GB2464828A

GB2464828A - Decorative television fascia

Info

Publication number: GB2464828A
Application number: GB0918931A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Daniel Stephen Loftus
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-10-29
Filing date: 2009-10-28
Publication date: 2010-05-05
Also published as: GB0918931D0; GB0819813D0

Abstract

A cover for decoratively concealing from view the front casing 2 of a television 1, comprising a fascia 7 configured to closely fit with the front surface and lateral surfaces of the casing, and attachments means to fix the fascia to the casing. The fascia may be a rigid shell that covers the surfaces of the TV surround that are visible when viewed from a direction suitable for TV viewing. The fascia may attach using removable double-sided adhesive pads. Apertures 8,9, 10, meshes or grilles 15 aligned with speakers 4, infrared receivers 6, control buttons 5 or sockets may be provided in the fascia. A method of vacuum forming the fascia using a thermoplastic is also disclosed. The cover is for users who wish to customise their TV's casing to blend in with the decor of a room, or to apply a distinguishing colour or pattern for added visual interest.

Description

I

DECORATIVE TELEVISION SURROUND

This invention relates to television sets, and more particularly to frames therefor. The invention also relates to a method of producing such frames.

Television sets generally have external casing which is plain in appearance and is coloured black or grey. Televisions are often conspicuously placed as focal centrepieces of a room, especially wall-mounted plasma screen and LCD televisions.

Since the front casing surrounding the television screen is permanently displayed, the consumer may wish to customise its visual appearance. For instance, the consumer may wish to alter the colour of their television's front casing so that it blends more discreetly with the decor of the room, or to apply a distinguishing colour or pattern to the front casing for added visual interest.

Decorative frames are available which may be attached to the front casing of a television set. These generally have a considerably greater breadth than the television set and therefore decrease the apparent size of the screen relative to the apparent size of the television. It may be desired to clad the front casing of the television in a decorative fascia which does not significantly change the apparent size and shape of the television or its front casing.

In general sense, the present invention aims to provide an improved means of customising a television set.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a cover for decoratively concealing from view the front casing of a television, including: a fascia configured to fit in close conformity with the front surface and outermost lateral surfaces of said casing; and attachment means for affixing said fascia to said casing.

Preferably, said fascia is a substantially rigid shell configured to substantially cover, and to fit closely over, the surfaces of said front casing that are visible when viewed from a direction suitable for viewing the screen of said television.

Advantageously, said fascia has a substantially perpendicular upstand at its outer edge, said upstand being configured to project rearwardly around, and to approximately conform to, the outer perimeter of said front casing.

Advantageously, said fascia has a substantially perpendicular upstand at its inner edge, said upstand being configured to project rearwardly around, and to approximately conform to, the inner perimeter of the front casing.

Conveniently, said attachment means includes a plurality of removable double-sided adhesive pads.

Preferably, one or more of said adhesive pads is located between a substantially upward-facing surface of said casing and an adjacent portion of said rearward-projecting upstand of said fascia, said one or more of said adhesive pads upwardly spacing said upstand from said upward-facing surface.

Advantageously, said fascia is composed of a plastic suitable for thermoforming.

If said television has speakers, apertures may be provided through said fascia adjacent to said speakers.

If said television has an infrared receiver, an aperture in alignment with said receiver may be provided through said fascia.

If said television has a pushbutton, an aperture in alignment with said pushbutton may be provided through said fascia.

If said front casing has a socket, an aperture in alignment with said socket may be provided through said fascia.

The fascia may be attached using six adhesive pads, of which two pads are located on top of the front casing to act as spacers for aligning the fascia correctly and the other four pads hold the fascia in place.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a television having a cover substantially as described above.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of forming a fascia for concealing from view the front casing of a television, the method including vacuum forming a thermoplastic sheet over a mould, wherein the mould substantially replicates the external shape of said front casing; and wherein said fascia is a substantially rigid shell configured to substantially cover, and to fit closely over, the surfaces of said front casing that are visible when viewed from a direction suitable for viewing the screen of said television.

Advantageously, the method further comprises drilling or machining one or more apertures through said fascia, said one or more apertures being arranged to align with features of the television such as speakers, infrared receivers, pushbuttons andlor sockets.

Conveniently, the method further comprises the application of removable double-sided self-adhesive pads by which said fascia may be affixed to the front casing of a television.

Preferred features of embodiments of the invention will now be described purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective drawing showing a television set and an example of a decorative fascia; Figure 2 is a perspective drawing showing the television set of Figure 1 with the same example decorative fascia attached thereto; Figure 3 is a perspective drawing showing a further example of a decorative fascia; Figure 4 is a perspective drawing showing the decorative fascia of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 5 is a detail showing an example attachment means for attaching a decorative fascia to a television set.

With reference to Figure 1, a television set (1) is shown which may be, for example, a plasma screen or LCD screen television, which may preferably be suitable for wall mounting. The television (2) has a front casing (2) which frames the screen (3). The television may have one or more audio speakers (4), one or more control buttons (5), and an infrared receiver (6) set into the front casing (2). A decorative fascia (7) is shown which is designed to substantially conceal some or, preferably, substantially all of the front casing (2) of the television. The fascia (7) has a plurality of apertures (8, 9, 10) which are substantially aligned with one, some or all of the speakers (4), control buttons (5) and infrared receiver (6), respectively. The external dimensions of the fascia (7) are preferably only slightly greater than those of the front casing (2) of the television, so that it fits closely over the casing. It may be secured in place, e.g. by a close fit or press-fit between the fascia (7) and television casing, or there may be some separate form of attachment means such as adhesive pads or a clip-on mechanism.

In Figure 2, the decorative fascia (7) is attached to the television set (1), substantially concealing its front casing (2). The fascia (7) may have an upstand (11) projecting substantially rearwardly from its outermost edges (12), so as to substantially conceal the lateral surfaces of the television front casing. The upstand shown (11) projects along the entire outer perimeter (12) of the fascia, so as to fully conceal from view the side, top and bottom surfaces of the front casing, when viewed from any angle suitable for viewing the television screen. Alternatively, a narrower upstand may only partially conceal these outer surfaces of the front casing. Alternatively, the upstand may extend along a portion of the outer perimeter of the fascia, so as to conceal some of or parts of the side, top and bottom surfaces of the front casing. This may be preferable, for example, to provide clearance for a feature such as a protruding rim along an upper or lower edge of the television front casing or a vent or other feature on a top, bottom or side face of the front casing.

ln a first embodiment, illustrated in Figure 3, the decorative fascia (7) has an upstand (11) projecting substantially rearwardly from its outer perimeter (12) and an inner upstand (13) projecting substantially rearwardly from its inner perimeter (14). The inner upstand (13) substantially conceals the inner edges of the front casing (2) that abut the television screen (3), so that the fascia abuts or almost abuts the screen.

Preferably, the fascia has an aperture (10) cut to substantially align with an infrared receiver (6) on the television front casing (2). Preferably, a further aperture (8) is cut through the fascia in substantial alignment with a speaker or speakers (4) set into the television front casing (2). Alternatively, a separate aperture may be cut in alignment with each respective speaker, or an array of smaller apertures such as slots or round holes may be provided in proximity to each speaker.

In a second embodiment, illustrated in Figure 4, an aperture or apertures (8) through the fascia, in alignment with the television speaker or speakers (4), is/are visually concealed by one or more mesh or grille (15) which does not significantly obstruct the audio sound projected by the speakers. Preferably, an aperture (6) provided in alignment with the infrared receiver is closed by a panel (16) made of a material that is substantially transmissive of infrared light. Preferably, a further aperture or further apertures (9) is/are provided through the fascia to accommodate pushbuttons (5) that are set into the television front casing (2).

A decorative facia (7) as described above may preferably be fabricated via a thermo-forming process such as vacuum forming over a mould that substantially matches the shape of the television front casing (2). A feature of the invention is the close conformity between the fascia and front casing, so it is envisaged that different models of television set are each provided with a corresponding design of fascia, where the fascia is vacuum formed over a mould substantially matched to the specific front casing design of that particular model of television.

One or more apertuTes (8, 9, 10) may be formed through the fascia by means such as drilling or machining, or by any other means that would be apparent to the skilled person. Suitable sizes, shapes and locations for these apertures will be specific to each model of television set, being dependent on the locations of their respective features such as speakers (4), pushbuttons (5), audio sockets and infrared receivers (6).

Attachment means for securing the fascia to the television set may be provided.

Suitable means may include, for example, adhesive means, high friction means, a clip-on arrangement, or any other type of fixation that would be apparent to the skilled person.

An array of removable double-sided self-adhesive pads may be adhered to the rear surface of the fascia that opposes the front surface of the television front casing. For example, four such self-adhesive pads may be applied in a substantially symmetrical array.

Alternatively, self-adhesive pads may be applied to the inner face of the outer upstand, so as to be in opposition to the top, bottom and/or side faces of the television front casing. This could be used to achieve a spacing effect, so that the fascia is substantially correctly centred relative to the television screen. These self-adhesive pads may be double-sided, or may be single-sided so as to adhere to the fascia but not the television.

In a preferred embodiment, a detail of which is illustrated in Figure 5, an array of four removable double-sided self-adhesive pads (17) are applied to the surface (18) of the fascia (7) that opposes the front surface of the television front casing (2), to hold the fascia in place, and two removable self-adhesive pads (19) are applied to the lower surface (20) of the upstand (11) that runs along the top edge of the fascia (7), to space the fascia from the television front casing so as to ensure that it is substantially correctly centred relative to the television screen.

The embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to restrict the invention to specific combinations of features. In particular, the features desctibed above may be combined interchangeably in a manner apparent to the practitioner skilled in the art.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A cover for decoratively concealing from view the front casing of a television, including: a fascia configured to fit in close conformity with the front surface and outermost lateral surfaces of said casing; and attachment means for affixing said fascia to said casing.
2. A cover according to claim 1, wherein said fascia is a substantially rigid shell configured to substantiafly cover, and to fit closely over, the surfaces of said front casing that are visible when viewed from a direction suitable for viewing the screen of said television.
3. A cover according to claim I or 2, wherein said fascia has a substantially perpendicular upstand at its outer edge, said upstand being configured to project substantially rearwardly around, and to approximately conform to, the outer perimeter of said front casing.
4. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein said fascia has a substantially perpendicular upstand at its inner edge, said upstand being configured to project substantially rearwardly around, and to approximately conform to, the inner perimeter of the front casing.
5. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein said attachment means includes a plurality of removable double-sided adhesive pads.
6. A cover according to claim 5, wherein one or more of said adhesive pads is located between a substantially upward-facing surface of said casing and an adjacent portion of said rearward-projecting upstand of said fascia, said one or more of said adhesive pads upwardly spacing said upstand from said upward-facing surface.
7. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein said fascia is composed of a plastic suitable for thermoforming.
8. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein said television has speakers, and wherein apertures are provided through said fascia adjacent to said speakers.
9. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein said television has an infrared receiver, and wherein an aperture in alignment with said receiver is provided through said fascia.
10. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein said television has a pushbutton, and wherein an aperture in alignment with said pushbutton is provided through said fascia.
11. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein said front casing has a socket, and wherein an aperture in alignment with said socket is provided through said fascia.
12. A cover according to any preceding claim, wherein said fascia is attached using six adhesive pads, of which two pads are located on top of the front casing to act as spacers for aligning the fascia correctly and the other four pads hold the fascia in place.
13. A television having a cover according to any preceding claim.
14. A method of forming a fascia for concealing from view the front casing of a television, the method including vacuum forming a thermoplastic sheet over a mould, wherein the mould substantially replicates the external shape of said front casing; and wherein said fascia is a substantially rigid shell configured to substantially cover, and to fit closely over, the surfaces of said front casing that are visible when viewed from a direction suitable for viewing the screen of said television.
15. A method of forming a fascia according to claim 14, the method further comprising drilling or machining one or more apertures through said fascia, said one or more apertures being arranged to align with features of the television such as speakers, infrared receivers, pushbuttons and/or sockets.
16. A method of forming a fascia according to claim 14 or 15, the method further comprising the application of removable double-sided self-adhesive pads by which said fascia may be affixed to the front casing of a television.
17. A cover for decoratively concealing from view the front casing of a television substantially as herein described or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
18. A method of forming a fascia for concealing from view the front casing of a television substantially as herein described or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.