WO2001045382A2

WO2001045382A2 - Method and apparatus for stabilizing a free-standing large-dimensioned television

Info

Publication number: WO2001045382A2
Application number: PCT/US2000/042552
Authority: WO
Inventors: Neil D. Terk
Original assignee: Terk Technologies Corp.
Priority date: 1999-12-17
Filing date: 2000-12-05
Publication date: 2001-06-21
Also published as: WO2001045382A3; AU3643901A

Abstract

A device (1) for stabilizing a free-standing large-dimensioned television (10) including a fastener (3) attached to the rear surface (6) of the television, a fastener (8) attached to a remote location and a securing member (9) attached between the two fasteners so as to prevent the television from tilting away from the remote location. A method of stabilizing a free-standing large-dimensioned television by placing the television at a desired distance from a remote location and securing the rear surface of the television to the remote location so as to prevent the television from tilting away from the remote location.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STABILIZING A FREE-STANDING LARGE-DIMENSIONED TELEVISION

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention:

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for preventing freestanding large-dimensioned televisions from tipping over. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for securing the upper portion of the rear surface of a free-standing large-dimensioned television to a remote location adjacent the rear surface of the television so as to prevent the television from tilting away from the remote location.

Description of the Prior Art:

As most people are aware, a typical television set is not a particularly stable item due to the required placement of the components within the cabinet of the television. This required placement of the components within the television cabinet typically makes the television front heavy and is prone to tipping over when pulled on in a forward direction. In order to stabilize a television and keep it from tipping over, it is required to keep the television on a large level surface, such as a commercially available entertainment center. These entertainment centers have openings designed to accept the cabinet of the television. These entertainment centers, however, are limited as to the size of the television cabinet in which they can accept. Typically, they can only practically house the cabinet of up to a 32 inch television. If these entertainment centers were made larger to accommodate televisions larger than 32 inches, then they would be so large as to not fit in most homes. In recent years, the size of the viewable screen of televisions has increased dramatically. With the increase in television screen size, there has also been an increase in the size of the cabinet in which the components of the television are housed. Typically, large-dimensioned televisions, i.e., those 35 inches or larger, are equipped with their own free-standing cabinet which typically measures about four feet or more in height. This cabinet typically contains a built-in shelving system and an integral speaker system, or is merely a base which elevates the viewing screen of the television above the ground.

However, even though these large-dimensioned televisions are provided with their own cabinet which acts as a base, these televisions are still prone to tipping over because the placement of the components within the housing has not changed, thereby keeping the front-heavy qualities of smaller size televisions. Further, and to compound the front- heavy problems, these large-dimensioned televisions also carry additional weight due to their increased size. If one of these televisions were to be pulled over, say by a small child standing in front of the television, the results may be disastrous.

Thus, there still remains a need to provide a free-standing large-dimensioned television with a means of stabilizing it so that it cannot easily be tipped over and cause injury to someone standing in front of the television.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which effectively stabilizes a large-dimensioned television by securing it to a remote location, thus preventing it from tipping over.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for stabilizing a television which is easily adaptable for use with any large-dimensioned television. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which is simple for any person to install on a large-dimensioned television.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of preventing a free-standing large-dimensioned television from tipping over.

In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus is provided which stabilizes a free-standing large-dimensioned television by attaching an upper portion of a rear surface of the television to a remote location adjacent to the rear surface of the television. The apparatus comprises a television fastener secured to the upper portion of the rear surface of the television and a remote location fastener secured to the remote location. A securing member is attached at one point along its length to the television fastener and at a second point along its length to the remote location fastener. This arrangement effectively prevents the television from tilting away from the remote location.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, a method of stabilizing a freestanding large-dimensioned television by attaching the upper portion of the rear surface of the television to an adjacent remote location is provided. The method comprises the steps of placing the rear surface of the television a desired distance from the remote location. Then, the upper portion of the rear surface of the television is secured to the adjacent remote location so as to prevent the television from tilting away from the adjacent remote location.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a cut-away view of one embodiment of the free-standing large- dimensioned television stabilizing apparatus of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the free-standing large- dimensioned television stabilizing apparatus of the present invention; and

Figure 3 is an exploded view of a further embodiment of the free-standing large- dimensioned television stabilizing apparatus of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, Figures 1, 2 and 3 show an apparatus, generally referred to as 1, for stabilizing a free-standing large-dimensioned television 10 secured to a remote location 2. The remote location 2 can be any nearby stable surface, typically a wall in a home.

The stabilizing apparatus 1 comprises a television fastener 3 secured to the upper portion 4 of the rear surface 6 of the television 10 and a remote location fastener 8 secured to the remote location 2. In a preferred embodiment, the remote location fastener 8 is secured to the remote location 2 at a height substantially equal to that of the television fastener 3. The television fastener 3 and the remote location fastener 8 can be any fastener which is capable of being secured to the intended surface. For example, if the rear surface 6 of the television 10 is made from wood or a wood composite material, then a suitable fastener could be an eyelet with a threaded end which is secured into the wood surface in a conventional manner. Other fasteners include, but are not limited to, screws, anchor bolts, mollies, or nails. In most instances, the remote location 2 will be a nearby wall within a home. In this instance, it will be desirable to choose a remote location fastener which is compatible with the interior wall of the home. Such a fastener could be, for example, an anchor bolt which is secured in a conventional manner to the wall. In a preferred embodiment, the remote location fastener is one which is designed to be secured directly into a stud behind the interior wall of the home, such as the eyelet mentioned above in relation to the television fastener.

A securing member 9 is attached at one point along its length to the television fastener 3, and at a second point along its length to the remote location fastener 8 so as to prevent the television 10 from tilting away from the remote location 2. This is accomplished by attaching the securing member 9 so that there is not a significant amount of "play" or slack in the securing member itself. The securing member 9 can be any one of a number of items, such as a rope, a metal wire, a hollow or solid metal bar, a nylon wire, or a braided metal cable.

In a further embodiment, such as that shown in Figure 3, the securing member 9 is provided with a tensioning member 20. The use of a tensioning member 20, enables the user to easily adjust the "play" or slack of the securing member 9 so as to tighten the securing member 9 between the television fastener 3 and the remote location fastener 8.

It will be evident to one skilled in the art that there are numerous structures which can be used for the tensioning member 20. For example, and as shown in Figure 3, the tensioning member 20 is an elongate plate having two openings 22 therein. To properly attach the tensioning member 20 to the securing member 9, the securing member is first attached, for example, at one end thereof to the remote location fastener 8, looped through one of the openings in the tensioning member 20, looped through the television fastener 3, passed though the remaining opening 22 in the tensioning member 20 and tied at its free end 23 such that it will not pass back through opening 22 (typically by a knot). These tensioning members and their means of adjustment are generally known to one skilled in the art and need not be discussed in detail herein. To use the above-mentioned stabilizing apparatus, the television owner will first place the television 10 in its intended location within a room such that the rear surface 6 of the television 10 is a desired distance D from the wall (i.e., remote location), as shown in Figure 1. Next, the television owner secures the upper portion 4 of the rear surface 6 of the television 10 to the adjacent remote location 2 so as to prevent the television 10 from tilting away from the adjacent remote location 2.

In the preferred embodiment, the upper portion 4 of the rear surface 6 of the television 10 is secured to the adjacent remote location 2 by first attaching a television fastener 3 to the upper portion 4 of the rear surface 6 of the television 10. Then, a remote location fastener 8 is attached to the remote location 2. A securing member 9 having a length at least equal to the distance between the television fastener 3 and the remote location fastener 8 is provided. The securing member 9 is attached at one point along its length to the television fastener 3, and at a second point along its length to the remote location fastener 8.

As stated above, the securing member 9 is to be attached between the television fastener 3 and the remote location fastener 8 such that there is not a significant amount of "play" or slack in the securing member. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that, if the securing member is made from a flexible material, such as a rope, a nylon cord, a metal wire, or other similar material, the distance that the television is placed from the wall (remote location) can be varied as long as the distance is not so great as to make it impossible to attach the securing member to both the television fastener and the remote location fastener. Then, if the securing member 9 is provided with a tensioning member 20, such as that stated above, the tensioning member 20 can be utilized to adjust the "play" or slack in the securing member 9.

Likewise, and as shown in Figure 2, if the securing member 9 is made from a rigid material, such as a hollow or solid metal pipe, a metal strap, or other similar materials, then the television 10 will have to be placed at a distance from the wall (remote location 2) such that the distance between the television fastener 3 and the remote location fastener 8 is at least equal to that of the securing member 9. In this instance, the securing member 9 can be attached to the television fastener 3 and the remote location fastener 8 by providing the securing member 9 with one or more apertures 11 at either end thereof. The use of one or more apertures 1 1 at either end of the securing member 9 will enable the distance between the rear surface 6 of the television and the adjacent remote location 2 to be varied to a certain degree. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the distance between the television and the remote location can be varied only to a degree where one aperture of the securing member aligns with the television fastener and another aperture aligns with the remote location fastener. When the apertures are properly aligned with their respective fasteners, the securing member can then be attached thereto by a suitable coupling, such as a nut and bolt configuration, or any other suitable means known in the art.

Whichever structure is chosen for the securing member, it will be appreciated from the foregoing description that, if a force is applied to the television 10 that causes it to tip or tilt away from the remote location, the tipping motion of the television will eventually reach a point where the securing member is placed in tension and thus prevents the television from competing its tipping motion away from the remote location. This will inevitably ensure the safety of someone, such as a small child, positioned directly in that path of the tipping television.

Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

Claims

What is Claimed is:

1. Apparatus for stabilizing a free-standing large-dimensioned television, which comprises: a television fastener secured to an upper portion of the rear surface of the television; a remote location fastener secured to a remote location in proximity to the rear surface of the television; and a securing member attached at one point along the securing member to said television fastener and attached at a second point along the securing member to said remote location fastener so as to prevent the television from tilting away from the remote location.

2. Apparatus as defined by claim 1, wherein the securing member is selected from the group consisting of rope, metal wire, hollow or solid metal bars, metal strapping, nylon wire, and metal cable.

3. Apparatus as defined by claim 1, wherein the securing member includes a user- adjustable tensioning member.

4. Apparatus as defined by claim 1, wherein the remote location is a wall.

5. Apparatus as defined by claim 1, wherein the remote location is a wall stud.

6. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 , wherein the television fastener is selected from the group consisting of eyehooks, screws, anchor bolts, mollies and nails.

7. Apparatus as defined by claim 1, wherein the remote location fastener is selected from the group consisting of eyehooks, screws, anchor bolts, mollies and nails.

8. A method of stabilizing a free-standing large-dimensioned television, comprising the steps of: placing the television at a desired distance from a remote location; and securing an upper portion of a rear surface of the television to the remote location so as to prevent the television from tilting away from the remote location.

9. A method of claim 8, wherein the upper portion of the rear surface of the television is secured to the remote location by: attaching a television fastener to the upper portion of the rear surface of the television; attaching a remote location fastener to the remote location; providing a securing member having a length at least equal to the distance between the television fastener and the remote location fastener; attaching the securing member to the television fastener at one point along the length thereof; and attaching the securing member to the remote location fastener at a second point along the length of the securing member so as to prevent the television from tilting away from the remote location.

10. A method of claim 8, wherein the upper portion of the rear surface of the television is secured to the adjacent remote location by: attaching a television fastener to the upper portion of the rear surface of the television; attaching a remote location fastener to the remote location; providing a securing member having a first end, a second end and a length substantially equal to the distance between the television fastener and the remote location fastener; attaching the first end of the securing member to the television fastener; and attaching the second end of the securing member to the remote location fastener.