Rotary Joint for Crossbar Leveling Adjustment

Abstract

A monitor-mounted system including a crossbar, the crossbar having at least one monitor-mounted bracket positioned thereon. A support arm is configured to adjust the vertical height of the crossbar, and a pivot assembly is positioned between the support arm and the crossbar. The pivot assembly includes a pivot assembly housing, a swivel ring, and a pivot stop, and is configured to allow limited pivotal adjustment of the crossbar to level the crossbar with respect to a horizontal position.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Cross - reference to Related Applications This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 876,912, filed on July 29, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Background As computer monitors become increasingly ubiquitous in the workplace and at home, individuals are spending an increasingly greater portion of their waking hours looking at the monitor. This means that a highly customizable adjustment of the monitor's position is necessary to reduce the burden of looking at the monitor over a long period. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional monitor stand 100 that supports a monitor 101. The monitor stand 100 includes a base 102, an upright portion 103, and a monitor - mounting bracket 104. FIG. 1 proposes a way in which the monitor stand 100 enables the monitor 101 to be adjusted using four degrees of freedom, where the four degrees of freedom are: (1) height in the vertical direction along the upright portion 103, (2) swivel of the upright portion 103 relative to the base 102, (3) tilt of the upper and lower edges of the monitor towards and away from the user, and (4) pivot of the monitor within the plane containing the monitor. As used herein, "vertical" or "vertical direction" means a direction parallel to the earth's gravity. For example, a single monitor stand such as that seen in FIG. 1 may adequately provide these four degrees of freedom, but providing this level of adjustability becomes more difficult as the stand is expected to support two, three, or in some cases more monitors.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0003] One embodiment of the present invention is a monitor-mounted system including a crossbar, the crossbar having at least one monitor mounting bracket positioned thereon. A support arm is configured to adjust the vertical height of the crossbar, and a pivot assembly is positioned between the support arm and the crossbar, the pivot assembly being configured to allow limited pivotal adjustment of the crossbar to level the crossbar relative to a horizontal position.

[0004] The above summary is not intended to describe every illustrated embodiment or every possible implementation. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0005] The accompanying drawings, which are not to an exact scale, are incorporated herein and form a part of the following detailed description, and like reference numerals refer to the same or functionally similar elements throughout the different figures, and the accompanying drawings illustrate various additional embodiments and serve to explain the various principles and advantages in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0006] Detailed Description Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Accordingly, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be construed as limiting, but rather as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the invention in any appropriately detailed structure, as a basis for the claims, and in fact. Alternative embodiments can be devised without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting, but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention. This specification concludes with claims that define the features of the invention regarded as novel, but it is believed that the invention will be more deeply understood from the following description in conjunction with the figures of the drawings in which like reference numbers are carried over.

[0007] As used herein, the terms "a" or "an" are defined as "one or more than one". As used herein, the term "plurality" is defined as "two or more than two". As used herein, the term "another" is defined as "at least a second or more". The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. The elements following "comprises a ···" do not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises that element without more constraints. As used herein, the terms "including", "having", or "featuring" are defined as "comprising" (i.e., non-limiting language). As used herein, the term "coupled" is defined as "connected", although not necessarily directly and not necessarily mechanically. As used herein, the terms "about" or "approximately" apply to all numerical values, whether or not explicitly indicated. These terms generally refer to a range of numbers that a person of ordinary skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited value (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances, these terms may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant digit.When numerical limitations are used, unless otherwise indicated by context, "about" or "approximately" means that the numerical value can vary by the same amount as + / - 5%, + / - 10%, or in certain embodiments, + / - 15%, or in some cases, + / - 20%. Similarly, the term "substantially" will typically mean at least 85% - 99% of the property being modified by the term. For example, "substantially all" will mean at least 85%, at least 90%, or at least 95%, etc. Terms representing relationships such as first and second, top and bottom, right and left, and equivalents can be used without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions, only for the purpose of distinguishing one entity or action from another.

[0008] What is described herein are exemplary embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a tilt - adjustable monitor crossbar assembly 1, which in one embodiment of the present invention is sometimes simply referred to as a monitor - mounted system 1. In this embodiment, the monitor - mounted assembly 1 most generally includes a crossbar 5, a support arm 15, and a pivotal assembly or pivotal coupler 25 connected between the crossbar 5 and the support arm 15. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the crossbar 5 includes three crossbar portions 6a, 6b, and 6c, and the three crossbar portions 6a, 6b, and 6c are accompanied by a hinge 7 which, as proposed in FIG. 2, connects the inner ends of the crossbar sections 6a and 6c to the crossbar section 6b and enables the crossbar sections 6a and 6c to swing inwardly towards each other. Typically, each crossbar section 6 has a monitor - mounting bracket 10 attached thereto. In FIG. 2, the monitor - mounting bracket includes a mounting surface 11 for attachment to the monitor and a hinge - type connection or tilt connector 12 that enables modification of the tilt position of the monitor with respect to its crossbar section 6. FIG. 2 illustrates a crossbar 5 formed from a plurality of hinge - type sections, although other embodiments may employ a single - section crossbar.

[0009] FIG. 2 further shows a support arm 15 that is connected to a support surface 90 (e.g., a worktable) and suspends the crossbar 5 above the support surface 90 via a pivot assembly 25. The support arm 15 can be almost any conventional or future-developed support mechanism, but the embodiment of FIG. 2 illustrates a support arm available from Humanscale Corporation under the trade names M8.1 and M10. Although not shown in FIG. 2, another arm can be positioned between the support surface and the base pivot connection 16 of the support arm 15. The base pivot connection 16 allows the support arm to rotate in the pivoting direction, and also, the upper pivoting fork 17 operates in conjunction with the pivot assembly 25 to create a second pivot point. In the example of the M8.1 or M10 support arm, the support arm includes a weight compensation spring system that allows a change in the vertical position of the support arm 15 (i.e., a change in the vertical height of the crossbar 5), while the user experiences little or no change in the force required to adjust the height of the monitor mounted on the crossbar 5. The construction and operation of the illustrated support arm 15 are more fully described in U.S. Patent No. 10,480,709, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0010] As proposed above, the pivot assembly 25 provides a connection between the crossbar 5 and the support arm 15. FIGS. 3A-4B illustrate one embodiment of the pivot assembly 25. This embodiment of the pivot assembly 25 generally includes a pivot housing 26 that is integrally formed with a swivel ring 50 at one end and engaged by a pivot core 35 at the opposite end. The swivel ring 50 includes two bearing inserts 51 (best seen in FIG. 4B). The bearing inserts 51 can be formed from a low-friction material such as polyoxymethylene (POM), also known as acetal, polyacetal, or polyformaldehyde. A pin with an alignment key (not shown) extends through the upper swivel fork 17 (see FIG. 2) of the support arm 15 to complete the swivel connection between the swivel fork 17 and the swivel ring 50. A bearing flexure 52 allows for a controlled and precise fit between a rotating pin (not shown) and the contact surface of the bearing insert 51.

[0011] As best seen in FIG. 4B, the pivot housing 26 is primarily a hollow body with internal threads 27 formed on the inner surface of the pivot housing 26. A threaded set screw opening 29 extends through the housing wall and houses a set screw 30 having a length sufficient to extend into the internal rotating surface of the pivot core 35. The surface of the pivot housing 26 to which the swivel ring 50 is attached (see FIG. 3B) includes a limiting screw opening 28 that extends through this surface and into the interior of the pivot housing 26 and then into the control rotary slots (or "pivot slots") 37 in the pivot core 35.

[0012] The internal thread 27 of the pivot housing 26 is engaged by the external thread 36 of the pivot core 35 using a set screw 30 that can engage the external thread 36 to selectively lock the relative rotational position between the pivot housing 26 and the pivot core 35. As seen in Figure 3B, the pivot core 35 includes a control rotary slot 37 formed on the inner surface of the pivot core 35. The pivot core 35 also includes a friction pin opening 38 extending through the pivot core 35 and a series of cross-bar mounting lug openings 39 (seen better in Figure 4B) formed within the outer surface of the pivot core 35. As best seen with reference to Figures 3B and 4A, a motion control plate (sometimes called an "anti-rotation plate") 40 and a compression plate 43 are positioned between the inner surfaces of the pivot housing 26 and the pivot core 35. Figure 4A shows an elliptically shaped motion control plate 40 including opposing circumferential cutouts 41 and a plate groove or plate recess 44 shaped to not fully extend through the motion control plate 40 and to accommodate the compression plate 43. Figure 3B best shows the motion control plate 40 and the compression plate 43 being sandwiched between the inner side surfaces of the pivot housing 26 and the pivot core 35. The plate recess 44 ensures that there is no relative movement between the motion control plate 40 and the compression plate 43. In one preferred embodiment, the motion control plate 40 is formed from polyurethane foam and the compression plate 43 is formed from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. An angle-limiting screw 47 extends through the circumferential cutout 41 in the pivot housing 26, the motion control plate 40, and into the control rotary slot 37 of the pivot core 35.

[0013] Looking at FIG. 4A, a way can be imagined in which the angle-limiting screw 47 enables a limited relative rotation between the pivoting housing 26 and the pivoting core 35, based on the angular widths of the control rotary slot 37 and the circumferential cutout 41 (at least when the set screw 30 is not engaged with the external thread 36 of the pivoting core 35). The resulting degree of pivoting imparted to the crossbar 5 is proposed by the angle θ seen in FIG. 2. The angle θ represents the degree of tilting (in one direction) of the crossbar 5 relative to the swivel ring 50 that is fixed against tilting by the upper swivel fork 17 of the support arm 15. The maximum pivoting of the crossbar 5 (pivoting in both directions) would be 2θ. In one embodiment, the widths of the control rotary slot 37 and the circumferential cutout 41 are only wide enough to allow a maximum pivoting of less than 15 degrees (θ = 7.5 degrees or less) between the pivoting housing 26 and the pivoting core 35, and more preferably, a maximum pivoting of 8 degrees (θ = 4 degrees or less). Returning to FIG. 3B, a way can also be imagined in which the compression screw 45 engages the motion control plate 40 and tends to compress the compression plate 43 against the inner surface of the pivoting housing 26. It will be understood that advancing the compression screw 45 into the motion control plate 40 increases the amount of torque required to cause rotation between the pivoting housing 26 and the pivoting core 35. In addition to enhancing the friction within the system, the motion control plate 40 provides position features for the assembly of the system.

[0014] Referring to FIG. 2, when using the compression screw 45 that applies a moderate force to the compression plate 43, the user can finely adjust the pivoting position of the crossbar 5 by applying a moderate force to the outer monitor and overcoming the friction generated by the compression plate 43 and the motion control plate 40. However, when the user stops applying force to the monitor, the friction is sufficient to resist the weight of the monitor that straightens the pivoting induced by the user. Thereafter, in order to more firmly lock the pivoting position of the crossbar 5, the set screw 30 can be tightened to engage with the external thread 36 on the pivoting core 35. The use of the compression screw 45 can be particularly useful when a heavier monitor is mounted, but alternative embodiments that do not employ the compression screw 45 can exist. Similarly, many embodiments employ the motion control plate 40 and the compression plate 43 to enhance the friction that resists the free pivoting movement of the crossbar, but alternative embodiments that eliminate the motion control plate 40 and the compression plate 43 can exist.

[0015] The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings illustrate the principles, exemplary embodiments, and modes of operation of the present invention. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments described above. Many modifications of the embodiments described herein will occur to those skilled in the art who have the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated drawings. Accordingly, it should be understood that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A monitor-mounted system, wherein the monitor-mounted system comprises: a) A crossbar, the crossbar having at least one monitor mounting bracket positioned thereon, the monitor mounting bracket being attached to the crossbar using a tilt connector, the crossbar; b) A support arm configured to adjust the vertical height of the crossbar, the support arm being a dynamic support arm including an internal elastomer member, the internal elastomer member being configured to enable the support arm to move through substantially the entire range of motion using the application of a substantially constant force to the support arm, the support arm; c) A pivot assembly positioned between the support arm and the crossbar, the pivot assembly comprising: i) A pivot assembly housing; ii) A swivel ring attached to the outside of the pivot assembly housing; iii) A pivot stop positioned within the pivot assembly housing and limiting pivot adjustment to an angle of 15 degrees or less than 15 degrees in each pivot direction The pivot assembly is provided with A monitor-mounted system comprising.

2. (i) The pivot assembly housing includes a pivot core that screws into the pivot assembly housing, and (ii) the pivot stop includes a motion control plate that engages a rotation prevention pin. The monitor-mounted system according to claim 1.

3. The pivot assembly further includes a compression friction plate positioned within the pivot assembly housing and a threaded compression pin configured to apply a force to the compression friction plate. The monitor-mounted system according to claim 2.

4. The motion control plate is a substantially circular plate with opposing circumferential cutouts, the circumferential cutouts having an arc of less than 15 degrees. The monitor-mounted system according to claim 2.

5. The outer surface of the pivot core includes at least two threaded openings configured to receive mounting screws. The monitor-mounted system according to claim 2.

6. The swivel ring further includes two bearing inserts. The monitor-mounted system according to claim 1.

7. The support arm is a dynamic support arm including an internal elastomer member, and the internal elastomer member is configured to enable the support arm to move through substantially the entire movable range using the application of a substantially constant force to the support arm. The monitor mounting system according to claim 1.

8. The crossbar has at least two monitor mounting brackets positioned thereon, and the monitor mounting brackets are attached to the crossbar using tilt connectors. The monitor mounting system according to claim 1.

9. The crossbar includes a central section and two outer sections forming a hinge connection to the central section. The monitor mounting system according to claim 8.

10. A monitor mounting system, the monitor mounting system comprising: a) a crossbar having at least one monitor mounting bracket positioned thereon; b) a support arm configured to adjust the vertical height of the crossbar; c) a pivot assembly positioned between the support arm and the crossbar, the pivot assembly being configured to enable limited pivot adjustment of the crossbar. A monitor mounting system comprising the above.

11. The pivot assembly comprises: a) a pivot assembly housing; b) a swivel ring attached to the outside of the pivot assembly housing; c) a pivot stop positioned within the pivot assembly housing and limiting pivot adjustment to an angle of 5 degrees or less in each pivot direction. The monitor mounting system according to claim 10.

12. (i) The pivot assembly housing includes a pivot core screwed into the pivot assembly housing, and (ii) the pivot stop includes a motion control plate engaging a rotation prevention pin. The monitor mounting system according to claim 11.

13. The pivot assembly further includes a compression friction plate positioned within the pivot assembly housing and a threaded compression pin configured to apply a force to the compression friction plate. The monitor mounting system according to claim 12.

14. The motion control plate is a substantially circular plate with opposing circumferential cutouts, and the circumferential cutouts have an arc of less than 15 degrees. The monitor mounting system according to claim 12.

15. The monitor mounting system according to claim 12, wherein an outer surface of the pivoting core includes at least two threaded openings configured to receive mounting screws.

16. The monitor mounting system according to claim 11, wherein the swivel ring further includes two bearing inserts, and each bearing insert includes an alignment groove.

17. The monitor mounting system according to claim 10, wherein the support arm is a dynamic support arm including an internal elastomer member configured to enable the support arm to move through substantially the entire range of motion using a substantially constant force applied to the support arm.

18. The monitor mounting system according to claim 10, wherein the crossbar has at least two monitor mounting brackets positioned thereon, and the monitor mounting brackets are attached to the crossbar using tilt connectors.

19. The monitor mounting system according to claim 10, wherein the crossbar includes a central section and two outer sections forming a hinge connection to the central section.

20. The monitor mounting system according to claim 10, wherein the support arm is attached to a base using a swivel connection.

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