Patent ID: 6579017
Filing Date: 2003-06-17
Classification: G03B

Abstract:
A tripod comprising:a platform unit, said platform unit comprising a camera platform, said camera platform having a center through hole, a ball socket unit, said ball socket unit comprising a transversely extended through hole, a ball rotatably mounted in said ball socket assembly below said camera platform, said ball having a screw rod inserted through the center through hole of said camera platform from a bottom side and adapted for securing a camera to said camera platform, a locating screw bolt mounted in the transversely extended through hole of said ball socket assembly, and a lock nut threaded onto the locating screw bolt of said platform unit and controlled to lock/unlock said ball, a support unit adapted for supporting said platform unit, said support unit comprising a post, said post having a first through hole transversely extended through a head thereof in X-axis direction and second through hole transversely extended through a shank thereof in Y-axis direction and spaced below said first through hole, a rear leg coupled to said post, said rear leg having two eye lugs bilaterally disposed at a top side thereof and respectively connected to the first through hole of said post at two sides, a substantially inverted U-shaped holder frame couple to the head of said post, said holder frame having two downward eye lugs respectively connected between two opposite lateral side walls of the head of said post and the eye lugs of said rear leg, a locating screw bolt inserted through the eye lugs of said rear leg, the downward eye lugs of said holder frame, and the first through hole of said post, a lock nut threaded onto the locating screw bolt of said support unit to fix said holder frame, said post and said rear leg together, a packing plate supported between the head of said post and said holder frame, and a rotary carrier pivoted to said holder frame and fastened to the ball socket assembly of said platform unit; a mounting leg unit adapted for securing said support unit to support means, said mounting leg unit comprising a left leg and a right leg each having a toothed face and a pivot hole extended through the center of said toothed face, the toothed faces of said legs being meshed together, a lock mounted in the pivot holes of the toothed faces of said left leg and said right leg and second through hole of said post and rotated to lock/unlock said left leg and said right leg, said left leg having a female screw transversely disposed near a bottom end thereof and a flange downwardly protruded from a middle part thereof, said flange having a through hole, a clamping block fastened to a notched middle part of said right leg, a foot member pivoted to the through hole of the flange of said left leg by a pivot pin, and adjustment screw threaded into the female screw of said left leg and stopped against one side of said foot member for rotation by hand to turn said foot member about said pivot pin relative to the clamping block at said right leg.