BATTERY PACKS

• US 20090116831A1
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vitec Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vitec Group PLC
• Inventors: Lindsay, Richard Arthur
• Granted Patent: US 7,899,320 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/301
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries

Abstract

A battery pack for mounting to a camera and camera stand is described. The battery pack has attachment means on opposite sides. The attachment means are of complementary design so that the battery pack can be mounted between the camera and the stand. Each attachment means permits linear adjustment of the camera. The two means provide parallel linear adjustment of the camera with respect to the battery pack and of the battery pack with respect to the stand.

Claims

1. A battery pack for mounting to a camera that includes a stand, the pack having first coupling means on one side for engaging the camera and second coupling means on the other side for engaging the stand, wherein the first and second coupling means are of complementary form whereby the camera may be mounted on the battery pack and the battery pack mounted on the stand or the camera may be mounted directly on the stand;

wherein the first coupling means permits linear adjustment of the camera with respect to the battery pack and the second coupling means permits linear adjustment of the battery pack with respect to the stand; and

in that the first and second coupling means permit parallel linear adjustment of the camera with respect to the pack and the pack with respect to the stand.

2. A battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first coupling means which affords linear adjustment of the battery pack with respect to the camera provides adjustment in parallel with the optical axis of the camera.

3. A battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first coupling means on the battery pack comprise a slideway having means to receive and lock a slide on the camera in position and the second coupling means on the battery pack comprise a slide for engagement in a slideway on the stand having means to lock the slide in a required position on the slideway.

4. A battery pack as claimed in claim 3, wherein the slideway on said one side of the battery pack has a surface along which the camera mounting plate is slidable parallel to the optical axis of the camera and clamp means located on either side of the slideway for locking the slide in any position of adjustment along the slideway.

5. A battery pack as claimed in claim 4, wherein the clamping means comprise a fixed jaw on one side of the slideway and an adjustable jaw on the other side of the battery pack movable towards and away from the fixed jaw to clamp the camera mounting plate between the jaws on the battery pack.

6. A battery pack as claimed in claim 5, wherein the camera mounting plate is of dovetail cross section to engage on the slideway of the battery pack and the jaws on the battery pack are shaped to engage with the inclined sides of the plate.

7. A battery pack as claimed in claim 3, wherein the slide of said second coupling means on the battery pack is an elongate slide to be held captive in a slideway on the stand and means are provided for locking the slide in any position of adjustment along the slideway.

8. A battery pack as claimed in claim 7, wherein the slide of the second coupling means is an elongate dovetail cross section member and the slideway is an elongate dovetail cross section slideway in which the slide is engageable and held captive and the clamping device is provided on one side of the slideway for bearing against the slide to lock the slide in any position throughout a range of adjustment with respect to the slideway.

9. A stack of two or more battery packs as claimed in claim 1 for location between a camera mounting and a camera to provide a power supply or supplies for the camera or camera auxiliary devices.

10. A battery pack as claimed in claim 1 mounted between a video camera and a stand for the camera.

11. A battery pack as claimed in claim 1 mounted to a video camera, said first coupling means of the battery pack permitting linear adjustment of the pack with respect to the camera.

12. A battery pack as claimed in claim 1 mounted on a camera stand, said second coupling means of the battery pack permitting linear adjustment of the pack with respect to the stand.

13. A battery pack for a camera comprising:

a first side configured to removably attach to a camera stand;

a second side configured to removably attach to a camera, the second side being complementary to the first side such that the camera may attach directly to the camera stand when the battery pack is not present; and

at least one mechanism configured to linearly adjust the camera with respect to the camera stand.

14. The battery pack of claim 13, wherein the at least one mechanism configured to linearly adjust the camera is integrally formed with at least one of the first side and the second side.

15. The battery pack of claim 13, wherein the at least one mechanism configured to linearly adjust the camera is comprised of a first mechanism and a second mechanism.

16. The battery pack of claim 15, wherein:

the first mechanism is integrally formed with the first side, the first mechanism being configured to linearly adjust the battery pack and camera relative to the camera stand; and

the second mechanism is integrally formed with the second side, the second mechanism being configured to linearly adjust the camera relative to the battery pack and the camera stand.

17. The battery pack of claim 13, wherein the at least one mechanism configured to linearly adjust the camera is configured to provide the adjustment in parallel to an optical axis of the camera.

18. The battery pack of claim 13, wherein the at least one mechanism configured to linearly adjust the camera comprises a slideway, the slideway comprising a means to receive a slide and a means to lock a slide.

19. The battery pack of claim 13, wherein the at least one mechanism configured to linearly adjust the camera comprises a slide configured to engage a slideway.

20. The battery pack of claim 18, wherein the means to lock a slide comprises a fixed jaw and an adjustable jaw.