Swivel Camera Mount

• US 20160100083A1
• Filed: 01/27/2015
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
• Inventors: Harrison, Ryan
• Granted Patent: US 9,681,029 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/045 with at least a pair of arms pivoting relatively to at least one other arm, all arms being mounted on one pin crank-pins F16C11/02
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0609 made from two or more parts
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0614 the female part of the joint being open on two sides
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0623 Construction or details of the socket member
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/106 for ball joints
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/041 Allowing quick release of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/14 with ball-joint ball-jointed hinges F16C11/06 ; adjustable mountings employing universal joints for lighting devices F21V21/26 - F21V21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/561 Support related camera accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/566 Accessory clips, holders, shoes to attach accessories to camera if integral part of camera body G03B17/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings

Abstract

A camera mount is configured to attach a camera to a mount base which, in turn, may be secured to sport equipment, musical instruments, vehicles, and the like. The camera mount includes a ball component that couples to a camera or camera housing and that allows a user to rotate a camera within a horizontal plane, and to pivot a camera in one or more vertical planes. The ball component is securely coupled within a sleeve component with a bucket or other coupling mechanism that allows the sleeve component (and thereby the ball component and coupled camera or camera housing) to couple to the mount base.

Claims

1. A camera mounting system, comprising:

an upper mount component configured to at least partially securely enclose a camera, the upper mount component comprising a first plurality of protrusions extending from a bottom surface of the upper mount component; and

a lower mount component, the lower mount component including;

a rotating component comprising a second plurality of protrusions and a ball component, the second plurality of protrusions configured to interlock with the first plurality of protrusions of the upper mount component, pivotally coupling the upper mount component to the lower mount component;

an inner sleeve component configured to at least partially enclose the ball component such that the rotating component can rotate and pivot relative to the inner sleeve component; and

an outer sleeve component configured to at least partially enclose the inner sleeve component, the outer sleeve component configured to couple to a base mount component.

2. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein the upper mount component comprises:

a camera housing including a front face, a top face, a bottom face, a left side face, a right side face, and a back door, the faces and the door structured to enclose the camera when the door is in a closed position;

a hinge structure pivotally coupling a bottom edge of the housing and the back door of the housing;

a first fastening structure located on the top face of the camera housing;

a second fastening structure located on a top edge of the back door, the second fastening structure for detachably coupling to the first fastening structure such that the back door of the camera housing is secured to the housing in the closed position when the first fastening structure is coupled to the second fastening structure, and wherein the camera is removable from the housing when the first fastening structure is unsecured from the second fastening structure.

3. The mounting system of claim 2, wherein the camera housing comprises a waterproof seal such that the housing is waterproof when the back door is secured in the closed position.

4. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein the upper mount component securely encloses a camera configured to record either images or video footage.

5. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein the upper mount component and lower mount component are rotatable about a pin when the pin is in a first loosened position and wherein the upper mount component and lower mount component are secured at a fixed angle when the pin is in a second secured position.

6. The mounting system of claim 5, wherein the pin comprises a turnable screw, wherein the pin is in the first position when the screw is loosened, and wherein the pin is in the second position when the screw is tightened.

7. The mounting system of claim 5, wherein each of the first plurality of protrusions includes a pinhole forming a first set of pinholes, wherein each of the second plurality of protrusions includes a pinhole forming a second set of pinholes, wherein the first set of pinholes and the second set of pinholes are aligned, and wherein the pin is inserted into the aligned first set of pinholes and second set of pinholes, coupling the upper mount component to the lower mount component.

8. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein the rotating component is configured to:

rotate at least 360 degrees within a horizontal plane parallel to the outer sleeve component; and

pivot up to 30 degrees within one or more vertical planes relative to the outer sleeve component.

9. The mounting system of claim 8, wherein the rotating component further comprises a neck component coupling the ball component to the second plurality of protrusions, wherein the ball component has a diameter between 10 mm and 40 mm, and wherein the neck component has a diameter between 3 mm and 15 mm.

10. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein a coefficient of static friction between an inside surface of the inner sleeve component and an outside surface of the ball component is great enough to prevent movement of the rotating component relative to the outer sleeve component by wind incident upon the rotating component or upper mount component.

11. A camera mounting system, comprising:

an upper mount component configured to at least partially securely enclose a camera, the upper mount component comprising a first plurality of protrusions extending from a bottom surface of the upper mount component; and

a lower mount component, the lower mount component including;

a rotating component comprising a second plurality of protrusions and a ball component, the second plurality of protrusions configured to interlock with the first plurality of protrusions of the upper mount component, pivotally coupling the upper mount component to the lower mount component; and

a sleeve component configured to at least partially enclose the ball component such that the rotating component can rotate and pivot relative to the sleeve component and configured to securely couple to a base mount component.

12. The mounting system of claim 11, wherein the upper mount component comprises:

a camera housing including a front face, a top face, a bottom face, a left side face, a right side face, and a back door, the faces and the door structured to enclose the camera when the door is in a closed position;

a hinge structure pivotally coupling a bottom edge of the housing and the back door of the housing;

a first fastening structure located on the top face of the camera housing;

a second fastening structure located on a top edge of the back door, the second fastening structure for detachably coupling to the first fastening structure such that the back door of the camera housing is secured to the housing in the closed position when the first fastening structure is coupled to the second fastening structure, and wherein the camera is removable from the housing when the first fastening structure is unsecured from the second fastening structure.

13. The mounting system of claim 12, wherein the camera housing comprises a waterproof seal such that the housing is waterproof when the back door is secured in the closed position.

14. The mounting system of claim 11, wherein the upper mount component securely encloses a camera configured to record either images or video footage.

15. The mounting system of claim 11, wherein the upper mount component and lower mount component are rotatable about a pin when the pin is in a first loosened position and wherein the upper mount component and lower mount component are secured at a fixed angle when the pin is in a second secured position.

16. The mounting system of claim 15, wherein the pin comprises a turnable screw, wherein the pin is in the first position when the screw is loosened, and wherein the pin is in the second position when the screw is tightened.

17. The mounting system of claim 15, wherein each of the first plurality of protrusions includes a pinhole forming a first set of pinholes, wherein each of the second plurality of protrusions includes a pinhole forming a second set of pinholes, wherein the first set of pinholes and the second set of pinholes are aligned, and wherein the pin is inserted into the aligned first set of pinholes and second set of pinholes, coupling the upper mount component to the lower mount component.

18. The mounting system of claim 11, wherein the rotating component is configured to:

rotate at least 360 degrees within a horizontal plane parallel to the sleeve component; and

pivot up to 30 degrees within one or more vertical planes relative to the sleeve component.

19. The mounting system of claim 18, wherein the rotating component further comprises a neck component coupling the ball component to the second plurality of protrusions, wherein the ball component has a diameter between 10 mm and 40 mm, and wherein the neck component has a diameter between 3 mm and 15 mm.

20. The mounting system of claim 11, wherein a coefficient of static friction between an inside surface of the sleeve component and an outside surface of the ball component is great enough to prevent movement of the rotating component relative to the sleeve component by wind incident upon the rotating component or upper mount component.