Mechanical arm with spring counterbalance
AssigneeKnoll, Inc.
InventorStephan Copeland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mechanical support arm for holding lamps, flat screen monitors or other equipment which comprises a base member and two links joined by pivoting joints and held in position by friction in the joints. The amount of friction required to hold the equipment in position is reduced by the use of spring-assisted counterbalances that compensate for the majority of the weight. The novel aspects of the invention include the design of the pivots, which are linked rings able to rotate about axles disposed at the pivot points, and the manner in which the springs are attached to the pivot points to reduce the amount of force that need be exerted on the arm to place the object being supported in the desired position.
Claims12
A mechanical arm comprising:
- a base;
- a first linkage pivotally attached to said base at a first pivot, said first pivot comprising a first axle;
- a second linkage pivotally attached to said first linkage at a second pivot, said second pivot comprising a second axle;
- a first spring attached between an anchor point defined on said first linkage and said first pivot;
- a second spring attached between an anchor point defined on said second linkage and said second pivot;
- a first ring disposed around said first axle, said first spring attached to said first ring;
- and a second ring disposed around said second axle, said second spring attached to said second ring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.