Two-view video camera stand and support method

• US 5,374,971 A
• Filed: 03/12/1993
• Issued: 12/20/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Picturetel Corporation (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Duys, Anthony M., Clapp, Craig S. K.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUTLEDGE, DELLA J
• Application Number:
  US08/030,845
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 354/293, 354/81, 354/82, 352/243, 248/183, 248/185, 248/278, 248/186, 248/282, 248/284
• US Class Current: 348/376
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/10 around a horizontal axis F16M11/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2021 around a horizontal axis F16M11/2035 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/02 for supporting on, or attaching to, an object, e.g. tree, gate, window-frame, cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/022 by friction

Abstract

A camera stand for directing a video camera at, alternately, a room scene and a document scene, where the document in the document scene is oriented to be read by a person seated in the room scene, featuring a supporting arm and a rotatable connection connecting the video camera to, and supporting the video camera at a supporting end of, the arm. The rotatable connection allows the video camera to be alternately rotated between a position directed substantially vertically down at the document scene and a position directed substantially horizontally at the room scene. The rotatable connection has a rotation axis inclined at substantially a forty-five degree angle to the vertical, and is connected to the arm so that the video camera rotates from viewing the room scene right-side-up to viewing the document scene right-side-up.

Claims

1. A camera stand for directing a video camera at alternately, a room scene and a document scene, a viewing axis of the video camera when directed at the room scene being substantially horizontal and a viewing axis of the video camera when directed at the document scene being substantially vertical, a document in said document scene lying in a substantially horizontal plane and oriented to be read substantially right-side-up by a person facing from a point in the room scene generally toward the video camera, the camera stand comprising:

a supporting arm; and

a rotatable connection connecting the video camera to, and supporting the video camera at, a supporting end of said arm and for allowing the video camera to be alternately rotated between a position directed substantially vertically down at the document scene and a position directed substantially horizontally at the room scene,

said rotatable connection having a rotation axis inclined at substantially a forty-five degree angle to the vertical, and connected to said arm so that the video camera rotates upon said rotatable connection from viewing the room scene right-side-up to viewing the document in the document scene right-side-up.

2. The camera stand of claim 1 wherein said rotatable connection further comprises a forearm member rotatably connected to said supporting end and supporting the video camera at a distance from said rotatable connection.

3. The camera stand of claim 1 wherein said rotatable connection further comprises a tilt adjustment pivotably connecting the video camera for tilt movement around a substantially horizontal axis.

4. The camera stand of claim 1 wherein said arm and rotatable connection are in a fixed relationship to each other, so that the rotation axis of said rotatable connection is inclined at forty-five degrees to the vertical, a downward extension of said axis from said rotatable connection projecting toward said room scene and at an angle of forty-five degrees to the room scene camera viewing axis.

6. The camera stand of claim 1 further comprising a video camera having focus, zoom, and iris adjustment controls.

11. The camera stand of claim 1 wherein said rotatable connection comprises a bracket, rigid during said alternating rotation, that supports the video camera with its view axis at substantially forty-five degrees from said rotation axis.

5. The camera stand of 1 wherein the angle of said rotation axis relative to the vertical is adjustable to accommodate either a non-vertical direction of view to said document scene or a non-horizontal direction of view to said room scene.

7. A camera stand for directing a video camera at alternately, a room scene and a document scene, a viewing axis of the video camera when directed at the room scene being substantially horizontal and a viewing axis of the video camera when directed at the document scene being substantially vertical, a document in said document scene lying in a substantially horizontal plane and oriented to be read substantially right-side-up by a person facing from a point in the room scene generally toward the video camera, the camera stand comprising:

a supporting arm; and

a rotatable connection connecting the video camera to and supporting the video camera at a supporting end of said arm and for allowing the video camera to be alternately rotated between a position directed substantially vertically down at the document scene and a position directed substantially horizontally at the room scene,

said rotatable connection having a rotation axis inclined at substantially a forty-five degree angle to the vertical, and connected to said arm so that the video camera rotates upon said rotatable connection from viewing the room scene right-side-up to viewing the document in the document scene right-side-up;

said rotatable connection further comprising a tilt adjustment pivotably connecting the video camera for tilt movement around a substantially horizontal axis.

8. The camera stand of claim 7 wherein said rotatable connection further comprises a pivot member that rotatably connects the video camera to said arm member, retaining the video camera by an elastic positive locking feature, and

a second elastic positive locking feature for mounting said pivot member to said supporting end of said support arm.

9. A method for conducting a video conference comprising the steps of:

providing a video camera mounted on a camera stand, the video camera directed substantially horizontally at a room scene; and

rotating the video camera about a rotatable connection of said camera stand to a position directed substantially vertically down at a document scene, a document in said document scene lying in a substantially horizontal plane and being oriented to be read substantially right-side-up by a person facing from a point in the room scene generally toward the video camera., said rotatable connection having single a rotation axis so that when the video camera rotates upon said rotatable connection from viewing the room scene right-side-up, the video camera can view the document in the document scene right-side-up.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said rotation axis is inclined at forty-five degrees to the vertical.