Display unit

Abstract

A display unit comprising one or more display panels (5a) and a peripheral frame (2) in which the one or more display panels are mounted and by which the one or more display panels are supported, wherein the peripheral frame comprises a plurality of straight extruded sections (3a-3d) and a plurality of corner sections (4a-4d) linking the straight extruded sections together to form the peripheral frame, each straight extruded section having a substantially solid body defining a substantially flat and inflexible inward facing surface, in which surface a plurality of transversely spaced extruded channels are formed running longitudinally in a length direction of the straight extruded section, each channel in profile having a narrow neck portion and a wider main portion below the neck portion, the display unit further comprising a plurality of channel engaging members each arranged to be slotted into any one of the extruded channels to permit each channel engaging members to be placed in any desired transversely spaced channel and to slide along that channel to a desired longitudinal position, to anchor a mounting for a component of the display unit again the substantially flat and inflexible inward facing surface at one or more transverse locations.

Claims

1. A display unit comprising one or more display panels and a peripheral frame in which the one or more display panels are mounted and by which the one or more display panels are supported, wherein the peripheral frame comprises a plurality of straight extruded sections and a plurality of corner sections linking the straight extruded sections together to form the peripheral frame, each straight extruded section having a substantially solid body defining a substantially flat and inflexible inward facing surface, in which surface a plurality of transversely spaced extruded channels are formed running longitudinally in a length direction of the straight extruded section, each channel in profile having a narrow neck portion and a wider main portion below the neck portion, the display unit further comprising a plurality of channel engaging members each arranged to be slotted into any one of the extruded channels to permit each channel engaging members to be placed in any desired transversely spaced channel and to slide along that channel to a desired longitudinal position, to anchor a mounting for a component of the display unit against the substantially flat and inflexible inward facing surface at one or more transverse locations.

2. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein a transverse profile of each straight extruded section is symmetrical about a longitudinal central plane of the extruded section.

3. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein adjacent extruded channels in the inward facing surface are equally spaced.

4. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein each straight extruded section has a substantially U-shaped cross sectional profile, with a substantially flat base portion and two side portions.

5. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least an inner face of at least one side portion has at least one channel therein.

6. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein each corner section has a cross sectional profile having channels corresponding to the channels in the straight extruded sections, which channels are in register with the channels in the straight extruded sections when the peripheral frame is assembled.

7. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one dowel engaging at least one said of straight extruded sections and an adjacent one of said corner sections.

8. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the straight extruded sections and corner sections in cross section have a plurality of corresponding sets of holes for receiving respective dowels when the peripheral frame is assembled.

9. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the channel engaging members are T-slot nuts.

10. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of straight extruded sections and the plurality of corner sections are metal.

11. The display unit as claimed in claim 10 wherein the unit comprises at least two planar sections are angled relative to each other and wherein the peripheral frame is continuous about all planar sections of the at least two planar sections.

12. The display unit as claimed in claim 11 comprising two adjacent straight extruded sections of the peripheral frame which are mitred where the two respective planar sections meet.

13. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the peripheral frame comprises four right angled corner sections and four extruded straight sections.

14. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 wherein the unit comprises at least one planar section with parallel front and rear faces, wherein the peripheral frame forms a continuous edge around the planar section.

15. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plurality of components of different types to be housed in and supported by said peripheral frame and a plurality of different types of mounting arranged to engage with the channel engaging members in appropriate channels and at appropriate portions along the channels to permit the different component types to be correctly located.

16. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of internal frame members for supporting the one or more display panels within the peripheral frame, each internal frame member being arranged to be supported by and retained in place by the peripheral frame and arranged to engage, via appropriate mounting, with the channels in the peripheral frame.

17. The display unit as claimed in claim 16 wherein the internal frame members are extruded and have extruded channels having the same cross section profile as the extruded channels in the straight extruded sections of the peripheral frame.

18. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plurality of different types of components to be mounted in the display unit and a plurality of identical mountings arranged to engage with the channel engaging members to provide mounting for respective ones of the plurality of different types of components.

Description

(1) Several embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which;

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a single screen display unit in accordance with the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a dual screen display unit in accordance with the present invention;

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative dual screen unit in accordance with the present invention;

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates a six screen display unit in accordance with the present invention;

(6) FIG. 5 as a perspective view of a straight extruded section of the peripheral frame of the display units of FIGS. 1 to 4;

(7) FIG. 6 is a plan view of a corner section of a peripheral frame of the display units of FIGS. 1 to 4;

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the corner section of FIG. 6;

(9) FIG. 8 is a second perspective view of the corner section of FIGS. 6 and 7;

(10) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the corner sections of FIGS. 6 to 8 with a corner plate attached thereto;

(11) FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing two straight sections and a corner section of a peripheral frame of the display units of FIGS. 1 to 4 connected together and supporting additional internal frame components;

(12) FIG. 11 shows the corner section of FIGS. 6 to 8 attached to two straight sections of FIG. 5 by a turnbuckle;

(13) FIG. 12 shows how a speaker housing and speaker panel may be attached to the straight extruded section of FIG. 5; and

(14) FIG. 13 illustrates how a front glass panel may be attached by means of a back box to the peripheral frame of the display units of FIGS. 1 to 4.

(15) Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a single screen display unit, indicated generally as 1a, in accordance with the present invention. This comprises an outer peripheral frame 2 made up of four straight extruded sections 3a to 3d and four curved extruded sections 4a to 4d.

(16) In the peripheral frame 2 there is mounted a single flat panel display 5a, two speaker panels 6a and 6b, a camera panel 7a, two drop forward storage pins 8a and 8b for receiving electrical equipment such as computers and communications equipment associated with the display unit 1a and two glass blanking panels 10a and 10b.

(17) As will be appreciated from a review of FIGS. 1 to 4, the various display units 1b to 1d are similar to that of FIG. 1a, each comprising at least one flat panel display 5, a peripheral frame 2 made up of straight extruded sections 3, (in the case of display units 1c and 1d some of these are appropriately mitred to abut against adjoining straight extruded sections) a number of curved extruded sections 4 forming corners of the peripheral frames 2, blanking panels 10, a camera panel 7, speaker panels 6 and drop forward rack mount pods 8.

(18) The different display units 1a to 1d, of FIGS. 1 to 4, may be constructed from at least some common components, such as mountings, curved extruded sections 4, flat panel displays 5, speaker panel 6, drop forward rack mount pods 8 and glass blanking panels 10. Also lengths of straight extruded sections may be cut to length to form the straight extruded sections of the peripheral frames of different display units 1a to 1d.

(19) Referring now to FIG. 5, here there is shown in perspective view of a straight extruded section 3 of the peripheral frame 2 of the display units 1a to 1d. The straight extruded section 3 is extruded from aluminium, but could be extruded from another metal or from a hard plastic.

(20) The straight extruded section 3 comprises base portion 11 and two side portions 12 and 13, such that in profile the straight extruded section 3 is substantially U-shaped with a smooth outer face 14 and an inner face 15.

(21) The extrusion profile is such that a number of channels 16a to 16g are defined in the inner face 15, both in the base portion 11 and in each side portion 12 and 13, each channel 16a to 16g having a narrow neck portion.

(22) The straight extruded section 3 also has a number of circular openings 17 running through it.

(23) The straight extruded section 3 illustrated in FIG. 5 is intended to be used as a bottom section of the peripheral frame 2 of one of the display units 1a to 1d and has an aperture 18 machined in it to provide an access for cabling into the display unit. Also mountings 29 and 30 are shown fixed to the straight extruded section 3 by T-slot nuts in appropriate ones of the channels 16a to 16g. These mountings 28 and 29 are described in greater detail below, with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

(24) Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, these illustrate various views of a curved extruded section 4 used to form the corners of the display units 1a to 1d. The curved extruded section 4 is formed from the same extrusion as that illustrated in FIG. 3, but this has been cut to an appropriate length and subsequently curved. However, these could be manufactured by a different process, particularly they could be diecast.

(25) The curved extruded sections 4 have the same cross section profile as the straight extruded section illustrated in FIG. 5 and the circular openings 17 may be used to accept dowels (not shown) to align adjacent straight and curved extruded sections (3, 4). Additionally the curved extruded section 4 has a number of holes 19 on an inner face thereof which, as seen in FIG. 9, may be used to mount a corner plate 20 to an inner face of the curved extruded section 4, by means of fastenings 21.

(26) Referring now to FIG. 10, this shows a section of the peripheral frame 2 of the display unit 1a of FIG. 1, comprising two straight extruded sections 3c and 3d joined together by curved extruded section 4d having corner plate 20 secured to an inner face thereof. As previously described, but not seen in FIG. 10, dowels are inserted in the circular openings 17 of the curved extruded section 4d, which dowels engage with corresponding circular opening 17 in the straight extruded sections 3c and 3d. Also the corner plate 20 extends over the inner faces 15 of respective straight extruded sections 3c and 3d and may be fixed thereto, if desired, by means of fastenings engaging with T-slot nuts pre-inserted and captive in appropriate ones of channels 16b to 16f. Identical captive T-slot nuts in channels 16d and 16c of both the straight extruded sections 3c and 3d may be used to a secure brace member 22.

(27) As also seen from FIG. 10 extruded internal frame members 23 and 24 may also be fixed and supported by the peripheral frame 2 and these may be attached in substantially any location by fastening them to appropriate T-slot nuts in an appropriate channel 16a to 16f at any desired location. In this manner an internal frame may be constructed to support the components mounted within the peripheral frame.

(28) Referring now to FIG. 11, this shows an alternative arrangement, where brace member 22 is attached by turnbuckle 25 to the corner plate 20 and thus to the curved extruded section 4. It will be appreciated that in this arrangement, tensioning of the turnbuckle pulls the corner section 4 into engagement with the straight extruded sections 3a and 3b, the adjacent sections of the peripheral frame 2 being retained in alignment by means of the dowels (not shown).

(29) As will now be illustrated with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 the channels 16a to 16g, (which as shown in FIG. 13 may extend around the complete inner face of the peripheral frame 2), may be used to anchor mountings 26 to 29 for various components of the display units 1a to 1d.

(30) Referring to FIG. 12, this shows mountings 26, in the form of a location pins, being used to correctly locate a backing box 30 for a speaker panel 6a. Mounting 27 is used to mount speaker housing 31 and an associated speaker (not shown) behind the speaker panel 6a. Similarly, in FIG. 13, mountings 28 are used to correctly position a backing box 32 of a glass blanking panel 10b of the display unit 1a of FIG. 1. The backing box 32 is retained in place by means of magnets 33 on mountings 29.

(31) As will be appreciated from FIGS. 12 and 13, a number of standard mountings may be used to mount different components of the display unit in any of a number of required locations, by the mountings being secured to one or more of the channels 16a to 16g at an appropriate location.

(32) The invention has been described above, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying Figures. However, it will be appreciated that many modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.