Panhead with quick release shoe
First Claim
1. In a panhead of the type including a tray mounted for movement about one or more axes relative to a panhead base, a shoe attachable to a device such as a camera, and shoe locking means movable between the locked position and a release position for releasably locking said shoe to said tray, the improvement comprising:
- said tray including an interior wall and a pair of side walls which meet the interior wall and the bottom wall,retaining means on said side walls adjacent said interior wall of said tray,said shoe including means cooperating with said retaining mean on said tray for holding said shoe against separation from said tray by force of gravity alone notwithstanding tilting of said tray about any of said axes with said shoe locking means in said release position, andsaid shoe being manually disengageable from said retaining means with said shoe locking means in the release position.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved panhead for a tripod and the like includes a tray and a releasable shoe. A quick release mechanism is provided to release the shoe from the tray. To prevent separation of the shoe from the tray, with the release mechanism in the release position, the tray is provided with side walls and a bottom surface and a rear wall, the latter inclined, the shoe including an inclined rear wall. The side walls of the tray are provided with flanges which are spaced from the bottom surface and which cooperate with the shoe to retain the shoe on the tray with the release of the shoe. In this way, even if released, the shoe will not separate as the panhead is tilted on any of its axes.
129 Citations
15 Claims
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1. In a panhead of the type including a tray mounted for movement about one or more axes relative to a panhead base, a shoe attachable to a device such as a camera, and shoe locking means movable between the locked position and a release position for releasably locking said shoe to said tray, the improvement comprising:
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said tray including an interior wall and a pair of side walls which meet the interior wall and the bottom wall, retaining means on said side walls adjacent said interior wall of said tray, said shoe including means cooperating with said retaining mean on said tray for holding said shoe against separation from said tray by force of gravity alone notwithstanding tilting of said tray about any of said axes with said shoe locking means in said release position, and said shoe being manually disengageable from said retaining means with said shoe locking means in the release position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. In a panhead of the type including a tray pivotable about a tilt axis relative to a panhead base, a shoe attachable to a device such as a camera, and a shoe locking lever on said tray movable between a locked position and a release position for releasably locking said shoe within a recess in said tray, the improvement comprising:
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said tray including spaced side walls and an interior wall forming a shoe receiving recess open opposite said interior wall, said shoe including side walls received by the side walls of said tray, first shoe retaining portions integral with said spaced side walls of said tray and engaging at least a portion of the side walls of said shoe, second shoe retaining portions integral with said shoe and cooperating with said first shoe retaining portions and said locking lever for holding said shoe against separation from said tray by force of gravity alone notwithstanding tilting of said tray about said axis with said shoe locking lever in said release position, and said first and second shoe retaining portions being manually disengageable for removing the shoe from said recess while said lever is in said release position. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. In a panhead of the type including a tray pivotable about a tilt axes axis relative to a panhead base, a shoe attachable to a device such as a camera, and a shoe locking lever on said tray movable between a locked position and a release position for releasably locking said shoe within a recess in said tray, the improvement comprising:
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side walls closing said tray recess on three sides, said lever being pivoted to said tray on an open side of said recess, a slanted inner surface on a side wall opposite said lever defining an undercut in said side wall, and a pair of retaining flanges extending horizontally into said recess from said side walls adjacently to said slanted inner surface in upwardly spaced relationship to a recess bottom; lateral projections on two parallel sides of the shoe, each of said projections dimensioned to fit between one said retaining flanges and said recess bottom, said shoe further having two opposite side surfaces between said lateral projections slanted for mating into said undercut, said lever having a slanted cam surface engageable with one of said slanted side surfaces for urging the other of said slanted side surfaces into said undercut thereby to secure the shoe to said tray in said locked position of the lever, said flanges cooperating with said lateral projections to keep said shoe from falling out of the tray recess by force of gravity alone notwithstanding tilting of said tray about said axis with said shoe locking lever in said release position. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. In a panhead of the type including a tray mounted for movement about one or more axes relative to a panhead base, a shoe attachable to a device such as a camera, and shoe locking means movable between a locked position and a release position for releasably locking said shoe to said tray, the improvement comprising:
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said tray including spaced side walls and a rear wall, said rear wall being inclined, said shoe including an inclined rear wall which mates with the inclined rear wall of said tray, retaining means integral with the side walls of said tray arranged and configured to allow limited twisting movement of said shoe relative to said tray, so as to allow subsequent withdrawal of the shoe from the tray, said twisting and subsequent withdrawal being in generally opposite directions thereby holding said shoe against separation from said tray by force of gravity alone notwithstanding tilting of said tray about any of said axes with said shoe locking means in said release position, and said shoe being manually disengageable from said retaining means.
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15. A panhead for attachment to a tripod for detachable mounting to a device such as a camera, comprising
a panhead body including a tray said tray including an interior side wall, a pair of spaced parallel side walls which join to the interior side wall, and a bottom wall, a detachably fitting shoe which may be inserted into the tray of the panhead body and to which a device such as a camera may be releasably attached, a shoe locking device mounted on said tray opposite the interior side wall of said shoe and operative in one position to lock the shoe to the tray and operative in another position to release the show form said tray, said tray including retaining projections extending laterally from the side walls thereof and located next to the interior side wall and spaced from the bottom wall, said retaining projections extending only along a portion of the side walls, and said shoe including means cooperating with said retaining projections to prevent release of the shoe from the tray in the released position of said locking device.
Specification