Mechanically counterbalancing platform

• US 4,872,628 A
• Filed: 12/07/1987
• Issued: 10/10/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Camera Dynamics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Q Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: O'Connor, Chadwell
• Primary Examiner(s): Britts, Ramon S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Talbott, David L.
• Application Number:
  US07/129,469
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 248/178, 248/276, 248/277, 248/281.1, 248/284, 248/371, 248/372.1, 248/364, 74/520, 74/521, 354/293
• US Class Current: 248/179.1
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/10 around a horizontal axis F16M11/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/041 for balancing rotational movement of the head
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/061 Scissors arms
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20594 Lazy tongs

Abstract

An instrument support platform system with a base, an elongated platform having front and rear portions, and a linkage coupling the base and platform. The linkage causes the rear of the platform to be raised, and the front held without lowering, when the platform is tilted down, and the reverse when the platform is raised and the rear is held without lowering. The center of gravity of an instrument on the platform is therefore held at an absolute level and slightly raised when tilting the platform, making the assembly counterbalanced and gravity biased to a level platform position.

Claims

1. An instrument supporting platform system comprising, in combination, a base, an elongated platform having front and rear portions, and linkage means connecting the platforms and said base for defining a predetermined tilting movement of the platform both up from the horizontal, causing the front portion of the platform to rise, and down from the horizontal, causing the rear portion of the platform to rise, said linkage means further including means for defining predetermined paths of travel whether the platform is tilted up or down from the horizontal to cause the center of the platform to rise sufficiently far to cause a point at a fixed perpendicular distance from the top of the platform to maintain a substantially absolute vertical height and to raise slightly as the platform is increasingly tilted, said point corresponding substantially to the center of gravity of an instrument supported on said platform, whereby the instrument supported on said platform is automatically substantially counterbalanced by gravity at any position of the platform relative to the horizontal when the platform is tilted up from the horizontal and when the platform is tilted down from the horizontal.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said means is a duplicate linkage with corresponding portions at each lateral side of said platform to give the platform lateral and torsional stability.