FLAT SCREEN ARMOIRE

Abstract

A flat screen armoire is disclosed which includes a flat screen enclosure area defining first and second interior side walls, a lower interior surface and an upper interior surface. A flat screen support bracket is provided including a vertical support member pivotably engaged to the upper and lower interior surfaces and extending proximate the first side wall. The support bracket further includes a horizontal support member engaged to and extending horizontally from the vertical support member. The support bracket is pivotable from a stowed position within the enclosure area to a position substantially exterior of the armoire, while maintaining clearance from the interior side walls. A false back is engaged to and supported by the horizontal support member so as to pivot with the support bracket so as to conceal the flat screen enclosure area behind the false back when the support bracket is in the stowed position.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to the furniture for storing entertainment systems, such as televisions. In particular, the present invention is directed to an armoire for storing flat screen TVs along with other articles.

These types of furniture products have long been used to support and store televisions and other entertainment components. Armoires have long been useful for storing TVs in a stylish furniture piece that compliments a room decor. Due to their size and shape, armoires have long been used to store televisions, which may have substantial depth.

More recently, flat screen TVs have come to dominate the TV marketplace, due to their light weight, picture quality and other factors. Such flat screen TVs can be placed in an armoire. However, some of the advantages of such flat screen TVs, such as the thin width and light weight, are substantially lost where a flat screen TV is simply placed within the armoire, which is compatible with TVs having much greater depth.

Some armoires have included slideable stands on which flat screen TVs can be located. The stand is slideable out of the armoire to permit the flat screen TV to be moved forward and pivoted to facilitate viewing from a location on either side of the armoire. After viewing, the TV can be returned to its stowed position within the armoire. While such armoires allow for additional viewing areas, they still leave much unused space within the armoire, which has very little visual appeal when the flat screen TV is pivoted to allow view into the rear area of the armoire.

The present invention is directed to an armoire which takes further advantage of the flat screen TV and armoire features to allow for additional functionality, additional storage, security of contents, and enhances the visual appeal of the armoire, both when the flat screen TV is in the stowed position and in extended position.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A flat screen armoire is disclosed which includes a flat screen enclosure area defining first and second interior side walls, a lower interior surface and an upper interior surface. A flat screen support bracket is provided including a vertical support member pivotably engaged to the upper and lower interior surfaces and extending proximate the first side wall. The support bracket further includes a horizontal support member engaged to and extending horizontally from the vertical support member. The support bracket is pivotable from a stowed position within the enclosure area to a position substantially exterior of the armoire, while maintaining clearance between the support bracket and the interior side walls. A false back is engaged to and supported by the horizontal support member so as to pivot with the support bracket so as to conceal the flat screen enclosure area behind the false back when the support bracket is in the stowed position.

A flat screen display may be mounted to the horizontal support member, and pivotable therewith to a position exterior to the armoire, while maintaining clearance from the interior side walls. Preferably the flat screen display and support bracket are pivotable to at least 90 degrees from the stowed position.

A front storage area may be connected to the false back, and pivotable therewith, to allow for storage of flat screen display controls and other articles.

A secure storage area is disposed within the enclosure area, behind the false back and the support bracket. The secure storage area is accessible only when the support bracket is pivoted away from the stowed position.

The storage area may include a plurality of rear storage shelves, a lockable storage compartment, and/or a safe.

Locking apparatus may be provided to engage the false back to the interior side walls, lower interior surface and/or the upper interior surface. The locking mechanism is operable to substantially preclude movement of the horizontal support bracket, false back and flat screen display from the stowed position.

The vertical support member may include one or more lips, extending forward of the vertical support member for receiving an exterior surface(s) of a flat screen display.

The vertical support member may also be vertically extendable to accommodate different sizes of flat screen displays.

The vertical support member may be disposed on either side of the enclosure area (proximate the first or second interior side walls) to allow the flat screen display to pivot toward viewers on either side of the armoire.

The horizontal support member preferably includes at least one aperture for passing electrical wire therethrough.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a flat screen armoire in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of a portion of the flat screen armoire shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a front screen armoire, with the screen and support bracket removed;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a flat screen armoire showing the flat screen and support bracket in a first rotated position;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a flat screen armoire showing the flat screen and the support bracket mounted to rotate from the opposite side; and

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of an exemplary support bracket used in conjunction with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including various ways of constructing the support bracket, or mounting the support bracket to the armoire. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 of a front perspective view of an exemplary flat screen armoire in accordance with the present invention. As shown therein flat screen armoire 10 may be formed as an armoire style furniture enclosure, with or without front doors or other closing structures. A flat screen display 11 may be disposed within the armoire in a manner to pivot from the armoire to facilitate viewing from various angles. Because such flat screen displays may be relatively thin, in relation to the depth of a typical armoire, the area behind the flat screen display may be used for secure storage, as described in more detail below. In order to enhance the appeal of the flat screen armoire and to conceal the secure storage area, a false back 13 is provided which obscures the view of the rear storage area when the flat screen display 11 is in stowed position, as shown at FIGS. 1 and 2.

The present invention allows the flat screen display 11 and false back 13 to pivot to either side, as may best serve a given viewing area. FIG. 1 shows an arrangement where the flat screen display 11 and false back 13 pivot from the left side of the armoire. FIG. 2 shows an arrangement where the flat screen display 11 and false back 13 pivot from the right side of the armoire.

The flat screen display 11 and false back 13 are disposed within a flat screen enclosure area 20 defined by interior side walls 15, 17, lower interior surface 19 and upper interior surface 21. Also within the enclosure area 20, rearward of the flat screen display 11 and false back 13, lies secure storage area 23. Secure storage area 23 may be formed and arranged in a variety of different ways, as shown at FIGS. 3-5. In general, secure storage area 20 may include a variety of shelves, cabinets, or safes, as may be useful to a particular user. FIG. 3 shows a rear storage area arrangement with a plurality of shelves 25 and a locking drawer 27.

FIG. 4 shows an arrangement which also includes safe 29 and lockable storage compartment 31. As will be apparent, the secure storage areas may be used to secure items such as cash, legal documents, jewelry or firearms. The security of such articles is enhanced by the fact that none of the secure compartments are even visible to an observer unless the flat screen display 11 and false back 13 are pivoted to allow viewing. The false back 13 may be provided with a front storage area 14, for receiving articles such as remote controls for flat screen display 11 or other device controls, which may be disposed in shelving areas below the enclosure area 20.

The pivoting of the flat screen display 11 and false back 13 is enabled by means of a pivotable support bracket 30, shown at FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. The flat screen support bracket 30 includes a vertical support member 33, disposed within the enclosure area 20, proximate one of the side walls, 15,17. Vertical support member 33 is pivotably engageable to upper and lower interior surfaces 19, 21. The vertical support member 33 may include extendable portions 35, 37 to accommodate armoires having different size enclosure areas, and displays of different sizes.

The vertical support member 33 further includes flanges or lips 39, 41, having apertures 43, 45, respectively. The lips 39, 41 are further useful to receive and help stabilize the false back 13, as shown at FIG. 4. The vertical support member 33 may be fastened to upper and lower interior surfaces 19, 21 by fasteners 47, 49 extending through apertures 43, 45, respectively, to secure the support bracket 30 in place within the enclosure area 20.

The apertures 43, 45, are spaced from the vertical plane of the vertical support arm 33 in order to define a support bracket pivot axis that is spaced from the interior side walls 15, 17, as shown at FIG. 2. The spacing allows the support bracket 30, false back 13 and flat screen display 11 to pivot from the stowed position completely within the enclosure area 90 degrees or more, to an extended position, as shown at FIGS. 4 and 5. The spacing of the support bracket pivot axis from the enclosure area side walls, 15, 17, allows a rotation to be affected without abutment of the flat screen display 11, false back 13 or support bracket 30 against the interior side walls 15, 17, which would otherwise further limit rotation.

The horizontal support arm 57 may be implemented as a tapered member having a plurality of apertures 59 and slots 61. The apertures 59 are useful to pass through electrical wires or the like that engage to the flat screen display 11, e.g. cable wires, and audio/visual inputs or outputs. The particular apertures 49 used for such purposes would vary in accordance with the connector arrangement of a particular flat screen display 11, and the location of apertures formed in the false back 13.

Slots 61 are useful to accommodate fasteners, such as fasteners 53, 55, shown most clearly at FIG. 4. The fasteners 53, 55 extend through the false back 13 and secure to the flat screen display 11 at locations that may vary in accordance with the construction of the flat screen display 11. Additional fasteners may be used as necessary to secure the flat screen display 11 and false back 13 to the horizontal support arm 57 of the support bracket 30.

As will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, the flat screen armoire of the present invention may be implemented in a relatively thin armoire, without a secure rear storage area, in which case a false back would not be necessary. Alternatively, where the invention is implemented in a deeper armoire with a rear storage area, use of the false back is preferable.

Moreover, the invention may alternately be implemented using a pair of pivotable support brackets, one connected to pivot the flat screen display, and another connected to separately pivot the false back. In such an embodiment the flat screen display could pivot while the false back could remain in place to obscure the secure rear storage area, until access to the storage area is desired.

These and other modifications and enhancements will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and are intended to be encompassed within the broader scope and sphere of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flat screen armoire comprising:

1) a flat screen enclosure area defining first and second interior side walls, a lower interior surface, and an upper interior surface;

2) a flat screen support bracket, the support bracket including: a) a vertical support member pivotally engaged to the upper and lower interior surfaces and extending proximate the first side wall; and b) a horizontal support member engaged to and extending horizontally from the vertical support member; c) wherein the support bracket is pivotable from a stowed position within the enclosure area to a position substantially exterior of the armoire, while maintaining clearance between the support bracket and the interior side walls.

2. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 1 further comprising a false back engaged to and supported by the horizontal support member so as to pivot with support bracket so as to substantially conceal the flat screen enclosure area behind the false back when the support bracket is in the stowed position.

3. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 2 wherein the support bracket is pivotable about a pivot axis spaced from the first side wall to facilitate pivoting of the support bracket and false back to a position exterior of the armoire.

4. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 2 further comprising a flat screen display mounted to the horizontal support member, and pivotable therewith, the false back being disposed intermediate the flat screen and the horizontal support member.

5. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 2 further comprising a front storage shelf connected to the false back and pivotable therewith.

6. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 2 further comprising a secure storage area disposed within the enclosure area behind the support bracket, the secure storage area being accessible only when the support bracket is pivoted away from the stowed position.

7. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 6 wherein the secure storage area includes a plurality of rear storage shelves.

8. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 6 wherein the secure storage area includes a safe.

9. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 6 wherein the secure storage area includes at least one lockable storage compartment.

10. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 2 further including a locking apparatus engaged to the false back and operable to substantially preclude movement of the horizontal support bracket from the stowed position.

11. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 1 wherein the vertical support member includes at least one lip extending forward of the vertical support member for receiving an exterior surface of a flat screen display.

12. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 11 wherein the vertical support member is vertically extendable to accommodate different sizes of flat screen displays.

13. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 1 wherein the vertical support member is alternately disposable substantially adjacent to the first side wall or the second side wall.

14. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 2 wherein the support bracket and false back are pivotable by 90 degrees.

15. The flat screen armoire as recited in claim 1 wherein the horizontal support member includes at least one aperture for passing electrical wire therethrough.