MODULAR RIGGING SYSTEM FOR DISPLAYS
A modular rigging system is provided for accommodating a plurality of displays in an array and can be attachable to a substrate. The system can comprise at least one rigging rail that can be attached to a rear section of the display and a mounting interface that can attach the rigging rail to the structure. The rigging rails and the mounting interface can each be configured to allow adjustability of the system, such as providing for the tilt, angular orientation, and/or rotation of the displays attached to the rigging system.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/845,936, filed Sep. 20, 2006, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND1. Field of the Inventions
Preferred embodiments of the present inventions relate to structural means for assembling displays, such as video displays, and in particular, flat panel displays, together in arrays. In particular, a rigging system is provided through which a contractor can selectively position one or more video displays on a floor, wall, or ceiling. Further, some embodiments allow the contractor to rig or mount from overhead as few as one video panel as well as easily build and rig full columns of LCD and plasma video displays, and then join the columns horizontally into full arrays of video panels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional video displays have either been mounted on stands, placed on table tops, suspended from ceilings with pipe, or mounted to walls using wall brackets.
SUMMARYAn aspect of at least one of the embodiments disclosed herein includes the realization that there is a need for a modular rigging system that is designed to accommodate video displays (e.g., CRT monitors, LCD, and/or plasma displays), for example, to facilitate building of arrays of video panel displays. Accordingly, a modular rigging system is provided that can allow a contractor/user to selectively assemble one or more video displays in a desired configuration. The system can be used with displays having different sizes. Additionally, the system can be free-standing or suspended from a wall, ceiling, or other structure. The system can be configured to provide a stable and reliable structure that can be used in a variety of venues for various purposes.
According to an embodiment, the modular rigging system can accommodate a plurality of video displays in an array. The rigging system can be attachable to a substrate or structure, such as a floor, wall, ceiling, vertical or horizontal surface or a freestanding structure. Each video display utilized in conjunction with the system can have front, side, and rear sections. The system comprises a mounting interface and at least one rigging rail.
The mounting interface can have a mounting component and a support component. The mounting component can facilitate attachment of the mounting interface to the structure. The rigging rail can be attachable to each video display. For example, the rigging rail can be attachable to the rear or side section of each video display, or to other sections, combination, or methods thereof as possible by one of skill in the art. Additionally, the rigging rail can be attachable to the support component of the mounting interface. Further, each rigging rail can comprise first and second ends and a plurality of attachment points disposed intermediate the first and second ends of the rigging rail.
In accordance with one embodiment, the first end of a first rigging rail can be attachable to a second end of a second rigging rail for interconnecting adjacent video displays. Further, the attachment points can be sized and configured to mate with the support component of the mounting interface for attaching the system to the structure.
Furthermore, the mounting interface can include a wall bracket, a support cable and anchor shackle, a overhead rigging truss, or other such structures. The attachment points of the rigging rail can include at least one hole. In addition, the attachment points can include a plurality of holes arranged in an arcuate pattern.
The rigging rail can be configured as a flange, and can include an attachment member that is sized and configured to attach the rigging rail to the rear section of the video display. Finally, the system can further include at least one link member having first and second ends. The first end can be attachable to one of the attachment points of a first rigging rail and the second end can be attachable to one of the attachment points of a second rail for rigidly supporting the first rigging rail in an angular relationship with respect to the second rigging rail. Other various embodiments and features are described in greater detail in the drawings and description below.
The abovementioned and other features of the inventions disclosed herein are described below with reference to the drawings of the preferred embodiments. The illustrated embodiments are intended to illustrate, but not to limit the inventions. The drawings contain the following figures:
While the present description sets forth specific details of various embodiments, it will be appreciated that the description is illustrative only and should not be construed in any way as limiting. Furthermore, various applications of such embodiments and modifications thereto, which may occur to those who are skilled in the art, are also encompassed by the general concepts described herein.
As discussed herein, various embodiments of a modular rigging system are provided that can enable a user to easily build and rig full arrays of displays, which can be video displays. The video displays are preferably flat panel displays such as LCD and plasma video displays, but may also be non-flat panel video displays, such as CRT monitors or other types of displays. According to an implementation, the user can build and rig full vertical columns of the displays, then join the columns horizontally into arrays of video panels, thereby creating two dimensional area displays or three dimensional, e.g., ¼ turn, ½ turn or full circular displays. Of course, any array geometries are possible through the modular rigging systems.
As few as one display can be accommodated in the system; however, in preferred embodiments, multiple displays can be joined to form arrays of video displays. In this regard, the arrays can be formed as spherical arrays, planar arrays, or other geometric configurations. The array configuration can be determined according to the design requirements and application of the system. For example, in an arena, a semi-spherical or spherical array may be appropriate. In an auditorium, a planar or convex array may be appropriate. Further applications may beneficially employ convex arrays, linear arrays, or other shaped arrays, as desired.
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are made for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments and not for purposes of limiting the same,
According to an embodiment, the modular rigging system 20 can be configured to adjustably attach at least one display 10 to a structure, which can include any variety of horizontal or vertical surfaces. In this regard, it is contemplated that the rigging system 20 can be attached to a wall, a free-standing post, a ceiling, an inclined or declined surface, suspension cables, or any other variety of structures that can bear the weight of the system 20 and any displays 10 that are attached thereto.
With reference now to
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The attachment member 40 is preferably configured to couple the rigging rail 30 to the rear section 14 of the display 10. In this regard, some embodiments of the attachment member 40 can be configured to provide hinge-like movement for the rigging rail 30, or the attachment 40 can be configured to rigidly interconnect the rigging rail 30 to the rear section 14 of the display 10. The attachment 40 can also be configured to extend along the entire length of the rigging rail 30 intermediate the first end 32 and the second end 34.
Furthermore, it is contemplated that the attachment member 40 as shown in the embodiment of
With reference now to
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As also illustrated in the embodiment shown in
Furthermore, the support component 54 can be sized and configured to mate with at least one attachment point 38 of the rigging rail 30. It is contemplated that the support component 54 can include a plurality of holes that are distributed along the support component in a specified pattern in order to facilitate tiltability, rotatability, and adjustability of the system 20, as desired. For example, as shown in
In accordance with yet another embodiment, the modular rigging system 20 can further comprise at least one link member 70. The link member 70 can include a first end 72 and a second 74. In some embodiments, the link member 70 can be configured as a substantially planar member that is fabricated from metal, plastic, or other materials. As shown in
With reference now to
In the embodiment illustrated in
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In accordance with another embodiment, the bar mount structure 84 can allow the suspended displays 10 to rotate about a rotational axis 90. Thus, the mounting interface 50 can be configured to allow the system 20 to rotate about the vertical rotational axis 90. In addition, the mounting interface 50 can include additional components, such as motors and gears that allow a user to selectively rotate the array of displays 10 from a remote location. For example, if an array of displays 10 is suspended from such an embodiment of the mounting interface 50, the user can configure the mounting interface to rotate continuously over time or corresponding to specific time intervals such that the displays 10 can be viewed from any given position around the system 20. Such an implementation may be beneficial in a stadium or arena where the desired viewing audience encircles the system 20.
In addition,
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In addition, embodiments such as that illustrated in
Furthermore, it is contemplated that the embodiments discussed herein can include additional components and mechanisms to provide automated adjustability of the modular rigging system 20. Although the embodiments have been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the teachings herein extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the embodiment and obvious modifications and equivalence thereof. In addition, while several variations of the embodiments have been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which are within the scope of these embodiments, will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure. It is also contemplated that various combinations or subcombinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiment may be made and still fall within the scope of these teachings. It should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed embodiments. Thus, it is intended that the scope of at least some of the embodiments herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above.
Claims
1. A modular rigging system for accommodating a plurality of video displays in an array, the rigging system being attachable to a structure, the video displays each having front and rear sections, the system comprising:
- a mounting interface having a mounting component and a support component, the mounting component facilitating attachment of the mounting interface to the structure;
- at least one rigging rail being attachable to the rear section of each video display and to the support component of the mounting interface, each rigging rail comprising: first and second ends, the first end of a first rigging rail being attachable to a second end of a second rigging rail for interconnecting adjacent video displays; and a plurality of attachment points disposed along the rigging rail, the attachment points being sized and configured to facilitate coupling with the support component of the mounting interface for attaching the system to the structure.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the mounting interface includes a wall bracket.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the mounting interface includes a support cable and anchor shackle.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the attachment points of the rigging rail includes at least one hole.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein the attachment points include a plurality of holes arranged in an arcuate pattern.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the rigging rails are vertically positionable with the first end of a given rigging rail being attachable to a second end of another given rigging rail for vertically interconnecting adjacent video displays.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the rigging rail is configured as a flange.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the rigging rail includes an attachment member being sized and configured to attach the rigging rail to the rear section of the video display.
9. The system of claim 1 further including at least one link member having first and second ends, the first end being attachable to one of the attachment points of a first rigging rail and the second end being attachable to one of the attachment points of a second rail for rigidly supporting the first rigging rail in an angular relationship with respect to the second rigging rail.
10. The system of claim 1, comprising two rigging rails for each video display.
11. An array of flat panel video displays, comprising at least two flat panel video displays and the rigging system of claim 1.
12. A modular rigging system for accommodating a plurality of displays in an array, the displays each having front and rear sections, the system comprising:
- a mounting interface having a mounting component and a support component, the mounting component supporting the system with respect to a substrate;
- at least one rigging rail being attachable to the rear section of each display and to the support component of the mounting interface, each rigging rail comprising: first and second ends, the first end of a first rigging rail being attachable to a second end of a second rigging rail for interconnecting adjacent displays; and a plurality of attachment points disposed along the rigging rail, the attachment points being sized and configured to facilitate coupling with the support component of the mounting interface for attaching the system to the structure.
13. The system of claim 12 further including at least one link member having first and second ends, the first end being attachable to an attachment point of a rigging rail of an upper display and the second end being attachable to an attachment point of a rigging rail of a lower display for rigidly supporting the upper display in an angular relationship with respect to the lower display.
14. The system of claim 12 wherein the rigging rails are curvilinear.
15. The system of claim 14 wherein the rigging rails define a substantially constant radius.
16. The system of claim 12 wherein the attachment points include a plurality of holes arranged in an arcuate pattern.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 20, 2007
Publication Date: Mar 20, 2008
Inventors: Paul W. Allen (Long Beach, CA), Terrence Aquin (West Covina, CA)
Application Number: 11/858,858
International Classification: A47F 5/08 (20060101);