US 5,924,665 · Granted 1999-07-20
The Ceiling Mount That Lets Your Big Screen Float Effortlessly
Imagine a robotic arm hanging from your ceiling that holds a flat-screen TV and lets you tilt, pan, and lift it without straining your neck or arms. This patent covers a clever system of joints and springs that makes the screen feel weightless, so you can adjust it smoothly in any direction.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a multi-jointed ceiling mount system with multiple pivot points arranged along vertical, horizontal, and elevational axes. What's protected here is the combination of gas springs and plastic friction washers that allow smooth pivoting motion, plus the overall mechanical design that lets someone adjust a mounted flat panel display around multiple axes without constant manual effort or predetermined locking positions.
Why it matters
Before this patent, mounting a flat-screen display overhead required either fixed positioning or exhausting manual adjustment. By combining gas springs with friction washers in a multi-axis mount, Ergotron created a system that balanced ease of movement with stability. This design became foundational to the modern monitor arm and ceiling-mount category, influencing how offices, hospitals, conference rooms, and homes position displays for comfort and ergonomics.
Real-world use
Every time a dentist adjusts the overhead monitor in an exam chair, or a teacher tilts a classroom display to catch the light, they're using pivot technology descended from this patent's core mechanics.
Original USPTO abstract
Multi-jointed and pivoted ceiling mount system for support of a flat panel video display, incorporating a plurality of pivot points providing for pivotal motion of one or more components about a plurality of vertical, horizontal and elevational axes. Support arm having elevational pivot assemblies, including plastic friction washers and gas springs, offers elevational arm control without requiring constant and predetermined positioning effort on the part of the video display operator and keyboard operator.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,924,665
- Filing date
- 1998-02-12
- Grant date
- 1999-07-20
- Assignee
- Ergotron, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- SWEERE; HARRY C., GONNERMAN; MICHAEL D., VOELLER; DONALD M.
- CPC class
- F16M11/2064
Want to file your own patent?
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