Abstract:
A miniature tripod is mounted in a hollow handle of a main tripod for joint use therewith for increased versatility, as well as for removal therefrom for individual use.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to a main tripod for supporting equipment and, more particularly, to a tripod handle for storing an auxiliary tripod for individual use separate from the main tripod, or for holding the auxiliary tripod for joint use with the main tripod. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     It is known to use a tripod to hold photographic equipment, such as a camera or binoculars, in a steady position. A non-moving camera is essential for taking a clear, well-defined picture. The tripod comes in a variety of sizes, one of which is miniature and known in the trade as a minipod or a table-top tripod. Virtually all tripods have a set of legs that are movable between a closed or collapsed position in which the legs are adjacent one another for convenient storage and handling, and an open or deployed position in which the legs are spread apart and splayed to form a stable, non-moving support. 
     A photographer typically carries a host of equipment and accessories to deal with the vagaries of picture taking. Such accessories may include full size and miniature tripods, the latter being easily misplaced due to their small size. Camera bags and clothing pockets are available for holding small accessories, but have proven to be unsatisfactory in practice. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of this invention is to store a minipod within a full size tripod or analogous camera support for convenient handling and access. 
     Another object of this invention is to resist misplacing and loss of the minipod. 
     Still another object of this invention is to increase the versatility of the full size tripod by using it together with the minipod. 
     FEATURES OF THE INVENTION 
     In keeping with these objects, and others which will become apparent below, one feature of this invention resides, briefly stated, in a camera support arrangement comprising a main support, such as a main or full size tripod, for supporting equipment to be adjustably positioned by a movable handle, and an auxiliary support, such as an auxiliary or miniature tripod having an auxiliary leg assembly with a plurality of legs movable between a closed position in which the legs are adjacent one another, and an open position in which the legs are spread apart. 
     In accordance with this feature of this invention, the handle is formed with a hollow interior, and the auxiliary tripod is at least partly received in, and removable from, the interior of the handle in either position of the auxiliary leg assembly. The auxiliary tripod is thus conveniently stored and jointly handled with the main tripod, and is readily accessible. The risk of not bringing, or forgetting to bring, the auxiliary tripod to a photographic site is minimized because the auxiliary tripod automatically is carried with and by the main tripod. The risk of loss of the auxiliary tripod is reduced because it has an assigned place. 
     Another feature of this invention relates to increasing the versatility of the main tripod. Typically, the main tripod has a central column extending along a vertical column axis, and the handle is operative for moving a piece of equipment supported on a head or platform of the tripod with two, or sometimes three, freedoms of movement relative to the column axis. A first freedom of movement is in either circumferential direction about the column axis in a generally horizontal plane. A second freedom of movement is in either circumferential direction about a horizontal tilt axis perpendicular to the column axis. A separate plate can position the equipment from horizontal to a vertical position to provide a third freedom of movement. 
     Typically, the auxiliary tripod has a head or platform which is mounted for swiveling movement with a ball and socket joint and represents another freedom of movement available for use. To employ this additionally available freedom of movement, this invention proposes positioning the head of the auxiliary tripod outside of the handle so that a camera can be mounted thereon even when the auxiliary tripod is mounted within the handle. Advantageously, the handle, which extends along a handle axis, is moved so that the handle axis is vertical and parallel to the column axis. In this position, a photographer can use the ball and socket joint and its available freedom of movement even though the main tripod, without the auxiliary tripod, did or may not have this additional freedom of movement available. 
     Versatility is further enhanced by mounting one camera on the head of the main tripod, and another camera on the head of the auxiliary tripod. Such simultaneous camera use is especially useful when using a film camera and a digital camera. 
     The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main tripod for supporting a camera depicted in phantom lines, and equipped with a positioning handle in which an auxiliary tripod is mounted in accordance with this invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the auxiliary tripod in an open position for supporting a camera depicted in phantom lines; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view depicting joint use of the tripods; and 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference numeral  10  identifies a full size or main tripod having a main leg assembly  12 , a main head  14  mounted for movement relative to leg assembly  12 , and a handle  20  connected to the head  14  for adjustably positioning a piece of equipment, such as a camera  16  shown in phantom lines. 
     The leg assembly  12  includes three legs  22 ,  24 ,  26  pivotably mounted at their respective upper ends to a stationary collar  28  that is fixed around a cental vertical column  18 . Each leg is extendable by a plurality of telescoping leg sections which are locked in the desired extended position by leg locks  22   a, b ,  24   a, b  and  26   a, b , one lock for each leg section. The legs in FIG. 1 are shown in the open, deployed position in which they are spread angularly apart. For increased stability, a plurality of leg links  30 ,  32 ,  34  have their outer ends pivotably connected to the legs, and their inner ends pivotably connected to a movable collar  36  that slides up and down the column  18  as the legs are moved between the illustrated open position and a closed position in which the legs are closely adjacent one another and surround the column  18 . 
     The head  14  has a platform  38  on which the camera  16  rests. A mounting screw  40  is threaded into a threaded bore provided in the camera to secure the latter in place. The head  14  is mounted on a vertical elevator shaft that is raised and lowered within the column  18 , and locked at a desired height by a lock  42 . Preferably, the shaft has teeth engaged with a gear that is turnable by a crank, but this has not been shown in order to simplify the drawing. 
     The head  14  is movable by the handle  20  with a first freedom of movement in either circumferential direction, as depicted by the double-headed arrow A, in a horizontal plane about a vertical column axis along which the column  18  extends. The handle  20  also moves the head with a second freedom of movement in either circumferential direction, as depicted by the double-headed arrow B, in a vertical plane about a horizontal tilt axis perpendicular to the column axis. Thus, the handle can pan the camera from side to side, and can tilt or pitch the camera forward and backward. 
     As described so far, the main tripod  10  is entirely conventional. Also conventional is a miniature or auxiliary table-top tripod  50  depicted in FIG.  3 . Tripod  50  also has a leg assembly with three legs  52 ,  54 ,  56  pivotably connected at their respective upper ends to a housing  58 . Each leg is extendable by a telescoping leg section therein to an extended position held in place by friction. Legs  52 ,  54 ,  56  are depicted in their open position in FIG. 3 and, as will be explained below, in their closed position in FIG.  2 . 
     Tripod  50  includes a head or platform  60  on which the camera  16  rests, and a mounting screw  62  which is threaded into a threaded socket on the camera. The opposite end of the mounting screw  62  terminates in a ball  64  (see FIG. 2) receivable in a spherical socket  66 . The ball  64  swivels in the socket and is lockable in a desired position by a lock  68  which is essentially a thumbscrew that turns a cam to press the ball  64  against the socket and hold the ball in place until the thumbscrew is turned in an opposite direction. 
     Tripod  50  is useful for table-top or close-in applications where the main tripod is too big. For example, the length of each unextended leg of the main tripod is on the order of  22 ″, whereas the length of each unextended leg of the auxiliary tripod is on the order of 4″. As previously noted, the small size of the tripod  50  tends to promote its being misplaced. 
     In accordance with one feature of this invention, the handle  20  is modified to enable the tripod  50  to be at least partly received therein. Heretofore, the handle for the main tripod included a rod  70  having one end threaded into the head  14 , and its opposite end threaded into a solid cylindrical part, sometimes overlain by a rubber sleeve for an improved grip and comfort. Now, this invention proposes forming a cylindrical part  74  with a hollow interior, and providing an open, outer axial end through which the tripod  50  (with its legs in the closed state) is inserted for a snug fit within the interior of the handle. The tripod  50  is inserted “feet-first”. Upon full insertion, the platform  60  and the mounting screw  62  are located outside the handle interior. The cylindrical part  74  is formed with an axial clearance slot  72  so that the lock  68  does not block full entry of the tripod  50 . Although friction can be relied on to hold the tripod  50  in place, a setscrew  76  is provided on the cylindrical part  74  to lock the tripod  50  in place. 
     The accommodation of the tripod  50  within the handle  20  of the main tripod  10  enables the tripod  50  to be always readily available, without having to carry it separately. A camera operator usually wants to minimize the number of things he or she carries. The tripod  50  is easily removable from the handle and can be used as a separate table-top style camera support. 
     Another feature of this invention resides in the exterior location of the platform  60  and the mounting screw  62  outside the cylindrical part  74  which, in effect, serve as a second camera head for mounting the camera  16 , in addition to the platform  38  and the mounting screw  40  which serve as a first camera head. 
     As shown in FIG. 4, the handle  20  is moved up to a generally vertical position, that is, the axis of the handle is vertical and is parallel to the axis of the column  18 . The camera  16  is then mounted on the second camera head. 
     It will be recalled that the head  14  of the main tripod  10  had two freedoms of movement in directions of arrows A and B. The head of the auxiliary tripod  50  has a ball and socket joint and thus represents a third freedom of swiveling movement. Hence, by mounting the camera on the second head  60 , the camera operator gains another freedom of movement for increased versatility. 
     The hollow handle  20 , with or without the tripod  50 , can be offered as an accessory replacement for a solid handle on an existing tripod  10 , or can be offered as an integral component of a purpose-built tripod. 
     Although illustrated as being useful for a camera  16  for taking still pictures, the dual-tripod arrangement described herein can be used to support other photographic equipment such as a video or digital camera, or binoculars, or a compass, or to support any piece of equipment requiring to be held stationary during use. 
     Although the use of the second head is described as being optimal when the handle  20  extends along a vertical axis, this is not strictly necessary since there are some main tripods where the handle cannot be so positioned. 
     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, also may find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a tripod handle arrangement, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
     For example, the main support need not be a tripod having legs, but can be any support, such as a crane, dolly or studio stand, that is, a single vertical shaft with a flat round base, with attachment brackets on which a camera head is located. When the auxiliary tripod is not removed from the main support, a first camera, such as a larger film camera, may be mounted on the head of the main support, and a second camera, such as a smaller digital camera, may be mounted on the head of the auxiliary tripod. Similarly, the auxiliary support need not be a tripod having legs, but can be any support on which a camera is supportable. 
     Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims. 
     What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.