Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a speaker base that couples to a wall using a mounting bracket and conceals speaker wires 
     2. Related Art 
     A typical surround audio speaker system has front speakers, a subwoofer, and rear speakers to produce surround sound. In order to maximize the performance of each speaker, it is important to survey the room, and position all of the speakers properly to optimize the performance of the speakers. The optimal location for some speakers, especially the rear speakers, may be to mount them to a wall. Mounting speakers to a wall, however, can take great effort and may not be aesthetically pleasing. Many wall-mounted speakers require two people to install the speaker to a wall. One person typically holds the speaker to a wall, while the other person secures the speaker to the wall with screws. Alternatively, a mounting bracket may be secured to a wall and then the speaker is attached to the mounting bracket. Such installations, are also time-consuming and may be aesthetically displeasing because screws and speaker wires remain visible. 
     Unlike rear speakers, the front speakers may be placed on top of a table or on a shelf. To do so, the base of the speaker enclosure needs to be flat in order to sit on top of the table. Otherwise, a separate stand or mounting base may be needed in order to hold the speaker in an upright position on top of a table. This means that two separate mounting systems are needed to mount the speaker onto a wall and table. This adds to the complexity and cost of installing the speaker to a room. Therefore, there still is a need for a way to secure a speaker onto wall cost effectively, easily, and aesthetically pleasing. 
     SUMMARY 
     This invention provides a speaker base combined with a mounting bracket securing the speaker enclosure to different surfaces such as horizontal and vertical surfaces. The speaker base may be between the mounting bracket and the speaker enclosure. The mounting bracket may be adapted to couple to a wall and releasably to the speaker base. The speaker base may be adapted to pivotally couple to the speaker enclosure so depending on whether the speaker base is mounted onto wall or table, the speaker enclosure may be pivoted into a correct position. 
     The above combination may be secured to a wall in as few as three steps. First, a mounting bracket may be held at a predetermined position along a wall and secured to the wall. Second, the speaker base may be coupled to the mounting bracket to in effect secure the speaker base to the wall. Third, the speaker enclosure may be coupled to the speaker base to mount the speaker enclosure to the wall at the predetermined position. Then, the speaker enclosure may be pivoted relative to the speaker base so that the face of the speaker enclosure is facing the right location to optimize the performance of the speaker. 
     To place the speaker enclosure on top of a horizontal surface such as a table, the speaker base may be adapted to hold the speaker enclosure in an upright position. This way, the same speaker base may be used to mount the speaker onto a wall or a table. The speaker base may have wire openings that conceal wires that connect to the terminals on the backside of the speaker enclosure. This way, the wires fall straight from their respective terminals and into the speaker base that leads them to a receiver or an amplifier without being seen. By substantially hiding the wires, the invention provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the speaker enclosure. 
     Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be better understood with reference to the following figures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a speaker installation system. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the mounting bracket in FIG.  1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the speaker base in FIG.  1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the speaker base in association with the mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the speaker base coupled to a speaker enclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective rear view of a speaker enclosure coupled to a speaker base in an upright position. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the mounting bracket in FIG.  1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a speaker installation system  100  having a speaker base  102  adapted to couple to a mounting bracket  104 . The speaker base  102  may release from the mounting bracket before and after the two are coupled together. The mounting bracket  104  may be held to a wall at a predetermined position that may be optimal for the speaker enclosure  106 . Then the mounting bracket  104  may be secured to the wall using screws through holes  206 ,  208 ,  210 , and  212 , for example. Besides using screws, other methods known to one skilled in the art may be used to secure the mounting bracket  104  to the wall. 
     If the wires for the speaker have been pre-wired into a wall, the mounting bracket  104  may have a large opening  204  so that wires may run through the opening  204  to provide power to the speakers or drivers in the speaker enclosure  106 . Moreover, the mounting bracket  104  may have two slots  200  and  202  adapted to receive a pair of teeth from the speaker base  102  to couple the two together as discussed in more detail below. The mounting bracket  104  may also have a flange  214  that may be perpendicular to the mounting plate  104  to securely hold the mounting plate  104  within the speaker base  102 . By installing a mounting bracket  104  to a wall first without the speaker enclosure  106 , the weight of the speaker enclosure  106  does not get in the way of the installation so that one person may easily install the mounting bracket  104 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the bottom view of the speaker base  102  having a recess bore  304  adapted to receive the mounting bracket  104 . This way, the mounting bracket  104  may be flush within the speaker base  102  so that the mounting bracket  104  does not show for aesthetic reasons. To couple the mounting base  104  to the speaker base  102 , the speaker base  102  may have a pair of teeth  300  and  302  sized to associate with the two slots  202  and  200 , respectively. On the opposing end, a retainer wall  314  may be provided to mate with the flange  214  from the mounting bracket  104  to hold the mounting bracket  104  within the recess bore  304 . Wire openings  310  and  312  may be formed within the speaker base  102  to receive the wires  306  and  308  to provide power to the drivers in the speaker enclosure  106 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates the mounting bracket  104  flush within the speaker base  102  and held in place by the pair of teeth  300  and  302  mating with the slots  202  and  200 , respectively. The flange  214  may make a contact with the retainer wall  314  so that friction between the two holds mounting bracket  104  within the speaker base  102 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , this may be done by sliding the speaker base  102  over the mounting bracket  104  until the pair of teeth  300 ,  302  make contact with the two corresponding slots  202 ,  200 . Then the speaker base  102  and the mounting bracket  104  may be pushed together until the flange  214  is adjacent to the retainer wall  314 . Besides friction, the flange  214  may be configured to snap together with the retainer wall  314 . The wires  306  and  308  may run through the gaps  404  and  406 , respectively, between the mounting bracket  104  and the speaker base  102 . 
     Alternatively,  FIG. 5  illustrates a screw  502  adapted to couple the mounting bracket  104  to the speaker base  10 . The flange  214  may have a threaded opening  500  adapted to receive the screw  500 . The speaker base  102  may have a screw hole  504  adapted to receive the screw  502  and aligned with the threaded opening  500 . This way, the screw  502  may be inserted into the screw hole  504  and into the threaded opening  500 . For convenience, a wrench  506  may be provided within the speaker base  102 , which can be used to tighten the screw  502 . When the wrench is not in use, it may be stowed within the cavity  510  within the speaker base  102 . Once the speaker base  102  is coupled to the mounting bracket  104 , the speaker enclosure  106  may be coupled to the speaker base  102  using a socket and cup restraining system as discussed in more detail below.  FIG. 5  illustrates the speaker enclosure  106  in a wall mounting position relative to the mounting base  102 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates the speaker enclosure  106  coupled to the speaker base  102  in an upright position. In this position, the speaker base  102  may be sitting onto top of a horizontal table or bookshelf. To couple the speaker enclosure  106  to the speaker base  102 , the speaker base  102  may have a cup restraint  600  adapted to receive a socket  602  extending from the speaker enclosure  106 . The socket  602  may be shaped like a ball so that the speaker enclosure  106  may pivot about the cup restraint  600 . Once the speaker enclosure  106  is in a desired position, it may be held in that position by adjusting the screw  508  to tighten the cup restraint  600  against the socket  602  to hold the speaker enclosure  106  in its place. The wrench  506  may also be used to tighten the adjustment screw  508 . 
     To place the speaker enclosure  106  on top of a table, the mounting bracket  104  need not be secured to the table. In other words, the mounting bracket  104  may be optional when placing the speaker enclosure  106  on top of a table. Rather, the weight of the speaker enclosure  106 , including the drivers, may be such that it is sufficient to stabilize the speaker enclosure  106  on top of the table. When the speaker enclosure  16  is in a substantially upright position, the center of gravity of the speaker enclosure  106  may be aligned with the socket  602  to prevent the speaker enclosure  16  from tilting over about the socket  602 . To hide the wires, the wires  306  and  308  may run through the bottom side of the speaker base  102  and up through the wire openings  310  and  312  and terminate on its respective terminals  608  and  612 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates running the wires through the opening  204  in the mounting bracket  104  in situations where a wall has been pre-wired. After the optimal spot for placement of a speaker is located on a wall, an opening  700  may be created within the wall substantially near where the mounting bracket is to be secured. The mounting bracket  104  is then secured on the wall as discussed above. The wires  306  and  308  are then run through the wire openings on the speaker base to its respective terminals. This way, the wires  306  and  308  are substantially concealed within the speaker base  102  and behind the wall. 
     The same speaker base  102  may be used to mount the speaker enclosure  106  on a wall or table. Installing the speaker enclosure is more easily done by first securing the mounting bracket  104 , which is much easier than trying to install a heavier speaker enclosure first. Then to optimize the performance, the speaker enclosure may be pivoted relative to the speaker base so that sound from the speaker enclosure emanate to a listening area. For convenience, tools necessary to couple the speaker base to the mounting base and to adjust the positioning of the speaker enclosure relative to the speaker base may be housed within the speaker base. 
     While various embodiments of the application have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.

Technology Category: h