KR20070021165A - Interlocking Hinge Mount - Google Patents

Abstract

A hinge is disclosed for mounting a projection display screen to a cabinet from the front of the screen. The cabinet hinge is attached to the cabinet and the screen hinge is attached to the screen frame on which the screen is mounted. Both cabinet hinges and screen hinges are elongated reinforcing members, one of the cabinet hinges and one of the screen hinges has an arcuate slot extending along the extension dimension, and the other of the cabinet and screen hinges along the extension dimension. It has an extending arcuate protrusion, where the arcuate protrusion is pivotally interlockable with the arcuate slot.

Projection display screens, cabinets, hinges, frames, arched slots, pivots

Description

Interlocking hinge mounts {INTERLOCKING HINGE MOUNT}

This application claims priority to US Provisional Application No. 60 / 556,922, filed March 26, 2004, entitled "Interlocking Hinge Mount for top of Screen Frame of a Projection Display," which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Is used as a reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to projection displays, and more particularly to frames for projection display screens.

Projection display televisions have been widely used. These projection display television cabinets are generally made of plastic. A common problem with projection display televisions is that the top edge of the screen must be kept straight and in the proper position. Plastic cabinets have good aesthetics but tend to bend along the top edge, degrading the ability to keep the top edge of the screen straight and in place. This is a more serious problem on projection display televisions employing up-angle optics because the television requires a more accurate screen position with respect to the optics.

Existing methods used to maintain the upper edge of the screen include a screw from behind the set that is driven by a boss in the screen frame. However, problems arise in the access of the screw if the set is hung on the wall. Another prior art uses metal brackets or wooden blocks along the upper edge of the cabinet that allow the screen frame to be locked in place or swing down. However, these mounting systems depend on the straightness and robustness of the foundation cabinet to keep the top edge of the screen straight in place. These blocks or brackets are intermittent and do not hold the screen along its entire length, which may cause some relief to the upper edge of the screen frame.

The present invention provides a hinge for mounting a projection display screen to a cabinet from the front of the screen. The cabinet hinge is attached to the cabinet and the screen hinge is attached to the screen frame on which the screen is mounted. Both cabinet and screen hinges are elongated reinforcing members, one of the cabinet hinges and one of the screen hinges has an arcuate slot extending along the elongation dimension, and the other of the cabinet hinges and the screen hinge extends along the elongation dimension. Wherein the arcuate protrusion is pivotally interlockable with the arcuate slot.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1A is a front view of a projection display television expected in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is an expected rear view of the projection display television of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A is a rear partial perspective view of the projection display television of FIGS. 1A and 1B, illustrating a hinge assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the hinge of the assembly of FIG. 2A, showing a frame hinge and a screen hinge. FIG.

3A is a partial view of the frame hinge of FIG. 2B.

3B is a cross-sectional view of the screen hinge of FIG. 2B.

3C is a cross-sectional view of the hinge assembly of FIG. 2A.

The present invention shown in FIGS. 1A-3C provides an extruded metal hinge mechanism that keeps the top of the projection display television screen straight and allows the screen assembly to be removed from the front without using screws from the back.

Illustrative projection display televisions are shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The screen 10 is mounted to the screen frame 12, and the screen 10 and the screen frame 12 are mounted to the cabinet. As best shown in FIG. 2A, the screen frame 12 is mounted to the cabinet 20 by a hinge assembly 30. The hinge assembly 30 includes a cabinet hinge 40 and a screen hinge 50 as shown in FIG. 2B. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet hinge 40 and the screen hinge 50, which operate in concert as a stiffener with respect to the screen frame 12 and the cabinet 20, are aluminum extrusions. Aluminum molded articles provide good dimensional stability and robustness and are not expensive to manufacture.

As shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, the cabinet hinge 40 and the screen hinge 50 also have hinge details that allow the screen frame to be easily removed from the front of the set without having to remove the screw from behind the television. To be adopted. The cabinet hinge 40 has an anchor portion 41 attached to the cabinet 20 and a corresponding stop portion 54 (shown in FIG. 3C) when the screen 10 is pivoted in an operating position with respect to the cabinet 20. The next stop portion 44 and the hinge portion 42 are included. In an exemplary embodiment, the anchor portion 41 is mated with the protrusions and / or recesses of the cabinet 20 to be forced into the cabinet 20. Hinge 42 is an arcuate slot in the illustrated embodiment. The cabinet hinge 40 and the hinge portion 42 reinforce the entire upper edge of the cabinet 20 while basically extending the entire upper edge of the cabinet 20 to the length in the elongation direction (ie, the full width of the cabinet 20). Extend.

The screen hinge 50 includes: an anchor portion 51 attached to the screen frame 12, a stop portion that is next to the corresponding stop portion 44 when the screen 10 is pivoted to the operating position with respect to the cabinet 20. 54, and a hinge portion 52. In an exemplary embodiment, the anchor portion 51 is mated with the protrusions and / or recesses of the screen frame 12 to be forced into the screen frame 12. The hinge portion 52 is arcuate protruding in the embodiment shown. The screen hinge 50 and the hinge portion 52 reinforce the entire upper edge of the screen frame 12 and keep the upper edge of the screen 10 straight and in a proper position, essentially extending the length in the stretching direction (ie, the screen). The entire width of the frame 12).

In an exemplary embodiment, cabinet hinge 40 and screen hinge 50 are continuous integrated members. Because of its continuity, the cabinet and screen hinges 40 and 50 keep the upper edge of the screen 10 and the screen frame 12 straight. Optionally, the cabinet and screen hinges 40 and 50 have constant intersections along the elongation dimensions, thereby making it possible to extrude them relatively easily and at low cost.

The cabinet may be plastic, as is typical for projection display televisions. When the hinges 40, 50 are mounted in plastic cabinets, these hinges in extrusion form form a low profile, structural member along the upper edge of the cabinet 20. This structural member may be connected to other structural members of the cabinet 20 to help maintain the critical position of the screen frame 12. In addition to being very low in manufacturing, aluminum extrusions tend to be inherent straightness and robust and stable compared to other parts, such as plastic extrusions formed from sheet metal, wood, or cast plastic.

The screen 10 and the screen frame 12 are held in the first half of the screen, and the screen hinge 50 attached to the screen frame has an arcuate protrusion (hinge 52 of the illustrated embodiment) with an arcuate slot (of the illustrated embodiment). It is interlocked with the cabinet hinge 40 by inserting it into the hinge portion 42 and pivoting the screen 10 and the screen frame.

In addition, because the extrudate is linear, it is relatively inexpensive to employ " light stop " details that reduce the deleterious effects of stray light in cabinet 20. For example, the anchor members 41 and 51 extend through each of the cabinet 20 and the screen frame 12, respectively, to prevent light from being incident at the junction of the hinge, cabinet and screen frame. Moreover, the continuous arcuate protrusions 52 in the continuous arcuate slots 42 prevent light from entering the cabinet 20 through the hinges 40, 50.

The following stops 44, 54 provide: both mechanical support for the screen frame 12 and the screen 10 by the cabinet 20, and vertical alignment of the screen 10.

The foregoing description illustrates several possibilities for practicing the present invention. Many other embodiments are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while the exemplary embodiment provides an arcuate protrusion on the screen hinge and an arcuate slot in the cabinet hinge, the arcuate protrusion and arcuate slot are reversed so that the arcuate protrusion is on the cabinet hinge and the arcuate slot is on the screen hinge. May be provided. This basic hinge concept is also applicable to sheet metal parts fabricated on roll forming sheet metal or progressive dies. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting to the invention, and furthermore, the scope of the invention is to be given by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents thereof.

Claims (12)

As a hinge for mounting the projection display screen to the cabinet from the front of the screen, A cabinet hinge attached to the cabinet; And A screen hinge attached to a screen frame on which the screen is mounted; Both the cabinet hinge and the screen hinge are elongated reinforcing members, one of the cabinet hinge and one of the screen hinges has an arcuate slot extending along an elongation dimension, and the other of the cabinet hinge and the screen hinge is extended. Having an arcuate protrusion extending along the dimension and pivotally interlocking with the arcuate slot Hinge. The method of claim 1, The cabinet hinge and the screen hinge are continuous hinges. The method of claim 2, The cabinet hinge and the screen hinge have a constant intersection along the elongation dimension. The method of claim 1, The cabinet hinge and the screen hinge are extrusion molded articles. The method of claim 1, The cabinet hinge and the screen hinge are formed of aluminum. The method of claim 1, And the cabinet hinge and the screen hinge extend essentially parallel to the elongation direction and have stops that abut each other when the screen is hingedly mounted to the cabinet. As a projection display, Cabinet; A screen mounted within the screen frame; And A hinge assembly having a cabinet hinge attached to the cabinet and a screen hinge attached to the screen frame, wherein both the cabinet hinge and the screen hinge are elongated reinforcing members, and one of the cabinet hinge and the screen hinge is extended An arcuate slot extending along the dimension and the other of the cabinet hinge and the screen hinge has an arcuate protrusion pivotally disposed in the arcuate slot- Projection display comprising a. The method of claim 7, wherein The cabinet hinge and the screen hinge are continuous projection displays. The method of claim 8, The cabinet hinge and the screen hinge have a constant intersection along the elongation dimension. The method of claim 7, wherein And the cabinet hinge and the screen hinge are extrusion molded articles. The method of claim 7, wherein And the cabinet hinge and the screen hinge are formed of aluminum. The method of claim 7, wherein And the cabinet hinge and the screen hinge extend essentially parallel to the elongation direction and have stops that fit each other when the screen is hingedly mounted to the cabinet.

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