Mechanism for concealing and revealing a screen

Abstract

A wall-mountable bracket assembly capable of holding a panel 14 and moving that panel between a first position in which it lies in front of an adjacent wall-mounted screen 10, and a second position in

Description

Elgld ofthgJjTygntion The present invention relates to a mechanism for concealing a television set or other screen when not in use and for revealing it for viewing when needed. It can also be used for concealing other wall-mounted objects. Background Art Blank television screens can be visually intrusive in a room. It is known to conceal a wall-mounted television behind a movable panel so that, when not in use, it is not visible. Such an arrangement also allows the panel to be moved sideways to uncover the television when anyone wants to watch it. Thus, for example, the panel can be moved on rails or via hinges. However, the rails or hinges that hold the panel may be visible, which can be unsightly. In addition, hinges require a lot of space to swing the panel to cover / uncover the television and so a mechanism where the panel moves parallel to the wall is preferred. Also, when viewed in a direction parallel to the wall on which the television is mounted, the television can still be seen. Furthermore, if the panel is to slide horizontally, space must be provided alongside the television to accommodate the panel when the television is in use and such space is not always available, e.g. when the television is mounted in an alcove. When the panel is a picture in a frame, the panel must allow a sufficient distance between the wall and the panel to provide clearance for the picture and frame to move. The resulting spacing between the picture and the wail behind it can look unnatural and so inelegant. Other ways are known to conceal wall-mounted televisions. In one such, the television is mounted behind a see-through a two-way mirror so that the television can be seen when it is on but otherwise is not discernible behind the mirror. Unfortunately, this compromises the quality of the television picture. Alternatively, a roller-blind arrangement bearing a picture can be unrolled to hide the television or rolled up when the television is in use; this arrangement limits the quality of the picture that can be used to conceal the television. Disclosure of the Invention According to the present invention, there is provided a wall-mountable bracket capable of holding a panel and moving that panel between a first position in which it lies in front of an adjacent wall -mounted screen, e.g. a television, and a second position in which it lies clear of the screen, thereby allowing the screen to be seen, the bracket comprising: ® a wall mount capable of being secured to said wall and supporting the rest of the bracket, ® a panel mount capable of holding said panel, ® a drive configured to move the panel mount, together with any panel supported by it, between said first and second position; and « a variable spacer configured to move the panel mount outwardly away from the wail mount and inwardly towards the wall mount to increase or decrease the distance between the panel mount and any wall on which the wall mount is secured. The term "screen" used herein is intended to include televisions, monitors and other electronic imaging devices. The panel may be or include ans art work or mirror. Generally, the arrangement is such that the panel is moved outwardly away from the wall supporting the bracket prior to uncovering the screen. Likewise, the panel is moved inward once the screen has been covered again. When the panel is in the second (screen revealing) position,, the panel may be moved inwardly to lie against the wall, although such inward movement is not necessary but provides a more elegant arrangement. Of course, if the panel has moved inwardly when the screen is uncovered, it must be moved outwardly prior to moving it back into the first (screen covering) 5 position. The bracket can be configured such that, when a panel of suitable dimensions is used, the panel covers or conceals the bracket in both said first position and said second position so that the bracket is never readily visible except when the panel is being moved and then it is only visible in a direction parallel to the wall on which the bracket is mounted. 10 The variable spacer may be a lever mechanism, e.g. a scissor mechanism or a parallelogram mechanism, or a linear actuator, that can be controlled, e.g. by an electric motor, to move the panel outwardly or inwardly, to control the inward and outward movement of the variable spacer. The outward movement allows the panel to pass over the screen when covering and uncovering the screen. Such movement may keep the panel parallel to the screen or it may be a tilting movement to 15 space only part of the panel away from the screen; that part is the part of the panel that passes over the screen during the covering / uncovering movement. The drive moving the panel between the first (screen-covering) position and the second (screen-revealing) position may be a linear drive system, e.g. an electric motor and a belt drive, an electric motor and a rack-and-pinion, an electric motor and a bailscrew drive, a motor-driven telescopically 2.0 extending arm or a linear motor. In one embodiment in which the panel is lowered and raised vertically to arrive at the second (screen-revealing) position, the drive may be an electric motor that drives a spool wire (or other cord) attached to a panel. With this arrangement, the panel is raised by driving the motor to wind the wire up around the spool while it is lowered by gravity In a controlled manner by the motor paying out the wire from the spool, i.e. the motor acts as a brake in controlling 25 the downward movement of the panel. In one arrangement, the panel mount comprises at least one arm that can engage directly or indirectly with the panel and the linear drive system moves the arm(s) along the length of the arm, thereby moving the panel between the first (screen-covering) position and the second (screenrevealing) position. When two or more such linear arms are provided, the drive system may include a 30 single electric motor that is configured to drive all the arms simultaneously, e.g. by means of a belt drive, so that the arms always move together. Alternatively the mount may simply be the end of a wire (or other cord) that is attachable to a panel to support the panel and move it between the first (screen-covering) position and the second (screen-revealing) position. The bracket may be configured to move the panel either: 35 » upwardly or downwardly to a second (screen-revealing) position that Is above or below the screen, or ® laterally to the second (screen-revealing) position that is alongside the screen. Generally, moving the panel upwards to the second (screen-revealing) position that is above the screen is found to be the most convenient but any of the above movements is feasible. 40 A controller, e.g. a microprocessor, may be provided that: (a) when the panel is positioned in front of an adjacent screen (the first position), the controller causes the spacer to move the panel outwardly away from the screen and subsequently it causes the drive to move the panel mount to a position in which the screen is not obscured (the second position), and (b) when the panel mount is in a position that does not conceal the screen (the second position), the controller causes the drive to move the panel mount to a position in front of the screen and 5 subsequently it causes the spacer to move the panel mount inwardly towards the screen to conceal it. The panel may include side pieces that extend behind the front of the panel and form a cavity or well behind the front of the panel. This cavity can enclose both the screen and the bracket when the panel is in the first (screen-covering) position and when the spacer has moved the panel inwardly. In 10 this way, the screen and the bracket are not visible when viewed from in front or along the wall on which the screen is mounted. For the same reason, the bracket may be located within the bounds of the panel throughout its range of movement. The present invention also provides a method of operating the bracket as aforesaid. in a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a wall-mountable bracket assembly capable of holding a panel and moving that panel between a first position in which it lies in front of an adjacent wall-mounted screen, and a second position in which it lies clear of the screen, thereby allowing the screen to be seen, the bracket comprising: a wall mount capable of being secured to said wall and supporting the rest of the bracket, a panel mount capable of holding said panel, and a variable spacer configured to move the panel mount outwardly away from the wall mount and inwardly towards the wall mount to increase and / or decrease the distance between the panel mount and any wall on which the wall mount is secured. in one embodiment the assembly further includes a drive configured to drive the panel between said first, position and said second position. in one embodiment the drive is configured to move the panel mount. in one embodiment the drive is a linear drive system selected from the group consisting of: an electric motorand a belt drive; an electric motorand a rack-and-pinion; an electric motor and a ballscrew drive; an electric motor and spools that can wrap cords; a motor-driven telescopically extending arm; and / or a linear motor. in one embodiment the drive comprises an electric motorand spools that can wrap cords up around the spools and pay out the cords, wherein the panel mount comprises the ends of the cords, in one embodiment the panel mount comprises at least one arm that can engage with said panel and wherein the linear drive system is configured to move said at least one arm in a direction along the length of the arm. in one embodiment the panel mount comprises at least two linear arms and the drive system includes a single electric motor that is configured to drive the arms simultaneously. in one embodiment assembly includes a controller that is configured such that, in operation: (a) when the panel mount, together with any panel mounted thereon, is in said first position, e.g. positioned in front of an adjacent screen, the controller can cause the spacer to move the panel mount outwardly away from the wall mount and subsequently the controller can cause the drive to move the panel mount to said second position, and (b) when the panel mount, together with any panel mounted thereon, is in said second position, the controller can cause the drive to move the panel mount to said first position and subsequently the controller can cause the spacer to move the panel mount inwardly towards the wall mount. in one embodiment, the spacer is a variable spacer such that, the distance between the panel and the wall mount can be altered in use. In one embodiment the assembly is configured such that, when a panel of suitable dimensions is supported on the panel mount, the panel can cover or conceal the bracket in both said first position and said second position. In one embodiment the assembly includes a carriage that supports the panel mount, and wherein the spacer operates between the wall mount and the carriage, whereby the spacer can increase or decrease the distance between the panel mount and the wall mount. In one embodiment the spacer is a lever mechanism or is a linear actuator that can be controlled to move the panel outwardly to increase, or inwardly to decrease, the distance between the panel mount and the wall mount. In one embodiment the assembly includes an electric motor to control the inward and outward movement of the spacer. In one embodiment the assembly is configured such that the panel mount, together with any panel mounted thereon, is movable: • upwardly or downwardly to said second position in which it does not cover an adjacent screen, said second position being above or below the screen, or * laterally to said second position in which it does not cover an adjacent screen, said second position being alongside the screen. In one embodiment the assembly, in combination with a panel that is supported by the panel mount, includes side pieces that extend behind the panel to provide a well and wherein the side pieces are configured to enclose the screen and the bracket in the well when the panel mount is in the first position and when the spacer has moved the panel inwardly. in one embodiment the term side includes the top and bottom sides of the bracket as well as the lateral sides. in one embodiment the bracket is covered by the panel throughout the range of movement of the panel. in one embodiment the panel covers and / or conceals the bracket in both said first position and said second position. in one embodiment the bracket is in combination with a wall-mounted screen. In a further aspect there is provided a method of operating the bracket that is attached to a wall adjacent to a wall-mounted screen, and having a panel mounted on the panel mount, which method comprises: (a) in order to cover or conceal the wall-mounted screen: • actuating the spacer to move the panel in a direction away from the wall, * moving the panel to a position in which it covers the screen and » actuating the spacer to move the panel inwardly towards the wall on which the screen is mounted to conceal the screen, and (b) in order to reveal the screen concealed by the panel: • actuating the spacer to move the panel in a direction away from the wall, * moving the panel to a position in which the screen is uncovered. In one embodiment the method includes the additional step of actuating the spacer to move the panel inwards towards the wall on which the screen is mounted. Brief of the Drawings There will now be described, by way of example only, embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which. Fig!;res 'la and lb are partly cut-away front elevat-ons showing a television screen artached to a wall and a concealing mechanism according to the present invention that includes a frame: in Figure la, the frame covers the television and in Figure it. the frame is in a raised posi&on revesting rhe television Figure 2a to c show the television and the frame of Figure i with the frame in its towered position covering the television i Figure 2b}. in ds lowered oosmori but spaced away from rhe wail {Figure2b) and in its raised position (Figure 2c). Figure 2a is sectional vmw along line X-X erf Figure la and Figure 2c is a sectional view along tine Y-v of Figure lb; Figure 1 )s a ’’ghosted vi-'w of a spacing, raising and towc ring mechanism used to perform the operations shown In t igures 2s to 2c; Figures 4 and 5 are side and elan views of the mechanism of figure 3 with the scissor inechanism closed; Figure 6 is the same side view of the mechanism as Figure 4 foot with the scissor mechanism open. Figure ?a is a tear view of a panel that is held by bracket according to a second embodiment of the present invention, imiudlng a wail mount., a panel mount, and a spacer for varying the space between rfie two mounts. Also shown is a was;-mounted screen. The spacer is in an inward position with the panel tying adjacent to the wail; Figure 7b ;S a section view taken along the? line A-A of Figure 7a; Figure 7c is an enlarged view of detail H of the arrangement depicted in Figure 7b; Figure 8a is the same tear view of the panel and bracket as Figure 7. but with the panel shown in a position covering the screen and with the spacer spacing rhe pane! way from the waEh Figure 8b is a section view taken along the line 8-fe of Figure 8a: Figure 8 c is -an enlarged view of detail G of the arrangement depicted in Figure 3b Figure 9 is a perspective view of the wail mount add the panel mount of Figures 7b, 7c, 8b and 3c; Figure 10a is a cross-sectional view' of the panel and bracket of Figures 7b and 7c Figure 10b is a sectional view taken along the line F-F of Figure 10a; Figure 10c is an enlarged view of detail I of Figure 10b; Figure lOd is an enlarged view of detail J of Figure 10b; and Figure lOe is perspective view of part of a mechanism that moves the panel of Figure 10a. Detailed Description of the Specific Embodiment shown in the Figures Referring initially to Figure 1, there is shown in Figure lb a television 10 mounted on a wall 11 and a frame 12 that has been raised to lie above the television so that it can be watched. In Figure la, the frame 12 has been lowered so that it covers the television. As can be seen, no tracks or other signs of the mechanism for moving the frame are visible since the mechanism for doing so is all behind the frame. The frame .12 includes a front panel 14 and side pieces 16 extending behind the panel, as can be seen in Figure 2. The front panel carries an artwork or a mirror (or similar decorative feature] on its front surface so that, when lowered, only the artwork or mirror is visible and the television is not in view. The raising and lowering mechanisms 18 are shown in the cut-out sections of Figures la and lb but in fact they are not visible behind the front panel. The television 10 is secured to the wall 11 behind It by a fixing (not shown) of known standard design. The frame 12 is secured to the same wall by bracket mechanisms 18 but is not otherwise fixed to the wall so that the mechanisms can raise and lower the frame to cover and uncover the television, as shown in Figures la and lb. Turning now to Figure 2, Figure 2(a) corresponds to Figure 1(a) and shows the frame 12 lowered to cover the television 10. Figure 2(c) corresponds to Figure 1(b) and shows the frame 12 raised to uncover the television 10. The raising and lowering mechanisms 18 are also visible in Figure 2; they are fixed to the wall 11 and the weight of the frame .12 is supported by these mechanisms and it will be observed that the mechanisms remain at the same level throughout the raising and lowering procedure, with the exception of a toothed rack 20, which is secured to the frame 12, as will be described later. The procedure for raising the frame 12 from the position shown in Figure 2(a) is as follows. Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the raising and lowering mechanisms 18 include scissor devices 22, which are shown in greater detail in Figure 3. The scissor device is opened by an electric stepper motor or positionally controllable servo motor 24 turning a threaded lead screw 26 that engages with a threaded bore 2.9 (see Figure 5) in a roller 28 of the scissor device. The turning of the screw in the bore 29 moves the roller 28 downwardly, causing the scissor device to open which in turn moves the frame 12 outwardly from the position shown in Figure 2(a) to arrive at the position shown in Figure 2(b). In the position of Figure 2(b), the side pieces 16 of the frame 12 are clear of the television 10 and the frame can then be raised to the position shown in Figure 2(c). The raising of the frame is achieved by further motors 30, each turning a spur gear 32; one of these motors is shown in detail in Figure 3. The spur gear 32 engages a rack gear 20 that is fixed to the frame 12 and so the turning of the spur gear causes the frame to rise to the position shown in Figure 2(c). The rack gear 20 is kept in alignment by being sandwiched between the spur gear 32 and a front plate 36 of the mechanism 18 and this alignment is made more robust by the provision of a passive spur gear 34. As shown in Figure 1, two raising and lowering mechanisms 18 are provided and they are located just above the television 10. One of these mechanisms is shown in detail in Figure 3. It has the front plate 36 already mentioned and a back plate 38 that is secured to the wall 11, e.g. by screws (not shown). Four guide channels 40 are fixed to the front and back plates 36,38 that guide four rollers 28 and 28' of the scissor device 22, which are connected together by cross piece arms 41 to form the scissor device. As already mentioned in connection with Figure 2b, the scissor device can increase or decrease the distance between the front and back plates by opening and closing the scissor device by means of the motor 24 and the lead screw 26 engaging in the threaded bore 29 (see Figure 5) in 5 scissor roller 28. The rack gear 20 is fixed to the frame 12 but not to the front plate 36 and the motor 30 and spur gear 32 are fixed relative to the front plate. The rack gear 20 is sandwiched between (a) the front plate and (b) the spur 32 driven by the motor 30 and the passive spur gear 34 so that, when the spur gear 32 is turned by the motor 30, the rack gear 20 rises or fails, depending on which way the gear 32 is 10 turned. Consequently, the front plate does not move when the rack gear moves. The frame 12, however is connected to the rack gear and so rises and falls with it. Thus the outward movement of the frame 12. shown in Figure 2(b) is effected by actuating the scissor device 22 by means of the motor 24; the raising of the frame shown in Figure 2(c) is effected by the motor 30 engaging the rack gear 20, as already described. The lowering and the inward movement of 15 the frame is effected by simply reversing these steps. Figure 4 is an elevation showing one of the raising and lowering mechanisms 18 with the scissor device 22 closed and Figure 5 is a corresponding plan view of the mechanism 18 showing the bore 29 that engages with the threaded bore 29, as already described. Figure 6 is an elevation showing one of the raising and lowering mechanisms 18 with the scissor device 22 open. 20 Referring now to Figure 7 to 10 of the accompanying drawings which show a second embodiment of the bracket of the present invention, Figure 7a shows a rear view of the bracket 100 of the present invention, which is located just above a screen shown by broken lines 130. The bracket supports a rectangular panel 102 having a front piece 103 (the rear of this front piece is visible in Figure 7a) and top and bottom sides 104a and lateral sides 104b along the four edges of the front piece. These sides 25 extend rearwardly from the front piece 103 and so form a well 106 behind the front piece and within the four sides. The bracket 100 sits in the well 106 behind the front piece 103 of the panel and is formed essentially of four components: ® a pair of arms 109 that extend within the well 106 along the lateral sides 104b of the panel 102. The ends of the arms are attached to the top and bottom sides 104a. These arms 30 support and move the panel 102 when the bracket is secured to a wall, as will be described later; ® a carriage 108 that extends between the arms 109. The arms can be moved by a drive through bearing blocks 140 provided at the two ends of the carriage 108 which has the effect of raising or lowering the panel 102 to cover or uncover the screen 130. The carriage is 35 generally static, i.e. it does not move sideways or upwards / downwards when the panel is moved to cover or uncover the screen, although it can be moved outwardly towards or away from the wall on which the screen 130 is mounted by a variable spacer described below.. » a wall mount 110 that can be secured to a wall to hold the bracket In place and allow upward and downward movement of the panel 102 relative to the bracket and 40 » a variable spacer 112 that acts between the carriage 108 and the wall mount 110 to increase or decrease the space between the carriage and the wall mount, as will be described in greater detail below. Referring now to Figure 9, which shows the variable spacer 112, the wall mount 110 and a plate 114 that forms part of the carriage 108. The wall mount 110 is attached to the carriage plate 114 by two 45 H links 116. The H links 116 are each pivotally attached at their ends to the wall mount 110 and to the plate 114 so that together they form a parallelogram linkage on each side of the wall mount 110 / carriage plate 114. The spacing between the wall mount 110 / carriage plate 114 can be altered by rotating the links using a drive that will be described in the following paragraph. Figure 8B shows the arrangement in which the spacing between the wall mount 110 and the carriage plate 114 has been increased. This is achieved by means of an arm 118 that is mounted at one end to the carriage 108 and that is pivotable with respect to the carriage 108 by an electric motor 123 that can rotate in both directions. The other end of the arm carries a roller 120 that can move in an arcuate cam slot 122 attached to the wall mount 110. The pivoting of the arm 118 by the motor 123 causes the roller to move in the arcuate slot 122 and thereby (depending on which way the motor moves the arm) increases or decreases the space between the wall mount 110 and the carriage 108. The wall mount 110 is kept parallel to the carriage 118 by the parallelogram formed by the links 116. Sensors 124 sense whether the spacer 112 is extended or collapsed and provide a signal to that effect to a controller (not shown). Figure 7 shows the variable spacer 112 in a collapsed arrangement in which the distance between the wall mount 110 and the carriage 108 has been reduced as compared with the arrangement of Figure 8. This is achieved by the motor 123 rotating the arm 118 in an anticlockwise direction (as seen in Figures 7c and 8c) which cases the roller 120 to move along the arcuate cam slot 122 and draw the carriage 108 closer to the wall mount 110. When the panel is to be moved to uncover or conceal the screen,, the spacer will first be extended from the collapsed arrangement shown in Figure 7 to the extended arrangement shown in Figure 8, in which there is a space between the carriage 108 and the wall mount 110, and hence between the panel 102 and the wall, which allows the panel 102 to pass over the screen when it is to be raised or lowered, as described below. After the panel has been raised or lowered to uncover the screen or to cover it, respectively, the spacer 112 is moved from extended arrangement shown in Figure 8to the collapsed arrangement shown in Figure 7 to reduce the spacing between the carriage 108 and the wall mount 110 so that the sides of the panel are touching or nearly touching the wall, thereby concealing the screen 130 behind the panel 102. In this arrangement, the screen (shown in broken lines 130 in Figure 8a) and the bracket 100 fit into the well 106 and so are wholly surrounded by the panel and concealed from all directions of view. Turning now to the mechanism for moving the panel upwards and downwards to uncover or cover the screen 130, it will be noticed that in Figure 7, the panel 102 is mostly located above the bracket 100 and so the screen (partly shown in broken lines 130) is uncovered and in Figure 8, the panel 102 is mostly located below the bracket 100 and in this configuration, the panel covers the screen 130. In both the raised and lowered positions of the panel, the panel covers the bracket. Figure 10a shows a cross section through the panel 102, the wall mount 110 and the carriage 108. The wall to which the wall mount is secured is shown by broken line 132 and the screen by broken line 130. In Figure 10a, the panel 102 covers the screen. In order to view the screen, the panel 102 is lifted to lie mostly above the bracket 100. This vertical movement of the panel 102. is achieved in this second embodiment by driving the arms 109 through bearing blocks 140 provided at the ends of the carriageiOS, as will be described in connection with Figure 10. As already mentioned, the pair of arms 109 are attached at their ends to the top and bottom sides 104a of the panel 102 and so these arms support the panel 102 when the panel mount 110 is secured to a wall. By driving the arms 109 through bearing blocks 140 (see Figure lOd) provided at the ends of the carriageiOS, the panel can be raised or lowered. This is achieved by means of an electric motor 150 and gearbox 151 that are secured to the carriage 108. The gearbox has an output shaft 153 (see also Figures 7c and 8c)that extends from the body of the gearbox on two opposed sides. Toothed sprockets 152 are secured to the two ends of the output shaft. Each sprocket 152 drives a looped toothed belt 154 and each belt 154 extends to a different end of the carriage 108. In 5 this description, only the arrangement of the bearing block 140 and its associated belt 154 on the left end of the carriage 108 (as seen in Figure 10) will be described, but it will be understood that the arrangement on right side of the carriage 108 corresponds. The bearing block 140 is shown detached from the carriage 108 and in more detail in Figure lOe. The two parts of the looped belt 154 pass over separate rollers 156 provided in the bearing block 140 and 10 each part then extends to a different end of the arm 109 where the two belt parts are connected to the respective ends of the arm 109. This connection should ensure that the belt is kept taut. It will be noticed that the two parts of the band are moved in opposite directions by the motor 150 (one part moving towards the motor and the other away from the motor) and so when the motor drives the belt 154, the effect is to raise or lower the arms through the bearing blocks 140, depending on which 15 direction the motor is driven. The panel 102, which is attached to the arms 109, is thus raised or lowered by the motor 150. A single motor drives both belts 154 and so they always move in synchrony. The rollers 156 in the bearing blocksl40 at each end of the carriage 108 (Figure lOe) rotate about an axis that is at 90° to the axis of the sprockets 152 and so the belts twists through 90° between the 20 sprocket 152 and the roller 156. The bearing block shown in Figure lOe also includes four additional rollers 160; the arms 109 are profiled to provide channels 161 in which the rollers 160 engage and so guide the arms as they move through the bearing blacks (see Figure lOd). Sensors 162 are fitted in the bearing blocks 140 that provide signals to a controller to stop the motor 150 when the ends of the arm reach the bearing block 140. It should be noted that stopping of the 25 motor will also stop the belt and the panel instantly. The controller (not shown) is automates the movement of the panel. When signalled to uncover the screen, the controller activates the spacer 112 to move the panel 102 outwardly away from the wall on which the screen 130 is mounted. The sensors 124 detect when the spacer has been extended fully and the controller then activates the motor 150 to move the arms 109 (and hence the panel 30 102) to uncover the screen. When the sensors 162 detect that the arms are nearing the bearing blocks 140, the motor 150 is stopped and the spacer 112 is then activated by the controller to move the panel towards the wall, and hence conceal the screen 130 and the bracket 100. The reverse procedure can be initiated by the controller to reveal the screen. It will be noticed that the bracket 100 is covered by the panel 102 whether the screen 130 is covered 35 by the panel or not and so will always be out of view. When the spacer 112 moves the panel inwardly in either position of the panel, the bracket can be substantially concealed. It will be appreciated that the bracket can be configured to move the panel 12,102 in a vertical or horizontal direction when it is desired to view the screen but the vertical panel movement is simpler since the horizontal movement requires more robust components to counter the effect of gravity and 40 there is generally more space above the screen than alongside the screen. In a further embodiment (not shown), the motor 150 may drive a pair of spools around each of which a wire is wrapped, one wire to each spool. The end of each wire is attached to the panel, with one wire supporting one side of the panel while the other wire supports the other side. Although it is possible simply to attach the end of the wire to the panel (in which case the ends of the two wires form the panel mounts), it is neater if the wire ends are fixed to eyelets that are in turn attached to the panel. The panel may be raised from the screen-covering position to the screen revealing position by driving the motor to wrap the wires up around the two spools. The lowering of the panel is then achieved by gravity with the downward motion being determined by the speed that the 5 motor allows the wires to be paid out from the spools. The wires may be guided, e.g. by pulleys, as they are paid out from the spools or wound in by the spool. Such pulleys may be mounted on a carriage, such as carriage 108 described above. As used herein, the term "to cover" used in connection with the panel and a screen means that the panel lies directly in front of the screen so that the screen is not visible when viewed at the same 10 level as the screen. The term "to conceal" used in connection with the panel and a screen, means that the screen is substantially not visible or is difficult to discern from any direction and lies behind the panel. Similar nomenclature is used in connection with "covering" and "concealing" the bracket itself.

Claims

1. A wall-mountable bracket assembly capable of holding a panel and moving that panel between a first position in which it lies in front of an adjacent wall-mounted screen, and a second position in which it lies clear of the screen, thereby allowing the screen to be seen, the bracket comprising:a wall mount capable of being secured to said wall and supporting the rest of the bracket,a panel mount capable of holding said panel,anda spacer configured to move the panel mount outwardly away from the wall mount and inwardly towards the wall mount to increase and / or decrease the distance between the panel mount and any wall on which the wall mount is secured.

2. A wall-mountable bracket assembly according to claim 1, wherein the assembly further includes a drive configured to drive the panel between said first position and said second position.

3. A wall-mountable bracket assembly according to claim 2, wherein the drive is configured to move the panel mount.

4. A wall-mountable bracket assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the drive is alinear drive system selected from the group consisting of: an electric motor and a belt drive; an electric motor and a rack-and-pinion; an electric motor and a ballscrew drive; an electric motor and spools that can wrap cords; a motor-driven telescopically extending arm; and / or a linear motor.

5. A wall-mountable bracket assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the drive comprises an electric motor and spools that can wrap cords up around the spools and pay out the cords, wherein the panel mount comprises the ends of the cords.

6. A wall-mountable bracket assembly as claimed in any of claims 4-5, wherein the panel mount comprises at least one arm that can engage with said paneland wherein the linear drive system is configured to move said at least one arm in a direction along the length of the arm.

7. The bracket as claimed in claim 6, wherein the panel mount comprises at leasttwo linear arms and the drive system includes a single electric motor that is configured to drive the arms simultaneously.

8. A wall-mountable bracket assembly as claimed in any of claims 2-7, that includes a controller that is configured such that, in operation:(a) when the panel mount, together with any panel mounted thereon, is in said first position, e.g. positioned in front of an adjacent screen, the controller can cause the spacer to move the panel mount outwardly away from the wall mount and subsequently the controller can cause the drive to move the panel mount to said second position, and(b) when the panel mount, together with any panel mounted thereon, is in said second position, the controller can cause the drive to move the panel mount to said first position and subsequently the controller can cause the spacerto move the panel mount inwardly towards the wall mount.

9. A wall-mountable bracket assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the spacer is a variable spacer such that the distance between the panel and the wall mount can be altered in use.

10. A wall-mountable bracket assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, that is configured such that, when a panel of suitable dimensions is supported on the panel mount, the panel can cover or conceal the bracket in both said first position and said second position.

11. A wall-mountable bracket assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, which includes a carriage that supports the panel mount and wherein the spacer operates between the wall mount and the carriage, whereby the spacer can increase or decrease the distance between the panel mount and the wall mount.

12. A wall-mountable bracket assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the spacer is a lever mechanism or is a linear actuator that can be controlled to move the panel outwardly to increase, or inwardly to decrease, the distance between the panel mount and the wall mount.

13. A wall-mountable bracket assembly as claimed in claim 12, which includes an electric motor to control the inward and outward movement of the spacer.

14. A wall-mountable bracket assembly as claimed in any preceding claim that is configured such that the panel mount, together with any panel mounted thereon, is movable:• upwardly or downwardly to said second position in which it does not cover an adjacent screen, said second position being above or below the screen, or• laterally to said second position in which it does not cover an adjacent screen, said second position being alongside the screen.

15. A wall-mountable bracket assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in combination with a panel that is supported by the panel mount, wherein panel includes side pieces that extend behind the panel to provide a well and wherein the side pieces are configured to enclose the screen and the bracket in the well when the panel mount is in the first position and when the spacer has moved the panel inwardly.

16. Awall-mountable bracket assembly and panelasclaimed in claim 15, whereinthe term side includes the top and bottom sides of the bracket as well as the lateral sides.

17. Awall-mountable bracket assembly and panel as claimed in any of claims 15-16, wherein the bracket is covered by the panel throughout the range of movement of the panel.

18. Awall-mountable bracket assembly and panel as claimed in any of claims 15-17, wherein the panel covers and / or conceals the bracket in both said first position and said second position.

19. The bracket as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in combination with a wallmounted screen.

20. A method of operating the bracket of any one of the preceding claims that is attached to a wall adjacent to a wall-mounted screen, and having a panel mounted on the panel mount, which method comprises:(a) in order to cover or conceal the wall-mounted screen:• actuating the spacer to move the panel in a direction away from the wall,• moving the panel to a position in which it covers the screen and• actuating the spacer to move the panel inwardly towards the wall on which the screen is mounted to conceal the screen, and(b) in order to reveal the screen concealed by the panel:• actuating the spacer to move the panel in a direction away from the wall,• moving the panel to a position in which the screen is uncovered.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the method includes the additional step of actuating the spacer to move the panel inwards towards the wall on which the screen is mounted.T +44(0)30 0300 2000A

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