WO2002063920A2 - Connecting device for audio-video systems - Google Patents

Abstract

A connecting device (11) for audio-video systems comprising a main body (20), apt to house one or more electric cables (10; 26) for connecting respective components (2, 3, 4, 5) of said audio-video system, and rewinding means (21) of said electric cables (10) located inside said main body (20).

Description

CO ECTING DEVICE FOR AUDIO-VIDEO SYSTEMS DESCRIPTION The present invention refers to a connecting device for audio-video systems. An audio-video system, even one of household type, can be implemented with a high number of components. In fact, such a basic system provides, e.g., a TV set, a DVD reader, a multichannel audio amplifier and a set of loudspeakers . Of course, such system can be expanded by means of further apparatuses like, e.g., a videotape recorder (VCR) and/or a satellite decoder, a videoprojector, etc. The component parts of the system should all be connected thereamong so as to interact in a foreseeable way, thereby providing the desirable result .

In these cases, one of the direst difficulties lies in connecting all the loudspeakers provided. This difficulty essentially ensues from the fact that usually several loudspeakers are employed, requiring an accurate positioning inside the premises used, as any one thereof carries out a special function and should provide special sound effects.

This entails the need to prearrange several electric cables carrying the signal from the system to the suitably positioned loudspeakers.

Usually, a standard house is not designed for the inconspicuous laying of several cables along its walls. Hence, in order to carry out this step, masonry, in order to lay the cables inside the walls, or dedicated supporting members, to be fixed to the latter and inside which to lay the required cables, would be required. However, both solutions entail several drawbacks. The former solution, i.e. that foreseeing masonry for the laying of the cables, is not easy to implement as it foresees the intervention of skilled workers. Above all, it entails the disadvantage of being not very flexible and uneconomical, as any modification to the system entails a corresponding new masonry.

Also the latter solution entails remarkable drawbacks. In fact, besides being not very flexible, it surely is aesthetically lacking, above all in light of the fact that these systems are usually implemented inside living rooms or other household premises, which are not dedicated to this purpose only.

Moreover, it should be taken into account that often these cables, having to transmit high power and to provide hi-fi acoustics, are quite thick, further complicating any attempt to definitively conceal them. The art is also aware of wireless systems for transmitting audio-video, radiofrequency (RF) or infrared signals, which however are useless in systems of the abovedescribed type, as they cannot transmit high powers to the loudspeakers and do not attain the maximum qualitative levels attained instead by the use of cables. Object of the present invention is to solve the abovecited problems of the known art providing a connecting device for audio-video systems characterized in that it comprises a main body, apt to house one or more cables for connecting respective components of said audio-video system. The main advantage of the device according to the present invention lies in that it enables to simply connect the components of an audio-video system, and in particular the loudspeakers, with no need of any masonry or intervention. In fact, the device according to the present invention does not foresee a required fixed positioning of the connecting cables of the loudspeakers. A second advantage lies in that the device according to the present invention is particularly flexible, i.e., it enables an user to expand and/or modify an audio/video system easily and without any problem. A third advantage lies in that the device according to the present invention facilitates the access to the connectors of the system component, in particular to those traditionally not readily accessible, being located at the rear portion thereof.

A fourth advantage lies in that, using the device according to the present invention, cables of a desirable thickness may be used, with no need to worry about the bulkiness thereof. A further advantage lies in that the use of the device according to the present invention enables to connect the loudspeakers by cables of minimal length, wholly to the advantage of the sound quality, which, as it is well known, deteriorates proportionally to the length of the cable used.

Another further advantage lies in that using the device according to the present invention there is no need to always keep the loudspeakers in a position appropriate to the listening, as those can easily be connected at the moment of use, thereby allowing tidier premises to be kept .

Further advantages, features and operation modes will be made apparent in the following detailed description of the invention, provided by means of preferred embodiments thereof, given as a non-limiting example, with reference to the figures of the annexed drawings, wherein: figure 1 is a perspective view of premises wherein an audio-video system is installed; figure 2 is a perspective view of premises wherein an audio-video system comprising a first embodiment of the device according to the present invention is installed; figure 3 is a perspective view of premises wherein an audio-video system comprising a second embodiment of the device according to the present invention is installed; figure 4 is a first partially exploded perspective view of the connecting device of figure 3 ; figures 5A and 5B are two sectional views taken along line A-A of figure 4, showing a cable fastening device; and figure 6 is a second perspective view of the connecting device of figure 3. Figure 1 shows an example of an audio-video system commonly adopted for household use. The system comprises a TV set 1 and one or more apparatuses, like, e.g., a DVD reader 2, a VCR 3, a satellite decoder 4 and a multichannel audio amplifier 5.

Moreover, a plurality of hi-fi loudspeakers is connected to the audio amplifier 5 in order to provide special sound effects. In particular, a first pair of front loudspeakers 6, a second pair of rear loudspeakers 7, a central loudspeaker 8 and a low-frequency loudspeaker (subwoofer) 9 are provided.

Of course, other loudspeakers could be provided in order to obtain further special effects. All the loudspeakers are connected to the audio amplifier 5 by a plurality of bipolar-type cables 10, the household positioning thereof entailing the hereto-described problems . For simplicity's sake, in the figure the system is shown according to a single-wire diagram.

Next, figure 2 shows an audio-video system comprising, besides the abovedescribed components, a connecting device 11 according to the present invention, always represented according to a single-wire diagram. For simplicity's sake, likewise parts will be referred to with likewise numbers, and will not further be detailed. The device 11 is located near to the TV set 1 and it is connected, according to modes known to those skilled in the art, to the apparatuses 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the system in the figure .

In particular, rather than to the amplifier 5 the loudspeakers are connected to the device 11, which is capable of housing all the required cables 10. When the system is in operation, e.g. for seeing a movie, the cables 10 can be pulled out from the device 11 and be individually connected to the related loudspeaker, e.g. by RCA-type connectors. Advantageously, the cables 10 can be formed so as to have a semicircle-shaped section. Thus, each cable can safely be ground-laid preventing stumbling thereon.

At quiescent system, the cables 10 can be put back inside the main body 20 of the device 11, so as not to be in the way inside the premises.

Next, figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the device 11 according to the present invention.

For simplicity's sake, likewise parts will be referred to with likewise numbers, and will not further be detailed.

According to such second embodiment, the device 11 provides a pair of side supporting members 12, each of such members being apt to support one of the loudspeakers, e.g. one of the front loudspeakers 6. Advantageously, these supporting members 12 are detachable from the main body 20 of the device 11, so as to position the loudspeakers 6 at will .

In some cases, in order to attain special acoustic effects (surround, etc.), a further pair of loudspeakers 6 , to be specifically positioned according to the desirable effect, could be added.

Advantageously, some of the loudspeakers, in particular the rear ones, can be mounted on telescopic supports so as to be positioned at a preset height. With reference to figure 4, a first partially exploded perspective view of the connecting device 11 according to the second embodiment disclosed is shown.

In the main body 20 of the device 11, rewinding means 21, e.g., automatic rewinders such as to allow the rewinding of the unused electric cables inside of the device 11, are provided.

The electric cables 10 are outletted from one or more openings, e.g. a front opening 22 formed onto the front face of the device 11. Advantageously, means 23 for closing, e.g. a closeable door, apt to entirely cover the opening 22, are provided.

Of course, the cables 10 should be provided in number and sizes suitable to the type of system to be set up, and each thereof will be provided with special connectors 25, e.g., plugs, for the connection to the corresponding loudspeaker. Of course, the device according to the present invention can also be used for connecting components other than the loudspeakers, e.g. a videoprojector, a camcorder, a videogame terminal, etc., to the system. In these cases, special cables for the transmission of audio-video signals or also for the power supply of the apparatuses should of course be provided.

Each of the electric cables 10 is woμnd on one of the rewinders 21, which in turn is electrically connected to a corresponding electric cable 26 which, by a connector 27, could be connected, e.g., to the audio amplifier of the system.

Advantageously, the rewinders 21 are of an automatic type, i.e., when the cable is unwound a fastening device intervenes, e.g. for each linear meter of the cable, in order to prevent an immediate rewinding thereof, which occurs solely due to a user's manual unfastening of the related rewinder.

Alternatively, cable fastening means could be provided. Next, figures 5A and 5B are two sectional views of the device in figure 4 taken along line A-A which show an embodiment of such fastening means. In particular, a pair of members 30 connected therebetween by an elastic member 31 is provided at each of the holes formed for the laying of the cables 10. Figure 5A shows the members 30 in a fastening position. In such position the members 30 exert a force onto the cable 10, preventing it, under the action of the rewinder, from sliding inside the raceway provided. However, a user, it being free to slide in the direction of the arrow FI, can manually pull out the cable.

When a user acts onto the members 30, shifting them in the direction of the arrows F2 , the former free the cable 10 allowing the sliding thereof in the direction of the arrow F3 , under the action of the corresponding automatic rewinder .

Next, figure 6 shows the device of figure 4, with the supporting members 12 spaced from the main body 20 of the device 11.

Advantageously, the supporting members 12 are placed on wheeled trolleys 40, so as to easily be shifted with respect to the main body 20 of the device 11. Advantageously, a motorized system, not shown in figure and apt to move said trolleys 40, can be provided. Such motorized system may optionally be driven by a remote control in order to shift said members 12 inside the premises . The present invention has hereto been described according to preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example and not for limitative purposes.

It is understood that other embodiments of the invention could be provided, all however to be construed as encumpassed by the protective scope thereof, as defined by the appended claims .

Claims

1. A connecting device (11) for audio-video systems characterized in that it comprises a main body (20) , apt to house one or more electric cables (10; 26) for connecting respective components (2, 3, 4, 5) of said audio-video system.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising rewinding means (21) of said one or more electric cables

(10) , said rewinding means being located inside said main body (20) .

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said rewinding means comprises fastening means (30, 31) which can be driven by a user, apt to prevent the complete rewinding of said one or more electric cables (10) .

4. The device according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein said rewinding means comprises one or more automatic rewinders (21) .

5. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said main body (20) has one or more openings (22) for outletting said electric cables (10) .

6. The device according to claim 5, further comprising means (23) for closing said one or more openings (22) .

7. Device according to claim 6, wherein said means for closing said one or more openings (22) comprises a closeable door (23) .

8. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more detachable supporting members (12) , each thereof being apt to support a loudspeaker (6) .

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein each of said supporting members (12) is placed on a wheeled trolley (40) .

10. The device according to claim 9, comprising a motorized system apt to shift said trolley (40) .

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein said motorized system is apt to be driven by means of a remote control .

12. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said one or more electric cables (10) has a semicircle-shaped section.