| Stand for supporting a display in multiple orientations and a display used in combination with said stand -> Monitor Keywords |
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Stand for supporting a display in multiple orientations and a display used in combination with said standRelated Patent Categories: Supports, Stand, To Hold A Particular ArticleStand for supporting a display in multiple orientations and a display used in combination with said stand description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080035808, Stand for supporting a display in multiple orientations and a display used in combination with said stand. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention is directed toward a stand for supporting a display and a display used in combination with the stand, and more specifically, to a pen-enabled computer display ("PED") having a screen and a stand for mounting the PED in a first orientation for using the PED primarily as a display and in a second orientation for using the PED primarily as a tablet, in a manner that also allows the PED to be removed from the stand for lap-top use. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Flat panel displays, which may comprise, for example, liquid crystal displays ("LCD's"), are becoming increasingly common and are often used as monitors for personal computers, replacing the bulky cathode ray tube ("CRT") monitors that have heretofore been used. When used for this purpose, the displays are normally rectangular and are mounted on a user's desk in front of a keyboard with the long dimension of the rectangular panel oriented horizontally in what is commonly referred to as "landscape" orientation. Flat panel displays are thinner and lighter than CRT's and thus take up far less space on a desktop or workspace. Their light weight also allows them to be positioned more easily than CRT's, and supports are known that allow such flat panel displays to be tilted or to be rotated between a landscape orientation and a portrait orientation wherein the longer dimension of the screen is vertical. An example of a tiltable display is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,368, and an example of a rotatable displays is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,850. [0003] Flat panels displays are also used in PED's where they are integrated with a digitizing tablet using, for example, electromagnetic resonance technology and a pen-like input device. A PED allows a computer user to move a screen cursor, click on icons, draw in an application, or otherwise interact with a computer operating system or its resident applications by means of a pen that is moved to the appropriate location on the screen. The screen cursor follows the location of the pen, and pressing the tip switch of the pen to the display or pressing a switch on the pen causes a desired action to occur. The location of the pen on or above the display screen may be determined by a number of different technologies, such as electromagnetic resonance (as in tablets made by Wacom Technology Company), resistive, capacitive or other touch-sensitive films, and other sensing technologies that are well known in the art. PED's may be connected to a separate computer unit through a wired or wireless connection, or may be integrated with a computer as in so-called Tablet PC's or hand-held Palm brand electronic organizers. When the digitizing tablet in the PED is able to detect the amount of force with which the pen is pressed against the surface of the display (e.g. by means of a tip pressure sensor in the pen, or if the touch-sensitive film is able to detect the amount of pressure applied to it with the pen tip), varying the pressure applied with the pen can affect the appearance of the image created on the screen, allowing the user to work with the PED in much the same way he works with pen and paper. [0004] One example of a PED is available from Wacom Technology Company under the brand name "Cintiq 15X." This device includes a screen mounted in a housing and a leg projecting from the housing rear that allows the screen to be inclined at a small angle when the PED is used for drawing or at a larger angle when the device is used primarily as a display. However, the leg is not removable, making the device difficult to support on one's lap, and does not permit the screen and housing to be rotated. [0005] For greater comfort while drawing, and to facilitate accurate curves and pencil strokes, traditional artists and animators working on paper often rotate the paper, adjust its incline on a stand, or hold it on their lap. Such users may also wish to use a PED in a similar manner or to rest the lower edge of the PED in their lap and the back side against a desk or table. Stands are known that allow a flat panel display to be rotated or tilted, but these stands usually support displays at some distance above a surface so that they can be viewed as a monitor and cannot readily be disconnected from a display to allow the display to be used apart from the stand. And, while such supports are generally adequate for supporting a flat screen in a generally vertical display orientation or in a relatively horizontal drawing mode, they do not allow a display to be removed for lap use. It would therefore be desirable to provide a stand for a display that accomplishes these objectives and that also allows the display to be rotated between landscape and portrait orientations and to be readily detached so that the display device can be used as a tablet on a person's lap. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] These difficulties are addressed by the present invention which comprises a stand for supporting a display or PED at various angles of inclination with respect to a horizontal support surface, including a first range of small angles so that the PED can be used primarily as a tablet and a second range of larger angles so that the PED can serve primarily as a display. Moreover, the stand supports the PED so that it can be rotated 180 degrees or more in either direction from a starting point and so that it can be removed quickly and easily when a user wishes to use the PED or other display apart from the stand. [0007] In a preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a display with a housing having a display screen, a boss extending from the side of the housing opposite the display screen, and a stand having a plate with a curved channel for receiving the boss and rotatably and removably supporting the display. The boss is provided with a flange on its free end, which flange is spaced away from the display housing by a distance greater than the width of the channel so that the flange prevents the boss from being pulled through the channel when the display is mounted in the stand. The plate is supported by two legs, one of which may be formed integrally with the plate, and the legs are hingedly connected by a lockable hinge. Each leg terminates in a pair of feet which support the stand and the display on a support surface. Handles or levers extend from either side of the stand to actuate the locking mechanisms of the locking hinge, which mechanisms preferably includes two oppositely mounted spring clutches. One of the levers releases the first spring clutch to allow the angle between the legs to be increased while the other releases a second spring clutch to allow the angle between the legs to be decreased. Balance springs are also provided to support the weight of the display and stand together and to prevent the stand from falling into its fully open position each time the first lever is actuated. Using these handles, the angle between the legs can be adjusted from between about 130 and 180 degrees, preferably about 140 degrees, which angle allows the display to lie flat or nearly flat on a support surface to between about 20 and 60 degrees, preferably about 45 degrees, in which configuration the stand can be used to support the device for use as a display. The boss on the display housing rests securely in the channel in the stand and the flange prevents the display from being removed from the channel in a direction normal to the screen on the display. [0008] The boss is generally round, but may have one pair of parallel side edges connected by curved end sections as will be explained in more detail, and the channel preferably comprises an arc of more than 180 degrees with two ends separated by a first distance less than the long dimension of the boss and shorter than the distance between the two flat sides of the boss. This arrangement allows the boss to be placed in the stand in one orientation only; when the boss is rotated from this position, the long dimension of the boss cannot be removed through the channel and the display is locked in the stand. However, the display can be lifted out of the channel with little effort when it is returned to its initial orientation when one desires to use the display without the stand. Alternately, a plain circular boss could be used, but such a boss would not lock in the channel as described above. As the boss projects only a small distance from the rear of the display housing, it will not interfere with the use of the display in a user's lap. [0009] In a second embodiment of the invention, the stand includes a boss projecting therefrom and having an end flange and a T-shaped cross section. The display includes an opening having a narrow outer portion and an wide inner portion. The flange or cross piece on the boss is received in the wide inner portion of the opening behind the narrow portion of the opening to hold the boss in place and permit rotation between the display and the support. The display can be held in various orientations to the stand by either the friction between the display housing and the stand (e.g. with a felt pad on the stand), or a friction fit between the boss and opening. [0010] In a third embodiment of the invention, the stand includes a cradle rotatably affixed thereto into which a display can be placed. Preferably the cradle also includes at least one projecting peg that fits into a corresponding hole on the back of the display to help keep the display from sliding relative to the cradle even when the cradle is rotated. A friction fit between the cradle and the stand allows the cradle to be retained in any orientation, although other selective locking mechanisms could also be used. [0011] In a fourth embodiment of the invention, a display is provided that includes a rotating bearing mounted on a rear surface thereof. The rotatable bearing is mountable to fixed supports such as pegs projecting from a support stand and held securely thereto by those pegs thereby allowing the display to rotate relative to the bearing and the stand. [0012] It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a stand for supporting a display in a variety of different orientations. [0013] It is another object of the invention to provide a flat panel display that can be used alone or mounted in an adjustable stand. [0014] It is a further object of the invention to provide a stand for rotatably supporting a flat panel display in a manner that allows for the quick and easy removal of the display from the stand. [0015] It is still another object of the invention to provide a stand having a flat front surface for supporting a display that can be selectively locked to hold the flat front surface at a number of different inclination angles with respect to an essentially horizontal desktop surface. [0016] It is yet another object of the invention to provide a stand that can be positioned in a first orientation for allowing a device mounted thereon to be used as a tablet and in a second orientation for allowing a device mounted thereon to be used as a display, and allowing the device, in either orientation, to be rotated. [0017] It is still a further object of the invention to provide an adjustable stand having a bearing for rotatably supporting a display. [0018] It is yet a further object of the invention to provide an adjustable stand including a rotatable cradle for releaseably and rotatably securing a display to the stand. [0019] In furtherance of these objects, a display stand is provided for rotatably supporting an object having a rear surface and a boss extending from the rear surface which stand comprises a front member comprising a C-shaped plate member having a convex first end and a concave second end and a first generally T-shaped support depending from the first end and a second member comprising a generally T-shaped support connected to the first member by a hinge. [0020] A combination of a display and a stand for the display is also provided wherein the display comprises a housing having a boss projecting therefrom and the stand comprises first and second hingedly connected supports and also has a channel in which the boss is removably and rotatably received. The first and second supports are selectively lockable in at least two positions. [0021] Also provided is a combination of a digitizer having a display screen and a stand for supporting the digitizer on a surface where the digitizer includes a housing having a boss and the stand comprises first and second hingedly connected supports and a channel in which the boss is removably and rotatably received. The first and second supports are selectively lockable in a first position for holding the digitizer at a first angle and a second position for holding the digitizer at a second angle. Continue reading about Stand for supporting a display in multiple orientations and a display used in combination with said stand... 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