Triaxial universal camera mount
First Claim
1. An improved camera mount comprising in operative combination:
- (a) a first, outer yoke having a planar base portion and a pair of upstanding arms at opposite ends of said base portion;
(b) a second, inner yoke having a pair of upstanding arms and a planar back portion therebetween;
(c) said inner yoke being nested within and pivotally connected by a pair of pivot assemblies to said first yoke adjacent the ends of the arms thereof, said pivot assemblies being aligned to form a horizontal axis;
(d) said outer yoke having means defining a pivotable connection to a tripod disposed in said base portion for releasably securing said mount on said tripod, said base pivotable connection defining a vertical axis normal to said horizontal axis;
(e) means defining a pivot assembly disposed in said inner yoke back for pivotally securing a camera holder assembly to said inner yoke, said inner yoke back pivot assembly defining a third axis normal to said horizontal and vertical axes;
(f) a universal camera holder assembly means for removably securing a camera secured to said inner yoke by said inner yoke back pivot assebly, said universal camera holder assembly having means for adjusting the position of the axis of a lens of said camera so that said lens axis is collimated with said third axis;
(g) said horizontal axis and said vertical axis intersecting said collimated third, lens axis;
(h) said pivot assemblies, base pivotal connection, and inner yoke back pivot assembly being adapted to provide sufficient frictional resistance to turning to permit said yokes and camera to be pivoted from a first to a second position and remain in said second position to which pivoted;
(i) said yokes and universal camera holder assembly means being adapted to maintain said camera substantially in balance about its center of gravity; and
(j) said elements (a) through (i) incombination providing a triaxial universal camera mount removably securable to a manually portable tripod, and permitting;
(i) rotational movement of said camera from a horizontal to vertical frame orientation around the lens axis, and(ii) upward or downward tilting of said camera around the horizontal axiswithout introduction of translational or parallax errors necessitating reframing or refocusing of the camera, and without manipulation of pivot releasing/tightening levers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A triaxial (dual biaxial) universal camera mount assembly which permits a camera secured thereto to be independently or simultaneously pivotable about three axes: a vertical axis, a horizontal axis, and a central lens axis. The universal camera mounting has a first yoke pivotally nested in a second yoke to form the horizontal axis. The second yoke is mountable to a tripod so that it may pivot about a vertical axis normal to, but offset behind, the horizontal axis. The second yoke has a pivotable universal camera mounting bracket, the pivot axis of which corresponds to the central lens axis and intersects both the vertical axis and the horizontal axis. The yokes are canted and the vertical and central axis pivots offset so that a camera is completely balanced in the mount. The pivots are specially constructed so that the balanced camera can be moved from one position to another, yet it will stay in the second position without need of a locking means. The mount replaces a conventional tripod pan head and permits angular movement of the camera to any position without changes in view or focus introduction of parallax errors as is the case with conventional tripod mounts. The mount may also have a quick-release bayonet assembly for releasably attaching it to a tripod.
139 Citations
41 Claims
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1. An improved camera mount comprising in operative combination:
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(a) a first, outer yoke having a planar base portion and a pair of upstanding arms at opposite ends of said base portion; (b) a second, inner yoke having a pair of upstanding arms and a planar back portion therebetween; (c) said inner yoke being nested within and pivotally connected by a pair of pivot assemblies to said first yoke adjacent the ends of the arms thereof, said pivot assemblies being aligned to form a horizontal axis; (d) said outer yoke having means defining a pivotable connection to a tripod disposed in said base portion for releasably securing said mount on said tripod, said base pivotable connection defining a vertical axis normal to said horizontal axis; (e) means defining a pivot assembly disposed in said inner yoke back for pivotally securing a camera holder assembly to said inner yoke, said inner yoke back pivot assembly defining a third axis normal to said horizontal and vertical axes; (f) a universal camera holder assembly means for removably securing a camera secured to said inner yoke by said inner yoke back pivot assebly, said universal camera holder assembly having means for adjusting the position of the axis of a lens of said camera so that said lens axis is collimated with said third axis; (g) said horizontal axis and said vertical axis intersecting said collimated third, lens axis; (h) said pivot assemblies, base pivotal connection, and inner yoke back pivot assembly being adapted to provide sufficient frictional resistance to turning to permit said yokes and camera to be pivoted from a first to a second position and remain in said second position to which pivoted; (i) said yokes and universal camera holder assembly means being adapted to maintain said camera substantially in balance about its center of gravity; and (j) said elements (a) through (i) incombination providing a triaxial universal camera mount removably securable to a manually portable tripod, and permitting; (i) rotational movement of said camera from a horizontal to vertical frame orientation around the lens axis, and (ii) upward or downward tilting of said camera around the horizontal axis without introduction of translational or parallax errors necessitating reframing or refocusing of the camera, and without manipulation of pivot releasing/tightening levers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification