360 ES
DESCRIPTION:
The “road trip” in America is a tradition that many families and individuals engage in and invest considerable time doing. Many road trips are annual traditions, and others are the treks to a destination that is enough miles in distance that a significant amount of time is required to be spent in an automobile. Riding as a passenger in an automobile during a road trip of any significant duration of time can be excruciatingly mind-numbing at times. Longs hours spent sitting looking at scenery that is passing by the vehicles window begins to wear on the mind, and soon it can become a form of sensory deprivation. Some people are able to sleep, and others can entertain themselves or with other passengers by playing games or other pastimes that help with the longs hours spent inside the confined space of a car traveling down the road or worst yet dealing with slow traffic situations that seem to drag on for hours.
Modern technology has provided some escape during the long hours spent during a lengthy road trip. Built-in entertainment systems can be obtained when purchasing a family automobile, but these systems are expensive and have limitations. If the car is not ordered with an entertainment system or if it is a used car, retrofitting the vehicle is usually cost prohibitive. Many of these systems, if they exist, are only for the back seats and are permanently mounted in areas such as the back of the front seat headrest and are not flexible for angle changes or other viewing situations. People are in their cars for many reasons and sometimes are forced to wait for extended periods of time while sitting in the vehicle. Large six passenger vehicles are difficult for some entertainment system to serve and are almost never available to the front seat or the far back. The driver is often left out of the entertainment systems for obvious reasons, but there are occasions when the driver is not driving the car and just waiting in the car for extended periods of time for something to happen or for someone to arrive. An entertainment system other than just the stereo for the front seats would be useful in this instance.
Children are quickly bored during car trips, and their boundless energy often interacts with other passengers or the driver causing distractions that can lead to dangerous situations or unpleasant confrontations. These interactions are often avoided by giving the children an entertainment system to focus their energy on. Children are always better behaved when they are entertained or busy with their favorite games or shows as any parent knows.
The 360 ES is a unique and innovative product designed to create a complete entertainment system for the passenger vehicle. Consisting of a ceiling mounted track that will allow the gyro-ball mounted viewing screen to be positioned anywhere within the vehicle the 360 ES provides an ultimately adjustable entertainment experience. The viewing screen for the 360 ES is mounted on an articulating arm that will allow the screen to be manipulated along with the sliding track mounted gyro-ball to be positioned to the most comfortable viewing position possible in an automobile. The easy glide track system and gyro-ball mount can be locked into position once the preferred viewing position is achieved for safety and stability. Easily moved to any seating position, via the glide track, the 360 ES system is available for four passenger vehicles as well as larger vans and SUVs that transport six passengers or more. When not in use the 360 ES will fold into the ceiling pocket that will keep the system completely out of the way. The 360 ES will bring a fully functional and accessible entertainment system to any family passenger vehicle.
SPECIFIC, UNIQUE FUNCTIONS OF INVENTION:
- Folds flat into ceiling pocket
- Opens down on articulating arm for any adjustment
- Gyro-ball mount allows 360 degree rotations
- Rail system mounted on ceiling allows viewing screen to move to any seat in vehicle
- Gyro-ball and rail will lock in place for stability and safety
- Articulating arm mount allows manipulation of screen for optimum viewing angles
- Available for four or six passenger vehicles
- Fully electric and uses vehicle’s power
- Remote control operated or direct from unit
PRODUCT COMPONENT CLARIFICATION:
The “360 ES” is an innovative vehicle entertainment product that has been designed to be moved along a T shaped track. The product base and support swivels and tilts to allow 360° positioning for the optimum viewing by the user. The lightweight yet very durable product has a 16:9 screen with full color and displays videos and other streaming video under complete user control. The aluminum track and unique support system allow anyone seated in the vehicle to observe the entertainment. The audio is available from either of the two 3.5mm audio jacks allowing easy use of standard headsets.
Currently, the video monitors are mounted on drop down screens from the ceiling of the vehicle or are mounted in the headrests of the seat in front of the child.
The “360 ES” resolves most of these problems by allowing the monitor to be optimally positioned in front of the user, wherever they are sitting in the vehicle. The display can be positioned for the front passengers, the mid seat passenger, or even the third-row seated person. The remote control allows easy manipulation of the monitor and the video content. The ear phone jacks allow the audio component to be heard without disturbing any of the other passengers in the vehicle and up to 2 sets of ear phones are powered, albeit with only one sound level control. The video can be loaded using almost any available media today. The system can take in media from DVDs, USB memory sticks, USB cabled to a smartphone, or SD memory cards. The product can play media for up to 8 hours without recharging.
The “360 ES” is made using 2 major sub-sections, one, the track upon which it is supported and two, the video monitor with its support and remote control. The track is mounted up on the interior surface of the vehicle roof and the monitor can be forcibly moved along the track to the optimum viewing position or snapped into place in the retention bracket after use.
The mounting system
The track: The track is assembled from extruded 6061 aluminum alloy material. The aluminum is melted and forced through an extruding die that provides a long linear extrusion with an interior opening in which the video monitors support mechanism rides. In assembly, the track is cut to length to fit the specific vehicle, for example, 2007 to 2014 and 2015 to present Chevrolet Tahoe. After cutting to length, the 3 lengths of track are placed in CNC milling center and the end brackets are milled and drilled. After that operation, the tracks are placed in a welding jig and MIG welded into a T shaped track. Then the track is deburred, cleaned, anodized and dyed. After fabrication is complete, the track is gently bent into the proper contour to fit snugly against the interior surface of the vehicle roof over the headliner. The standard colors are black, beige, or gray. Other colors can be custom ordered, see below.
Anodizing and dyeing: The aluminum sub-components can be anodized and dyed in almost any vibrant color, so a distinctive color, or colors, may be chosen to enhance the product recognition factor, which can dramatically improve the market adoption of the product. These are, but not limited to, the following.
| Standard Colors | ||
|---|---|---|
| Black | Gray | Bronze |
| Gold | Royal Blue | Navy Blue |
| Purple | Red | Green |
| Teal | Orange | Pink |
| Turquoise | Clear (Silver) | Beige |
The retention housing: The retention housing is part of the mounting system. This plastic housing has spring clips to securely hold the video monitor and charge its rechargeable batteries when not in use. This injection molded polypropylene plastic housing is mounted at the aft end of the T shaped track onto the interior surface of the vehicle roof and the monitor is slid down the track and then snapped into place in the housing for storage and charging. The monitor can only go into the housing in one way with the screen first. The charging contacts mate with the monitor’s contacts and will remain touching until the monitor is removed for the next use.
The video monitoring system
The support components: These subcomponents are fabricated from case hardened metal or fiberglass reinforced polypropylene (FRP) components. The upper attachment point allows a full 360° rotation and the lower two attachments permit vertical adjustment, providing the optimum positioning of the product. The hemispherical attachment also is ‘hardened’ to prevent the supported monitor from breaking away from the track, even in the event of a crash. The three attachment points consist of the following components.
- The hemispherical ball mount: This mount is molded in 2 parts. The rotating square top, the round center section, and the hemispherical lower component. The round center section and the hemispherical components are molded as one part. The components are injection molded using fiberglass reinforced polypropylene (FRP). The hemispherical base has a hardened nut molded into it and the rotating square is secured to the lower part using a hardened, large diameter screw.
- The lower shaft: This 2-piece shaft is fabricated from 0.50” diameter high tensile steel with the upper joint pinned in place using a case-hardened steel pin. After machining in a CNC milling center, the shaft is plated with electroless nickel and then assembled. The pin is an interference fit on the upper section of the shaft and a very snug fit on the lower (outer) flanks of the shaft.
- The monitor mount: This mount is molded into the monitor case and is secured using a factory tightened bolt, which allows the monitor to be positioned vertically and then is retained in that position until moved by the user.
The video monitor: The monitor is lightweight yet very durable. The housing is injection molded from polycarbonate/ABS plastic in 2 sections that are secured using stainless steel fasteners. This plastic is very durable, is highly resistant to impact shock, is impervious to automotive chemicals, and is often used in this application. The front surface of the housing has the display mounted in it. The outer edges have all the manual controls, audio ports, and the DVD slot. The housing also contains all the electronics to operate the monitor. These are, but are not limited to, the following.
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 10.1” diagonal, full color, back lighted, 1024 x 600 pixel |
| Picture Mode | Standard, Vivid, Game, Sport, Cinema |
| Backlight Control | Low, medium, or high levels |
| DVD Player | Automotive grade vibration resistant for best playback quality |
| Media format | DIVX, DVD, DVD-R,/RW, MP4, RMVB, VCD |
| Input Ports | USB, DVD, SD, Bluetooth, IR, optional HDMI |
| Power | 4 rechargeable AA batteries |
| Contacts | 12 VDC vehicle power input |
| Audio | 2 each 3.5mm stereo audio jacks |
| Housing Colors | Black, gray, or beige standard |
The remote control: This handheld remote-control housing is molded in 2 sections that snap together and are reinforced with stainless steel fasteners. The remote is powered with 3 AA replaceable batteries and uses standard infrared standard communication to operate the product. Menu driven options are displayed on the screen to allow easy control of the playback.
The printed circuit boards (PCB): The PCBs for both devices are fabricated to the final assembler’s requirements in a world class contract electronic assembler facility. The standard thickness, double sided FR4 circuit board material is populated with surface mounted components where possible. Any through-hole devices are inserted after the surface mounted assembly, soldering, and cleaning. All circuit boards are designed to have all the components oriented so they can be mounted with the LED illuminators projecting out of the lenses mounted in the housings. After assembly, the PCBs are protected with a moisture adsorption preventive conformal coating.
The 360 ES is designed to be aesthetic and effective in the application. The relative ease of manufacture and the moderately inexpensive components provide good marketability for the manufacturer. The user benefits from improved usefulness and optimum viewing capability, which should provide considerable market interest in the product.
The invention is illustrated in the following drawings of the essential points as explained to us in the documentation.
Drawing 1, Block 1: 360 ES – Track Detail
(1) The track is extruded aluminum in the flat form, is cut to the appropriate length, is welded together to make the ‘T’ shape, and then is hydraulically bent to fit a specific vehicle.
(2) The ends of the welded trach are open to allow insertion of the video monitor’s ball carrier after the track is attached to the headliner of the designated vehicle.
(3) The ends of the track have brackets attached to allow easy attachment to the headliner subframe so that it can be securely attached to vehicle’s roof over the headliner. Steel fasteners are supplied to facilitate the mounting of the track to the interior surface of the vehicle’s roof over the headliner.
(4) The charging cord is slipped under the headliner and unobtrusively run down one of the pillars supporting the roof to below the floor where it is mated with the vehicle power to top off the rechargeable batteries when the monitor is snapped into the retention cradle.
(5) The retention and charging bracket frame is secured to the vehicle’s interior roof surface using the molded brackets and the supplied fasteners.
(6) The track fits the interior roof line curvature and is altered to fit each model of vehicle so the track looks like an OEM accessory after installation.
(7) The aluminum track is anodized and dyed a color that matches or complements the vehicle headliner/upholstery and the anodized surface prevents scratching and corrosion during the lifetime of the product.
Drawing 2, Block 1: 360 ES – Overhead Video Monitor Detail
(8) The full color 16:9 display is an LCD with an LED backlight, which can be controlled automatically or can be adjusted through the menu driven options.
(9) 3.5mm audio jack for cabled headphones with full stereo output with remote volume controls plus the DVD and USB ports are on this edge of the monitor’s housing.
(10) The lower pivot point allows the user to position the screen at the optimum position when used in conjunction with the ball swivel and the upper pivot point.
(11) Both the pivot point’s tension is adjusted at the factory so the monitor angle can be adjusted but will remain where placed even when the vehicle is traversing rough road surfaces.
(12) The upper pivot point is supplied with a tight fitting pin but can also be supplied with a small tensioning nut assembly that can be adjusted by the user.
(13) The upper square component slides in the track mounted on the ceiling of the vehicle over the headliner and is tight enough so it will not move around after positioning. The bolt allows the square section to rotate independently of the lower mount.
(14) The round section below the square slider allows the video monitor to be rotated to the optimum angle for the person viewing the monitor.
(15) The charging contacts are inset and protected at each end of the monitor’s housing so the product can be charged when seated in the retention housing.
(16) The hardened bolt and the fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) components provide a very durable support and can even withstand most low speed crashes without breakage.
(17) The case hardened upper shaft screws into the lower end of the nut molded into the FRP hemisphere, which rides on the aluminum track surface.
(18) The product can also be operated using the manual controls, which are located on the outer edge of the housing for easy access during use.
(19) The memory card reader port is also located on the outer edge of the housing for easy access during use.
(20) The remote control is powered with 3 AA batteries and controls the video monitor with standard infrared technology.
Although a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the above detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment developed herein, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This document has been prepared for the manufacturer’s elucidation. The manufacturer’s decision makers should consider this product for licensing (providing intellectual property protection for their sales of the product in return for a royalty payment for a period of years) or an outright purchase of the patent for a negotiated fee. The inventor and his team are standing by to consider offers for licensing or outright purchase of the patent.
