GB2437850A

GB2437850A - Mounting bracket

Info

Publication number: GB2437850A
Application number: GB0709308A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tom Sharrocks
Original assignee: TECH INTERNAT Ltd B
Current assignee: TECH INTERNAT Ltd B
Priority date: 2006-06-01
Filing date: 2007-05-15
Publication date: 2007-11-07
Anticipated expiration: 2027-05-15
Also published as: GB2437850B; GB0610754D0; GB0709308D0

Abstract

A mounting bracket for attaching a device such as a loudspeaker, a television or a projector to a surface comprises a surface mounting plate 11 that has holes 19 for the passage of screws or other fixing elements for attaching it to a wall or ceiling. The plate has flanges 17 extending away from it which provides a first coupling means. A device mounting means 5 includes a pivotable device connector or ball arm 41. Second coupling means includes a hook plate 31 with flanges 29 that engage with the flanges of the first coupling means. The hook plate is fixed to the rear of the device mounting means using screws (21, fig 3). The ball arm is locked by the action of a bolt 23 acting to push a socket body 40 to force the ball into engagement with an abutment 42 on the housing of the device mounting means. The first and second couplings cooperate to enable the device to be releasably attached to the surface mounting means. A device can be attached to the pivotal ball arm by means of a screw 43 which cab be locked by a grub screw 49.

Description

I

1 Bracket 3 The present invention relates to a bracket suitable for 4 mounting articles on a wall or ceiling. In particular the bracket is designed to mount articles such as loud 6 speakers, televisions and projectors. : ... S...

8 Articles such as television screens, loud speakers and : *. 9 the like may be wall mounted using brackets. These *S..

:. 10 brackets typically consist of a plate which is attachable 11 to a wall or ceiling and an arm that extends from the ::..: 12 plate out of which extends a further smaller plate to : 13 which the article is connected.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an 16 improved bracket.

18 In accordance with the present invention there is 19 provided a brack. t comprising: surface mounting means, adapted to be fixedly attached to 21 a surface and further comprising first coupling means; 1 device mounting means having a pivotable device connector 2 the device mounting means being attached to second 3 coupling means, 4 wherein the first and second coupling means are shaped to couple together to releasably connect the surface 6 mounting means to the device mounting means.

8 Preferably the first coupling means comprises a first 9 flange adapted to interlock with the second flange contained on the device mounting means.

12 Preferably the first flange comprises a first member 13 projecting from the surface mounting means and a second 14 member substantially parallel to the surface mounting means.

:.:: 17 Preferably the second coupling means comprises a second 18 flange adapted to interlock with the first flange of the : *, 19 first coupling means. :. 20

21 Preferably at least part of the second flange is spaced .. 22 from a connecting plate of the device mounting means to *.. 23 create a gap adapted to receive the substantially 24 parallel member of the first flange.

26 Preferably the device mounting means and the surface 27 mounting means are provided with a locking mechanism 28 which allows the surface mounting means and the device 29 mounting means to be blocked together.

31 Preferably the locking mechanism comprises a pair of co- 32 operating flanges adapted to receive a locking device.

1 Preferably the locking device is a locking screw.

3 Optionally the locking device is a pin or bolt.

Preferably the device mounting means comprises 6 positioning means for fixing the pivotable device 7 connector in position.

B

9 Preferably the position of the pivotable device connector is controlled by applying friction to the pivotable 11 device connector to vary its freedom of movement.

13 Preferably, the pivotable device comprises an arm which 14 is connectable to an article.

16 Preferably, the arm is coupled to the connector via a 17 screw and thread.

****** 18 : *"* 19 Preferably the pivotable device connector comprises a *.s.

:. 20 ball and socket joint contained in a housing.

.. 22 Preferably the ball has the arm extending out from it. S. * * 23 * S*

24 Preferably the leading surface of the housing is adapted to abut against the ball such that, if a frictional force 26 is applied between the leading surface of the housing and 27 the ball, movement of the ball in the socket is 28 restricted.

Preferably load is applied using a bolt or rod.

32 Preferably the ball is fitted with a load spreading 33 device.

2 Preferably the load spreading device is a plate having a 3 larger surface area than the pin of the bolt that 4 transmits force to the ball.

6 Preferably the arm is provided with a lock to prevent 7 rottion of the screw.

9 Preferably the lock is a grub screw which extends radially in towards the centre of the ball arm.

12 Preferably the surface mounting means is provided with a 13 cover plate.

Preferably the cover plate is in two halves. S.

:..:: 17 The present invention will now be described by way of 18 example only with reference to the accompanying drawings : 19 in which: S... * 20

S

21 figure 1 is a front isometric view of an embodiment of :: :: the present invention; 24 figure 2 is a front isometric view of the embodiment of figure 1 with the cover removed; 27 figure 3 is an exploded view of the embodiment of the 28 present invention of figure 1; figure 4 is a sectional view of the embodiment of the 31 present Invention of figure 1; 33 figure 5 is a side view of the embodiment of figure 1; 2 figure 6 is a top view of the embodiment of figure 1 3 without the cover; and figure 7 is a front view of the embodiment of figure 1 6 without the cover.

8 Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention 9 fully assembled. The bracket 1 comprises surface mounting means 3 located underneath the cover 7 and 11 device mounting means 5 indicated generally by reference 12 numeral 5. This figure also shows the pivotable device 13 connector 35, the ball arm 41 extending from the 14 pivotable device connector 35 the device mounting screw and the locking grub screw 49 positioned along the length 16 of the ball arm 41.

: *** 17 18 The structure of this embodiment of the present invention : *, 19 will now be described with reference to figures 2 to 7.

Referring to figures 2 and 3, the bracket 1 has a first 21 mounting means 3 which comprises a surface or wall plate . 22 11 in which a plurality of holes have been formed. The *, 23 holes 13 comprise oval mounting slots which are arranged 24 in pairs with the major axis of the first pair being substantially at right angles to the major axis of the 26 second pair.

28 The mounting holes 13 are adapted to receive fixing means 29 for fixing the surface or wall plate 11 to a surface.

The fixing means may be a nail or screw or similar 31 device.

1 Screw holes 19 are also formed in the wall or surface 2 plate 11. The screw holes 19 are adapted to receive 3 screws 21 which extend towards the device mounting means 4 5 and fit. into device screw holes 20 formed in the connecting plate 34 of the device mounting means 5.

7 The surface or wall plate 11 is also provided with 8 flanges 17. The flanges 17 project out from the surface 9 of the wall plate and have a profiled top section 16. In addition the lower section 18 of the flange 17 is shaped 11 such that it is parallel or substantially parallel to the 12 body of the wall plate or surface plate 11. These 13 flanges provide a rigid seat and anchor point for the 14 detachable ball and socket arrangement.

16 The cover 7 contains an open front section 8 and is 17 fitted together by means of friction fit tabs 9. * S

: *..* 19 The bracket 1 may be attached to a wall or ceiling. The S...

20 spatially adjustable pivotable arm can accommodate a 21 choice of interface brackets. The presence of a cover 22 means that the wall fixings and the bracket interface 23 hooks need not be visible thereby providing a clean 24 aesthetic.

26 The wall or surface plate 11 further comprises a 27 projecting flange 15 that is provided with a hole that is 28 adapted to receive locking screw 25. In addition the 29 flange 15 is shaped and positioned to co-operate with the top flange 27 contained upon the back connecting plate 34 31 of the device mounting means 5. The combination of 32 flange with threaded insert 15, locking screw 25 and top 1 flange 27 allows the device mounting means 5 to be 2 secured in position upon the surface mounting means 3.

3 A rubber 0-ring may be provided on the underside of the 4 flange 27 where it is fed over the screw thread 25 after it has been passed through the hole in the flange 27 thus 6 holding the screw in a ready to use position. When hooked 7 in place this flange 27 aligns with a similar 8 horizontally projecting flange 15 from the wall plate 9 which has a threaded insert to accept the screw and thus lock the two halves of the bracket together.

12 The device mounting means 5 comprises a connecting plate 13 34 attached to a pivotable device connector or ball joint 14 assembly 35. The connector plate 34 is provided with a flange 29 which projects, in use, towards the surface 16 mounting means 3. The flange 29 also defines a gap 30 17 such that the flange and gap act effectively as a hook 18 which allows the flange 29 to co-operate with flange 17 : ,.. 19 on surface mounting means 3. * 20 ***

21 In addition a hook plate 31 or flange extends from the 22 body of the connecting plate 34 and co-operates with the ** 23 flange 17 of surface mounting means 3 in order to 24 securely couple the flange to the hook plate 31.

26 The pivotable device connector 35 comprises a ball and 27 socket joint as seen in figure 4. The hooks 29 locate 28 over the flanges 17 on the wall plate 7 so that the ball 29 and socket arrangement 35 can be placed into an immediately safe position and subsequently removed with 31 ease thereafter.

1 The casing 36 contains a socket body 40 which supports 2 the socket 39. The rear portion of the socket body 40 is 3 adapted to connect to a tightening bolt 23 which extends 4 through the connecting plate 34. The front section of the casing 36 provides an abutment 42 against which the 6 ball rests. As the socket body 40 is moveable within the 7 casing 36; when pressure is applied to the rear of the 8 socket body 40, the ball 37 is pushed against the 9 abutment 42 thereby increasing the friction between the ball 37 and abutment 42.

12 This mechanism can be used to effectively fix the 13 position of the ball 37 and therefore the ball arm 41 by 14 increasing the friction between the ball 37 and the abutment 42. Accordingly the angle of the ball arm 4].

16 may be fixed in a convenient position for use. * ***

*::::* 18 The socket may be a one piece die cast socket containing * 19 a one piece machined mild steel ball arm. The spherical part of this component is slightly larger than that of I. * 21 the hole in the socket body and when fed through from the :.. 22 hook plate end, the arm protrudes until contact with the 23 socket body is made.

It is this abutment that creates the frictional surfaces 26 that provide the ball arm with varying degrees of 27 resistance when the forces between these two surfaces are 28 adjusted. This may be achieved by tightening a regular 29 bolt through a mechanically fixed nut on the inside of the hook plate and thus providing a controllable amount 31 of force upon the ball arm. To transmit this force 32 evenly across the spherical part of the ball arm a one 33 piece die cast cup may be used to form an interface 34 between the applied force and the spherical surface. Due 1 to the relative softness of the die cast material that 2 this cup component is manufactured from, it is necessary 3 to protect it from excessive deformation that would 4 otherwise be caused by the pressure exerted by the tightening bolt. A steel disc may be placed between the 6 end of the bolt and the ball joint cup in order to spread 7 the load more evenly over the area of the cups flat outer 8 surface.

The ball arm 41 comprises an outwardly extending member 11 and is fixed to an article such as a television or loud 12 speaker by means of a screw mechanism containing a square 13 ended Allen screw 43, a spring 45 and a plain washer 47.

In addition the arm 41 is further provided with a locking 16 grub screw 49. The purpose of this grub screw is to " 17 prevent the square ended Allen screw from being loosened S...

18 during rotation of the device.

* *. 19 * . S *.

Figures 5 to 7 are provided to further illustrate the 21 features of the embodiment of figure 1 by providing 22 additional views of the device. S. 0 * 23 * ..

24 The present invention has a number of advantages with respect to known brackets.

27 Wall plate slots: Opposing or adjacent wall plate slots 28 can be orientated at right angles. This allows easy 29 levelling of the wall plate and reduces the accuracy required when drilling fixing holes in the wall or 31 ceiling. The holes are also of adequate size so that a 32 suitable drill bit and wall plug can be passed through 1 them, eliminating the need to pre-drill the wall or 2 ceiling in full.

4 Hook on and off design: Allows for a single untrained person to easily mount their own equipment in a safe and 6 convenient manner. Also the equipment being mounted can 7 be removed from the wall without disturbing the wall 8 plate fixings and the relative position of the equipment 9 to the wall. Ideal for cleaning, maintenance or safe keeping elsewhere.

12 Locking screw: The hook on part of the bracket 5 can be 13 locked in place to deter opportunist theft and to 14 eliminate any movement in the bracket. This provides for a solid fixing so that only the ball arm may be moved 16 with precision. * 17 ***

18 User adjustable pressure: The user can vary the degree of : *. 19 pressure on the ball by means of a standard M8 bolt using ***.

the spanner provided or any other readily available 13mm 21 spanner. This provides controllable intermediate levels :... 22 of stiffness so the user can adjust the action to suit * 23 both the weight of the equipment attached and obtain the 24 desired level of resistance. Once set, the equipment can be repositioned by hand whenever and however often the 26 user so wishes. This can be done with the knowledge that 27 whatever position the equipment is left in, it will stay 28 there until further moved. This smooth feel action has 29 the additional benefit of permitting the user to make small and precise adjustments which is particularly 31 useful when setting up projectors. Further tightening of 32 the bolt will effectively lock the ball arm rigid in what 33 ever position it resides in.

2 weight limit: one embodiment will be rated to safely 3 support up to 15Kg but will be tested with a factor of 4 safety of three times this amount.

6 Rotation function: The array of interface brackets 7 available are all fixed to the ball arm using the same 8 mechanical system. The interface brackets only require a 9 plain hole and are screw fixed into the MB threaded end of the ball arm using the specially made square ended 11 Allen screw. Used in conjunction with a spring washer and 12 plain washer this system allows for a good solid fit 13 while rotation of the interface bracket is still 14 permitted. In addition to this a small grub screw on the side of the ball arm is tightened against the fixing 16 screw as it is positioned to coincide with the square 17 portion of the screw. This ensures free unlimited * * 18 rotation of the interface bracket without the risk of it : *. 19 loosening the fixing screw, which can be a common problem *:. 20 with other similar products.

:::; :: Th present invention therefore.allows for 24 * Easy level mounting holes.

* Hook on and of f design.

26 * a11 and ceiling mounted.

27 * Suitable for loudspeakers, LCD screens and 28 projectors.

29 * Rigidly fixed to the wall or ceiling with no annoying play or wobble.

31 * Single untrained person installation.

32 * Can be set up on the table first. Not up a ladder.

33 * Locking screw to prevent instant removal.

1 * Infinite stiffness setting to provide smooth action 2 regardless of differences in equipment weight.

3 * Can be adjusted on the table or in place with 4 readily available spanner.

* Stay put action allows user to position and 6 reposition equipment with no loosening effect again 7 and again.

8 * Allows Small and precise adjustments to be made.

9 * Can be locked off rigid in any possible position.

* Numerous interface brackets available with 11 standardised mounting method.

12 * Free rotation of equipment without any loosening 13 effect. Works independently from the ball arm so 14 rotation is still possible even when the ball arm is locked rigid.

n... 16 * Easily replaceable colour coded covers. Clean 17 stylish aesthetic with all mechanical parts hidden.

: ** 18 * Safe with minimum maintenance required. S...

* 19 * User disassembly restricted by use of security screws. * S..

22 Improvements and modifications may be incorporated herein 23 without deviating from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1 CLAIMS: 3 1. A bracket comprising: 4 surface mounting means, adapted

to be fixedly attached to a surface and further comprising first 6 coupling means; 7 device mounting means having a pivotable device 8 connector the device mounting means being attached to 9 second coupling means; wherein the first and second coupling means are 11 shaped to couple together to releasably connect the 12 surface mounting means to the device mounting means.

14
2. The bracket of Claim 1 wherein the first coupling means comprises a first flange adapted to interlock 16 with a second flange contained on the device mounting * 17 means. ***. * .

: ** 19
3. The bracket of Claim 2 wherein the first flange comprises a first member projecting from the surface 21 mounting means and a second member substantially 22 parallel to the surface mounting means. ** *

* * * 23 * ** 24
4. The bracket of Claim 2 or Claim 3 wherein the second coupling means comprises a second flange adapted to 26 interlock with the first flange of the first coupling 27 means.

29
5. The bracket of Claim 4 wherein at least part of the second flange is spaced from a connecting plate of 31 the device mounting means to create a gap adapted to 32 receive the substantially parallel member of the 33 first flange.

2
6. The bracket of any preceding claim wherein the device 3 mounting means and the surface mounting means are 4 provided with a locking mechanism which allows the surface mounting means and the device mounting means 6 to be locked together.

8
7. The bracket of Claim 6 wherein the locking mechanism 9 comprises a pair o co-operating flanges adapted to receive a locking device.

12
8. The bracket of Claim 6 wherein the locking device is 13 a locking screw.

9. The bracket of Claim 6 wherein the locking device is :. 16 a pin or bolt.

* *.. 17 .... 18 10. The bracket of any preceding claim wherein the device : ** 19 mounting means comprises positioning means for fixing **.

* 20 the pivotable device connector in position. *

22 11. The bracket of any preceding claim wherein the *.* 23 position of the pivotable device connector is 24 controlled by applying friction to the pivotable device connector to vary its freedom of movement.

27 12. The bracket of any preceding claim wherein the 28 pivotable device connector comprises an arm which is 29 connectable to an article.

31 13. The bracket of Claim 12 wherein the arm is coupled to 32 the connector via a screw and thread. i-S

1 14. The bracket of Claim 12 or Claim 13 wherein the 2 pivotable device connector comprises a ball and 3 socket joint contained in a housing.

15. The bracket of Claim 14 wherein the arm extends out 6 from the ball.

8 16. The bracket of Claim 14 or Claim 15 wherein a leading 9 surface of the housing is adapted to abut against the ball such that, if a frictional force is applied 11 between the leading surface of the housing and the 12 ball, movement of the ball in the socket is 13 restricted.

17. The bracket of any of Claims 14 to 16 wherein load is :. 16 applied using a bolt or rod. * *

 18 18. The bracket of Claim 17 wherein the ball is fitted : *. 19 with a load spreading device. **** * 20 **.

-. 21 19. The bracket of Claim 18 wherein the load spreading 22 device is a plate having a larger surface area than ** 23 the bolt or rod that transmits force to the ball.

20. The bracket of Claim 13 wherein the arm is provided 26 with a lock to prevent rotation of the screw.

28 21. The bracket of Claim 20 wherein the lock is a grub 29 screw which extends radially in towards the centre of the ball arm.

1 22. The bracket of any preceding claim wherein the 2 surface mounting means is provided with a cover 3 plate.

23. The bracket of Claim 22 wherein the cover plate is in 6 two halves. * * * *I, * I * .* * ** * . * * *** * S. * I * *** S. 4 * . S * S.