FR2687266A1 - Support assembly for a television set - Google Patents

Abstract

Support assembly for a television set (1) allowing integration of the television set with a carrying element by means of a fixing device (7 to 10) allowing dismantling only with a specific tool, the support assembly including a mechanism plate (2) carrying the said set (1) and capable of pivoting about the axis (3) of a sheath (5) integral with the carrying element (6), the integration of the mechanism plate (2) with the said carrying element (6) being provided by means of the fixing device (7 to 10). A backing plate (11) is arranged between the mechanism plate (2) and the carrying element (6), the backing plate (11) extending parallel to the mechanism plate (2) in line with the elements (12) for integrating the mechanism plate (2) to the television set.

Description

TELEVISION STAND SUPPORT ASSEMBLY
The present invention relates to a support assembly for a television set allowing the attachment of the television set to a carrier member, this attachment being ensured by means of a fixing device allowing disassembly only with a specific tool.

 The television sets are generally fixed on a plate, which plate is fixed on a piece of furniture or on an articulated arm; this is particularly the case for television sets available to the public in communities such as hospitals, clubs, hotels and the like.

 It is well known that in such communities television sets are frequently stolen and it is particularly useful that the fixing of the set prevents theft or, at the very least, makes it difficult.

 Support sets for television sets have already been proposed comprising fixing devices allowing disassembly only with a specific tool; such a support assembly is for example described in the invention patent FR-A-2 643 690 and comprises a plate on which is fixed the base of the cabinet of television set, said plate and said base being secured by fixing devices allowing disassembly only with a specific tool, said plate also being secured to a carrier member, also by means of a fixing device allowing disassembly only with a specific tool. As can easily be understood, such a solution, if it is effective, has the drawback of requiring a large number of tamper-proof fixing devices and is therefore expensive.

 The present invention relates to a support assembly for a television set allowing the attachment of the television set to a carrier member, this attachment being ensured by means of a single fixing device allowing disassembly only with a specific tool so that this joining is advantageous in terms of its cost price.

 To do this, the present invention relates to a support assembly for a television set allowing the attachment of the television set to a carrier member, this attachment being ensured by means of a fixing device allowing disassembly only with a specific tool, l 'support assembly comprising a plate carrying said station and capable of pivoting about the axis of a sleeve integral with the carrier member, the connection of the plate with said carrier member being ensured by means of the fixing device, a counter -platinum is arranged, along the axis, between the plate and the carrier member, the counter-plate extending parallel to the plate and, whatever its angular position relative to the plate, at least in line with the elements securing the plate to the television set so that these are made completely inaccessible from the outside.

 The swiveling of the plate, therefore of the television set is ensured by a sleeve capable of swiveling in the sheath of the carrier member. Preferably, said sleeve is integral with the plate and it crosses the counter-plate. As a variant, said sleeve is integral with the counter-plate.

 The fixing device integrating the plate and the support member is preferably made up of a screw fixing device whose nut bears on the plate and whose screw has a head resting on the support member, the screw head being arranged in a volume whose bottom serves to support said head, whose face opposite to said bottom is open to allow the passage of the specific tool used for disassembly and whose side wall continues or not, between said face and the bottom is, at least in certain areas, very close to the volume described by the screw head during the rotation of the screw.

 The nut advantageously constitutes an insert in the plate; this insert can be embedded in the plate or attached; the nut can be replaced by a tapping made in the plate.

 The volume, advantageously cylindrical, where the screw head is disposed is preferably formed in a support plate intended to be applied, by that of its faces where said volume does not open, on the sleeve; preferably, this volume formed in the support plate has a depth measured along the axis of the bore such that the surface of the screw head opposite the surface resting on the bottom of the volume is located inside said volume.

 In a preferred embodiment, the nut is inserted into a ferrule placed at the end of the sleeve which is closest to the plate, the rod of the screw being arranged along the common axis of the sleeve and the sheath and joining the support plate and the end piece.

 The screw head preferably has a contour consisting either of a straight cylinder grooved along its generatrices over its entire lateral surface, or of a straight prism with a polygonal base.

 When the television set is mounted on the support member using the support assembly according to the invention, preferably, the counter-plate is applied to the free end of the sheath secured to the support member.

 The effectiveness of the support assembly according to the invention against theft of the television set is ensured in the following manner: the elements for securing the plate to the television set, which for example consist of screw-nut assemblies conventional commercial, the nut being located on the inside of the cabinet of the television set and the head of the screw bearing on the plate on the face of the latter which is not opposite the cabinet of the station are not accessible from the outside, in particular the screw heads according to the example mentioned above, since they are capped by the counter-plate disposed between the plate, which is supported on it when the support assembly is mounted on the support member, and the support member, the counter-plate extending at least in line with said securing elements whatever its angular position relative to the plate; it can therefore be seen that the locking of the plate to the carrier member using a fixing device allowing disassembly only with a specific tool is sufficient to lock the assembly, the use of such a device single specific fixing limiting the cost price of the whole.

 To complete the inaccessibility of the elements for securing the plate to the television set, the counter-plate comprises at the periphery a rim which defines with the plate a closed volume in which the elements for securing the plate to the television set are arranged. ; in addition, advantageously the plate and the counter-plate are rectangular and the plate has at its periphery, at least along two parallel sides, flanges disposed opposite the flange of the counter-plate.

 In a preferred form of application of the invention, the axis of the sleeve of the plate which is also the axis of the sheath secured to the carrier member is inclined relative to the perpendicular to the plane of the plate, the planes of the plate and the counter plate being parallel thus, according to this arrangement, on the one hand, as is known, the television set can be placed in the high position and its screen clearly visible to the public, but, on the other hand, the plate and the counter-plate are immobilized in rotation, one with respect to the other, which simplifies the design of the counter-plate which, as we have seen, must be in line with the fastening elements of the plate at the television set.

 To better understand the object of the invention, there will be described below, purely by way of illustration and not limitation, an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing.

On this drawing:
- Figure 1 shows in vertical section a support assembly for a television set according to an embodiment in which the plate is fixed to an articulation arm.

 - Figure 2 shows a view along II-II of Figure 1.

 - Figures 3 and 4 show mounting variants of the fixing device allowing disassembly only with a specific tool.

 - Figure 5 shows, in side view, a specific tool for mounting and dismounting the fixing device illustrated in Figures 1à'4.

 The television support assembly shown in Figure 1 comprises a plate 2 on which is fixed, by the base of its cabinet, a television set 1, using fixing devices designated as a whole by 12; the plate is itself fixed on an articulation arm 6 by a fixing device 7 to 10. It can be seen in FIG. 1 that the plate 2 is provided at its center with an orifice 2a, which is bordered by a collar stamped 2b in which a cylindrical sleeve 4 is welded. Said sleeve 4 is arranged so that its axis 3 is vertical, and the plate 2 is slightly inclined relative to a horizontal plane. The articulated arm 6 carries at its free end a cylindrical sheath 5, which is arranged around the sleeve 4, coaxially with the latter. The sleeve 4 can freely rotate inside the sheath 5.

 The sleeve 4 is closed, at its upper part, by a nozzle 7 and the sheath 5 is closed, at its lower part, by a support plate 8. The nozzle 7 is force fitted into the sleeve 4 so as to be blocked in rotation; the support plate 8 is also force-fitted into the sheath 5 so as to be locked therein in rotation. Said nozzle 7 and said support plate 8 are preferably made of plastic.

 The end piece 7 and the support plate 8 are connected by a screw fixing device comprising a nut 10 inserted in the end piece 7 and a screw 9, the head 9a of which is contained in a volume constituted by a cylindrical bore 13 formed in the support plate 8.

 The end piece 7 is a plate formed by two cylindrical parts: an upper part 7a having a diameter at least equal to the outside diameter of the sleeve 4 and a lower part 7b having a diameter slightly greater than the inside diameter of the sleeve 4, lower part than the 'is forcibly fitted into said sleeve 4, the parts 7a and 7b being connected laterally to the periphery by a horizontal flap 7c. The lower part 7b is forced into the sleeve 4, the flap 7c rests on the upper edge of said sleeve 4 and the upper part 7a is located above said upper edge, inside the volume defined by the stamped collar 2b . In the upper part is inserted, in a bore, the nut 10, in which is formed a threaded cylindrical bore having a diameter equal, with the necessary clearance close, to that of the rod of the screw 9. The nut 10 could be , according to the invention, replaced by a threaded thread drilled directly in the nozzle 7 provided, in this case, in a suitable material.

 The support plate 8 is composed of two coaxial parts: a cylindrical upper part 8a and a frustoconical lower part 8b, the face of larger diameter is located on the side of the sheath 5, said larger diameter being at least equal to the outer diameter sheath 5, the parts 8a and 8b being connected directly to the periphery by a horizontal flat 8c. When the assembly is mounted, the upper part 8a is forcibly mounted in the sheath 5, the flap 8c coming to bear against the lower edge of the sheath 5 and the lower part 8b being disposed outside the sheath 5. The plate support 8 is pierced with two coaxial cylindrical bores communicating with each other. The bore of larger diameter 13 constitutes the volume containing the screw head 9a, the walls 15 of this volume being continuous. The diameter of the bore is close to the diameter of the volume described by the screw head during rotation of the screw. The bore 13 opens outwards. The bore 19, of smaller diameter, has a diameter equal, apart from the necessary clearance, to that of the rod of the screw 9.

Between the two bores 13 and 19 is an annular flat bottom 14 which rests on the screw head 9a when the fixing device is mounted. The axis of the screw 9 is the same as that of the sleeve 4 and the sleeve 5, namely the axis 3.

 According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the head 9a of the screw has an outline constituted by a straight prism having as a base a regular octagon. The screw head can have other polygonal shapes or cylindrical shapes with indentations. Preferably, a shape and dimensions are chosen such that there is not, commonly, commercially, a tool, in particular a pipe wrench, making it possible to disassemble the screw.

 According to the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the surface of the screw head, opposite to that resting on the bottom, is arranged at a level such as the bore 13 that it is located inside said bore 13 , the surface of the screw being above the flap 8c.

In this way, the screw head 9a is protected laterally by the sheath 5 and it is impossible to disengage the screw head by cutting, for example with a saw, the part 8b of the support plate to create a groove in the head.

 As can be seen in FIG. 1, the television set 1 is fixed by its base to the plate 2 by conventional fixing devices generally designated by 12.

Since the plate 2 is generally rectangular, it is generally fixed by four devices 12 arranged at each of the corners. Each fixing device 12 comprises a nut 12b which is in the form of an insert in the base of the station 1, and which is tapped; a screw comprising a head 12a is screwed into the nut 12b.

 To make the conventional fastening devices 12 inaccessible, in accordance with the present invention, a counter-plate 11 is arranged along the axis 3, between the plate 2 and the support member 6 the counter-plate 1 1 shown in FIG. 1 s' generally extends in a plane parallel to that of the plate 2 by covering the fixing devices 12 ;; at its periphery, the counter-plate 1 1 has flanges 16 directed towards the plate 2 thus constituting a volume 17 in which the screw heads 12a are enclosed, the plate 2 resting, when the assembly is mounted, on the flanges 16, the counter-plate comprising a stamped collar 1 1 provided with a bore 1 lob traversed by the sleeve 4, the bottom 11c of the stamped collar resting on the face Sa of the upper end of the sheath 5.

 When mounting the television set on its support, the nozzle 7 is force-fitted onto the sleeve 4 secured to the plate 2. The television set is then fixed by its base on the plate 2 using the attachment 12. The counterplate is threaded by drilling 1 lb of its collar 1a on the sleeve 4, the assembly being mounted on the support member 6, the sleeve 4 taking place axially in the sleeve 5 until that the bottom of the collar 11a comes into contact with the face Sa of the upper end of the sheath 5. Then forcefully presses the support plate 8 onto the sheath 5 and finally, the end piece 7 and the support plate 8 using the fixing device 9-10. To carry out the disassembly, we operate in the opposite direction.

 The special tool necessary for assembly and disassembly is, according to the embodiment shown, illustrated in Figure 5 and it is designated as a whole by the reference 20. It is constituted by a pipe wrench having an internal bore 21 having, in section perpendicular to its longitudinal axis, an octagonal shape complementary to that of the screw head 9a and an outside diameter equal, apart from the necessary clearance, to the inside diameter of the bore 13.

When the screw head has an octagonal shape, the thickness of the side walls of the key is relatively regular which is advantageous because it can have thin walls and the weight of material required is lower. On the other hand, the space between the screw head and the wall of the volume in which the screw turns is small. There is therefore no area where you can possibly slide a clamp. In addition, thin-walled keys are not common. The pipe wrench has a bent portion 22 allowing it to be grasped manually to rotate it.

 It can be seen that in the absence of the key corresponding specifically to the screw head 9a, it is impossible to separate the base of the cabinet from the television set 1 from the plate 2.

The heads 12a of the screws are not accessible because they are entirely disposed inside the volume 17. Similarly, it is impossible to separate the plate 2 from the arm 6. In fact, the nut 10 is not accessible when the television is fixed on the plate 2. The screw head 9a being inside the volume in which it rotates, it is impossible to grasp it with a flat key. Furthermore, its octagonal shape being unusual, it is necessary to have the key specifically corresponding to its shape to be able to disassemble the fixing device. In addition, the choice of a screw head 9a of octagonal section makes it possible to have a key having thinner walls than those of the keys usually used. We could also hide the screw head 9a by placing a cover in the housing 13.

It will also be noted that the support plate 8 cannot be driven in rotation due, on the one hand, to the fact that it is force-fitted into the sleeve 5, and, on the other hand, to its lower part frustoconical which escapes any grip by a tool, in particular pliers. The risks of theft of the television set are thus very clearly reduced.

 FIG. 3 represents a variant of the support plate, which is mounted with play in the sheath 5, the support plate coming into abutment, when the screw 9 is tightened, against the lower end of the sleeve 4; the support plate 8 carries a rim 8d at its periphery directed towards the sheath 5 so as to hide the slight clearance which exists between the lower end of the sheath 5 and the horizontal flap 8c of the sheath. It is noted, on this occasion, that the mounting, with a slight clearance, of the support plate 8 relative to the sheath 5 avoids the unlocking of the screw-nut device 9-10 by rotation of the television set around the axis 3 when this is possible. The same result is obtained with the variant of FIG. 4 where the nut 10 has a bottom 10a on which the end of the screw 9 finally abuts, a slight clearance 19 then existing also axially between the sleeve 4 and the upper face of the support plate 8. In any case, it should be noted that, as can be seen in FIG. 1, the planes along which the plate extend 2 and the counter-plate 11 are sufficiently inclined with respect to the axis 3 so that a rotation of the assembly around this axis 3 is very limited: in fact, in this movement, the lower edges of the plate and / or the counterplate abut against the upper part of the arm 6; these lower edges are the lower flanges 16 of the counter-plate or of the flanges 18 of the plate, covering these.

 In a variant not shown, the sleeve 4 is integral with the counter-plate 11 and not with the plate 2, the latter comprising a tapping in which the screw 9 is screwed, this tapping can be replaced by a nut welded directly to the plate 2 or inserted in an end piece secured to plate 2.

Claims (14)

 1 - Support assembly for a television set (1) allowing the television set to be secured to a carrier member, this attachment being ensured by means of a fixing device (7 to 10) allowing disassembly only with a tool specific, the support assembly comprising a plate (2) carrying said station (1) and capable of pivoting about the axis (3) of a sheath (5) secured to the carrier member (6), the attachment of the plate (2) with said carrier member (6) being ensured by means of the fixing device (7 to 10), characterized in that a counter-plate (11) is arranged, along the axis (3), between the plate (2) and the support member (6), the counter-plate (11) extending parallel to the plate (2) and, whatever its angular position relative to the plate, at least in line with the fastening elements (12) of the plate (2) to the television set so that these are made completely inaccessible from th outside.  2 - Support assembly for television set according to claim 1, characterized in that the plate is equipped with a sleeve (4) capable of journalling in the sheath (5) of the carrier (6), the sleeve (4) of the plate passing through the counter-plate (11).  3 - Support assembly for television set according to claim 1, characterized in that the counter-plate is equipped with a sleeve capable of journalling in the sheath (5) of the carrier member (6).  4 - Support assembly for television set according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing device securing the plate (2) and the carrier member (6) consists of a screw fixing device including nut (10) bears on the plate (2) and the screw (9) of which has a head (9a) which bears on the support member (6), the screw head being arranged in a volume (13), one of which bottom (14) serves to support said head (9a), the face opposite to said bottom is open to allow the passage of the specific tool used for disassembly and whose side wall (15), continuous or not , between said face and the bottom (14) is, at least in certain areas, very close to the volume described by the screw head (9a) during the rotation of the screw.  5 - Support assembly for television set according to claim 4, characterized in that the nut (10) constitutes an insert in the plate (2).  6 - Support assembly for television set according to claim 4, characterized in that the nut (10) is constituted by a thread formed in the plate (2).  7 - Support assembly for television set according to claim 4, characterized in that the volume (13) where the screw head (9a) is arranged is formed in a support plate (8).  8 - Support assembly for television set according to claim 7, characterized in that the volume (13) is a cylindrical bore.  9 - support assembly for television set according to claim 7, characterized in that the volume (13) formed in the support plate (8) has a depth measured along the axis of the bore such that the surface the screw head (9a) opposite the surface resting on the bottom of the volume is located inside said volume.  10 - support assembly for television set according to claim 4, characterized in that the nut (10) is inserted in a nozzle (7) placed at the end of the sleeve (4) which is closest of the plate (2), the rod of the screw (9) being disposed along the common axis (3) of the sleeve (4) and of the sleeve (5) and securing the support plate (8) and the end piece (7).  Il - Support assembly for television set according to claim 4, characterized in that the screw head (9a) has a contour consisting either of a straight cylinder grooved according to its generatrices over its entire lateral surface, or of a straight prism with polygonal base.  12 - Support assembly for television set according to claim 1, characterized in that the counter-plate (11) is applied on the free end (5a) of the sleeve (5) and supports the plate (2) carrying the television set.  13 - Support assembly for television set according to claim 1, characterized in that the counter-plate (11) has at the periphery a flange (16) which defines with the plate a volume (17) closed in which are arranged the fastening elements (12) of the plate (2) to the television set (1).  14 - Support assembly for television set according to claim 1, characterized in that the axis (3) of the sleeve of the plate (2) which is also the axis of the sheath (5) integral with the carrier member (6) is inclined relative to the perpendicular to the plane of the plate (2), the planes of the plate (2) and of the counter-plate (11) being parallel.  15 - Support assembly for television set according to claim 13, characterized in that the plate (2) and the counterplate (11) are rectangular and the plate (2) has at its periphery, at least along two sides parallel, flanges (18) arranged opposite the flange (16) of the counter-plate (11).