WO2011019402A1

WO2011019402A1 - Short throw projector mount

Info

Publication number: WO2011019402A1
Application number: PCT/US2010/002236
Authority: WO
Inventors: Matthew Soper; Clinton Strong
Original assignee: Extron Electronics
Priority date: 2009-08-14
Filing date: 2010-08-13
Publication date: 2011-02-17

Abstract

A short throw projector is mounted to a wall above and centered on a projection surface. A support pole slidably supports a projector mount bracket for mounting of the projector at various points along the support pole. To avoid damage to the projector, and wall mounting bracket system of the support pole, a load limiting feature is incorporated into the wall mounting bracket system. Therefore, if excessive load is applied to the support pole, a magnetic and/or spring force is overcome such that the support pole will be tilted to an angle approximating a 45 angle or more with respect to the mounting surface. Upon release of the excessive load, the support pole is manually movable to an operational position perpendicular to the wall, thereby resetting the system without the need to service the mounting bracket system.

Description

SHORT THROW PROJECTOR MOUNT

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of short throw proj ector mounts for maintaining a position of an overhead projector until encountering a predetermined or excessive force.

Background of the Invention

Often times in a classroom setting, an overhead projector is used to display information on a wall or a display screen of the classroom. Traditionally, the projector has been suspended from the ceiling either by a mounting bracket mounted on a solid walled ceiling or by a suspension mechanism intended to pass through ceiling tiles of a suspended ceiling until reaching a secure anchor point at the solid walled ceiling.

Once the projector is rigidly mounted to or projected from the ceiling, it is difficult to access the projector, either for maintenance or upgrading. Further, the changing of the position of the projector is limited in case the surface onto which an image is to be projected is desired to be moved. Therefore, this type of projector mounting has limited flexibility. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mounting for a wall projector either on a front or side wall of a room by mounting the projector on a support pole which extends perpendicular to the front or side wall of the room. Access to the projector is facilitated by the pivotal mounting of the support pole for temporarily moving the projector to a position approaching the floor after overcoming a preset force. A manual return force overcomes a force of a damper and returns the projector to its original mounting position. Access to the projector is thereby obtained without the necessity to have an individual work at the elevated height of a projector or perform maintenance of the projector at an overhead location.

Summary of the Invention

By the present invention, a short throw projector is mounted to a wall above and centered on a projection surface. A support pole slidably supports a projector mount bracket for mounting of the projector at various points along the support pole. The support pole typically projects 54 inches away from the wall in a direction perpendicular to the wall.

The primary objectives of the present invention are to: • Avoid injury to a person who attempts to hang from the pole extension which may occur due to sudden failure of a rigidly affixed system, by providing a release mechanism disallowing suspension;

• avoid damage to the wall by having the release mechanism act before sufficient force is realized by the mounting points;

• avoid damage to the projector due to noted sudden failure;

• provide a permanent means of holding force for the pivot, not solely dependent on a gas spring which may lose force over time;

• provide a means of release without failure to any of the device components so that the equipment may be placed immediately back into service without the need for repair;

• provide a means of release that does not encourage tampering in an oscillating fashion which may occur with a release mechanism solely dependent upon gas spring devices; and

• provide a means of containment for system electronics in tandem-affixed enclosures.

To avoid damage to the projector, and wall mounting bracket system of the support pole, a load limiting feature is incorporated into the wall mounting bracket system of the present invention. Therefore, if excessive load is applied to the support pole, a magnetic and/or spring force is overcome such that the support pole will be tilted to an angle approximating a 45 ° angle or more with respect to the mounting surface. Upon release of the excessive load, the support pole is manually movable to an operational position perpendicular to the wall, thereby resetting the system without the need to service the mounting bracket system.

In one embodiment, excessive downward force on the support pole overcomes a holding force provided by a magnet. Preferably a ferrite magnet is used having a 55 pound holding force. When the holding force is overcome, a lever arm is released to allow the support pole to swing downwardly. A gas spring or damper then cushions the downward movement of the support pole to prevent the support pole from swinging rapidly into the wall and thereby preventing damage to the mounting structure, projector and wall. The support pole is reset to the operating position by application of an upward manual force. The lever arm will then pivot to its original position for reengagement with the magnetic force to secure the mounting structure in place.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, a 200 pound pull force traction spring is interconnected between the support pole and a lever arm. Application of force to the support pole which overcomes the force of the traction spring lowers the support pole to an angle of approximately 45 ° with respect to the wall. Manual upward force on the support pole returns the mounting mechanism to its operative horizontal orientation. In another alternate embodiment of the present invention, a fixed boom arm is used to project the mounting bracket system for a distance away from a support wall. A movable boom arm of the support pole is then pivotally mounted to the free end of the fixed boom arm. In this embodiment, the attractive force of a magnet must be overcome to move the support pole from the horizontal to an approximately 75 ° angular position with respect to the fixed boom arm. The projector mounted at the free end of the movable boom arm is completely accessible for repair and/or maintenance. Upon application of a manual upward force to overcome a gas spring or damper which has allowed a gradual movement of the support pole from the horizontal to inclined position, the support pole and its attached projector are moved back into engagement with the force of the magnet so as to maintain the support pole in its horizontal orientation.

Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a support pole for a short throw projector which is pivotally mounted at one end to a wall mounting bracket system with one end of the support pole being held in place by the force of a ferrite magnet so as to maintain the horizontal orientation of the support pole.

Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a support pole for a short throw projector which is pivotally mounted at one end to a wall mounting bracket system with one end of the support pole being held in place by the force of a ferrite magnet so as to maintain the horizontal orientation of the support pole and having a gas spring or damper for allowing controlled release of the support pole from engagement with the magnet upon application of a downward force to the support pole.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a support pole for a short throw projector which is pivotally mounted at one end to a wall mounting bracket system with one end of the support pole being held in place by the force of a ferrite magnet so as to maintain the horizontal orientation of the support pole and having a pull force traction spring for allowing controlled release of the support pole from engagement with the magnet upon application of a downward force to the support pole with the support pole having a slidable projector mount bracket.

It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a short throw projector mount having a fixed boom arm mounted on a wall at one end and at an opposite end connected to a movable boom arm of a support pole with the free end of the movable boom arm having a short throw projector mounted thereon and with the support pole being movable from a horizontal orientation upon overcoming a force of a ferrite magnet mounted in the fixed boom arm so as to allow release of the support pole from a horizontal to an inclined orientation. These and other objects of the invention, as well as many of the intended advantages thereof, will become more readily apparent when reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The following drawings illustrate examples of various components of the invention disclosed herein, and are for illustrative purposes only. Other embodiments that are substantially similar can use other components that have a different appearance.

Figure 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrating a support pole mounted at one end in a wall mounting bracket system.

Figure 2 illustrates the support pole of Figure 1 after the force of a ferrite magnet in the wall mounting bracket system has been overcome.

Figure 3 is a side view of the support pole having a projector mount bracket slidably mounted in the support pole to adjust a position of a projector.

Figure 4 is a side view illustrating the details of the projector mount bracket.

Figure 5 is an exploded view illustrating the assembly of the projector mount bracket in a slot at a bottom of the support pole.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Figure 4. Figure 8 is an exploded view of the wall mounting bracket system shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 9 is an alternate embodiment of the short throw projector mount of the present invention.

Figure 10 illustrates the extent of downward movement of the support pole moved from the horizontal position shown in Figure 9 after having overcome a retaining force of a ferrite magnet and/or a pull force traction spring.

Figure 11 illustrates another alternate embodiment of a short throw projector mount system.

Figure 12 illustrates the mounting of a projector on a support pole anchored at one end of a movable boom arm.

Figure 13 illustrates the extent of downward movement of the movable boom arm after having overcome the retaining force of a ferrite magnet.

Figure 14 is an exploded view of the embodiment shown in Figure 12. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

With reference to the drawings, in general, and to Figures 1 through 8, in particular, a short throw projector mount embodying the teachings of the subject invention is generally designated as 20. With reference to its orientation in Figure 1, the short throw projector mount includes a support pole 22 having free end 24 spaced approximately 54 inches from a wall surface. The opposite end 26 is mounted within a wall mounting bracket system 28.

The wall mounting bracket system includes a three-inch by five-inch aluminum block wall plate 30 mounted on a flat wall structure. Two side frames

32 are secured to opposite sides of the wall plate 30. Housed between the two wall plates is a lever arm 34 and a gas spring or damper 36. The gas spring has a push force of 150 lbs. and may be a Guden GGS 26-150-K spring, available from H. A.

Guden Co., Inc. of Ronkonkoma, New York. Alternately, a damper may be used instead of a gas spring.

One end 38 of gas spring 36 is mounted by fixed bolt 40 between the two wall plates 32. The opposite end 42 of gas spring 36 is mounted by bolt 44 at a point approximately seven inches from end 26 of support pole 22.

A fixed bolt 46 extends between the plates 32 and slides within cam slot 48 of lever arm 34. A pivot bolt 50 allows for the pivotal movement of the support pole. A 55 pound holding force ferrite magnet 52 is mounted on a magnet mount

80 between the side frames 32 for maintaining the support pole 22 in a horizontal orientation.

When gas spring 36 is used, an 80 pound force applied to end 24 of support pole 22 is sufficient to overcome the attractive force of magnet 52. The support pole is thereby allowed to move into a downward position as shown in Figure 2.

When a damper is used, a 50 pound trigger force is required. The gas spring or damper act as a cushioning element to allow a gradual descent of the support pole until reaching the position shown in Figure 2. In the position shown in Figure 2, the support pole 22 is limited from further downward movement by the gas spring

36 and guided by the movement about pivot bolt 50 and movement of the cam slot

48 past fixed bolt 46.

In Figures 3 through 7, the sliding of projector mount bracket 60 from the position shown in solid lines in Figure 3 to the position shown in dotted lines along arrow line 62 is possible. The positioning of the projector mount bracket allows for positioning of a projector at variable distances from a wall surface to adjust the size of the projected image on the wall or screen.

As shown in Figure 5, the bottom of the support pole includes an elongated slot 64. Within the slot is positioned two tee nuts 66. The tee nuts are releasably secured by flat head screws 68 passing through openings 70 in projector mounting bracket 72 so as to be held in place on the support pole 22. Electrical wiring (not shown) extends through the support pole. A set screw 75 may be used to secure a vertically extending pole passing through opening 74 in the bracket 72. End cap 76 and trim piece 78 are provided for aesthetic appearances.

As shown in greater detail in Figure 8, the side plates 32 hold the support pole 22 by magnet 52 positioned on magnet mount 80. Button head screws 82 connect the side plates 32 to the wall plate 30 and nuts 84 secure the bolts 46 and 50 in position. Support spring collars 86 help align the gas spring or damper in position to cooperate with bolt 44 passing through support pole 22 as secured by nut 88.

In an alternate embodiment, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, a 200 pound pull force traction spring 100 is used instead of 150 pound push force gas spring as was shown with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 8. In this embodiment, the traction spring is positioned with one end 102 mounted to a coupling 104 on the support pole. The support pole is pivoted to the position shown in Figure 10 upon encountering a force on the free end 24 of the support pole sufficient to overcome the magnet 52 and allow the pivoting of the support pole by cam slot 48 of lever arm 34 sliding along fixed bolt 46.

In still yet another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 1 1 through 14, a projector 1 10 is mounted on a movable boom arm 1 12 anchored in a fixed boom arm 114. The projector reflects an image in a direction of arrow 116 towards projector screen 118 or wall surface suitable for receipt of a projected image.

As shown in Figure 12, the movable boom arm 112 is adjustable with respect to the fixed boom arm 114 in the direction of arrow 120. This adjustment changes a distance between the projector and the projection surface. The fixed boom arm is mounted on a support plate 122 which is anchored to the wall by appropriate fasteners 124.

When a predetermined force is applied to the end of the movable boom arm 112 having projector 110, the movable boom arm is moved to the position shown in Figure 13. Since the fixed boom arm has spaced the movable boom arm away from the wall onto which the support plate 122 has been mounted, the movable boom arm is allowed to pivot to a further downward extent than the other embodiments depicted in the drawings. Access to the monitor is thereby achieved for assembly or maintenance procedures.

As shown in more detail in Figure 14, the projector 110 is mounted by universal projector mounting bracket 130 and by pipe nipple 132 onto free end 134 of movable boom arm 112. The opposite end 136 of movable boom arm 112 is secured at pivot points 138 to sliding channel 140. Sliding channel 140 is secured in spaced openings 142 in fixed boom arm 1 14 by arm assembly hardware 144. Magnet 146 maintains the position of end 136 of arm 1 12 in a horizontal orientation. Upon application of a downward force on end 134 of movable boom arm 112, gas spring or damper 148 is extended to the position shown in Figure 13 so as to allow the movable boom arm 1 12 to move downward by the cushioning effect of the spring or damper. Upon application of an upward manual force, the movable arm is moved so as to engage the magnet 146 and its magnetic attractive force is again able to maintain the movable boom arm in a horizontal orientation.

The foregoing description should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS WE CLAIM:

1. A short throw projector mount comprising:

a wall mounting bracket assembly,

a support pole having two ends and a projector mounting bracket, one of the two ends of said support pole being pivotally mounted on said wall mounting bracket assembly,

a load limiting device mounted on said wall mounting bracket assembly for maintaining said support pole fixed relative to said wall mounting bracket assembly in a first position until an excessive load is applied to the other of the two ends of the support pole, and

a cushioning element having two ends with one of the two ends mounted on the wall mounting bracket assembly and the other of the two ends mounted on the support pole so that when the excessive load is applied to the other of the two ends of the support pole, the support pole being gradually lowered by the cushioning element to a second position different from the first position by the pivoting of the support pole on the wall mounting bracket into the second position until a manual force is applied to the support pole to elevate and return the support pole to the first position where the support pole is held by the load limiting device.

2. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1, wherein the load limiting device is a magnet.

3. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning element is one of a gas spring, a damper or a traction spring.

4. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1, wherein the projector mounting bracket is slidably mounted on the support pole.

5. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1, wherein the projector mounting bracket is fixed on the support pole.

6. The short throw projector mount according to claim 2, wherein the wall mounting bracket includes a support plate and a fixed boom arm mounted on the support plate.

7. The short throw projector mount according to claim 2, wherein the magnet has an approximately 55 pound holding force.

8. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1, wherein a force on the other end of the support pole of between 50 and 80 pounds moves the support pole from the first position to the second position.

9. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1 , wherein the support pole is slidable on the wall mounting bracket assembly.

10. The short throw projector mount according to claim I ₅ wherein the one end of the support pole is mounted between two frame plates of the wall mounting bracket assembly.

11. A short throw projector mount comprising:

a wall mounting bracket assembly,

a load limiting and cushioning assembly mounted on said wall mounting bracket assembly for maintaining said support pole fixed relative to said wall mounting bracket assembly in a first position until an excessive load is applied to the other of the two ends of the support pole, the load limiting and cushioning assembly having two ends with one of the two ends mounted on the wall mounting bracket assembly and the other of the two ends mounted on the support pole so that when the excessive load is applied to the other of the two ends of the support pole, the support pole being gradually lowered by the load limiting and cushioning assembly to a second position different from the first position by the pivoting of the support pole on the wall mounting bracket into the second position until a manual force is applied to the support pole to elevate and return the support pole to the first position where the support pole is held by the load limiting and cushioning assembly.

12. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1 1, wherein the load limiting device is a magnet.

13. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1 1, wherein the cushioning element is one of a gas spring, a damper or a traction spring.

14. The short throw projector mount according to claim 11 , wherein the projector mounting bracket is slidably mounted on the support pole.

15. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1 1 , wherein the projector mounting bracket is fixed on the support pole.

16. The short throw projector mount according to claim 12, wherein the wall mounting bracket includes a support plate and a fixed boom arm mounted on the support plate.

17. The short throw projector mount according to claim 12, wherein the magnet has an approximately 55 pound holding force.

18. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1 1 , wherein a force on the other end of the support pole of between 50 and 80 pounds moves the support pole from the first position to the second position.

19. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1 1, wherein the support pole is slidable on the wall mounting bracket assembly.

20. The short throw projector mount according to claim 1 1 , wherein the one end of the support pole is mounted between two frame plates of the wall mounting bracket assembly.