WO2007137905A1

WO2007137905A1 - Flat-screen monitor support

Info

Publication number: WO2007137905A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/053645
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alex Lau; Andrew Wills; Seiyo Ezure
Original assignee: Colebrook Bosson Saunders Products Limited
Priority date: 2006-05-31
Filing date: 2007-04-13
Publication date: 2007-12-06
Also published as: GB2438581A; GB0610624D0

Abstract

A flat-screen monitor support (10) comprising a housing (20) and a locking member (30) mounted to the housing. The locking member binds against a post (110) extending through the housing and the locking member, to prevent the housing from sliding down the post under the weight of a monitor attached to the housing. The housing is free to slide relative to the post when the locking member is disengaged.

Description

Flat-screen Monitor Support

Description

The present invention relates to a support for a flat-screen monitor, and more particularly, to an adjustable support for mounting to a post, including a mechanism to prevent the support from sliding down the post under the weight of the monitor.

Most modern PCs include a Visual Display Unit in the form of a flat-screen monitor, for example, LCD displays. Such flat-screen monitors have the advantage of being slim and light, and therefore can be mounted on elevated support devices such as a support arm, which can be secured to work surface such as a desk or table so that the flat-screen monitor is suspended above the work surface. This arrangement is also neat and aesthetically attractive.

In order for such a support device to be practical, it must be adjustable so that a user can position the flat-screen monitor in the most appropriate position for use. It is known to mount support arms or other monitor support devices on a vertical support post secured to a desk or table top. However, many such known support devices are not easily adjustable and/or are complicated and expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, many conventional supports only enable a user to position a monitor at a number of discrete spaced apart locations defined by cooperating elements on the post and support which must engage to hold the support, and the monitor attached to the support, in the desired position.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a support for a flat- screen monitor that substantially alleviates or overcomes the problems mentioned above.

According to the present invention, there is provided a flat-screen monitor support comprising a housing and a locking member mounted to the housing which binds against a post extending through the housing and the locking member to prevent the housing from sliding down the post under the weight of a monitor attached to the housing, the housing being free to slide down the post when the locking member is disengaged.

In a preferred embodiment, the locking member is mounted for movement between an engaged position in which it binds against a post, and a disengaged position in which the locking member is free to slide relative to the post.

Preferably, the locking member is configured to allow the housing and associated monitor to be slid up the post against the weight of the housing and monitor, when the locking member is in either an engaged position or a disengaged position.

Preferably, the locking member is mounted to the housing for pivotal movement between the engaged and disengaged positions.

The flat-screen monitor support may include an actuator operable by a user to cause the locking member to move from said engaged position to said disengaged position to enable the housing to be slid relative to the post.

The actuator may be a button, a lever or a handle, or any other suitable configuration or device.

Advantageously, the flat-screen monitor support comprises a biasing element to bias the locking member into the engaged position such that a user overcomes the biasing force provided by the biasing element when said button is operated to cause the locking member to move from the engaged to the disengaged position.

Conveniently, the locking member is configured such that the weight of the housing and a monitor attached to the housing apply a load to the locking member which acts in the direction of engagement of the locking member to the post.

In one embodiment, the locking member is a plate having an aperture therein through which the post extends in a longitudinal direction, the plane of the plate lying substantially perpendicular to the axis of the support post in the disengaged position.

Preferably, the housing and the locking member have an aperture therethrough to accept a correspondingly cross-sectionally shaped post, the longitudinal axis of the post being coaxial with the axis of the aperture in the disengaged position.

The apertures in the housing and locking member may be circular, square, rectangular, triangular, or any other appropriate shape.

In an alternative embodiment, the locking member may comprise a cam member.

The monitor support may include a post having a substantially smooth surface so that the locking member binds against the post in any location along its length in the engaged position.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the monitor support comprises a friction member having an aperture, through which a post extends, which rubs against the post in an engaged position to prevent the housing and a monitor from falling freely under its own weight when the locking member is disengaged.

The friction member is conveniently mounted for movement between an engaged position in which it rubs against a post during movement of the housing down the post, and a disengaged position in which the housing is free to slide up the post.

The friction member may be pivotally mounted to the housing.

The friction member is advantageously configured so that movement of the housing down a post applies a load to the friction member that urges it towards the engaged position. The friction member may also be configured so that movement of the housing up the post applies a load to the friction member that urges it towards the disengaged position. The support preferably includes a biasing member for biasing the friction member into the engaged position. The friction member may also be configured so that movement of the housing up the post applies a load to the friction member that urges it towards the disengaged position against the biasing force provided by the biasing member.

In one embodiment, a mounting plate is attached to the housing by a mechanism that allows the monitor to pivot relative to the housing about a substantially horizontal axis.

The mechanism may comprise an arcuate guide member attached at each end to the mounting plate, said arcuate guide member being slideably received in a guide slot in the housing.

In a preferred embodiment, the mechanism includes a guide roller in the housing in contact with one side of the arcuate guide member, and a contact member disposed within the housing in contact with the other side of the arcuate guide member to bias the arcuate guide member against the guide roller.

The contact member advantageously includes an adjustment mechanism to enable the biasing force to be adjusted.

The contact member is preferably received on a post threadingly engaged in the housing and a spring extends between the contact member and the post that applies a biasing force to the contact member to urge it against the arcuate guide member, the adjustment mechanism being configured so that rotation of the post alters the load provided by the spring against the contact member to adjust the load provided by the contact member against the arcuate guide member.

The contact member may include a contact face which contacts the arcuate guide member, the contact face being curved to match the curvature of the arcuate guide member. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the arcuate guide member is curved along its length and, also curved across its width so as to resemble a portion of a surface of a sphere, and the guide slot in the housing is wider than the width of the arcuate guide member, such that the mounting plate is capable of swivelling relative to the housing about a substantially vertical axis, as well as being able to pivot relative to the housing about a substantially horizontal axis.

Preferably, the guide roller surface is curved across its width to correspond to the curved surface of the arcuate guide member, and the contact member disposed within the housing shaped to correspond to the shape of said other side of the arcuate guide member.

Preferably, the invention includes a housing and locking member, and a clamp to secure the support post to a surface, the clamp preferably being configured for attachment to a table or desk top.

Conveniently, the support post is attached to the clamp by at least one elbow joint, the at least one elbow joint being pivotable relative to the clamp and support post to allow further adjustment of the position of a monitor secured to the housing. Advantageously, two elbow joints are disposed between the clamp and the support post.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a flat-screen monitor support of the present invention with a support post and desk-mounting bracket;

Figure 2 is a rear view of the assembled apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of Figure 2 along the line A-A; and

Figure 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the circled section B of the apparatus of Figure 3. Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a flat-screen monitor support 10 according to the present invention, comprising a housing 20 and a locking member 30. The housing 20 comprises left and right parts 22, 23, connectable together using appropriate known means, such as screws (not shown) secured through screw holes 24 provided in the left and right parts 22, 23 respectively. The housing 20 includes a circular aperture 21 extending through it to accommodate a correspondingly shaped support post HO therein so that the housing 20 can be slidable along the support post 110.

The locking member 30 is located within the housing 20 and comprises a plate having a circular aperture 31 extending through it. The locking member 30 is positioned within the housing 20 with the aperture 31 aligned with the aperture 21 in the housing 20 so that, in use, the support post 110 can pass through both apertures 21, 31. The locking member 30 has a pivot lug 32 extending from each side at one end thereof, each pivot lug 32 locating in a corresponding pivot recess 25 in the respective left and right part 22, 23 of the housing 20. Thereby, the locking member 30 is pivotal about the pivot lugs 32 within the housing 20 between a lock position and a release position, as will be described in more detail below.

The end of the locking member 30 remote from the pivot lugs 32 includes a release button 33 upstanding from the upper surface thereof. The release button 33 extends through a second aperture 26 in an upper surface of the housing 20. A lock spring 35 is provided between the underside of the locking member 30, on the opposite side thereof to the release button 33, and a ledge 27 which extends inwardly from an inner surface of the housing 20. In use, the lock spring 35 biases the locking member 30 to pivot upwards about the pivot lugs 32 into the lock position, as shown in Figure 4 in which the axis of the aperture 31 in the locking member is angled and no longer in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the post and the edge of the aperture 31 binds against the post to prevent the housing from sliding down it.

The housing 20 also incorporates a friction member 40 below the locking member 30. The friction member 40 comprises a stepped plate having an aperture 41 formed through one end. The friction member 40 is positioned within the housing 20 such that the aperture 41 is aligned with the apertures 21, 31 in the housing 20 and locking member 30 so that, in use, a support post 110 can pass through all three apertures 21, 31, 41. The end of the friction member 40 remote from the aperture 41 passes beneath a pivot rod 42, which is held in place within the housing 20 by- each end of the pivot rod 42 locating in a respective hole 43 in an inner side wall of the left and right housing parts 22, 23.

The monitor support 10 further comprises a monitor mounting member 50 which is pivotally attached to the housing 20. The monitor mounting member 50 comprises a mounting plate 51 having mounting holes 51a formed therein, and with an arcuate guide plate 52 secured thereto, the guide plate being arcuate about a horizontal axis X-X (see Figure 1). The guide plate 52 is rectangular and bent into a curve, is secured at each distal end to the mounting plate 51 and curves away from the mounting plate 51 from each secured end towards its middle. The monitor mounting member 50 is pivotally attached to the housing 20 by means of the arcuate guide plate 52 extending through a slot 53 in the upper surface of the housing 20, through the body of the housing 20 and out of a slot 54 in the lower surface of the housing 20. The housing 20 includes a boss 28 extending from the left side part 22 onto which a guide roller 55 is rotatably fitted. The guide roller 55 is thereby located between the arcuate guide plate 52 and the mounting plate 51 (see Figure 4).

The arcuate guide plate 52 of the monitor mounting member 50 is held in contact against the guide roller 55 by a contact mechanism 60. The contact mechanism 60 comprises a contact member 61 having a curved contact face 62 shaped corresponding to the curve of the arcuate guide plate 52. The contact member 61 has a straight edge 63, opposite its curved contact face 62. which lies flush against an adjacent internal wall 29 of the housing 20. The contact member 61 is disposed substantially above the mid-point of the curve of the arcuate guide plate 52.

The contact member 61 has a hollow cavity 64 and a hole 65 formed in an underside of the contact member 61. An adjustment bolt 66 extends through a hole in the underside of the housing 20, through the hole 65 in the contact member 61, and into the hollow cavity 64. The ad_justment bolt 66 is provided with a threaded nut 67 on the end thereof within the hollow cavity 64. The internal dimensions of the hollow cavity 64 are such that the threaded nut 67 is unable to rotate withm the hollow cavity 64 A coil spring 68 is fitted around the adjustment bolt 66, compressed within the hollow cavity 64 between the threaded nut 67 and the lower inside surface of the contact member 61. The force of the coil spring 68 against the underside of the threaded nut 67 biases the contact member 61 downwards. However, due to the shape of the curvature of the arcuate guide plate 52 and the straight edge 63 of the contact member 61 lying flush against the internal wall 29 of the housing 20, the contact member cannot fit past the mid-point of the curvature of the arcuate guide plate 52. Therefore, the coil spring 68 biases the contact face 62 into contact with the arcuate guide plate 52, against the guide roller 55. The resulting friction between the arcuate guide plate 52 and the contact member 61 causes a resistance to pivoting motion of the monitor mounting member 50 relative to the housing 20.

The monitor support 10 is intended for use with a table or desk-mountable support structure 100, comprising a vertical support post 110, one or more elbow joints 102, and a clamp 104. In use, the clamp 104 is secured to a horizontal surface such as a table or desk top. The elbow joints 102 are then connected to the clamp using known male/female connection means 106 (see Figure 1) and the vertical support post 110 is secured to the uppermost elbow joint 102. C-chps 108 are provided m corresponding grooves 109 in the male parts of the male/female connection means 106 to secure the connections 106 together and also allow the elbow joints

102/support post 110 to rotate relative to each other and relative to the clamp 104. The vertical support post includes a retaining washer 111 secured to its uppermost end to prevent the monitor support 10 from being able to be slid off the top of the support post 110. As described above, the vertical support post 110 passes through the respective apertures 21, 31, 41 in the housing 20, locking member 30 and friction member 40. Operation of the monitor support 10 of the invention will now be described. A flat- screen monitor (not shown) can be secured to the mounting plate 51 using conventional means such as screws (not shown) secured through mounting holes 51a into corresponding screw holes in a rear face of the monitor. The monitor support 10 must then be adjusted on the vertical support post 110 so that the flat- screen monitor is at the desired height. In its normal resting position, the weight of the monitor acts downwards on the housing 20. As mentioned above, the lock spring 35 biases the locking member 30 upwards away from the release position, into the lock position.

In the release position, the locking member 30 is positioned substantially horizontally within the housing 20 and perpendicular to the axis of the vertical support post 110. In this position, the support post 110 can freely slide through the aperture 31 in the locking member 30, because the sides of the aperture 31 are not in contact with the surface of the vertical support post 110. However, when the locking member 30 is pivoted into the lock position, the opposite sides of the aperture 31 in the locking member 30 which are adjacent to and distal from the pivot lugs 32 respectively, contact the corresponding sides of the support post 110. The weight of the monitor acting downwards forces the locking member 30 further into the lock position which causes the locking member 30 to catch on the support post 110 and bind against it, thereby preventing the monitor and monitor support 10 from being able to move any further down the support post 110. It will therefore be appreciated that the greater the weight of the monitor, the greater the downwards force and therefore the greater the force with which the locking member 30 is held in the lock position.

If a user wishes to lower the height of the monitor beyond the level at which the monitor support 10 is holding it on the support post 110, the locking member 30 must be moved into the release position so that the locking member 30 is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the support post 110 and so the edges of the aperture 31 in the locking member 30 do not contact the support post 110. To do this, the user must depress the release button 33 which pivots the locking member 30 against the force of the lock spring 35, into the release position. The momtor support 10 and associated monitor can then be slid down the support post 110 to the desired position. Once m the desired position, the user stops pressing the release button 33 and so the locking member 30 returns to the lock position. The weight of the monitor then holds the locking member 30 into engagement with the support post 1 10, as described above, preventing further downward sliding of the support 10 relative to the support post 110.

It will be appreciated that the locking member will bind to any location on the post and so there are no discrete spaced apart mounting points or steps which the user must select. The user may therefore position the monitor at any desired location along the length of the post.

It will be appreciated that when the release button 33 is pressed, suddenly, there is no locking force holding the weight of the monitor in position and this could cause the monitor to drop suddenly if a user was not ready to take the whole weight, potentially damaging the monitor and/or hurting the user. However, the friction member 40 provided in the housing 20 serves to prevent such an accident happening The friction member 40 is configured so that the aperture 41 therein makes a close fit around the support post 110 However, as the monitor and monitor support 10 are moved down the support post 110, the friction member 40 contacts the sides of the support post 110 and exerts a resistance force against the downwards movement. If the speed of the downwards movement of the monitor and monitor support 10 increases, the frictional force of the support post 110 against the side of the aperture 41 in the friction member 40 remote from the pivot rod 42, acts to try to deflect the friction member 40 by bending it about the pivot rod 42. This causes an increased frictional resistance with the support post 110 and so the monitor and monitor support 10 is prevented from falling quickly, and the speed of the downwards movement is limited. The friction member may include a spring or other resilient member 44 (see Figure 4) to bias the friction member upwards, pivoting it about the pivot rod 42, so that it is held in a minimum frictional engagement with the post 110 Alternatively, the housing may be configured so that the end of the friction member 40 remote from the pivot rod 42 is always held in a position in which the friction member 40 is held at a minimum level of factional engagement with the post 110. The friction member effectively works in a similar way to the locking member but instead of binding the locking plate and post, the post is still free to slide through the aperture in the friction member when the housing is moved downwardly, although additional force must be applied to the housing to overcome the frictional force generated between the friction member and the post.

The position of the holes 43 in the left and right sides 22, 23 of the housing 20 which support the pivot rod 42, can be chosen to alter the resistance force provided by the friction member 40 In Figure 4, it can be seen that three possible pivot rod positions are shown, one position 43a proximate the support post 110, one position 43c remote from the support post HO and an intermediate position 43b. Due to change in the leverage about the pivot rod 42 which occurs in altering the position of the pivot rod 42 from the proximate position 43a, to the intermediate position 43b and to the remote position 43c, the friction member 40 exerts a greater resistance to downwards movement of the monitor and support 10 with the pivot rod 42 in the proximate position 43a and less resistance to downwards movement with the pivot rod 42 in the remote position 43c, with the intermediate position 43b providing a resistance force between the two extremes.

If a user wishes to elevate the monitor and support 10 to a higher position on the support post 110, there is no need to press the release button 33. The locking member 30 only engages the support post 110 when forced in a downwards direction under the weight of the monitor. However, when the monitor and monitor support 10 are moved upwards, any contact between the edges of the aperture 31 of the locking member 30 with the support post 110 only acts to pivot the locking member 30 downwards into the release position against the force of the lock spring 35, and so the locking member 30 does not engage and bind with the support post 110. Once the monitor and monitor support 10 have been elevated into the desired position, the user can simply let go of the monitor and the downwards force of its weight would immediately cause the locking member 30 to engage with and bind against the support post 10 and lock the monitor and monitor support 10 in the chosen position, as described above. The friction member 40 provides very little resistance to upward movement of the monitor support 10 and monitor. This is because when the monitor support 10 and monitor are elevated, the friction member 40 is elevated relative to the post by the lower inside surface of the housing 20 equally around the entire perimeter of the aperture 41. Therefore, the friction member 40 is not caused to deflect or pivot upwards about the pivot rod 42, and so the sides of the aperture 41 m the friction member 40 are not forced into greater contact with the support post 110, and so there is very little frictional resistance caused.

When a user has ad_justed the height of the monitor and monitor support 10 to the desired level, the monitor may be tilted forward or backward to the desired angle. This motion is accommodated by the arcuate guide plate 52 sliding through the housing 20 through the upper and lower guide slots 53, 54, between the guide roller 55 and the contact face 62 of the contact member 61. If the monitor does not remain at the chosen tilt angle, the user can increase the force with which the contact face 62 of the contact member 61 presses against the arcuate guide plate 52, thereby increasing the friction therewith This is done by turning the adjustment bolt 66 so that the threaded nut 67 is moved further down the bolt 66 This compresses the coil spring 68 so that it is under greater compressive tension. The tension in the spring 68 tries to draw the ad_justment bolt 66 further into the hollow cavity 64 of the contact member 61, but since the head of the ad_justment bolt 66 is restrained on the underside of the housing 20, the resulting force is exerted on pulling the contact member 61 downwards between the internal wall 29 of the housing and the arcuate guide plate 52. However, due to the shape of the contact member as described above, this forces the contact face 62 of the contact member 61 against the arcuate guide plate 52 with a greater force, thereby increasing the friction therewith, and holding the monitor at the desired tilt angle.

The above-described tilt-ad_justment mechanism has the advantage that it gives a finer and more progressive frictional force ad_justment that would be obtained if the coil spring 68 was omitted and the threaded nut 67 acted directly on the lower inside surface of the hollow cavity 64 of the contact member 61. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the arcuate guide plate 52 is curved about an axis along its length Y-Y (see Figure 1) as well as along a horizontal axis X-X. This results in the arcuate guide plate 52 being shaped as a section of a spherical surface. In such an embodiment, the guide roller 55 has a curved surface whereby its diameter at its middle is greater than the diameter at its edges such that it is correspondingly curved to the curve along axis Y-Y of the arcuate guide plate 52 so that it is in contact with the surface of the arcuate guide plate 52 across its width. In addition, the slot 53 in the housing 20 is wider than the width of the arcuate guide plate 52. This allows the housing 20 and associated monitor to be pivoted side-to-side, or 'swivelled', about a vertical axis of the post A-A (see Figure 2), as well as tilted forwards and backwards as described above. Such side-to-side or swivelling motion is therefore independent of, and does not inhibit, the forwards and backwards tilting action.

In the exemplary embodiment described above, the apertures 21, 31, 41 in the housing 20, locking member 30 and friction member 40 respectively, are rounded, to fit a correspondingly round support post 110. However, they may be of alternative shapes within the scope of the invention, for example, oval, square, or rectangular, to fit a correspondingly shaped support post.

Any suitable material may be used to make the various components described above, for example, metal, such as steel or aluminium, or any suitable plastics material.

Although the arcuate guide plate 52 is described as being secured to the mounting plate 51, it could alternatively be formed integrally with the mounting plate within the scope of the invention. Similarly, the release button 33 may be formed as a separate component to the locking member 30, or alternatively, may be formed integrally with the locking member 30.

Although three discrete positions 43a-c are described to accommodate the pivot rod 42, there may alternatively be a single slot replacing each hole 43a-c in each side part 22, 23 of the housing 20, and the pivot rod 42 may be slidable within the slots to incrementally adjust the frictional resistance force provided by the friction member 40.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be made to the above exemplary embodiment within the scope of the invention, which is defined in the claims hereafter.

Claims

1. A flat-screen monitor support comprising a housing and a locking member mounted to the housing which binds against a post extending through the housing and the locking member to prevent the housing from sliding down the post under the weight of a monitor attached to the housing, the housing being free to slide down the post when the locking member is disengaged.

2. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 1 wherein the locking member is mounted for movement between an engaged position in which it binds against a post, and a disengaged position in which the locking member is free to slide relative to the post.

3. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the locking member is configured to allow the housing and associated monitor to be slid up the post against the weight of the housing and monitor, when the locking member is in either an engaged position or a disengaged position.

4. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the locking member is mounted to the housing for pivotal movement between the engaged and disengaged positions.

5. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 2 or claim 3, comprising an actuator operable by a user to cause the locking member to move from said engaged position to said disengaged position to enable the housing to be slid relative to the post.

6. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 5 wherein the actuator comprises a button.

7. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 5 wherein the actuator comprises a lever.

8. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 5 wherein the actuator comprises a handle.

9. A flat-screen monitor support according to any of claims claim 5 to 8, comprising a biasing element to bias the locking member into the engaged position such that a user overcomes the biasing force provided by the biasing element when said actuator is operated to cause the locking member to move from the engaged to the disengaged position.

10. A flat-screen monitor support according to any of claims 1 to 9 wherein the locking member is configured such that the weight of the housing and a monitor attached to the housing apply a load to the locking member which acts in the direction of engagement of the locking member to the post.

11. A flat-screen monitor support according to any preceding claim, wherein the locking member is a plate having an aperture therein through which the post extends in a longitudinal direction, the plane of the plate lying substantially perpendicular to the axis of the support post in the disengaged position.

12. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 11, wherein the housing and the locking member have an aperture therethrough to accept a correspondingly cross-sectionally shaped post, the longitudinal axis of the post being coaxial with the axis of the aperture in the disengaged position.

13. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 12 wherein the apertures in the housing and locking member are circular.

14. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 12 wherein the apertures in the housing and locking member are square, rectangular, or triangular.

15. A flat-screen monitor support according to any of claims 1 — 10, wherein the locking member is a cam member.

16. A flat-screen monitor support according to any preceding claim, including a support post having a substantially smooth surface, the locking member binding against the post in any location along its length in the engaged position.

17. A flat-screen monitor support according to any preceding claim, comprising a friction member having an aperture, through which a post extends, which rubs against the post in an engaged position to prevent the housing and a monitor from falling freely under its own weight when the locking member is disengaged.

18. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 17, wherein the friction member is mounted for movement between an engaged position in which it rubs against a post during movement of the housing down the post, and a disengaged position in which the housing is free to slide up the post.

19. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 18, wherein the friction member is pivotally mounted in the housing.

20. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the friction member is configured so that movement of the housing down a post applies a load to the friction member that urges it towards the engaged position.

21. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 20, wherein the friction member is configured so that movement of the housing up the post applies a load to the friction member that urges it towards the disengaged position.

22. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 20 or 21, including a biasing member for biasing the friction member into the engaged position.

23. A flat screen monitor support according to claim 21, including a biasing member for biasing the friction member into the engaged position, the friction member being configured so that movement of the housing up the post applies a load to the friction member that urges it towards the disengaged position against the biasing force provided by the biasing member.

24. A flat-screen monitor support according to any of claims 17 to 23, wherein the friction member is made of a plastics material.

25. A flat-screen monitor support according to any preceding claim, wherein a mounting plate is attached to the housing by a mechanism that allows the monitor to pivot relative to the housing about a substantially horizontal axis.

26. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 25, wherein the mechanism comprises an arcuate guide member attached at each end to the mounting plate, said arcuate guide member being slideably received in a guide slot in the housing.

27. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 26, wherein the mechanism includes a guide roller in the housing in contact with one side of the arcuate guide member, and a contact member disposed within the housing in contact with the other side of the arcuate guide member to bias the arcuate guide member against the guide roller.

28. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 27 wherein the contact member includes an adjustment mechanism to enable the biasing force to be adjusted.

29. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 28, wherein the contact member is received on a post threadingly engaged in the housing and a spring extends between the contact member and the post that applies a biasing force to the contact member to urge it against the arcuate guide member, the adjustment mechanism being configured so that rotation of the post alters the load provided by the spring against the contact member to adjust the load provided by the contact member against the arcuate guide member.

30. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 29, wherein the contact member includes a contact face which contacts the arcuate guide member, the contact face being curved to match the curvature of the arcuate guide member

31. A flat-screen monitor support according to any of claims 26 - 30 wherein the arcuate guide member is curved along its length and, also curved across its width so as to resemble a portion of a surface of a sphere, and the guide slot in the housing is wider than the width of the arcuate guide member, such that the mounting plate is capable of swivelling relative to the housing about a substantially vertical axis, as well as being able to pivot relative to the housing about a substantially horizontal axis.

32. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 31 when dependent upon claim 27, wherein the guide roller surface is curved across its width to correspond to the curved surface of the arcuate guide member, and the contact member disposed within the housing shaped to correspond to the shape of said other side of the arcuate guide member

33. A flat-screen monitor support according to any preceding claim, further comprising a support post extending through the housing and locking member, and a clamp to secure the support post to a surface.

34. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 33, wherein the clamp is configured for attachment to a table or desk top.

35. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 33 or claim 34, wherein the support post is attached to the clamp by at least one elbow _joint, the at least one elbow joint being pivotable relative to the clamp and support post to allow further adjustment of the position of a monitor secured to the housing.

36. A flat-screen monitor support according to claim 35, comprising two elbow joints disposed between the clamp and the support post.

37. A flat-screen monitor support substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.