Abstract:
A satellite line of site alignment device for the installation of all satellite dish antenna. The alignment device provides a hand held orientation and angular inclination determination for properly positioning a satellite receiving dish with a known geosynchronous orbiting satellite transmitter. Receiving dish location longitude and latitude, satellite to be aligned to, and true north and level orientation are so configured to provide visually for siting through an eye piece for line of site object avoidance determination prior to satellite dish antenna installation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Technical Field 
   This invention relates to satellite dish location and placement devices that are used to properly determine a site for a satellite dish in relation to orbiting satellites in geosynchronous orbit. 
   2. Description of Prior Art 
   Prior art devices of this type have relied on a wide variety of alignment and orientation tools for satellite dishes, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,274,926, 5,760,739, 6,538,613, 6,683,581 and Patent Publication US 2002/0005816 A1. 
   In U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,926 an antenna aligning instrument is disclosed wherein an earth representational sphere is mounted in a holder with an adjustable ring thereabouts having a scale marked in degrees and a compass level to ascertain the position or orientation in alignment of a satellite dish. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,739 defines a method and apparatus for aligning a directional antenna in which an adjustable gnomon is calibrated using fitting information from a companion computer software program. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,538,613 claims a method for aligning a radio antenna using an optical site rather than signal strength and that the antenna be so positioned need not be installed in its place for aiming. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,683,581 is directed to an antenna alignment device having multiple embodiments utilizing affixing the device to the antenna and using a digital compass, level and one embodiment and a sound speaker in another. 
   Patent Publication US2002/005816 A1 shows a satellite dish antenna alignment device by applying it to the dish mast assembly arm. A bubble level on the arm is used in conjunction with a compass allowing the installer to configure the bracket by location orientation thereof. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A satellite dish placement device that uses multiple orientation input data in a hand held device to position a line of site eye pieces to a prospective satellite orbital position by axial rotation of the eye piece on a pivoting support arm. Apparatus level and directional indicators are integrated into a support and storage base. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the satellite tool with site arm in deployed use position; 
       FIG. 2  is a side elevational view with portions shown in broken lines and dotted lines thereof; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the satellite positioning device; 
       FIG. 4  is a partial cross-sectional view on lines  4 — 4  of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the eye piece and support arm independent of the assembly; 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged partial perspective view illustrating pivotal longitudinal arm adjustment features; 
       FIG. 7  is an enlarged partial side elevational view of the support arm illustrating operator&#39;s longitudinal adjustment input indicia and; 
       FIG. 8  is an enlarged partial side elevational view of the support arm portion illustrating satellite latitude adjustment input alignment indicia. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1–3  of the drawings, a satellite antenna placement device  10  can be seen having a main body member  11  of a generally rectangular configuration having an upper surface  12 , oppositely disposed ends  13  and  14  and parallel spaced contoured sidewalls  15  and  16 . A multiple adjustable arm assembly  17  is pivotally secured within a recessed mounting notch  18  in the body member end  13 . The arm assembly  17  has a cylindrical lower arm portion  19  with an apertured registration mounting area  20  of reduced transverse dimension which is pivotally positioned on an axial adjustable fastener  21  which extends through the mounting notch  18 . A central rotatable cylinder portion  22  extends in axial alignment from the free end at  19 A of the arm portion  19 . An upper arm portion  23  has a rotatable cylinder portion  24  with a transversely mounted site tube  25  thereon. Bearing rings  26 A and  26 B in associated respective ring seats  26 C and  26 D are positioned within the respective ends of the cylinder arm portions  19  and  24  for ease of selective rotation thereof as will be understood by those skilled in the art. 
   An axial arm segment bearing fastener  27  is threadably secured at  27 A into a corresponding bore  27 B in the lower cylinder arm portion  19  and has a bearing surface  27 C registerably aligned through rotational bores  22 A and  24 A in respective cylindrical portions  22  and  24  as best seen in  FIG. 5  of the drawings. It will be evident from the above description that the entire arm assembly  17 &#39;s vertical angular orientation can be adjusted and the cylindrical portions  22  and  24  can be axially rotated independent of one another and the lower arm portion  19  as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. 
   The site tube  25  has an eye piece  28  in one end thereof and a lens assembly  28 A in oppositely disposed relation thereto in its remaining end. 
   Referring now back to  FIG. 4  of the drawings, an arm adjustment knob  29  is secured to a projecting end portion  21 A of the bearing fastener  21 . The adjustment knob  29  transfers rotational input thereon to the bearing fastener  21  which is threadably engaged so as to selectively lock the arm assembly  17  in angular positions in relation to the main body member  11  during use. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1–3  of the drawings, a magnetic directional compass  32  can be seen secured within an annular registration opening at  33  in the upper surface  12  of the main body member  11  in spaced relation to the arm notch  18  and arm assembly  17  to provide directional orientation as will be described hereinafter. 
   A “bubble” type level  34  is also provided, mounted within an annular recess  35  in the end  13  of the main body member  11 . By utilization of the satellite positioning device  10  of the invention, proper placement of a satellite receiving dish (not shown) can be determined. 
   Positioning indicia, comprising sequential number bands for satellite location at  40  and  40 A are positioned on adjacent rotatable cylinder portions  24  and  22 . Operator location (dish) sequential number bands  41  and  41 A for longitudinal input determination are positioned on the respective cylinder portions  22  and  19 . 
   An operator&#39;s location (dish) latitude indicia numbered band  42  is correspondingly positioned on the end portion  13  of the main body member  11  as best seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  6  of the drawings which allows for selective orientation of the device as follows. 
   In actual use, to determine if there is a clear line of site which is critical for positioning of the satellite receiving antenna (dish) (not shown) requires latitude and longitude position of the operator&#39;s location. For example, if the operator&#39;s location (dish) is determined to be forty degrees latitude and eighty-nine degrees west longitude, corresponding operator location latitude is set by adjusting the angle of the arm portion  19 , best seen in  FIG. 6  of the drawings by rotating the knob  29  and repositioning the arm&#39;s indicator mark at  43  to align with the number indicia forty-two on the end of the main body member  11  illustrated at  43 A. 
   The operator&#39;s location (dish) longitudinal location of eighty-nine degrees west is set by locating the nearest ten degree mark closest the setting using the number indicia band  41  on cylinder  22  which would be “eighty degrees” and aligning it to the lower indicia number band  41 A on the arm  19  to “zero”, then continuing turning the cylinder  22  in the same direction until the number indicia indicated as “nine” aligns with the next ten degree mark which would be “one seventy” as seen in  FIG. 7  of the drawings. 
   In order to set the known orbital satellite location, specifically “longitude” the cylinder  24  is rotated with the attached eye piece  23  as seen in  FIG. 8  of the drawings. If, for example, the satellite longitude is one hundred and nineteen degrees west, the cylinder  24  with eye piece  23  is rotated aligning the one hundred and ten degree west indicia number mark thereon with a lower indicia number band  40 A to the number “zero”, then the cylinder is continued to be turned in the same direction until the nine degree west mark aligns with the next ten degree mark which would be one hundred and twenty as shown at  44  in the drawings. 
   The orientation of the satellite location device  10  is completed by leveling the main body member  11  by using the bubble level  34  and directionally by use of the built-in compass  32  to the southern sky direction by alignment to true north. 
   The satellite location device  10  of the invention is placed to emulate the proposed operator&#39;s location which is the location of the satellite receiving dish antenna (not shown). The user then visually sites through the siting tube  25  to determine if there are any objects within the site line so indicated. There should be no objects within the site line so indicated for proper placement of the satellite antenna (not shown) which is critical to proper reception which will be well known and understood by those skilled in the art. 
   After use or for transportation and storage, the knob  29  of the device is rotated allowing the arm  19  to pivot downwardly as indicated by the arrow A in  FIG. 2  of the drawings in broken lines and be enclosed up into the storage cavity at  45  that extends inwardly from the base of the main body member  11  shown in dotted lines in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. It will be evident that for storage the eye piece  23  and interconnected cylinder  24  must be rotated into a transverse alignment position relative the longitudinal axis of the arm  19  so as to be concealed within the storage cavity  45 . 
   It will be seen that a new and novel satellite antenna location device has been described that can allow the operator to assess before actual installation for proper positioning of a satellite reception antenna assuring the best satellite reception can be obtained by the user. 
   It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.