GB2045061A - Adjustable wall mounted support - Google Patents

Abstract

An adjustable support comprising a bracket (10) for securement, in use, to a vertical wall, and an assembly (19) pivotally connected to the bracket (10) for angular movement in a horizontal plane, which assembly (19) includes a telescopic arrangement of tubes (45, 47) for moving a platform (46) linearly towards or away from the bracket (10), the platform being made up of a pair of plates (50, 51) slidable transversely of the tubes (45, 47) on a pair of cross- pieces (52, 53). The platform (46) can be locked in a chosen linear position relative to the bracket (10) by means of a tongue (62) of the cross-piece (52) engaging in aligned slots in the tubes (45, 47). The platform (46) can be tilted in a vertical plane by means of a knob (38) with a screw threaded shank (38a) carried by an adjustment member (28) which is pivotted in a channel-shaped member (20) of the assembly. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Adjustable wall mounted support This invention relates to an adjustable support which is intended to be secured, in use, to a wall or like surface, to carry a member, in particular a television, and has as its object the provision of such a support in an effective and convenient form.

According to the invention there is provided an adjustable support comprising a bracket adapted to be secured to a wall, or like surface, an assembly connected to said bracket, the assembly including a platform for receiving a member to be carried, in use, by the support, the platform being relatively movable towards or away from said bracket and means for retaining the platform in a chosen position relative to the bracket.

The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure lisa top plan view of an adjustable support constructed in accordance with the invention, with one half of a platform member thereof shown in its extreme outwardly adjusted position and the other half thereof in its innermost position, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, Figure 3 is an end view of the support of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

The support shown in the drawings comprises a bracket 10 adapted by way of screw holes 11 to be secured to a vertical wall or equivalent structure. The bracket 10 is in the form of a one-piece, generally rectangular steel pressing having a central portion 12 and longitudinal side portions 13 which contain the holes 11. Between each side portion 13 and the central portion 12 is a groove 14 formed by pressing material forwardly out of the plane of the bracket.

At the upper and lower ends of the central portion 12 of the bracket 10 generally rectangular parts of the pressing are bent over through 90" to form a pair of wings 15, 16 respectively, extending perpendiculay to and forwardly of the portion 12 of the bracket.

To the underside of the wing 16 a nut 17 is brazed.

Pivotally attached to the bracket 10 by way of way bolt 18, is an assembly part of the support, denoted generally at 19 in Figures 1 and 2.

The assembly part 19 comprises a generally rectangular channel-shaped member 20 having a flat base 21 and sides 22,23 extending normally therefrom. The member 20 is also a steel pressing and has upper and lower triangular wings 24, 25 respectively, bent from the ends of the base 21 to lie at 90" thereto at the opposite side of the base to the sides 22, 23 thereof. The outwardly directed surfaces of the wings 24, 25 respectively are spaced from the inwardly directed surfaces of the wings 15, 16 of the bracket 10 by nylon washers, as best shown in Figure 2, and the bolt 18 passes through both pairs of wings 15,24 and 16,25 respectively. A head 26 of the bolt bears against the outer surface of the wing 15, whilst a threaded end portion of the bolt engages in said nut 17 and is secured by a lock nut 27.This connection between the wings 15, 16 and the wings 25, 26 allows relative movement between the bracket and the member 20, and accordingly the member 20, and thus the assembly part of the support can be swivelled about the bolt 18. Thus with the bracket 10 secured to a vertical wall, the assembly part can be angularly rotated relatively thereto in a horizontal plane, through an angle which is limited at its extremes by engagement of a respective one of the sides 22,23 against a respective one of the grooves 14 of the bracket 10. However once the relative orientation of the members has been selected, this will not alter until manually changed.

Toward its lower end, as can be seen for the side 22 in Figure 2, the sides 22, 23 of the member 20 are somewhat extended outwardly to provide locations for respective pivots for pivotally connecting an adjustment member 28 to the member 20.

The adjustment member 28 is a steel pressing of generally channel shape having a substantially flat base 29 and sides 30,31 which are joined by an arcuate low end wall 32 which closes the lower end of the channel of the member 28. From the end wall 32, each side 30, 31 is considerably extended outwardly normally from the base 29 to form a supporting rib, the ribs being denoted by the numerals 33,34 for the sides 30,31 respectively. The part of the sides extending from the ribs to the open end of the channel are of a greater height than the low end wall, as shown in Figure 2.

The adjustment member 28 is closely fitted within the channel of the member 20 so that in its usual position, the outer edges of the portions of the sides 30, 31 at either side of the supporting ribs 33,34 are level with the outer edges of the adjacent parts of the sides 22,23 of the member 20, as is shown in Figure 2 for the sides 22 and 30. The pivoting connection between the members 20 and 28 is provided by screws 35,36 and an internally threaded tube 37 secured between the sides 30,31 adjacent the open end of the member 28. The screws 35,36 pass through holes in the upper parts of the outward extensions of the sides 22,23 of the member 20 and then through holes in the sides 30, 31 respectively of the member 28, and into engagement with the tube 37.

In the illustrated position of the member 28 in which the outer edges of the sides 30, 31 thereof are level with the outer edges of the sides 22,23 of the member 20, the base 29 of the member is substantially parallel to and spaced from the base 21 of the member 20, as shown in Figure 2. However the adjustment member 28 can be adjusted relative to the member 20 by way of its pivotal connection thereto. Adjacent the end wall 32, the base 29 in raised to accommodate a nut 29a secured therebelow, and has a hole therethrough in alignment with the hole in the nut 29a to receive a screw threaded end 38a of a knurled knob 38. The screw threaded end 38a of the knob bears against the base 21 of the member 20 and thus by turning the knob 38 clockwise or anti-clockwise, the member 28 pivots about the tube 37 away from or towards the base 21.

Pivotal movement of the member 28 is limited by screws 39,40 passing through elongated slots 41,42 respectively in the sides 22,23 of the member 20, circular holes in the sides 30,31 and engaging with nuts 43, 44 respectively brazed to the inwardly facing surfaces of the sides 30,31.

In the position of the member 28 shown in the drawings, the knob 38 is fully screwed into the nut secured to the base 29, and the screws 39,40 are at the ends of the slots 41,42 furthest from the base 21, as shown in Figure 2 for the screw 39. Thus the member 28 cannot pivot any further in an anticlockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2, as it is prevented by the screws engaging said ends of the slots, and in this position an elongated, rectangular section tube 45 secured to the member 28 is disposed perpendicular to the plane of the bracket portion 12. Rotation of the knob anti-clockwise, as shown in Figure 3, causes the end 38a of the knob to move away from the base 21 and thus allowes the member 28 to pivot towards the base 21 until the nut 29a contacts the base 21.

Thus the member 28 can be adjusted by a limited angle downwardly from the position where the tube 45 it carries is, in use, horizontal. The base 21 has a rectangular hole 21a therein which just receives the end of the tube 45. Once the required relative orientation between the members 20 and 28 has been chosen, the screws 39, 40 which are loosened during adjustment, are tightened so that, together with the knob 38, they secure the member 20 in position.

The tube 45, which is made of steel, forms the fixed part of a telescopic arrangement of the assemblyformoving a platform 46 linearly towards or away from the bracket 10, the platform itself being secured to a further elongated, rectangular section steel tube 47 which is a close sliding fit in the tube 45.

The tube 45 extends forwardly from the member 28 and is secured thereto by brazing some of which is indicated at 45a. One end of the tube extends through a hole in the base 29 of the member and terminates just at the entry to the hole 21a, as shown in Figure 2 when the knob 38 is fully screwed in. The tube 45 is brazed to the member 28 around the hole in the base 29 and also at the ribs 33, 34. The ends of the ribs 33, 34 are bent inwardly towards each other, as best shown in Figure I,to support the tube 45.

In the top surface of the tube 45, there is provided a central closed ended elongated slot, in the form of a straight slot part 48, extending longitudinally of the tube 45 and parallel to the sides thereof, and having, at each side thereof, six regularly spaced, transverse recesses 49 communicating therewith. Opposite recesses are aligned in pairs, as shown, to form location means along the length of the slot. One such location means is disposed at the end of the slot part 48 adjacent the member 28.

The platform 46 is made up of four main parts, namely a pair of generally flat support plates 50, 51 forming the platform portion proper, and a pair of supporting cross-pieces 52, 53 which together carry the plates 50, 51. The connection between the platform and the telescopic arrangement of the assembly will now be described.

The tube 47 is provided at a position spaced slightly from one of its ends with a transverse slot 54 and a circular hole 55 in its upper surface, the slot and the hole being disposed centrally between the sides of the tube 47, with the slot being nearer said one of its ends than the hole. Within the tube 47 is disposed an inverted channel member 56 which has a central circular hole in its upper surface with a nut 57 secured below the hole and thus within the channel defined by the member 56, as shown in Figures 2 and 4. The member 56 is positioned in the tube 47 so that the nut 57 is directly below the hole 55 in the tube 47. The member 56 is however, relatively short so that with the nut 57 below the hole 55, only a small part, if any, of the member 56 is directly below the slot 54.

As already explained, the telescopic arrangement of tubers 45 and 47 is provided to move the platform 46 towards or away from the bracket 10. Moreover wth the embodiment of the invention illustrated it is intended that such movement is to a selected one of a number of predetermined positions where the platform can be releasably retained. Such positions are defined by the recesses 49 in this embodiment.

With part of the tube 47 within the tube 45, as shown best in Figure 2, the tube 47 is adjusted until the slot 54 is arranged to be directly below a selected one of the recesses 49. The cross-piece 52, which fits transversely across the tube 45, will now be described.

The cross-piece 52 is of inverted channel shape having a base 58 and parallel sides 59,60 normal thereto. The extent of each side from the base increases from its ends to its longitudinal centre, as clearly shown for the side 59 of cross-piece 53 in Figure 3 and sides 59 and 60 of cross-piece 52 in Figure 4. However at the longitudinal centre of each side there is a rectangular cut out 61, and forthe sides 60 the cut-out has a central integral tongue 62.

The base 58 is formed with an elongated, inward recessed part 63 formed by displacing the material of the base into the channel between the sides 59, 60, as best shown in Figure 4. The recessed part 63 extends the whole length of the base and midway between the ends of the recessed part a circular hole is provided. At either side of this hole, in a symmetrical arrangement, two elongated closed-ended slots 64,65 are provided in the recesses portion of the base 58.

The cross-piece 52 is fitted transversely across the tube 45 so that the tube 45 is received into the cut outs 61, with the tongue 62 engaging within the one of the recesses 49 below which the slot 54 is disposed. The tongue 62 thus extends through the recess 49 and also the slot 54 into the channel member 56, as shown in Figure 2. Moreover the hole in the base 58 of the cross-piece 52 is aligned with the hole 55 in the tube 47 and also the nut 57 of the member 56. A screw 66 passes through the hole in the base 58, through the slot part 48, through the hole 55 and engages with the nut 57.

To engage the tongue 62 with a different recess 49, the screw 66 is slackened sufficiently for the tongue 62 to be lifted clear of the upper surface of the tube 45. The cross piece is then moved along the tube 45 until the required different recess 49 is reached whereupon the tongue 62 is engaged therein and the screw 66 retightened. As the screw always remains engaged in the nut 57 of the channel member 56, the tube 47 slides in the tube 45 as the cross-piece 52 is moved.

The cross-piece 53 is identical to the cross-piece 52 though, as shown, it need not have a hole between the slots 64, 65 in its recessed base portion. As shown best in Figure 2, the cross-piece 53 is fitted transversely on the tube 47 in a similar way to the fitting of the cross-piece 52 on the tube 45. The tongue 62 of the cross-piece 53 engages in a slot 54 in the tube 47 and the tube 47 engages in the cut outs 61.

At the end of the tube 47, at which the cross-piece 53 is fitted, an L-shaped member 67 has one of its limbs 68 secured, by two screws 69, inside the tube 47, with its other limb 70 being arranged vertically upright and being secured to the side 59 of the cross-piece 53, to secure the cross-piece 53 to the tube 47. Since the nut 57 is always below the hole 55 in the tube 47, and since the screw 66 is always engaged through the cross-piece 52 and into the nut 57, the two cross-pieces are kept parallel at a constant spacing.

The support plates 50, 51 which form the platform proper, are identical and are each of generally rectangular shape with a rectangular cut out 71 along one of its longer edges. Each plate is slidable, as will be described, on the cross-pieces.

Each plate is generally flat, having an upturned flange 72 at one shorter end and a shorter downturned lip 73 at its opposite shorter end. Along its longer side not having the cut out 71, it has a further downturned lip 74. A piece of foam 75 is secured to the upper surface of the plate and this extends between the inner edge of the cut-out and the lip, and also along the complete length of the plate.

Foam 75 is also secured to the inner face of the flange 72.

At each of the ends of the plate, adjacent the flange 72 and lip 73 respectively are a pair of screws 76 which pass through the plate. The screws in each pair are in a line parallel to the flange 72 and lip 73 and the spacing between the two pairs is equal to the spacing between longitudinal centre lines of the slots of the cross-pieces 52 and 53. The screws 76 have their heads countersunk as shown in Figure 4.

Each plate is disposed on the cross-pieces 52, 53 as shown best in Figures 1 and 4, with, for the plate 50, one ofthe pairs of screws 76 received in the slot 64 in the cross-piece 52 and the other pair of screws received in the slot 64 in the cross-piece 53. The other plate 51 is similarly disposed with its pair of screws 76 in the slots 65 in the cross-pieces 52, 53 respectively. The screws are secured by nuts 77 beneath the cross-pieces.

With this arrangement the plates are slidable along the cross-pieces to vary the effective size of the platform. The Figures show plate 50 at its maximum outward position, with plate 51 at its maximum inward position. Normally, in use, the plates would be moved equally towards or away from the tubes 45, 47, and releasably secured in their chosen positions by tightening the screws 77.

In use the bracket 10 is secured to a vertical wall or similar structure by means of fixing elements, such as screws, passing through the holes 11. If the support is intended to receive a small television, the platform might be spaced sufficiently from the members 20 and 28 to be able to receive the television with the tongue 62 engaged in the recess 49 nearest the member 28. The important consideration is the spacing between the platform flanges 72 and the outwardly extending sides of the members 20and28.

If the spacing is too small, the platform and tube 47 are moved outwardly as described so that the tongue 62 engages in the next recess along or the next but one along.

With a largertelevision set, the tube 47 and platform 46 may have to be moved so that the tongue 62 engages in the recess furthest from the member 28. Moreover with a larger television set, it may well be necessary to adjust the plates 50, 51 so that they are at their maximum spacing apart, in order satisfactorily to receive the length of the television set.

It can thus be appreciated that the support has four separate modes of adjustment. Firstly the assembly part can be pivoted relative to the fixed bracket 10.

Secondly the platform can be tilted by means of the knob 38. Thirdly the platform can be moved linearly along the tube 45, towards and away from the bracket and releasably locked in a chosen position by locking means in the form of the combination of the tongue 62, and the screw 66 and its associated nut 57. Lastly the platform can be lengthened or shortened by sliding the plates 50, 51 towards each other or apart.

Although as shown, the adjustment of the platform is stepwise, this adjustment could be arranged to be infinite by way of a suitable locking means.

The support has been found to be strong and reliable is use, with all usual sizes of televisions. The bending moment otthe support is from the end of the ribs 33,34 to the end of the bracket rather than from the bracket 10.

Claims (15)

1. An adjustable support comprising a bracket adapted to be secured to a wall or like structure, an assembly connected to said bracket, the assembly including a platform for receiving a member to be carried, in use, by the support, the platform being relatively movable towards or away from said bracket and means for retaining the platform in a chosen position relative to the bracket.

2. A support as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the platform is movable towards or away from said bracket by way of a linearly slidable member of a telescopic arrangement of the assembly, a fixed member of which is secured against linear movement relative to the bracket.

3. A support as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the platform comprises a pair of spaced, parallel crosspieces carrying the platform proper, one of said cross-pieces being secured to said linearly slidable member and the other of said cross-pieces being releasably engageable with said fixed member of said telescopic arrangement in a chosen one of a number of predetermined positions defined by said fixed member.

4. A support as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said linearly slidable member and said fixed member are each elongated tubes, said fixed member having therein a longitudinal slot with a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse recesses extending from the sides thereof, said slidable member having a transverse slot therein alignable with a chosen one of said recesses by sliding said slidable member within said fixed member and said other of the cross-pieces having a tongue engageable with said chosen one of the recesses and said transverse slot, when said slidable member has been moved to align said transverse slot with said chosen recess, said engagement of the tongue thereby releasably retaining the platform at chosen spacing from the bracket.

5. A support as claimed in claim 4, wherein a screw passes through said other of the cross-pieces, said longitudinal slot and a hole in said slidable member and engages with a nut carried by a member contained in said slidable member, the arrangement being such that once the tongue of said other of the cross-pieces has been engaged in said chosen recess, said screw is tightened to prevent disengagement of the tongue therefrom, whereas when movement of the platform towards or away from the bracket is required, the screw is loosened sufficiently for the tongue to be lifted clear of said previously chosen recess and said other cross-piece slid to the newly chosen recess for the tongue to be re-engaged and the screw re-tightened.

6. A support as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 5, wherein said platform proper is made up of two separate halves, each half being slidable transversely of the telescopic arrangement on said crosspieces.

7. A support as claimed in claim 6, wherein each cross-piece has a pair of elongated slots at opposite sides of said telescopic arrangement respectively, and each platform half has at least one screw at each of its ends engaging in the slots in the cross-pieces at one side of said telescopic arrangement, each screw carrying a respective nut so that each platform half can be moved towards or away from said telescopic arrangement and secured by the screws and nuts in a chosen position.

8. A support as claimed in anyone of Claims 1 to 7 wherein said assembly is pivotally secured to said bracket, so that, in use, said assembly can move angularly in a plane perpendicular to the wall or like surface to which the bracket is attached.

9. A support as claimed in claim 8, wherein said bracket has a substantially flat rear surface for securementto said wall or like surface, the bracket having upper and lower wings extending at 900 away from said rear surface, a pivot rod being secured between said wings and passing through further wings extending rearwardly from a channel member of said assembly, so as pivotally to secure said channel member to the bracket for pivotal movement in a plane perpendicular to said rear bracket surface.

10. A support as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the assembly includes means for tilting the platform relative to the fixed bracket.

11. A support as claimed in claim 10, wherein the assembly includes an adjustment member, to which said fixed member of the telescopic arrangement is secured, said adjustment member being pivotally connected to a further member of the assembly which is itself connected to the bracket, said pivotal connection of said adjustment member allowing pivotal movement in a vertical plane, when, in use, the bracket is secured to a vertical wall or like vertical surface.

12. A support as claimed in claim 11, wherein said further member is channel-shaped and said adjustment member is pivotally disposed between the sides of the channel, pivotal movement of said adjustment member being produced by angular movement of a knob, a screw threaded shank of which passes through a screw threaded hole at a base of said adjustment member and engages against a base of said further member.

13. A support as claimed in claim 12, wherein the adjustment member is of generally channel-shape and respective screws threadedly engage the sides thereof, the screws passing through slots in the respective sides of the channel-shaped further member, so that the pivotal movement of the adjustment member in one angular direction is limited by engagement of the screws at the ends of the slots respectively.

14. A support as claimed in claim 13, wherein pivotal movement in the opposite angular direction is limited by engagement of said adjustment member against said further member.

15. An adjustable support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.