US20090267461A1

US20090267461A1 - Device front panel

Info

Publication number: US20090267461A1
Application number: US12/416,478
Authority: US
Inventors: Jan Salloum; Fawzi Salloum; Maen Saloum; Soheil Salloum
Original assignee: SWEDX AB
Current assignee: SWEDX AB
Priority date: 2008-04-25
Filing date: 2009-04-01
Publication date: 2009-10-29

Abstract

The invention regards an arrangement (10, 30) such as a flat panel TV (12), which has a changeable front panel (14) adapted to a front face (16, 34, 40) of the arrangement (10, 30). The front panel (14) is changeable from the arrangement (10, 30) via magnets (22), Velcro material and notches (60), whereby the front panel (14) is changeable through simple hand grips.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention pertains to an arrangement, which has a changeable front panel adapted to a front face of the arrangement.

BACKGROUND ART

Front panels and front coverings for cupboards, doors, electronic appliances such as home appliances, flat panel TV, computer and their peripherals, and furniture for these are firmly attached to the arrangement they are aimed for. If they are exposed to damage or wear and tear it is difficult and expensive for the lay man to change them. It often requires a man skilled in the art to repair the damages.
Another negative aspect or problem regarding front panels and front cover is that they often are in display year after year until the arrangement that they are assembled to is replaced with a new such. Furthermore, maybe the arrangements are replaced one by one while being obsolete or damaged, which leads to that form and color no longer adheres to a former uniform appearance. As an example, it can be mentioned that a flat panel TV, which peripheral appliances such as a TV bench, loudspeaker, DVD and the like of the same brand and with a matching appearance, when they are damaged and have to be changed, no longer fit with the peripherals regarding appearance.
People are changeable and like to re-furniture their homes from time to time, or to change the appearance of items. Additionally, flats often change owner, which does not have the same taste as the former owner regarding decoration. With this follow costly re-builds and renovations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention regards an arrangement with a changeable front panel in order to solve problems mentioned above and several others. Hereby, the invention provides a front panel, which can be removed and assembled in simple hand grips, respectively, by a lay man.
To provide the present invention it sets forth an arrangement, having a changeable front panel, which is adapted to a front face of the arrangement. The invention thus comprises:
that one face of the front panel is provided with at least one of magnets, metal, Velcro material and notches;
that the front face of the arrangement is provided with at least one of metal, magnets, Velcro material and notches; and
that the magnets adhere to the metal, the Velcro material adhering to the front panel Velcro material and the front face Velcro material, respectively, the notches on the front panel and the front face attaching to each other to form a unit, the front panel is provided changeable through simple hand grips.
One embodiment of the present invention provides that the front panel is somewhat flexible bendable so that the notches are made attachable to each other.
Another embodiment provides that the notches are adapted to attach the front panel sideways by pushing it on to the front face.
A further embodiment provides that a pressure is applied to the front panel bending it, the front panel's faces is placed in the notches and kept in place when the pressure is released.
Still another embodiment provides that the arrangement and the front panel form an outer shell of wooden material. An alternative embodiment provides that the arrangement and the front panel are composed of MDF fiber wood (MDF; Medium Density Fiberboard) or HDF fiber wood (HDF; High Density Fiberboard).
A further embodiment provides that the arrangement and the front panel form an outer shell of wooden material. The front panel's one face facing the front face is composed out of metal, and the front face has magnets embedded in its wooden surface or fiber surface, which attach to the front panels metal when assembled.
Furthermore, one embodiment provides that the Velcro material, which is attached to the front face, is placed in apertures. This provides that it is possible to attach the front panel flush to the front face of the arrangement.
A still further embodiment provides that the arrangement can be a flat panel TV, loudspeaker, DVD, digital set top box, stereo or HI-FI arrangement, radio, video recorder, computer, computer peripherals, electronic business machines or home appliances. Additionally, the arrangement can be furniture in one embodiment.
Yet another embodiment comprises that both the front panel and the front face have magnets attached, whereby the magnets are placed with opposite poles on the front panel and the front face, respectively, and whereby the front panel is directly attaching in the correct position on to the front face without having to adjust the front panel.
Furthermore, one embodiment comprises that the arrangement is a used arrangement (second hand), which is applied a front panel by attaching magnets to the used arrangements front face and to the front panel, whereby the front panel is attached to the used arrangements front face.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Henceforth reference is had to the accompanying drawings in the descriptive text for a better understanding of embodiments and given examples of the present invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a flat panel TV arrangement with a changeable/replaceable front panel according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flat panel TV with a changeable/replaceable front panel in accordance with FIG. 1, with magnets attached to the panel's one face;

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b illustrates one embodiment of a loudspeaker arrangement with a changeable/replaceable front panel in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b illustrates another embodiment of a loudspeaker in accordance with FIGS. 3 a and 3 b;

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b illustrates a further embodiment of a loudspeaker in accordance with FIG. 3 a to 4 b; and

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates one embodiment of how a front panel can be attached in notches according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Henceforth, the present invention will be described more in detail in an embodiment with a flat panel TV such as a LCD TV, Plasma TV and the like, and matching loudspeakers to the TV. If not otherwise reviled by the context, the expression front panel will be utilized as a conception, which includes something that some arrangements posses. For example, arrangements such as DVD, digital set top box, stereo or HI-FI arrangement, radio, video recorder, computer, computer peripherals, electronic business machines such as a fax device, copy device or home appliances, such as refrigerators, freezers, ovens, micro wave ovens, washers, dryers.
Moreover, an arrangement according to the present invention can be furniture, utilized in the context of the mentioned arrangements such as a TV, stereo bench. A bench, cupboard, drawer, door or a table can comprise a front panel, e.g. in the form of cabinet door, side panels and table surfaces. It is recognized by a person skilled in the art that not only recited arrangements can be of interest.
FIG. 1 illustrates an arrangement 10 in the form of a flat panel TV 12 with a removable/changeable front panel 14, which is attached to a front face 16 of the flat panel TV 12, whereby the front panel 14 is easily attached or removed from the front face 16 according to the present invention. The front panel has two faces whereby only one face 18 is depicted in FIG. 1, i.e., the face 18, which is viewable to a viewer when the front panel 14 is attached to make up the arrangement 10.
FIG. 2 illustrates the flat panel TV 12 with a removable/changeable front panel 14 in accordance with FIG. 1, with magnets attached to the panels other face 20, i.e., the face 20 that is attached to the TV front face 16. The magnets 22 are here distributed along the front panel 14 surface, and the front face 16 is of metal, which the magnets 22 adhere to. When the magnets 22 adhere to the metal surface 16, the front panel 14 and 12 make up an arrangement in accordance with the present invention. A person skilled in the art hereby recognizes that the front panel 14 can be easily removed or applied by simple hand grips. The same is recognized if the magnets 22 are replaced by Velcro material (not shown) and Velcro material is applied to the front face 16. So that the front panel 14 then can lay flush to the front face 16, the front panel 14 and/or front face 16 can be equipped with apertures of a suitable depth where the Velcro material is attached. Also, the magnets 22 can be attached in apertures in the front panel 14 or the front face 16, if the front face 16 is constituted of plastic, wood, MDF material, HDF material or other non magnetic material.
Alternatively, the magnets 22 can be attached in drilled holes from the rear of the front face 16 so that they are not visible from the front face (not shown). In one embodiment of the invention, the front panel can be equipped with an overlap surrounding and covering the front face 16, whereby it is unnecessary that the front panel and/or the front face 16 are equipped with apertures to lay flush, because the overlap conceals the magnets 22 and the Velcro material.
In yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention both the front panel 14 and the front face 16 can have magnets 22 attached, whereby the magnets 22 are positioned with opposite poles towards each other, i.e., the magnets on the front face 16 are positioned so that the magnetic north pole faces the front panel 14 magnets 22, and the front panels magnets 22 are positioned so that the magnetic south pole faces the front face 16 magnets 22, or vice versa. Hence, the opposite magnetic poles will attract each other, and the front panel 22 thus attaches to the front face 16 when assembled. This is preferable because the front panel 14 immediately attaches in its correct position to the front face 16 without any adjustment to the front panel 14. This embodiment is also applicable to the other embodiments of the present invention, further described below.
In FIGS. 3 a and 3 b one embodiment of a loudspeaker arrangement 30 is illustrated with a removable/changeable front panel 14 in accordance with the present invention, which preferably matches the flat panel TV arrangement 10 in color and design. FIG. 3 a shows the front panels 14 face 38, which is to be attached to the loudspeakers 32 front face 34, whereby the loudspeakers 32 front face is covered with metal against which the magnets 22 shall adhere when attaching the front panel 14 to form the loudspeaker 30, which is depicted in FIG. 3 b, where the front panels other face 36 now is visible, when viewing the loudspeaker arrangement 30.
FIGS. 4 a and 4 b illustrate another embodiment of a loudspeaker arrangement 32, in accordance with 3 a and 3 b. Here, the loudspeaker 32 has a front face 40 of for instance MDF material or HDF material, which magnets not adhere to, why metal pieces 42 have been attached to the front face 42 reassembling the positions of the magnets 22 of the front panel 14, whereby the front panel is attached to form a loudspeaker arrangement 30 in accordance with FIGS. 3 b and 4 b. In a similar fashion as for the flat panel TV arrangement 10, Velcro material and apertures can be utilized to attach these, and also for magnets 22.
FIGS. 5 b and 5 a illustrate a further embodiment of a loudspeaker arrangement 30 in accordance with FIG. 3 a to FIG. 4 b. The only difference in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b to the embodiment in FIG. 4 a and FIG. 4 b is that the magnets 22 have been attached to the loudspeakers 32 front face 40, and the metal pieces 42 to the front panel 14. The loudspeaker arrangement 30 is depicted as fully assembled in FIG. 5 b. Also, as for the flat panel TV 12 front face 16; the magnets 22 can be attached in drilled holes to the rear face of the loudspeakers 32 front face 40.
In FIG. 6 an embodiment is schematically illustrated out of many of how a front panel 14 can be attached to notches 60 to a front face 40 of an arrangement 10, 30, in accordance with the present invention. The front panel in FIG. 6 has been exposed to a bending or a pressure so that its short edges are close to the notches 60. When the front panel 14 is released from bending or pressure it resumes an even form, and the short edges fasten in the notches 60 of the front face 40. A person skilled in the art recognizes that notches can be positioned in many different ways on the front face 40, and also in the front panel, which for instance can be beveled to simplify its attachment, or so that the front face 40 and the front panel 14 form a combined surface in one plane.
In one embodiment of the present invention used arrangements 10, 32, or second hand arrangements can be provided a front panel 14 with attached magnets 22 by for instance attaching magnets 22 on to the front face 16. The magnets are then positioned with opposite poles directed towards each other on the front panel 14 and front face 16, respectively, as taught above.
It is the wording of the attached claims that define the protection conferred to a person skilled in the art beyond herein described embodiments and given examples of the present invention.

Claims

1. Arrangement, having a changeable front panel, which is adapted to a front face of the arrangement, comprising:

that one face of said front panel, being provided with at least one of magnets, metal, Velcro material and notches;

that said front face of said arrangement, being provided with at least one of metal, magnets, Velcro material and notches; and

that said magnets adhere to said metal or magnets, said Velcro material adhering to said front panel Velcro material and said front face Velcro material, respectively, said notches on said front panel and said front face attach to each other to form a unit, said front panel being provided changeable through simple hand grips.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said front panel is somewhat flexible bendable so that said notches are made attachable to each other.

3. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said notches are adapted to attach said front panel sideways by pushing it on to said front face.

4. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a pressure is applied to said front panel bending it, said front panels faces being placed in said notches and kept in place when said pressure is released.

5. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein it and said front panel form an outer shell of wooden material.

6. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein it and said front panel are composed of MDF fiber wood or HDF fiber wood.

7. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein it and said front panel form an outer shell of wooden material, said front panels one face facing said front face being composed out of metal, said front face having magnets embedded in its wooden surface or fiber surface, which attach to said front panels metal when assembled.

8. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said Velcro material, which is attached to said front face is placed in apertures, providing it being possible to adhere said front panel flush to said front face of said arrangement.

9. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein it is a flat panel TV, loudspeaker, DVD, digital set top box, stereo or HI-FI arrangement, radio, video recorder, computer, computer peripherals, electronic business machines or home appliances.

10. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein it is furniture.

11. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein both said front panel and said front face have magnets attached, whereby said magnets are placed with opposite poles on the front panel and the front face, respectively, and whereby said front panel is directly attaching in the correct position on to the front face.

12. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said arrangement is a used arrangement, which is applied a front panel by attaching magnets to said used arrangements front face and to the front panel, whereby said front panel is attached to said used arrangements front face.