User-adjustable wall mount for display panel

Abstract

A wall mount for mounting a flat display panel on a wall enables an attached panel to be user-movable within predetermined limits in a curved travel path including an upper limit location with the panel in proximity to the wall, and a lower working location with the panel spaced out from the wall at a predetermined distance. A parallelogram type support structure with four double-hinged coupling arms enables the required movability while holding the panel level and vertically oriented. In a powered embodiment, an electric motor/winch assembly is controlled by a local and/or remote, wireless, wired and/or Wi-Fi control unit enabling a user to relocate the panel to any desired location in the travel path and to lock the panel in place for viewing.

1 . A wall mount assembly for adjustable support of a generally flat display panel, comprising:
 a wall plate made and arranged to be attached to a vertical wall;   a panel plate, having a designated vertical dimension, made and arranged to support a display panel in a vertical plane;   coupling structure made and arranged to couple said wall plate together with said panel plate in a manner that, with said wall plate attached to the vertical wall, said panel plate is enabled to support the display panel in stabilized viewing condition at one of at least two predetermined locations relative to the wall including an upward location, close to the wall, and a downward location spaced further from the wall than the upward location by a predetermined horizontal distance, and located lower than the upward location by a predetermined vertical distance; and   a hoist system, applying primary actuating tensile force via at least one flexible tension-drive member, deployed in a manner to perform user-directed relocation of the display panel in a predetermined travel path between the upward and the downward locations.   
     
     
         2 . The wall mount assembly as defined in  claim 1  wherein the predetermined horizontal distance is made approximately equal to the predetermined vertical distance. 
     
     
         3 . The wall mount assembly as defined in  claim 1  wherein said coupling structure comprises a plurality of coupling arms each having a first end hingedly attached to said wall mount plate at a selected location thereupon, and a second and opposite end hingedly attached to said panel mount plate, at corresponding predetermined attachment locations at top and bottom regions thereof, such that said coupling arms are held parallel to each other causing said wall plate and said panel plate to form a first pair of parallel opposite sides of a hinged parallelogram, and causing said coupling arms to form a second pair of parallel opposite sides of the hinged parallelogram, such that, with said wall plate attached to a vertical wall, said panel plate is movable in an arcuate travel path extending in a travel range between (1) an upper limit at the upward location, characterized by said coupling arms being oriented in a generally vertical direction and said panel plate being located in close proximity to the wall, and (2) a lower limit at the downward location characterized by said coupling arms being oriented in a generally horizontal direction with said wall plate and said panel plate being displaced from the upper limit panel location by the predetermined horizontal distance and by the predetermined vertical distance. 
     
     
         4 . The wall mount assembly as defined in  claim 3  wherein:
 said panel plate is attached to a flat display panel; and 
 said wall plate is attached to a vertical wall at a location intended for viewing the display panel. 
 
     
     
         5 . The wall mount assembly as defined in  claim 4  wherein said panel plate is attached to said display panel via intermediate panel attachment hardware. 
     
     
         6 . The wall mount assembly as defined in  claim 4  wherein said hoist system comprises:
 a cylindrical roller rotatably mounted in close proximity to the wall at a predetermined height dimension above a bottom edge of said wall plate that approximates twice the vertical dimension of said panel plate: 
 a first end of said at least one flexible tension-drive member being attached to said cylindrical roller in a wrap-around manner to act as a winch; 
 a second and opposite end of said at least one flexible tension-drive member being attached to a lower region of said panel plate: and 
 actuation means enabling a user to actuate said cylindrical roller in a rotational manner to provide capability of supporting and relocating said panel plate and the display panel via tension in said at least one flexible tension-drive member as required to move the display panel in the travel path and to support the display panel in a stable condition at any selected location. 
 
     
     
         7 . The wall mount assembly as defined in  claim 6  wherein said at least one flexible tension-drive member comprises two fabric webbing straps each located in a corresponding opposite end region of said cylindrical roller and wound spirally thereupon. 
     
     
         8 . The wall mount assembly as defined in  claim 6  wherein said actuation means comprises an electric motor located in a hollow end region within said cylindrical roller along with an associated gear reduction mechanism, the electric motor being attached, at least indirectly, to the wall by a mounting bracket. 
     
     
         9 . The wall mount assembly as defined in  claim 8  wherein said electric motor further comprises braking and locking capability automatically applied to said cylindrical roller whenever electrical power is absent in said electric motor. 
     
     
         10 . A wall mount assembly for wall-mounting a generally flat display panel in a manner to be user-relocatable, comprising:
 a wall plate attached to a vertical wall;   a panel plate, having a designated vertical dimension, attached to the display panel;   four coupling arms each having a first end hingedly attached to said wall mount plate at a selected location thereupon, and a second and opposite end hingedly attached to said panel mount plate, at corresponding predetermined attachment locations at top and bottom end regions thereof, such that said coupling arms are held parallel to each other causing said wall plate and said panel plate to form a first pair of parallel opposite sides of a hinged parallelogram, and causing said coupling arms to form a second pair of parallel opposite sides of the hinged parallelogram, such that the display panel is movable in a travel path approximating a 90 degree arc extending in a travel range between two user-selectable locations including an upward location close to the wall at a predetermined height with said coupling arms oriented in a generally vertical direction, and a downward location, wherein with the coupling arms are oriented in a generally horizontal direction and the display panel is displaced downwardly by a vertical dimension and displaced further from the wall by a horizontal dimension that approximates the vertical dimension; and   a hoisting system comprising:
 a cylindrical roller rotatably mounted in close proximity to the wall at a predetermined height dimension, relative to a bottom edge of said wall plate, that approximates twice the vertical dimension of said panel plate; 
 a first fabric webbing strap having a first strap end attached to said cylindrical roller in a first end region thereof and spirally wound thereupon, and having a second strap end attached to a lower region of said panel plate near a first end thereof; 
 a second fabric webbing strap having a first strap end attached to said cylindrical roller in a second end region thereof and spirally wound thereupon, and having a second strap end attached to a lower region of said panel plate near a second end thereof: and 
 an actuation mechanism including a control system made and arranged to enable a user to initiate and control rotation of said cylindrical roller in a manner to apply supportive motive force to said panel plate via tension in said first and second fabric webbing straps as required to move and relocate said panel plate in the travel path, and to apply locking against rotation, upon demand, so as to support said panel plate in a stable condition at any selected location. 
   
     
     
         11 . The wall mount assembly as defined in  claim 10  wherein said actuation mechanism includes an electric motor, including reduction gearing, located in an end region of said cylindrical roller and having a housing attached by a bracket to a fixed mass that includes the wall and said wall plate, said electric motor enabled to rotate said cylindrical roller and thus relocate the panel upon actuation by the user, and to prevent rotation of said cylindrical roller in absence of actuation.