US 4,687,167 · Granted 1987-08-18
The Articulating Arm That Lets Your Monitor Float Anywhere
Imagine a desk lamp, but instead of holding light, it holds your computer monitor—and it can swing, twist, and lock into any position you want. This patent describes a clever two-arm system with ball bearings that lets your screen move smoothly without tipping or drifting once you lock it down.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a computer support structure made of nested swing arms connected by pivot shafts with specialized bearing sets. What's protected here is the specific design of those pivot points—using roller bearings stacked above and below a hardened load-bearing sleeve—plus the brake/lock mechanism that holds the arms rigid at any rotational angle. Someone copying this exact bearing-and-lock arrangement would infringe.
Why it matters
Before ergonomic monitor arms became standard office furniture, monitors were stuck on rigid stands or the desk itself. This patent represents an early articulated solution that let workers adjust their screens without buying a new stand, reducing neck strain and improving desk flexibility. The bearing design was engineered to handle repeated motion while staying smooth and stable—a mechanical problem that sounds simple but required clever engineering.
Real-world use
Every time you swing a monitor arm left or right and hear it lock into place with a satisfying click, you're using the same bearing-and-brake principle this patent locked down decades ago.
Original USPTO abstract
A computer support includes a base member to which an inner swing arm is pivotally mounted with an outer swing arm being pivotally mounted on the outer end of the inner swing arm and supporting a platform support by a lazy-susan bearing on its outer end. The pivotal connections are provided by pivot shafts over which pivot sleeves are positioned with upper and lower spaced roller bearing sets therebetween and a low-friction load bearing sleeve of substantial hardness engaging the lower end of each pivot sleeve to support same. Brake/lock means at each pivot permits retention of the arms in any desired rotational position in separate horizontal planes of movement.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 4,687,167
- Filing date
- 1985-10-23
- Grant date
- 1987-08-18
- Assignee
- Skalka Gerald P / Skalka Stanley H
- Inventor(s)
- SKALKA; GERALD P., SKALKA; STANLEY H.
- CPC class
- F16M13/022
Want to file your own patent?
If you're designing a new furniture accessory with moving parts, check our scanner to see if bearing arrangements or locking mechanisms already have patent coverage in your space.
Free patentability scan