Abstract:
A support stand includes a base and a mounting post that is collapsible into the base. The support stand can be extremely compact and nearly flat with a very small height. The support stand also is very easy to use and can be quickly set up and utilized with a camera or other device to be mounted thereon.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Cameras conventionally are designed with a standard mounting connection, typically a threaded bore with a diameter of about ¼ inch and threaded at a density of 20 threads per inch, extending into the camera from an underside surface. Cameras can be mounted on a support stand via this connection, typically by threading a screw from the support stand into the bore of the camera. 
         [0002]    A common structure for a support stand is a tripod including three collapsible legs, each pivotally mounted along with the screw about proximate focal points. Accordingly, the screw can be threaded into the camera and the legs of the tripod can be spread apart. The legs are then mounted on a surface, and the camera can then be turned and pivoted about the tripod to obtain a desired position and orientation for a photograph. Use of a support stand can be particularly advantageous with low-light and group shots. 
         [0003]    Although tripods have been made in fairly compact sizes, there are limits to the compactness with which a tripod can be designed, as the legs typically are stacked together and must be of a sufficient length to provide a secure and balanced mounting. Accordingly, tripods are not readily designed to fit easily in, e.g., a photographer&#39;s pants pocket or wallet or with a camera inside a camera case. The plurality of adjustable parts can also require considerable time and effort for proper set-up and mounting of the camera. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Described herein is a new design for a support stand. The support stand includes a base and a mounting post. The mounting post is advantageously collapsible into the base. The support stand can be manufactured in an extremely compact design that is particularly flat or nearly flat with a very small height when the mounting post is collapsed into the base. Accordingly, the support stand can have a size and shape close to that of a thick credit card and can fit in a photographer&#39;s wallet or camera case. The support stand can also be designed to be extremely light and yet still be rugged due to the limited number of adjustable parts. Additionally, the use of a wide base provides a low center of gravity and eliminates the need for additional legs or stabilization while providing support for the camera on uneven surfaces, though legs can optionally be provided. 
         [0005]    A camera or other device can be mounted on the support stand so as to steady and position the device, as desired. Where the device is a camera, the camera is placed in a desired position for taking a photograph of a subject. The support stand includes a threaded member that can be screwed into a threaded bore in the device. The threaded member is integrally or removably secured to the mounting post, which can be mounted to the base via a ball joint, providing three degrees of rotational freedom for the mounting post. Accordingly, the mounting post can be flipped up and pivoted to move and rotate the threaded member (and the device by extension) to a desired position. As a consequence of its design, the support stand also is very easy to use and can be quickly set up and use. Another advantage of the design of this support stand is that with the mounting post collapsed into the base, there need be no external metal surface to contact (and potentially scratch) the body of the device. Further still, when clamped to the mounting post, the base can be used as a convenient knob for the mounting post so as to facilitate screwing the threaded member into the device by rotating the base, thereby eliminating the need for a separate knob. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    In the accompanying drawings, described below, like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating particular principles of the methods and apparatus characterized in the Detailed Description. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of the support stand with the mounting post collapsed into the platform of the base. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective drawing of the support stand of  FIG. 1  but with the mounting post extended in an upright position from the platform of the base. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is another perspective drawing of the support stand of  FIGS. 1 and 2  with the mounting post pivoted at various angles from the base. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  provides another perspective view of the support stand of  FIGS. 1-3 , showing the underside of the base. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a perspective drawing of the support stand of  FIGS. 1-4  with a camera mounted on the mounting post. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a perspective drawing of another embodiment of the support stand with a fully internal slot and a direct press locking the mounting post in an upright position. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a perspective drawing of the support stand of  FIG. 6  with the mounting post collapsed into the base. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a perspective drawing of the support stand of  FIGS. 6 and 7  with the screw that serves the direct press on the ball of the mounting post removed. 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a perspective drawing of another embodiment of the support stand, wherein the threaded member is removable from the mounting post. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    The support stand  10 , embodiments of which are illustrated in  FIGS. 1-9 , includes a base  12  and a mounting post  14 . 
         [0017]    The base  12  includes a thin platform  16  extending across a substantially planar section. The platform  16  has a shape resembling that of an hourglass in  FIGS. 1-9 , though it can be rectangular, triangular or have any of a variety of other shapes. The platform  16  can be formed of plastic or metal and can be fabricated, e.g., via injection molding or machining. A socket (not visible) for a ball joint is defined at or near the center of the platform  16 . The socket  18  is shaped with curved surfaces or cylindrical holes to accept and confine a spherical ball  36  with a radius between about 0.5 to about 1 cm therein. Extending from one side of the socket is a receiving slot  20  extending through the platform  16  and sized and configured to receive the mounting post  14  when the mounting post  14  collapsed into the base  12 . 
         [0018]    The mounting post  14  includes a ball  36  at one end. The mounting post  14  can be pivoted about the ball  36  in the socket  28  of the base  12  so as to be collapsed into the platform  16  or to project in an upright position orthogonal to its collapsed position. Moreover, the mounting post  14  and a device  38  mounted thereon (see  FIG. 5 ) can be repositioned by pivoting about the ball  36  with the following three degrees of freedom: roll, pitch and yaw (i.e., rotated about the ball around each of a transverse axis, a longitudinal axis, and a normal axis, wherein each axis is normal to the other two axes). 
         [0019]    Extending from an opposite side of the socket from the receiving slot  20  in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-5  is an expansion slot  22 . The expansion slot  22  extends all the way to the edge of the base  12  such that two sections  24  and  26  are separated by the expansion slot  22 . The expansion slot  22  can be, e.g., about 2 mm across in a “relaxed state.” 
         [0020]    In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-5 , the base  12  also includes a clamping member in the form of a threaded screw  28  extending through a similarly threaded bore in the platform and across the expansion slot  22 . When turned clockwise or counterclockwise, the screw will reduce or increase the width of the expansion slot  22  and correspondingly reduce or increase the diameter of the socket. The screw  28  includes a head (i.e., the portion of the screw that protrudes from the platform  16  in  FIGS. 1-5 ) that contacts an outer edge of the platform  16 , serving to pull two sections  24  and  26  of the platform (separated by the expansion slot) closer together, thereby narrowing the expansion slot  22  and reducing the diameter of the socket (to thereby restrict the rotation of a ball  36  on the mounting post  14 , discussed below, mounted in the socket) as the screw  28  is tightened into the platform  16 . The screw  28  can then be loosened to re-expand the expansion slot  22  and increase the diameter of the socket  18  (to thereby re-afford freedom of rotation to the ball  36  mounted therein). 
         [0021]    In the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 6-8 , the support stand  10  includes a fully internal slot  20  and a direct press for locking the position of the mounting post  14 . The direct press, here in the form of a screw  28  (see  FIG. 8 ), is mounted in an inversely threaded bore  30  extending from the socket out to the edge of the platform  16 . Accordingly, as the screw  26  is screwed into in the bore  30 , the screw  26  will make contact with and supply pressure against the ball  36  of the mounting post  14  so as to restrict rotation of the ball  36  in the socket. 
         [0022]    The slot  20  is expanded at one end to enable a user to easily insert his or her finger into the expanded end and push the end of the mounting post  14  out of the plane of the platform  16  so that it can be raised to a desired positioned and have a camera or other device mounted thereon. Because the screw  26  applies direct pressure onto the ball  36 , the slot  20  in this embodiment need not expand and contract to facilitate locking and release of the ball  36 ; therefore, the slot  20  need not extend to the edge of the platform  16 . 
         [0023]    In the embodiments of  FIGS. 1-8 , a threaded member  32  is integrally attached to the mounting post  14  at an opposite end from the ball  36 . The mounting post  14  and the threaded member  32  can be formed of metal (e.g., steel) and fabricated via a machining or casting process. The threaded member  32  has a diameter of about ¼ inch (about 6.5 mm) and 20 threads per inch for a standard threaded mount for a camera. In the embodiments of  FIGS. 1-8 , the threaded member  32  is integrally attached to the mounting post  14 . 
         [0024]    In another embodiment, illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the threaded member  32  can be readily attached and removed from the mounting post  14 . As shown, the mounting post  14  includes a quick-release extension  40  onto which the threaded member  32  can be fitted. In the illustration, the quick-release extension  40  has a square cross-section, though it can be a variety of other shapes, such as hexagonal or star-shaped, provided that the threaded member  32  has an inversely shaped bore with essentially the same dimensions to match the size and shape of the extension  40  for secure mounting thereon. The separate threaded member  32  can be threaded into a camera or other device and left there. The device can then be very quickly mounted on the support stand  10  by simply sliding the quick-release extension  40  into the bore of the threaded member  32 , which is pre-mounted in the device. 
         [0025]    In each of the embodiments, such as those of  FIGS. 1-8 , wherein the threaded member is integral with the mounting post  14 , the height of the base  12  (measured orthogonal to the substantially planar extended dimensions of the platform  16 ) need be no more than the diameter of a threaded member  32  and can generally be about one cm or less. In embodiments, such as that of  FIG. 9 , where the threaded member  32  is removably mountable on the mounting post  14 , the base  12  can have a height of, e.g., 5 mm or less. The base&#39;s horizontal dimensions (across the substantially planar extended dimensions of the platform  16 ) can be about 8 cm by 8 cm or less. 
         [0026]    The underside of the base  12 , e.g., as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , can be have a single substantially planar contact surface for supporting the base  12  on a substantially planar mounting surface, such as a horizontal surface of a table, a floor, a ledge, a chair, etc. Alternatively, the underside of the base  12  can include at least three discrete contact surfaces extending from platform  16 , wherein each of the extended contact surfaces is positioned near the perimeter (e.g., at the corners) of the base  12 . The contact surfaces can be in the form of non-skid rubber feet that can provide solid, non-marking support on painted surfaces. In other embodiments, the contact surfaces can be on legs that are extendable from (and collapsible back into) the base  12 . 
         [0027]    The device  38  to be mounted on the threaded member  32  can be any device having a use that is benefited by the device being mounted and re-positionable for greatest advantage. Cameras are one such device and can be provided in the form of a stand-alone film or video camera or as a component on a multi-purpose electronic device. For example, as a stand-alone product, the camera can be either a conventional still camera (digital or film) or a video camera (designed for digital or tape movies). Multi-purpose electronic devices with cameras or microphones embedded therein include, e.g., cell phones and hand-held personal digital assistants (PDA&#39;s), such as those made by Palm, Inc. 
         [0028]    The device  38  includes a standard mounting connection, typically a threaded bore with a diameter of about ¼ inch and threaded at a density of 20 threads per inch, extending into the camera from an underside surface, such that the inverse threads on the threaded member can be threaded there into to securely lock the device to the threaded member  32 . 
         [0029]    In describing embodiments of the invention, specific terminology is used for the sake of clarity. For purposes of description, each specific term is intended to at least include all technical and functional equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. Additionally, in some instances where a particular embodiment of the invention includes a plurality of system elements or method steps, those elements or steps may be replaced with a single element or step; likewise, a single element or step may be replaced with a plurality of elements or steps that serve the same purpose. Moreover, while this invention has been shown and described with references to particular embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.