Personal binocular support

• US 4,637,536 A
• Filed: 08/14/1985
• Issued: 01/20/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wilbur Wong
• Original Assignee: Wilbur Wong
• Inventors: Wong, Wilbur
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Petrik, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US06/765,878
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 224/909, 224/908, 224/204, 224/215, 224/271, 224/259, 224/270, 224/261, 224/262
• US Class Current: 224/262
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/00 Holders or carriers for hand articles; Holders or carriers for use while travelling or camping
• 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 11/2092 comprising means allowing depth adjustment, i.e. forward-backward translation of the head relatively to the undercarriage
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/00 Other supports for positioning apparatus or articles heads thereof F16M11/02 ; undercarriages thereof F16M11/20 ; adapted to be stuck in the ground A45F3/44 ; sockets or holders for poles or posts E04H12/22; Means for steadying hand-held apparatus or articles supports for measuring instruments G01D11/30; supports for casings of remote control switching devices H01H9/025
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/04 for supporting on, or holding steady relative to, a person, e.g. by chains , e.g. rifle butt or pistol grip supports, supports attached to the chest or head apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs or for projecting or viewing them G03B
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/044 for balancing rotational movement of the undercarriage
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/063 Parallelogram arms
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/18 for binocular arrangements focusing binocular pairs G02B7/06; adjusting pupillary distance of binocular pairs G02B7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/002 Mounting on the human body
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 224/909 Binocular carrier

Abstract

This device holds an optical aid such as a pair of binoculars at a user'"'"'s eyes, without the support of the user'"'"'s arms and hands. The user applies only small upward or downward pilot force to a point on the device well below the optical aid. To change or maintain the vertical position of the optical aid the user need not even raise the hands above the chest. The device is mechanically articulated so that, guided only by the pilot force which is simply upward or downward, the optical aid can track and follow the user'"'"'s head and eyes in both position and angle as the user shifts his view up and down between the horizon and the zenith. The device is attached to or worn by the user, while springs or counterbalancing support the weight from the user'"'"'s torso, to free the user'"'"'s arms and hands.

Claims

1. A personal optical-aid holder for suporting an optical aid in relation to the body of a user, during use, comprising:

a base;

means for securing the base to, and supporting the base from, such user'"'"'s torso exclusively;

a platform adapted to receive and hold such cptical aid;

a mechanical linkage interconnecting the platform and the base, and positioning the platform in relation to the base, so as to substantially support such received and held optical aid in viewing positions substantially at such user'"'"'s eyes;

the linkage being adapted for easy control by such user, without such user'"'"'s raising his or her hands to the viewing positions of such optical aid; and

the linkage being geometrically arranged to translate and rotate such optical aid vertically, under substantially continuous manipulation by such user, to substantially follow movement of such user'"'"'s head and eyes in scanning upwardly from the horizon.

2. The holder of claim 1, for use with such optical aid that has an eyepiece, and wherein:

the linkage causes such eyepiece to move in an arc that is at least roughly circular, under manipulation by such user; and

in use the arc is at least roughly centered about an axis that is fixed in relation to such user'"'"'s torso.

3. The holder of claim 2, wherein:

the axis is roughly two inches below the position assumed by the bottoms of such user'"'"'s ears when such user is looking toward the horizon.

4. The holder of claim 1, for use with such optical aid that has an eyepiece, and wherein

the linkage causes such eyepiece to move in an arc that is at least roughly circular, under manipulation by such user;

in use the arc is at least roughly centered about an axis that is fixed in relation to such user'"'"'s torso; and

in use the base is at least approximately aligned with the axis.

5. The holder of claim 1, wherein:

the linkage is geometrically arranged to substantially follow, under manipulation by such user, movement of such user'"'"'s eye position as such user'"'"'s head is tilted backward at least fifty-five degrees from a normal horizon-viewing condition.

6. The holder of claim 5, wherein:

the linkage is geometrically arranged to point such optical aid, under manipulation by such user, at an angle that increases from zero to at least ten degrees as such user'"'"'s head is tilted backward about fifty-five degrees from a normal horizon-viewing condition;

said angle being defined in relation to the "straight ahead" direction from such user'"'"'s head;

whereby the viewing direction relative to the horizon increases from zero to at least sixty-five degrees as such user'"'"'s head is tilted backward about fifty-five degrees from a normal horizon-viewing condition.

7. The holder of claim 1, for tracking the natural arc motion of a user'"'"'s eye position in scanning upwardly from the horizon, and for use with such optical aid that has an eyepiece, wherein:

the linkage comprises arc-motion generating

means that include at least one arm having two ends, one of the ends being pivotally secured to the base so that under manipulation by such user the other of the ends undergoes an arc motion; and

the linkage also comprises means for conveying to the platform and to such eyepiece at least some part of the arc motion of said other end.

15. The holder of claim 1, wherein:

the linkage is also geometrically arranged to fold downwardly from a horizon-viewing position, carrying such optical aid into a storage position, under manipulation by such user.

16. The holder of claim 1, also comprising:

means for substantially bearing the combined weight of the platform, the linkage, and such optical aid when such aid is in the viewing positions.

17. The holder of claim 16, wherein:

the weight-bearing means comprise a biasing device such as a spring or a sealed gas cylinder.

18. The holder of claim 16, wherein:

the weight-bearing means comprise a counterbalance mechanism.

19. The holder of claim 1, wherein:

the base-securing means comprise a harness and a cushion;

the holder is substantially narrower than the user'"'"'s shoulders; and

in use, substantially all of the holder except the harness is disposed in front of the user, and no part of the holder is adjacent to the user'"'"'s head near the height of the user'"'"'s eyes;

whereby the holder when in use generates in the user little or no sensation of confinement.

20. The holder of claim 19, wherein the harness includes:

first dual strap means for passing from the base over each of such user'"'"'s shoulders to support at least part of the combined weight of the holder and such optical aid from such user'"'"'s shoulders; and

second dual strap means for passing from the base around each of such user'"'"'s sides and for respectively interconnecting with the first strap means to stabilize the first strap means.

8. A personal optical-aid holder for supporting an optical aid in relation to the body of a user, during use and for tracking the natural arc motion of a user'"'"'s eye position in scanning upwardly from the horizon, and for use with such optical aid that has an eyepiece, said apparatus comprising:

a base;

means for securing the base to such user'"'"'s body;

a platform adapted to receive and hold such optical aid;

a mechanical linkage interconnecting the platform and the base, and;

positioning the platform in relation to the base, so as to substantially support such received and held optical aid in viewing positions substantially at such user'"'"'s eyes,

adapted for easy control by such user, without such user'"'"'s raising his or her hands to the viewing positions of such optical aid, and

geometrically arranged to translate and rotate such optical aid vertically, under manipulation by such user, to substantially follow movement of such user'"'"'s head and eyes in scanning upwardly from the horizon,

comprising arc-motion generating means that include at least one arm having two ends, one of the ends being pivotally secured to the base so that under manipulation by such user the other of the ends undergoes an arc motion, and

also comprising means for conveying to the platform and to such eyepiece at least some part of the arc motion of said other end; and

wherein;

the arc-motion generating means further include a second arm pivotally secured to the base, and a driving arm pivotally secured to the base-secured arms;

the base, driving arm and base-secured arms forming a parallelogram; and

the arc-motion conveying means include an extension of the driving arm beyond the parallelogram;

the extension being pivotally secured to the platform at a pivot point on the platform.

9. The holder of claim 8, wherein:

the pivot point moves along a path that substantially duplicates the arc motion of said other end of said one arm, but displaced by the length of the extension, so that the arc motion of said other end is conveyed and imparted to the pivot point on the platform.

10. The holder of claim 9, wherein:

the arc-motion conveying means further include an extension of either of the base-secured arms beyond the parallelogram, and a control arm that is pivotally secured to the extension and to a second pivot point on the platform, to control the angle of the platform relative to the driving-arm extension.

11. The holder of claim 10, wherein:

the control arm is shorter than the driving-arm extension; and

the distance between the two pivot points on the platform is shorter than the base-secured-arm extension.

12. The holder of claim 8, wherein:

the base-secured arms and the driving-arm extension are each roughly nine inches long; and

the overall width of the holder is less than twelve inches.

13. The holder of claim 8, wherein:

the base-secured arms are both approximately 9.2 inches long;

the driving-arm extension is approximately 8.8 inches long; and

the overall width of the holder is roughly five inches or less.

14. The holder of claim 10, wherein:

the base-secured arms are both approximately 9.2 inches long;

the driving-arm extension is approximately 8.8 inches long;

the control arm is approximately 8.3 inches long;

the base-secured arm extension is approximately 2.5 inches long; and

the distance between the two pivot points on the platform is approximately 2.1 inches.