This invention relates to housings for video display monitors, and more particularly to a housing which contains a cathode ray tube (also known as "CRT") and the printed circuit boards (also known as "PCB") for the CRT.
To a computer user, the most noticeable component of a computer system is the monitor which houses the display screen of the system. Except for the key pad, the display monitor is also that portion of the computer system which requires the most "hands on" interaction between the user and the computer. Because of these considerations, the monitor must be designed with esthetics, flexibility, and portability in mind.
There are generally two separate printed circuit boards associated with the operation of a video display monitor. The first is known as a monitor printed circuit board or MPCB which performs the function of driving the monitor screen itself. The second type is what is known as a power printed circuit board or PPCB which supplies the power to the monitor screen. Both of these printed circuit boards are approximately 7 inches long by 7 inches wide and 4 inches high. In order to maintain the compact nature of the monitor, prior art applications typically place both of these circuit boards in a separate unit known as a base. In a personal computer application, this base also contains the logic printed circuit board for the personal computer. Placing the MCPB and the PPCB in the base portion of the personal computer, however, require additional electrical connections between the base unit and the monitor. In prior art applications these electrical connections were in the form of cables running from the exterior of the base unit to the exterior of the terminal monitor. These exterior connections not only interfere with the esthetics of the video monitor but also increase the possibility of accidental disconnection of the cables.
Because of the diverse use of video monitors, it is desirable that the display screen be adjustable by the user to suit the individual users needs. For example, a tall user may prefer a display screen which is tilted slightly upwards while a short user may desire a display screen which is tilted slightly in a downward direction. In addition, it is desirable to have a monitor housing which is adjustable from left to right so that it may be conveniently placed upon the users desk. Some prior art applications have addressed this problem by mounting the monitor housing in a swivel fashion to the base unit. In certain prior art applications, this base unit also contained electronic components which were connected to the monitor housing through exterior cables as discussed above. The prior art applications which use this method of swivel mounting, however, generally employ a series of bolts, nuts and friction washers in a complex and expensive swivel mount arrangement.