Flat Panel TV Accessory Mounting Bracket and Enclosure

Abstract

A mounting system that utilizes latches, an enclosure, and bracket bars to ensure secure and precise mounting of decorative flat panel TV frames or other flat panel Other TV accessories to a myriad of VESA-compliant and non-VESA-compliant flat panel LCD/Plasma televisions. The system comprises three major parts. The first part is its bracket bars that attach securely with screws to the back of the television, either independently or between the television and an independent third party wall mounting bracket. The second part comprises a preferably wooden enclosure that acts as an inner frame to enclose the TV and provide scaffolding to which decorative flat panel TV frames or other flat panel Other TV accessories can be attached. The third part comprises a latching system that mates the first and second parts together. The system may also comprise a frame mount and adjustably positioned mounting blocks to accommodate non-VESA-compliant televisions.

1 . A mounting system that provides secure and precise mounting of decorative flat panel TV frames and other flat panel other TV accessories to a myriad of flat panel LCD/Plasma televisions each having mounting points on its back surface, said mounting system comprising:
 at least two rigid bracket bars securely attached to mounting points on the back surface of a flat panel LCD/Plasma television so that a vertically extending orientation of said at least two bracket bars is achieved, said at least two rigid bracket bars each having a top end and a bottom end;   an enclosure configured to provide an inner frame around the flat panel LCD/Plasma television, said enclosure also having two opposing sides each with multi-level pre-routed surface configurations that provide at least one pattern having a central area that is most deeply cut, and wherein said at least one pattern having a central area that is most on one of said opposing sides is aligned with said at least one pattern having a central area that is most deeply cut on the other one of said opposing sides; and   a latching system comprising a plurality of latches and a plurality of latch mounting plates, with a first one of said latch mounting plates securely fixed to a first one of said opposing sides and a second one of said latch mounting plates securely fixed to the remaining one of said opposing sides, with said first latch mounting plate associated with said at least one pattern on said first opposing side and said second latch mounting plate associated with said at least one pattern on said second opposing side, said first and second latch mounting plates also in opposed positions to one another, and further with two of said latch mounting plates securely fixed to said opposing sides for each of said at least two rigid bracket bars present, and also with a different one of said latches secured between each one of said latch mounting plates and the one of said multi-level pre-routed patterns adjacent thereto in the central area most deeply cut, said latches connected to said top and bottom ends of said at least two rigid bracket bars, wherein when said enclosure is connected to said at least two rigid bracket bars and a decorative TV frame or TV accessory is associated with said enclosure, the decorative TV frame or TV accessory is held around a flat panel LCD/Plasma television by said at least two rigid bracket bars in a manner that allows said enclosure to act as a scaffolding to which decorative TV frames and other TV accessories can be attached.   
     
     
         2 . The mounting system of  claim 1  wherein said latching system comprises a plurality of upper latches each having opposite ends and at least one hook on one of said opposite ends. 
     
     
         3 . The mounting system of  claim 1  wherein said latching system comprises a plurality of lower latches each having at least one longitudinally directed slot. 
     
     
         4 . The mounting system of  claim 1  wherein said latching system comprises a plurality of lower latches each having a widened end. 
     
     
         5 . The mounting system of  claim 4  wherein the configuration of said widened ends causes each said lower latch to appear substantially T-shaped. 
     
     
         6 . The mounting system of  claim 1  wherein said latch mounting plates are selected from a group consisting of latch mounting plates having at least one mounting tab with a threaded hole configured for receipt of a set screw, and latch mounting plates having a plurality of mounting holes and a plurality of threaded holes configured for receipt of a set screw. 
     
     
         7 . The mounting system of  claim 1  further comprising at least one latch plated mounting block with at least one pattern having a central area that is most deeply cut. 
     
     
         8 . The mounting system of  claim 1  wherein said bracket bars are selected from group consisting of bracket bars made from steel, bracket bars having at least one closed slot, bracket bars having at least one perforation through it, bracket bars having a top end with at least two open slots, and bracket bars having a bottom end with at least one open slot. 
     
     
         9 . The mounting system of  claim 1  wherein said at least one pattern is positioned according to VESA guidelines so that said mounting system is usable with flat panel LCD/Plasma televisions having mounting points set according to VESA guidelines. 
     
     
         10 . The mounting system of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of mounting blocks each having said at least one pattern containing multi-level pre-routed surface configurations, and wherein said latch mounting plates are connected to said at least one pattern on said mounting blocks. 
     
     
         11 . The mounting system of  claim 10  further comprising a rail connected to each of said opposing surfaces of said enclosure and whereon said mounting blocks are movable along said rail for aligning said latch mounting plates with mounting points on the back of a flat panel LCD/Plasma television connected to said at least two bracket bars. 
     
     
         12 . The mounting system of  claim 1  wherein said enclosure is made from wood. 
     
     
         13 . The mounting system of  claim 1  wherein said bracket bars, said latches, and said latch mounting plates are made from rigid stamped steel. 
     
     
         14 . A mounting system that provides secure and precise mounting of decorative flat panel TV frames and other flat panel other TV accessories to a myriad of flat panel LCD/Plasma televisions each having mounting points on its back surface, said mounting system comprising:
 at least two rigid bracket bars securely attached to mounting points on the back surface of a flat panel LCD/Plasma television so that a vertically extending orientation of said at least two bracket bars is achieved, said at least two rigid bracket bars each having a top end and a bottom end;   an enclosure configured to provide an inner frame around the flat panel LCD/Plasma television, said enclosure also having two opposing sides each with multi-level pre-routed surface configurations that provide at least one pattern having a central area that is most deeply cut, and wherein said at least one pattern having a central area that is most on one of said opposing sides is aligned with said at least one pattern having a central area that is most deeply cut on the other one of said opposing sides; and   a latching system comprising a plurality of upper latches each having opposite ends and at least one hook on one of said opposite ends, a plurality of lower latches each having at least one longitudinally directed slot and a widened end, a plurality of upper latch mounting plates each having a plurality of mounting holes and a plurality of threaded holes configured for receipt of a set screw, and a plurality of lower latch mounting plates each having at least one mounting tab with a threaded hole configured for receipt of a set screw, with a first one of said upper latch mounting plates securely fixed to a first one of said opposing sides and a first one of said lower latch mounting plates securely fixed to the remaining one of said opposing sides, with said first upper latch mounting plate associated with said at least one pattern on said first opposing side and said first lower latch mounting plate associated with said at least one pattern on said second opposing side, said first upper and lower latch mounting plates also in opposed positions to one another, and further with one of said upper latch mounting plates and one of said lower latch mounting plates securely fixed to said opposing sides for each of said at least two rigid bracket bars present, and also with a different one of said upper latches secured between each one of said upper latch mounting plates and the one of said multi-level pre-routed patterns adjacent thereto in the central area most deeply cut, and further with a different one of said lower latches secured between each one of said lower latch mounting plates and the one of said multi-level pre-routed patterns adjacent thereto in the central area most deeply cut, said upper latches each connected to said top ends of said at least two rigid bracket bars and said lower latches each connected to said bottom ends of said at least two rigid bracket bars wherein when said enclosure is connected to said at least two rigid bracket bars and a decorative TV frame or TV accessory is associated with said enclosure, the decorative TV frame or TV accessory is held around a flat panel LCD/Plasma television by said at least two rigid bracket bars in a manner that allows said enclosure to act as a scaffolding to which decorative TV frames and other TV accessories can be attached.   
     
     
         15 . The mounting system of  claim 14  further comprising at least one latch plated mounting block with at least one pattern having a central area that is most deeply cut. 
     
     
         16 . The mounting system of  claim 14  wherein said bracket bars are selected from group consisting of bracket bars made from steel, bracket bars having at least one closed slot, bracket bars having at least one perforation through it, bracket bars having a top end with at least two open slots, and bracket bars having a bottom end with at least one open slot. 
     
     
         17 . The mounting system of  claim 14  wherein said at least one pattern is positioned according to VESA guidelines so that said mounting system is usable with flat panel LCD/Plasma televisions having mounting points set according to VESA guidelines. 
     
     
         18 . The mounting system of  claim 14  further comprising a plurality of mounting blocks each having said at least one pattern containing multi-level pre-routed surface configurations, and wherein said latch mounting plates are connected to said at least one pattern on said mounting blocks. 
     
     
         19 . The mounting system of  claim 18  further comprising a rail connected to each of said opposing surfaces of said enclosure and whereon said mounting blocks are movable along said rail for aligning said latch mounting plates with mounting points on the back of a flat panel LCD/Plasma television connected to said at least two bracket bars. 
     
     
         20 . A method of using the system of  claim 1  for secure and precise mounting of decorative flat panel TV frames and other flat panel other TV accessories to a myriad of flat panel LCD/Plasma televisions each having mounting points on its back surface, said method comprising the steps of
 providing the system of  claim 1 , decorative flat panel TV frames and other flat panel other TV accessories, and a flat panel LCD/Plasma television having mounting points on its back surface;   securely attaching said at least two rigid bracket bars to said mounting points on said flat panel LCD/Plasma television so that a vertically extending orientation of said at least two bracket bars is achieved;   securing said latch mounting plates and one of said decorative TV frames and other TV accessories to said enclosure;   causing one of said latches to become engaged with each of said top ends of said at least two rigid bracket bars and then also securing each of said top end latches between said enclosure and one of said latch mounting plates wherein gravity causes said enclosure to be held around said flat panel LCD/Plasma television by said at least two rigid bracket bars; and   causing one of said latches to become engaged with each of said bottom ends of said at least two rigid bracket bars and then also securing each of said bottom end latches between said enclosure and one of said latch mounting plates.