A hand-holdable magnifier device includes a collapsible tube section mounted on one side of a slotted base. A lens system included with the device has an objective, an ocular and a condenser whereby clear and sharp images can be obtained. The device is amenable to various configurations, such as a graduation cap or mortarboard.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to the general art of optics, and to the 
Particular field of magnifiers. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Many people wish to view a picture, a transparency or the like in a 
particularly close manner. This close viewing may be to detect minor 
errors, to find a particular feature or the like, and is usually done with 
a magnifying glass of some sort. 
Some magnifying glasses are quite powerful, and some are adapted to be used 
on a bench or a desk and thus have a clamp or base means for firmly 
mounting such device on a support surface. 
Often, one has a need to make such a close inspection of a photograph in a 
location that is not convenient to mounting a clamp or a base. In such an 
instance, the usual magnifying glass is generally used However, due to 
many factors, such hand held magnifying glasses may not enlarge 
sufficiently for the particular purpose at hand. 
Still further, many hand held magnifying devices are shaped so as to limit 
the decorative nature thereof, and thus such devices have an impediment to 
their full and successful commercial acceptance. 
Therefore, there is a need for a hand-holdable magnifier device that is 
capable of magnifying to high powers, yet does not need a base or other 
such mounting element whereby the device is easily transported and useable 
in many varied situations. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a hand-holdable 
magnifier device that is capable of magnifying to high powers. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hand-holdable 
magnifier device that is capable of magnifying to high powers, yet does 
not need a base or other such mounting element whereby the device is 
easily transported and useable in many varied situations. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hand-holdable 
magnifier device that is capable of magnifying to high powers, yet does 
not need a base or other such mounting element whereby the device is 
easily transported and useable in many varied situations and is capable of 
being formed in a decorative manner. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
These, and other, objects are achieved by a hand-holdable magnifying device 
that includes a telescoping tube in which the ocular portion and the 
objective portion are mounted, and a base on which a condenser is mounted. 
The tube is capable of adjusting the magnification of the device, and still 
is capable of being decorated or shaped to make the device pleasing in 
appearance while still functioning as a successful magnifying device in 
which high powers are achievable. 
By including a condenser, the function of the device is improved thereby 
making it more desirable and useful for those in need of such a device. 
Such capability can take the device from the realm of a novelty or a toy 
into the field of scentific devices with many practical applications for 
scientists and engineers as well as other potential users. In manner, the 
device's commercial success is not limited.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
Shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 is a first form of a hand-holdable magnifying 
device 10 of the present invention. By comparing FIGS. 1 and 2, it is seen 
that the device can be collapsed into pocket-size. Yet, the device can 
also be extended as much as necessary to achieve the desired degree of 
magnification as will be discussed below. 
The device 10 includes a base 12 on which a tube portion 13 is mounted. The 
base has a first surface 14 that serves as the top surface in the set-up 
condition of the device, and a second surface 16 that serves as the bottom 
surface in the set up condition of the device. A hole 18 is defined 
through the base to accommodate a key chain K, a keyring R (FIGS. 6 and 7) 
or the like. 
The base is divided by an elongate slot 20 into a first portion 22 and a 
second portion 24, and the slot is sized to accommodate planar objects, 
such as photographs, pictures, transparencies or the like. The base also 
includes two openings 26 through which light passes. The openings are 
concentric and centered on a the longitudinal centerline 28 of the tube 
portion 13, with one of the openings being defined in portion 20 and the 
other opening being defined in portion 22 whereby light passes into the 
device via the light hole defined in portion 22 and into the tube portion 
13 via the light hole in portion 24 after passing through any object 
located in the slot 20. 
The tube portion 13 includes a plurality of sections 30, 32, 34 and 36 
which are telescopingly connected together to be movable between the fully 
extended set up configuration shown in FIG. 1 the fully collapsed 
configuration shown in FIG. 2. The sections of the collapsible tube 13 are 
frictionally fit together so that the tube can assume any intermediate 
configuration between the fully extended and the fully collapsed 
configurations for adjusting the magnifying power of the device 10. 
A housing 38 is mounted on surface 16 to depend beneath the light opening 
defined in the portion 22, and includes a light opening 40 that is located 
to be concentric with the light openings 26. The purpose of housing 38 
will be apparent from the ensuing discussion. 
As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the device 10 includes a lens system for 
magnifying an object placed in the base via the slot 20. This lens system 
includes a compound objective 42 of very short focal length f.sub.1 and an 
ocular 44 of focal length f.sub.1. The object 0 is Placed adjacent to the 
objective 42 as shown in FIG. 5. The distance of between the back focus of 
the objective and the front focus of the eyepiece containing the ocular is 
always positive and is called the optical tube length. The magnification 
of the device is a function of the focal lengths of the lenses, and the 
spacing between such lenses as well as the magnification of the lenses 
themselves. Thus, by adjusting the spacing between the various lenses, the 
magnification of the device can be adjusted. This spacing is adjusted by 
moving the sections of the tube 13. 
The device 10 further includes a condenser 46 which serves to direct the 
light on to the object and to illuminate it intensively and uniformly in 
such a manner that nearly all of this light is transmitted into the object 
eyepiece of the device. The condenser is mounted in the housing 38. The 
condenser and the objective are mounted using spiders 47 or other such 
mounting means. 
The device is amenable to being shaped in a pleasing manner so that the 
overall commercial acceptance thereof is increased beyond strictly the 
scientific community. For example, the device 10' can assume the 
graduation mortarboard shape shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 which includes a 
tassel 52, yet still include all of the above-discussed features of a 
scientific optical device. The device 10' differs slightly from the device 
10 in that the sections of tube 13' are shaped to assume the motarboard 
shape shown in FIG. 7, and the condenser and its associated housing are 
omitted from the device 10'. 
It is understood that while certain forms of the present invention have 
been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the 
specific forms or arrangements of parts described and shown.