IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO HAND-HELD OPTICAL APPARATUS

Abstract: A support (10) for hand-held optical apparatus, e.g. binoculars, comprises a body (12) from which project two lower clamping rods (38) and which has mounted thereon a slide (24) from which project two upper clamping rods (32), each rod carrying a flatted rotatable sleeve (40). The upper and lower rods are urged together by a tension spring (26) enabling the outer barrels of a pair of binoculars to be clamped therebetween. Foldable, telescopic arms (16, 18) are pivotally mounted on the body (12) and are connected at the lower ends by a strap (64, 66) which is, in use, placed round the user's neck to take the weight, while the user holds the handle groups (62) at a comfortable level to enable him to position the binoculars accurately.

Description: IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO HAND-HELD OPTICAL APPARATUS This invention relates to supports for optical apparatus such as, for example, binoculars, monoculars, opera glasses, telescopes and cameras, which in use have to be hand-held at eye level. It is tiring for a user to hold such apparatus at eye-level for any length of time, especially if the apparatus is heavy; moreover any shake, to which high magnification binoculars are particularly subject, will be exacerbated as the user's arms become tired through supporting, while in a raised position, the weight of the apparatus. It is an aim of the present invention to provide a support for hand-held optical apparatus which will enable a user to hold such apparatus steadily and for long periods of time without fatigue. According to the present invention there is provided a support for optical apparatus, comprising mounting means on which the apparatus is mountable, and a pair of arms extending from the mounting means, each providing or receiving a handle at its distal end. According to a preferred aspect of the present invention there is provided a support for hand-held optical apparatus which in use has to be held to the eye, comprising clamping means for clamping the apparatus to be supported, a pair of arms extending from the clamping means and each providing or receiving a handle at its distal end. A strap preferably passes round the user's neck and has its ends connected to a respective one of the arms, such that, in use, the weight of the apparatus is taken on the strap, and the user, by holding the handles at a comfortable level, is enabled to control accurately the position of the apparatus without also having to support it by hand. The clamping' means may comprise a body and a connection member pivotally mounted thereon at one end and secured to the apparatus at the other end, thus allowing the elevation of the apparatus to be adjusted relatively to the body and the arms. Locking means are also preferably provided so that the apparatus may be locked at any desired elevation. The other end of the co-nnection member " may be secured directly to the apparatus; preferably however the clamping means comprise a body on which there are mounted first and second pairs of clamping elements which may be approximated to clamp therebetween the outer barrels of a pair of binoculars. If desired the clamping elements may be pivotally adjustable with respect to the body to allow adjustment of the elevation of the apparatus as described above. Most preferably the clamping means comprise a body from which projects a first pair of clamping elements and which receives for reciprocal movement a slide member from which projects a second pair of clamping elements, and tension means for urgingthe second pair of elements towards the first pair of elements so as to clamp the apparatus therebetween. Each clamping element may be provided with a rotatable outer sleeve having a flat thereon to facilitate the accommodation of apparatus having non-parallel surfaces. The body may be provided with two mutually-inclined sockets each for receiving a proximal end of an arm so that the arms extend from the mounting in an inverted V-formation. Preferably, for facilitating storage when not in use and to enable the support to be adjusted for users of different heights, the arms are telescopic and for comfort are each provided at their distal ends with a handle grip. If the arms are pivotally connected to the body at their proximal ends they may be folded together for compactness during storage or transport and opened out to inverted V-formation for use. To enable the two arms also to function as the two legs of a tripod, a third socket may be provided for receiving the third leg of the tripod, which, conveniently, is also telescopic. Clearly, the strap should be adjustable so that the support may be accommodated to different sizes of user. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a binocular support according to the invention with the arms opened out and extended; Figure 2 is a front elevation on an enlarged scale, partly broken away and with the arms folded together and retracted; and, Figure 3 is a section on the line III - III in Figure 2. As shown in the drawings a binocular support 10 essentially comprises a body 12 forming part of clamping means 14 and having mounted thereon a pair of foldable, telescopic arms 16,18. The. body 12 has its side faces slightly recessed to form channels in which are received for sliding movement the respective walls 20,22 of a hollow slide member 24 which is urged downwards (as seen in Figs. 1 and 2) by means of a tension spring 26 which is housed in central bores formed in the upper part of the sliding member 24 and through the body 12. The lower end of the spring 26 is anchored to a slotted plate 28 received against the bottom of the body 12 and the upper end to a rod 30 extending across the top of the bore through the member 24. Extending from each side of the member 24 is a rod 32 having a swaged outer end and on which is rotatably mounted a generally cylindrical sleeve 34 having a flat 36. Identical rods 38 and sleeves 40 are mounted on the body 12 and together with the resiliently loaded rods 32 constitute clamping means. Each arm 16,18 comprises a tubular upper limb 44, the top end of which receives a pin 42 bridging a recess in a lower corner of the body 12. Each limb 44 is formed with opposed longitudinal depressions 46 and receives for telescoping movement thereover with the interposition of a bush 48 a lower tubular limb 50 of corresponding cross-section (see Fig. 3) . Each lower limb 50 is maintained in a desired position relative to the upper arm by means of a clamping mechanism 52 comprising a collar 54 having pivotally mounted thereon a lever 56 provided with a camming surface 58 which engages a block 60 lying in apertures in the lower limb 50 and bush 48 to cause the block 60 to bear against the upper limb 44. The bottom end portion of each lower limb 50 is fitted with a handle grip 62 and has connected to its end face an end of a respective one of a pair of straps 64,66 which are adjustably connected at their other ends by a buckle 68. To use the support 10 the arms 16,18 are swung out to the chain dotted positions shown in Fig. 2 in the direction indicated by arrows 70, and the lower limbs 50 then extended in the direction of the arrows 72 before being locked in an extended position by operation of the clamping mechanisms 52. Next, the slide member 24 is pulled or pushed away from the body 12 against the action of the spring 26 and the barrels of a pair of binoculars (not shown) inserted between the respective sleeves 34,40. The slide member 24 is then released and allowed to clamp the binoculars with the flats 36 engaging the tapering surfaces of the barrels. After placing the connected straps 64,66 around his neck the user can make any necessary adjustments to the buckle 68 and the extension of the lower limbs 50 so that the binoculars are supported at eye level and the handle grips are at a level at which they can be comfortably held. It will be found that in use the whole weight of the binoculars and support is taken by the user's neck and that by holding the arms 16,18 in the appropriate position the support 10 will assume a position in which the binoculars lie comfortably against the eyes with no tendency for the support 10 to fall outwardly away from the body. When correctly adjusted the support 10 is comfortable to wear and enables the binoculars to be used far more easily, for far longer, and with far greater comfort, than without the support; moreover the binoculars can be held more steadily, even in windy conditions or when the user is dressed for an Arctic environment, and yet be moved quickly to follow a quickly moving subject such as a bird or low-flying aircraft. It will be appreciated that, in use, the user's hands are little above waist height, a comfortable level. In an alternative embodiment an eccentric bush may be used to lock the arms instead of the lever 56 and associated mechanism, as described. If desired, a camera may be mounted above the binoculars, which act as a viewfinder, and a shutter control lead led down one of the arms so as to be actuable by one of the user's hands.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A support for optical apparatus comprising mounting means on which the apparatus is ountable and a pair of arms extending from the mounting means, characterised in that each arm provides or receives a handle at its distal end. 2. A support as claimed in claim 1 , for hand-held optical apparatus which in use has to be held to the eye, in which there is provided a strap for passing round the user's neck and having its ends connected to a respective one of the arms, such that, in use, the weight of the apparatus is taken on the strap, and the user, by holding the handles at a comfortable level, is enabled to control accurately the position of the apparatus without also having to support it by hand. 3. A support as claimed in claim 2, in which the mounting means comprise clamping means for clamping the apparatus to be supported. 4. A support as claimed in claim 3, in which the clamping means comprise a body from which projects a first pair of clamping elements and which receives for reciprocal movement a slide member from which projects a second pair of clamping elements, and tension means for urging the second pair of elements towards the first pair of elements so as to clamp the apparatus therebetween. 5. A support as claimed in claim 4, in which each clamping element is provided with a rotatable outer sleeve having a flat thereon to facilitate the accommodation of apparatus having non-parallel surfaces. 6. A support as claimed in claim 4 or 5, in which the slide member embraces a medial portion of the body. 7. A support as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the clamping means include a connection member. 8. A support as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the mounting means are arranged to allow the elevation of the apparatus to be adjusted relatively to the arms. 9. A support as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the arms are telescopic. 10. A support as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the arms are so arranged that they may be folded together for compactness during storage or transport and opened out to inverted V-formation for use.

Inventors: NICHOLLS KENNETH RICHARD, WILLIAMSON KEITH GEORGE, NICHOLLS, KENNETH, RICHARD, WILLIAMSON, KEITH, GEORGE
Applicants: NICHOLLS KENNETH RICHARD, WILLIAMSON KEITH GEORGE, NICHOLLS, KENNETH, RICHARD, WILLIAMSON, KEITH, GEORGE
Application year: 1986
Main classification: F16M13
IPC codes: F16M13, G02B23