MEANS FOR CARRYING, IN READINESS FOR USE, A CAMERA OR EQUIVALENT

Abstract: Means for carrying along, in readiness for use, a camera or equivlent equipment. As taught by the invention, the means comprises a carrying plate (1) attachable to a person's body by belts or equivalent and a counterpiece (2) affixable on the camera or equivalent. It is then possible, for instance, to attach the camera swiftly to the carrying plate for the duration of carrying, and to bring it swiftly into action for photography. It is an essential feature of the means that the carrying plate (1) carries a locking plate (4) movable against spring action and by which the counterpiece (2) is secured to the carrying plate.

Description: MEANS FOR CARRYING, IN READINESS FOR USE, A CAMERA OR EQUIVALENT The present invention concerns a means serving to facilitate the carrying, and fast bringing into action, of a camera. A camera is usually carried around the neck by the camera's own strap, or in the hand on a wrist band. Various kinds of camera bags have also been made for carrying cameras. However, the modes of carrying described above are in many- instances inconvenient and fail to enable the camera to be brought into action swiftly. Camera bags are large as a- rule, and awkward to carry, and a camera carried around the neck is highly susceptible to damage through impact, e.g. when a person is travelling cross-country. It is known in prior art also to attach a camera to a plate supported against the user's body e.g. with the aid of belts, as has been disclosed e.g. in the Patents CH 604 608 and US 4,058,242. Similarly, the carrying of binoculars has been disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,990,089- The object of the invention is to improve the means of this type by making the attachment mechanism simple and easy to manipulate so that for instance a camera can be swiftly detached and brought into position for photographing. At the same time the attachment should be such that it does not fail under impact acting on the camera from any direction whatsoever. As taught by the invention, attachment of the camera is indeed easily accomplished, by pressing the camera into its attachment receptacle against a locking plate, the locking plate first rising and thereafter descending into locking position. The camera is detached by depressing the locking plate with the thumb, whereupon the camera can be detached from the carrying plate. In the means of the references cited above, for instance a screw attachment has been used, which is slow, or for instance a snap fastener-type attachment, which is questionable as to its strength. Considering the high amount of money invested in a camera, the attachment must be absolutely secure in any and all situations. The invention aims at enabling a camera or equivalent in readiness for use to be carried and immediately brought into action, and locked again, without interfering with the user's movement. The invention is appropriate to be used e.g. by professional and amateur photographers, hitch-hikers, skiers, cyclists, boaters, and in general by persons engaging in various kinds of outdoor exercise. Moreover, the invention affords a support for a camera or equivalent that can be carried along. It is intended with the present invention to provide an auxiliary means adaptable for use in connection with substantially all cameras or equivalent presently on the market. The circumstances which are essential regarding the means of the invention for carrying a camera or equivalent in readiness for use are stated in. the characteristic features part of claim 1. In the following, the invention and the advantages gainable with its aid are described in greater detail, with reference to the attached drawings, presenting an embodiment example of the invention, to which the invention is not meant to be confined, and wherein Fig. 1 presents a carrying plate according to the invention, in frontal view. Pig. 2 shows the cross section of the means of Pig. 1 , along the line A- . Fig. 3 shows, in frontal view, the counterpiece of the means. Fig. 4 shows, viewed from one end, the counterpiece of Fig. 3- Fig. 5 presents, in elevational view, an attachment means attachable to the counterpiece, for binoculars or equivalent. Fig. 6 shows the means of Fig. 5 in top view. Fig. 7 shows the lower end of the body rest for a camera, attachable to the counterpiece, in frontal view. Fig. 8 shows the means of Fig. 7 in elevational view. Fig. 9 shows the shaft part of the body rest, sectioned. Fig. 10 shows the upper end, to which a camera is attachable, of the body rest. The means of the invention comprises substantially two components: a carrying plate 1 attachable on a person's body, and a counterpiece 2 affixable on the camera or equivalent. The carrying plate comprises a base plate 3 and a locking plate 4. The base plate 3 has, for fixing belts, projections on the sides and on top, these projections being provided with apertures 7 admitting the belts. Furthermore, there are on the top margin of the base plate, elongated hooks 5 and on its lower margin, a supporting border 8. The base plate 3 carries in its central part a locking plate 4, free to move upward and downward between the front and rear walls, this locking plate having on its top margin a finger plate 9 and on the lower margin, a locking tongue 6. On the lower corners of the locking plate rubber spring assemblies 11 have been provided to push the locking plate up into its locking position. The counterpiece 2 attaches to the camera or equivalent by a screw 12. The counterpiece has been provided with relieved portions 13 fitting together with the carrying plate, and with a cut-out 14 cooperating with the locking tongue 6. The counterpiece 2 and carrying plate 1 are securable to each other by means of these, as required. The carrying plate 1 attaches to the user's body for instance by two belts affixable in the apertures of the carrying plate, both belts preferably provided with length adjustment and one of them e.g. with a belt clasp or equivalent. In that case one of the belts may be passed behind the neck and the other around the upper body, under the armpits. The carrying plate is used as follows. The carrying plate 1 is affixed on the user's body by the aforementioned belts and the counterpiece 2, to the camera by the "screw 12, whereupon the camera with counterpiece can be secured to the carrying plate 1 by pushing the counterpiece into the carrying plate, whereat the upper edge of the counterpiece with its relief portions 13 is automatically guided into the hooks 5 there provided and, on further light pressure on the camera, the locking plate 4 moves downward against the spring force, owing to the bevelled edge 15 of the tongue 6, into the cut-out 14, whereupon the tongue, returning ' to its initial position, automatically locks the camera fast to the carrying plate 1. The camera is released from the carrying plate 1 by pressing the finger plate 9 of the locking plate 4 thereon provided, whereby the locking tongue 6 moves downwardly'and the camera can be detached from the carrying plate 1. The counterpiece according to the example can be attached to any camera which has a thread for tripod mounting. It is advantageous to manufacture the counterpiece of a material with suitable surface quality, or to provide the camera with a coating to the purpose of precluding its slipping. It is also to advantage if the counterpiece does not substantially surpass the dimensions of the camera because otherwise it might hamper the photographer. The greater part of present-day cameras have substantially the same thickness dimension. The idea of the invention is applicable in the case of virtually all cameras available on the market because they have a tripod attachment thread, into which the screw may be screwed. Also in Finland, as far as is known, only one type of camera without such a thread is imported. Since all types of equipment do not have a threaded hole for attaching the counterpiece 2, there has been presented in Figs 5 and 6, a clamping jaw means 16 attachable to the counterpiece 2 by a screw and between the jaws 17 of which it is possible to clamp, for instance, a set of binoculars by its folding axle. The jaws are moved by means of the screw 18. It becomes possible with the aid of a counterpiece 2 affixed to this jaw means, to carry for instance just binoculars in forest surroundings in a way permitting them to be brought into action swiftly for viewing. It is possible to attach to the counterpiece 2 also other kinds of fixing means, depending on what kind of equipment one desires to carry along in such manner that the equipment can be brought into its position of use swiftly and with ease. It is possible to attach to the counterpiece also, for instance, a camera body rest 19, presented in Figs 7-10. The body rest consists, in the example, of a telescopic tube 20 carrying on its top end the camera-attaching screw 21. The counterpiece 2 attached to the body rest " 19 is secured to the carrying plate 1 , whereby the camera attached to the body rest 19 becomes firmly supported by the person's body to the purpose of taking photographs. The belt, belts, harness or equivalent by which the carrying plate is secured to the person's body may be provided with a plurality of clasps or equivalent, whereby it is possible to attach on a person's body several cameras, or ancillary equipment of the camera. It is equally possible with the aid of belts to connect a plurality of carrying plates side by side, for instance for carrying a camera and its accessories. Furthermore, nowadays many camera objectives, particularly larger ones, have been provided with similar threads and therefore the means of the invention may be applied in connection with them. The camera may in such cases equally be attached to the carrying plate over a counterpiece affixed to the objective; this is often advisable because such objectives have a weight surpassing that of the camera. With such arrangements, all equipment which the photographer carries is held firmly in its place. The counterpiece 2 may also be a part of the camera, so that the base plate of the camera has been shaped to be a counterpiece - already when the camera was being manufactured - or after the camera has been, manufactured its base plate is exchanged for a plate of this kind. The base plate of the camera acting as counterpiece will then have relieved portions 13 which fit in under the hooks 5 of the carrying plate, as well as a cut-out 14 to cooperate with the locking tongue 6. The shape of the carrying plate may be so selected that it becomes possible to attach it firmly to a person's body. It is particularly useful to have enough supporting area in the vertical direction if one has to carry heavy cameras, for instance. The invention is appropriate for use by amateurs as well as professional photographers, and it is particularly well applicable wherever a camera is being used; it affords particularly valuable aid when photographing in cross-country conditions or when a person moves about on foot or on skis. Still further, the invention is appropriate to be applied in submarine photography, where at present difficulties are encountered if one desires to carry a camera. It is to advantage in most instances to attach the camera by belts or equivalent to the person's upper body, but in submarine photography for instance is it advantageous to carry the camera strapped to the photographer's leg, that is, to the thigh. The invention may be altered and modified within the scope of the claims, according to various purposes of use.

Claims: Claims * 1. Means for carrying .along, in readiness for use, a camera or equivalent equipment, said means comprising a carrying plate (1) affixable to a person's body by belts, and a counterpiece (2) belonging to the camera or equivalent, characterized in that the carrying plate (1) has on its top margin, hooks (5) behind the front margin of which the top edge (13) of the counterpiece (2) is lifted when the counterpiece (2) of the camera or equivalent is being attached to the carrying plate (1), and that the carrying plate carries in the space between the hooks (5) a locking plate (4) depressable against a spring force (11) and behind the locking tongue (6) on the lower margin of which the lower edge (14) of the counterpiece (2) of the camera or equivalent can enter when the counterpiece (2) is being pressed against the locking plate (4). 2. Means according to claim 1 , characterized in that the counterpiece (2) is attachable to the camera or equivalent by means of a screw (12) . 3. Means according to claim 1 , characterized in that the base plate of the camera has been formed to serve as counterpiece (2). 4. Means according to claim 1 , 2 or 3, characterized in that the outer edge of the lower margin of the locking tongue (6) is oblique, whereby when the lower edge (14) of the counterpiece (2) is being pressed thereagainst the locking plate (4) is forced to slide downwards and to allow the lower edge (14) of the counterpiece (2) to enter behind the locking tongue, to be locked there.

Inventors: VATANEN ANTTI, VATANEN, ANTTI
Applicants: WATEK LTD, WATEK LTD.
Application year: 1982
Main classification: A45F5
IPC codes: A45C13, A45F5, F16M13, G03B17