Rotatable instrument panel assembly

A method of protecting a plurality of instruments disposed on an instrument panel assembly for a control console, comprising the steps of:

• fixedly mounting a housing on the control console;
• rotatably mounting an inner mechanism with the housing, the inner mechanism having a instrument panel portion and a security panel portion angularly disposed from the instrument panel portion;
• attaching the plurality of instruments on the instrument panel portion of the inner mechanism;
• and
• rotating the inner mechanism from an operating position wherein the instrument panel portion is accessible and the plurality of instruments are exposed on the control console to a secured position wherein the instrument panel portion is not accessible and the plurality of instruments are not exposed on the control console.

A rotatable instrument panel assembly, comprising:

• a housing having front and rear surfaces and a pair of spaced tab portions extending from the rear surface, the tab portions each defining a central opening therethrough;
• an inner mechanism having a pair of side flanges each defining a central opening therethrough coaxially aligned with the central openings in the tab portions, the side flanges rotatably mounted with the tab portions via an attachment device disposed respectively through each of the central openings in the tab portions and the side flanges, the inner mechanism having an instrument panel portion and a security panel portion, the inner mechanism being rotatable from an operating position wherein the instrument panel portion is substantially aligned with the front surface of the housing and the security panel portion is located behind the rear surface of the housing to a secured position wherein the security panel portion is substantially aligned with the front surface of the housing and the instrument panel portion is located behind the rear surface of the housing;
• and
• a plurality of instruments mounted on the instrument panel portion, the plurality of instruments being viewable at the front surface of the housing when the inner mechanism is in the operating position and being hidden from view at the front surface of the housing when the inner mechanism is in the secured position.