Swivel joint with cable passage for a television camera or a case

• US 6,328,270 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1999
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elbex Video Limited (Elbex Japan Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Elbex Video Limited (Elbex Japan Ltd.)
• Inventors: Elberbaum, David
• Primary Examiner(s): KING, ANITA M
• Application Number:
  US09/439,979
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 248/288.31, 248/288.51, 248/274.1, 248/288.11, 248/162.1, 248/160, 248/543, 403/27, 285/185, 285/90
• US Class Current: 248/288.31
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 27/04 with partly spherical engaging surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/20 with indicator or inspection means

Abstract

A combination of a swivel joint with an arm for mounting an apparatus for surveillance applications, such as a television camera includes a truncated ball, an arm attached at the end thereof to the truncated ball and having a passage for a cable, a ring-shaped holder having an inner curved rim of a curvature radius equal to that of the truncated ball for locking that truncated ball. An elongated cylindrical cover having an elongated cutout provides a passage to the arm for gripping the truncated ball and provides the arm with positioning capacity extending through the length of the cutout. A locking nut locks the cylindrical cover to the ring-shaped holder. The cylindrical cover can be rotated for positioning the cutout so that the arm can be adjusted to any position within the length of the cutout and the cable passing through the truncated ball and the holder is not obstructed.

Claims

1. A combination of swivel joint with an arm device for supporting a case of an electrical apparatus comprising:

a truncated ball;

an arm attached at an end thereof to said truncated ball and having a passage for a cable through the length of said arm and said truncated ball;

a ring-shaped holder including an outer thread and an inner curved rim having a curvature radius equal to a radius of said truncated ball for supporting and locking said truncated ball, and means for attaching said ring-shaped holder to said case for providing a passage for said cable to said case through a ring-shaped holder;

an elongated cylindrical cover having a flanged rim at one end thereof and a hemispherical shape at another end thereof and further including an elongated cutout having a width slightly wider than a width of said arm and extending from a center of said hemispherical shape toward said flanged rim for providing a passage to said arm and for gripping said truncated ball inside a hemispherical portion of said hemispherical shape and for providing said arm with positioning capacity extending through a length of said cutout;

a locking nut having a thread complementary to said outer thread and an inner shoulder for attaching and locking said elongated cylindrical cover to said ring-shaped holder by engaging said flanged rim with said inner shoulder and tightening said nut onto said outer thread and locking said truncated ball between said inner curved rim and said hemispherical portion,

wherein said cylindrical cover can be rotated for positioning said cutout around the axis of said hemispheric shape and said arm can be adjusted to any position within the length of said cutout and wherein said cable passing through said truncated ball and said holder is not obstructed.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said case is a case of a television camera.

3. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said ring-shaped holder is molded onto said case to form an integral ring-shaped holder and wherein said ring-shaped holder includes a passage for said case.

4. The combination according to claim 3, and further comprising a layer of a seal covering all internal surface of said cylindrical cover including a surface of said flanged rim for sealing gaps and cavities between said cylindrical cover and said truncated ball and between said flanged rim and said ring-shaped holder for providing a watertight sealed swivel joint.

5. The combination according to claim 1, and further comprising a seal for sealing a gap between said ring-shaped holder and said case and a layer of a seal covering all internal surface of said cylindrical cover including a surface of said flanged rim for sealing gaps and cavities between said cylindrical cover and said truncated ball and between said flanged rim and said ring-shaped holder for providing watertight sealed swivel joint.

6. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said case comprises an outer ring surrounding said integral ring-shaped holder, a flexible sealing pipe for sealing said swivel joint consisting of two high tensile ends and a center body having a shape selected from a bellows and a flexible pipe form wherein one end of said flexible sealing pipe grips and seals outer ring surrounding said integral ring-shaped holder by a high tensile grip and wherein said center body covers and seals the entire swivel joint.

7. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said case further comprises:

a seal for sealing a gap between said ring-shaped holder, and outer sealing ring surrounding said ring-shaped holder; and

a flexible sealing pipe for sealing swivel joint consisting of two high tensile ends and a center body having a shape selected from a bellows and a flexible pipe form wherein one end of said flexible sealing pipe grips and seals said arm by a high tensile grip and the other end of said flexible sealing pipe grips and seals said outer sealing ring surrounding said ring-shaped holder by a high tensile grip and wherein said center body covers and seals the entire swivel joint.

8. The combination according to claim 6, wherein at least one of said two high tensile ends includes a sealing band to tighten said ends to one of said arm and said outer ring.

9. The combination according to claim 7, wherein at least one of said two high tensile ends includes a sealing band to tighten said ends to one of said arm and said outer sealing ring.

10. The combination according to claim 6, and further comprising:

a locking cover having a sealing flange and a shoulder for engaging said flanged rim instead of said locking nut, wherein said ring-shaped holder includes a flanged base with means for attaching said sealing flange and wherein said flexible sealing pipe further includes a flanged end for sealing a gap between said sealing flange and said flanged base.

11. The combination according to claim 7, and further comprising:

a locking cover having a sealing flange and a shoulder for engaging said flanged rim instead of said locking nut, wherein said ring-shaped holder includes a flanged base with means for attaching said sealing flange and wherein said flexible sealing pipe further includes a flanged end for sealing a gap between said sealing flange and said flanged base instead of said high tensile end.

12. The combination according to claim 1, wherein another end of said arm is attached to a mounting means for fixedly attaching said swivel joint to a structure selected from the group consisting of a wall, a pole, a ceiling and a shelf and wherein said mounting means includes a passage for said cable.

13. The combination of claim 12, wherein said mounting means is a mounting flange.

14. The combination according to claim 1, wherein another end of said arm is fixedly attached to a mounting device for supporting said arm;

said mounting device includes a base with means for attaching said mounting device to a structure selected from the group consisting of a wall, a pole, a ceiling, and a shelf and means for attaching said mounting device to said base, wherein said mounting device incorporates a passage for said cable and means for connecting said cable.

15. The combination of claim 14, wherein said case is a case of a television camera.

16. The combination according to claim 15, wherein said mounting device for supporting said arm further includes power-supplying means for operating said television camera.

17. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said ring-shaped holder is attached to a mounting device for supporting said arm and another end of said arm is fixedly attached to said case;

said mounting device including a base with means for attaching said mounting device to a structure selected from the group consisting of a wall, a pole a ceiling, and a shelf and means for attaching said mounting device to said base and wherein said mounting device incorporates a passage for said cable and means for connecting said cable.

18. The combination according to claim 17, wherein said case is a case of a television camera.

19. The combination according to claim 18, wherein said mounting device further comprises power-supplying means for operating said television camera.

20. A combination of dual swivel joints with an arm device for supporting a case of an electric apparatus, comprising;

two truncated balls;

an arm attached at two ends thereof to said truncated balls respectively, having a passage for a cable through the length of said arm and said truncated balls;

two ring-shaped holders each including an outer thread and an inner curved rim having a curvature radius equal to a radius of said truncated balls for supporting and locking said truncated balls and means for attaching one of said ring-shaped holders to said case and another one of said ring-shaped holders to a mounting device supporting said arm and for providing a passage for said cable between said case and said mounting device through said ring-shaped holders;

two elongated cylindrical covers each having a flanged rim at one end thereof and a hemispherical shape at another end thereof and further including an elongated cutout having a width slightly wider than a width of said arm and extending from a center of said hemispherical shape toward said flanged rim for providing a passage to said arm and for gripping said truncated balls inside hemispherical-shaped portions of said cylindrical covers and for providing said arm with positioning capacity extending through the length of each said elongated cutout; and

two locking nuts each having a thread complementary to said outer thread and an inner shoulder for attaching and locking one of said elongated cylindrical covers to one of said ring-shaped holders by engaging said flanged rim with said inner shoulder and for tightening said nut onto said outer thread and locking each said respective one of said truncated balls between said inner curved rim and said hemispherical-shaped portion;

wherein one of said elongated cylindrical covers can be rotated for positioning said cutout around an axis of said hemispherical shaped portion and said arm can be adjusted to any position within the length of said cutout and said cable passing through said truncated balls and said holders is not obstructed.

21. The combination according to claim 20, wherein said case is a case of a television camera.

22. The combination of said mount according to claim 20, wherein one of said ring-shaped holders is molded onto one of said case and said mounting device to form an integral ring-shaped holder of one of said case and said mounting device, wherein said integral ring-shaped holders include an additional passage for said cable to said case and to said mounting device.

23. The combination according to claim 22, and further comprising a layer of a seal covering an internal surface of each said elongated cylindrical cover including a surface of said flanged rim for sealing gaps and cavities between said elongated cylindrical cover and said truncated ball and between said flanged rim and said ring-shaped holder for providing watertight sealed swivel joints.

24. The combination according to claim 23, wherein said case is a case of a television camera.

25. The combination according to claim 22, and further comprising two seals for sealing gaps between said two ring-shaped holders, said case, said cover, and a layer of a seal covering all internal surface of each said elongated cylindrical cover including the surface of said flanged rim for sealing the gaps and cavities between said cylindrical cover and said truncated ball and between said flanged rim and said ring-shaped holder for providing watertight sealed swivel joints.

26. The combination according to claim 22, and further comprising two outer rings, surrounding said integral ring-shaped holders and two flexible sealing pipes for sealing said dual swivel joints each consisting of two high tensile ends and a center body having a shape selected from a bellows and a flexible pipe form, wherein one end of each of said flexible sealing pipes grips and seals said arm by a high tensile grip and another end of each of said flexible sealing grips and seals a respective one of said outer rings by a high tensile grip and wherein each center body covers and entirely seals each said swivel joint.

27. The combination of claim 22, wherein said is a case of a television camera.

28. The combination according to claim 20, and further comprising:

a first seal for sealing a gap between one of said ring-shaped holder and said case and a second seal for sealing a gap between said ring-shaped holder and said mounting device and wherein each of said ring-shaped holders further includes an outer ring surrounding said ring-shaped holder; and

two flexible sealing pipes for sealing said dual swivel joints each including two high tensile ends and a center body having a shape selected from a bellows and a flexible pipe form, wherein one end of each said flexible sealing pipes grips and seals said arm by a high tensile grip and another end of each of said flexible sealing pipes grips and seals a respective said outer ring by a high tensile grip and wherein each center body covers and entirely seals each of said swivel joints.

29. The combination according to claim 28, wherein said case is a case of a television camera.

30. The combination according to claim 26, wherein at least one of said two high tensile ends includes means to tighten said ends to one of said arm and said outer ring.

31. The combination according to claim 30, wherein said case is a case of a television camera.

32. The combination according to claim 28, wherein at least one of said two high tensile ends includes a means to tighten said ends to one of said arm and said outer ring.

33. The combination according to claim 30, wherein said case is a case of a television camera.

34. The combination according to claim 20, wherein one of said ring-shaped holders is molded onto said case and another of said ring-shaped holders is molded onto said mounting device to form respectively a first integral ring-shaped holder of said case and a second integral ring-shaped holder of said mounting device and wherein said first and second integral ring-shaped holders include an additional passage for said cable to said case and to said mounting device.

35. The combination according to 34, and further comprising two seals for sealing gaps between said two ring-shaped holders, said case, said cover, and a layer of a seal covering all internal surface of each said elongated cylindrical cover including the surface of said flanged rim for sealing the gaps and cavities between said cylindrical cover and said truncated ball and between said flanged rim and said ring-shaped holder for providing watertight sealed swivel joints.

36. The combination according to claim 34, and further comprising two outer rings surrounding said integral ring-shaped holders and two flexible sealing pipes for sealing said dual swivel joints each consisting of two high-tensile ends and a center having a shape selected from a bellows and a flexible pipe form, wherein one end of each of said flexible sealing pipes grips and seals said arm by a high tensile grip and another end of each of said flexible sealing pipe grips and seals a respective one of said rings by a high tensile grip and wherein each center body covers and entirely seals each said swivel joint.