GB2369564A

GB2369564A - Adjustable mounting assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2369564A
Application number: GB0029378A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher William Timms
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-12-01
Filing date: 2000-12-01
Publication date: 2002-06-05
Also published as: GB0029378D0

Abstract

A motorised adjustable telescopic mounting assembly particularly useful for use in concealing a projector / CCTV (21 of fig 3) when not required comprises a telescopically adjustable arm 10 for attachment within a recess e.g. between a ceiling (22 of fig 3) and a suspended ceiling (23 of fig 3), whereby the concealment means comprises at least one flap (24 of fig 3) attached to the projector 21. The arm 10 has associated therewith a motor 12 for effecting the telescopic adjustment, an operating means e.g. a remote control for actuating the motor 12 and attachment means such as a bracket 20 for attaching the arm 10 to the projector 21.

Description

ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING ASSEMBLY This invention relates to a motorised adjustable assembly for mounting an article, particularly a projector or camera so that when not in use it can be concealed.

Electronic/electrical equipment, such as a projector or CCTV camera, is expensive and when not in use can be heavy and awkward to store. In addition because of the cost, it poses a serious security risk. Hotels offering conference/function rooms have the problem that equipment required for various purposes can cause clutter and can too easily be stolen.

The object of the present invention is to provide a compact mounting assembly that will allow an article mounted thereon to be retracted and even concealed from view when not in use.

According to one aspect of the present invention an assembly for mounting an article such that when the article is not in use it can be retracted into a recess, comprises a telescopically adjustable mounting means for attachment within a recess, a motor in association with said mounting means capable of effecting telescopic adjustment of said mounting means, an operating means for actuating said motor and attachment means by which an article can be attached to said mounting means.

According to a further aspect of the present invention a method of mounting an article comprises the steps of providing a recess, attaching a telescopically adjustable mounting means within said recess, providing in association with said mounting means a motor capable of effecting telescopic adjustment of said mounting means, providing an operating means for actuating said motor, attaching an article to said mounting means whereby the operating means can be used to actuate the motor and effect telescopic adjustment of the mounting means thereby moving the mounting means into or out of the recess as required.

The invention is particularly applicable to the mounting of projectors for projecting images onto large screens e. g. in computer generated presentations.

Preferably a concealment means is provided to hide the article when it is in the recess e. g. a flap or pair of flaps. It would be possible to design the concealment means as part of the surrounding area e. g. it could be in the form of a ceiling tile identical to other ceiling tiles. The concealment means is preferably controlled to open and shut with the movement of the article out of and in to the recess e. g. by a remote control or by being attached to the article itself e. g. by means of a wire or wires. This embodiment means that an article can be completely hidden from view when not required e. g. in the recess between a ceiling and a suspended ceiling, a very common construction in renovated buildings.

The telescopic mounting is preferably also adjustable for length to allow use in various locations. For avoidance of doubt, this reference to additional length adjustment is to the minimum and maximum lengths of the mounting means.

Ideally it is mounted substantially vertically, as this is most efficient from the point of view of load.

The motor can be selected to suit the purpose from those well known in the art. Preferably it is provided with a fail-safe cut out so that if there is a power failure it will stop immediately. The operating means can be selected from those readily available ; preferably it would be in the form of a remote control to allow versatility of operation.

The mounting means is preferably adjustable so that it can be rotated and/or tilted. An easy-release mounting means could be used.

It will be appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable combination An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of an assembly ready for fitting within a recess; Figure 2 is a view from above of the assembly in Figure 1 ; and Figure 3 is a side view on a slightly larger scale of the assembly of Figures 1 and 2 fitted in the recess between a ceiling and a suspended ceiling.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, a telescopically adjustable arm 10 is mounted by means of brackets that are part of a backing plate 11. A motor 12 is also fitted to the backing plate 11 by means of a motor mount 13. The motor 12 is provided with a fail-safe brake 14, a gearbox 15, and a timing pin and sprocket/chain mechanism 16. The timing pin and chain mechanism 16 is provided with a cover plate 17 to which is attached a micro-switch 18. The

motor 12/gearbox 15 unit has a sprocket fitted to the shaft with two timing pins attached to it and controlled by a micro-switch 18. The chain is used to raise and lower the telescopic arm 10. It would also be possible to use two micro-switches which would allow adjustment of the working length of the telescopic arm 10. The backing plate 11 is provided with universal mounting holes 19 to allow easy attachment to a variety of surfaces. The arm 10 is shown in an extended position and is attached by means of a bracket 20 to a projector 21.

Referring to Figure 3, this shows the assembly attached to a ceiling 22 by means of the backing plate 11. The telescopic arm 10 is in a retracted position so that the projector 21 is held in the recess between ceiling 22 and suspended ceiling 23. The projector is hidden from view by a cover panel 24 which is attached to the projector 21 by means of wires 25. When the projector is required for use, a remote control (not shown but of any of the types available on the market for this type of application) is operated to actuate the motor 12 which causes the arm 10 to lengthen telescopically. As the arm lengthens and the projector 21 is lowered, the cover panel 24 is also lowered as the tension on the wires 25 slackens. The length of the arm 10 and hence the position of the projector 21 can be adjusted to suit particular requirements. Once the projector 21 has been finished with, retraction of the assembly is the exact reverse of the extension.

Claims

CLAIMS : 1. An assembly for mounting an article such that when the article is not in use it can be retracted into a recess, comprises a telescopically adjustable mounting means for attachment within a recess, a motor in association with said mounting means capable of effecting telescopic adjustment of said mounting means, an operating means for actuating said motor and attachment means by which an article can be attached to said mounting means.
2. An assembly according to claim 1 in which the mounting means is adjustable for length.
3. An assembly according to claim 1 or 2 in which the mounting means is adapted to be mounted substantially vertically.
4. An assembly according to any preceding claim in which the operating means comprises a remote control.
5. An assembly according to any preceding claim in which concealment means is provided to hide the article when in the recess.
6. An assembly according to claim 5 in which the concealment means comprises at least one flap.
7. An assembly according to claim in which the concealment means comprises two flaps.
8. An assembly according to claim 5,6 or 7 in which the concealment means is adapted to open and shut with the movement of the article out of and in to the recess.
9. An assembly according to claim 8 in which the concealment means is attached to the article.
10. An assembly according to claim 9 in which the concealment means is attached to the article by at least one wire.
11. An assembly according to claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.
12. A method of mounting an article comprises the steps of providing a recess, attaching a telescopically adjustable mounting means within said recess, providing in association with said mounting means a motor capable of effecting telescopic adjustment of said mounting means, providing an operating means for actuating said motor, attaching an article to said mounting means whereby the operating means can be used to actuate the motor and effect telescopic adjustment of the mounting means thereby moving the mounting means into or out of the recess as required.
13. A method of mounting an article according to claim 12 in which the article comprises electronic and/or electrical equipment.
14. A method of mounting an article according to claim 13 in which the article comprises a projector.
15. A method of mounting an article according to claim 12 having the feature of any one of claims 1 to 11.
16. A method of mounting an article according to claim 12 and substantially as herein described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.