount and a mount lock according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the traversing mount and the mount lock are identical, except that the central bore  50  is threaded to engage the threaded rod in the case of a traversing mount, and, the central bore  50  is oversized to slide along the length of the threaded rod in the case of a mount lock. For the remainder of this description, the block will be referred to as the traversing mount. Two holes  52 ,  54  are formed laterally through the traversing mount to engage the aforementioned locator pins. A recess  56  is formed to engage the flanges on the aforementioned wall bracket, which is guided into position by the hook extension  58 . The surfaces of the block leading to the recess  56  and hook  58  are tapered to guide the hook and recess into the proper location when they are positioned onto the flange. Note that the surface of the hook  58  and recess  56  are arcuate. This allows the display bracket to rotate within a plane parallel to the plane of the wall on which the mounting bracket is mounted so that the skew of the display can be corrected. The arcuate surfaces provide smooth and contiguous contact about a few degrees of rotation within that plane. The present invention generally contemplates some degree of flexibility in the connection between the traversing mount and the display bracket or the wall bracket, depending upon the configuration of the structure. This is to allow for the skew adjustment of the installed flat panel display. The skew adjustment occurs when the two traversing mounts are positioned at different points along their vertical travel, and thus requires some degree of flexibility in the connections. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 20  and  FIG. 21 , which are a front view detail and a side section view drawing, respectively, of the mount lock  34  and actuator  26  according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The display bracket channel  23  guides the mount lock  34  along its vertical axis, which is retained in position by the threaded rod  38  and the locator pins  82 ,  86  as they traverse the mount lock slots  84 ,  88 . The threaded rod  38  does not threadably engage the mount lock  34  central bore, enabling the mount lock to slide freely. The lower extreme of the threaded rod  38  has a Torx socket  118  formed therein for engaging a Torx wrench (not shown), which is used as the tool to rotate the threaded rod  38 , thereby adjusting the position of the traversing lock, as described herein before. The Torx socket  118  is a first portion of the actuator  26  function. The second portion of the actuator function adjusts the position of the mount lock  34 . 
     The second portion of the actuator  26  function is accomplished through use of a lock bolt  90  that slideably engages a lock follower  92 . The lock bolt  90  is retained on the end of the treaded rod  38  using a snap-ring (not shown), which engages an annular groove (not shown) in the threaded rod  38 . The snap ring allows the lock bolt  90  to rotate relative to the threaded rod  38 , while preventing the lock bolt  90  from moving up or down the vertical axis of the threaded bold  38 . The lock bolt has a hex nut  120  at its lower end, which is used to engage a hex wrench (not shown) that us used to rotate the lock bolt  90  during adjustment operations by a user. The lock bolt  90  has a pair of drive tongs  122  that extend upwardly and engage a corresponding pair of driven tongs  124  on the lock follower  92 . Note that the lock bolt  90  and drive tongs  122  are free to rotate on the threaded rod  38  without engaging the threads. The inside diameter of the lock follower  92  is threadably engaged to the threaded rod  38 . Thusly, when the driven tongs  124  are forced to rotate through engagement with the drive tongs  122 , the lock follower rotates with respect to the threaded rod  38 , urging the lock follower against the mount lock  34 . The vertical movement of the lock follower  92  is isolated from the fixed position of the lock bolt  90  through the slideable engagement of the drive tongs  122  and the driven tongs  124 . With this arrangement, the Torx socket  118  and the hex nut  120  provide the points of input for actuating the traversing mount and mount lock, respectively. These are located at a convenient access position about the periphery of the mounting bracket assembly. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 22 ,  FIG. 23 , and  FIG. 24 , which are side view installation drawings of an adjustable mounting bracket according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 22  shows a flat panel display  142  positioned in the center of the range of travel of the illustrative embodiment mounting bracket  144  and attached to a vertical wall surface  140 .  FIG. 23  shows the same display  142  at the lower limited of the mounting bracket  144  travel.  FIG. 24  shows the same display  142  at the upper limit of the mounting bracket  144  travel. The illustrative embodiment mounting bracket  144  differs somewhat from the previous embodiment, however it shares several essential features of the invention. These include a wall bracket portion, a display bracket portion, a pair of traversing mounts, and a mount lock feature. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 25 , which is an exploded diagram of the adjustable mounting bracket according to the illustrative embodiment of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 22 . In  FIG. 25  the wall bracket  146  is shown separated from the traversing mount plate  148  and a pair of display brackets  150 ,  152 . Each of these elements will be more fully described in the subsequent drawing figures and corresponding descriptions. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 26  and  FIG. 27 , which are a side view and front view drawing, respectively, of a wall bracket  146  according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The wall bracket  146  includes of a wall plate  147  that is essentially a large ‘C’ channel form. A first row of slotted holes  180  along the upper edge of the channel  147  and a second row of slotted holes  182  along the lower edge of the channel  147  are provided to enable flexible mounting to a wall or other vertical surface. A pair of traversing mount actuators  154 ,  158 , which are threaded rods in the illustrative embodiment, are rotatably supported from the flanges of the ‘C’ channel shape. At the upper end of the threaded rods  154 ,  158  is a nut and plastic washer  160 ,  164 . The nuts  160 ,  164  are cinched or otherwise seized to the threaded rods  154 ,  158  to prevent rotation with respect thereto. There are a pair center rod supports  166 ,  168 , which rotatably supports the respective threaded rods  154 ,  158 , thereby providing additional support. The lower end of each threaded rod  154 ,  158 , which are rotatably supported by the lower flange of the channel  147 , is a Torx head socket used to engage a tool to rotate each of the threaded rods  154 ,  158 , thereby enabling actuation of the traversing mounts, discussed hereinafter. 
     The wall bracket  146  further includes a mount lock actuator  156 , which is another threaded rod rotatably supported by the channel  147 . The mount lock actuator  156  is also rotatably supported and retained by a cinched nut and plastic washer  162  at the upper end, in the same fashion as the traversing mount actuators. At the lower end of the mount lock actuator  156  is a Torx socket  172 , which engages a tool used to actuate the actuator. Thus, is can be seen that all of the actuators  154 ,  156 ,  158  are accessed from a lower peripheral location on the mounting bracket. The mount lock actuator threaded rod  156  threadably engages a lock bar  184  such that rotation of the actuator  156  causes the lock bar  184  to travel up and down the actuator threaded rod  156 . The lock bar  184  extends across the width of the channel  147  and reaches at least as for as the two traversing mount actuators  154 ,  158 . The lock bar has a pair of holes formed therein through which the traversing mount actuators  154 ,  158  freely pass. This arrangement retains the lock bar  184  against rotation as the mount lock actuator  156  is actuated, and also insures that the lock bar  184  is urged against the display bracket hooks, thereby locking the display brackets to the wall brackets, which will be more fully discussed hereinafter. A traversing mount plate is an integral part of the wall bracket in the illustrative embodiment. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 28  and  FIG. 29 , which are a side view drawing and a front view drawing, respectively, of a traversing mount plate  148  according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The traversing mount plate  148  includes a horizontal upper flange  190  that supportably engages the display brackets, discussed hereinafter. The traversing mount plate  148  includes four traversing mount brackets  192 ,  194 ,  196 , and  198  that are rigidly affixed thereto. The traversing mount brackets flexibly retain four corresponding nuts (illustrated in the side view of  FIG. 28 ) that threadably engage the traversing mount actuator threaded rods  154 ,  158 . As such, when the thread rod are rotated, the nuts flexibly retained in the traversing mount brackets  192 ,  194 ,  196  and  198  are driven up or down the threaded rods  154 ,  158 . There are two nuts threaded to each rod, as illustrated. The flexible retention of the nuts in the corresponding brackets  192 ,  194 ,  196 , and  198  allow for vertical misalignment of the traversing mounts, which corrects for skew misalignment in the mounted flat panel display. The nuts are retain against rotation with respect to the rotating threaded rod, but are flexible in rotation with respect to the vertical plane parallel to the wall on which the mount bracket is mounted. The assembled view of  FIG. 30  provides further clarification of the assembled mounting bracket. 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 30 , which is a side view of the assembled adjustable mounting bracket  144  according to the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The wall plate channel  147  rotatably supports the threaded rod traversing mount actuator  154  and provides actuation access to the Torx socket  170  located on the lower periphery of the mount  144 . A pair of the traversing mount brackets  192 ,  194  flexibly retain their corresponding nuts, which are flexibly supported within the brackets  192 ,  194 . Thusly, as the Torx socket  170  is actuated, the threaded rod  154  turns and drives the traversing mounts  192 ,  194  and mount plate  148  up and down the vertical axis. A pair of display brackets  150 ,  152  are hung from and supported by the upper horizontal flange  190  of the mount plate  148 . 
     Reference is directed to  FIG. 31  and  FIG. 32 , which are a side view drawing and front view drawing, respectively, the display brackets  150 ,  152  according to the illustrative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, two independent display brackets  150 ,  152  are provided so that they may be independently positioned along the upper horizontal flange  190  of the mount plate  148 . This arrangement allows for adaptation to displays with varying mount hole locations and for adjustment of the horizontal position of the mounted display. The display brackets  150 ,  152  include a row of holes and slots  204  that enable connection to various flat panel displays. There is also a pair of mount plate hooks  200 ,  202  on each display bracket. The pair of hooks  200  and  202  provide for a coarse adjustment in vertical position. Either hook  200 ,  202  can be employed to engage the upper horizontal flange  190  on the mount plate  148 . 
     Thus, the present invention has been described herein with reference to a particular embodiment for a particular application. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the present teachings will recognize additional modifications, applications and embodiments within the scope thereof. 
     It is therefore intended by the appended claims to cover any and all such applications, modifications and embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Technology Category: 2