Patent Publication Number: US-10760729-B2

Title: Tripod

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/458,743 to Balmer, filed Mar. 14, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to tripods, namely a tripod with a swiveling head unit. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A-1F  illustrate a tripod in a first configuration with the mounting interface vertical according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 2A-2C  illustrate a tripod in a second configuration with the mounting interface tilted according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 3A-3E  illustrate a tripod in a third configuration with the mounting interface horizontal according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a tripod according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is an orthogonal exploded view of a tripod according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of a tripod according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a tripod body according to some embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     SUMMARY 
     A tripod with flexible legs with a mounting interface for a camera, mounting clip, or electronic device that is movable into a variety of positions. The mounting interface may move around a spherical mating surface and may also be moved to a position perpendicular to the main axis of the tripod. The legs may have ball and socket connectors with external gripping rings adapted to wrap around an object such as a pole. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In a first vertical configuration according to some embodiments of the present invention, a tripod  100  has three flexible legs  101 . The flexible legs  101  may be of a plurality of ball and socket connectors coupled to a tripod body  104 . The flexible legs may have grip rings, or other gripping features, of a more resilient, frictional, material. The flexible legs  101  are coupled to the tripod body  104  at ports  103 , which may be angle out from vertical to facilitate the wrapping of the legs around an object. The flexible legs  101  may have feet  102  of a resilient, frictional, material. 
     The tripod body  104  is coupled to a mounting interface  105 . The mounting interface  105  may include a threaded post adapted to screw into a mating component, such as a mounting clip, a camera, or other device. The mounting interface  105  has a spherical ball  117  adapted to reside within a mating socket  110  of the tripod body  104 . The mating socket  110  has a cutout  106  which allows the mounting interface to move from a vertical orientation, as seen in  FIGS. 1A-F , to a horizontal configuration. 
     The flexible legs are adapted to move to a variety of positions as needed to provide support for the tripod and the items which it is supporting. In some aspects, the flexible legs are of a plurality of connector pieces coupled with ball and socket joints. The connector pieces may have an external grip ring of a frictional material such that the flexible legs may be wrapped around an object, such as a pole, with sufficient grip to support the tripod and the items which it supports. 
       FIGS. 2A-2C  illustrate the tripod  100  in a second configuration where the mounting interface  105  is tilted relative to the main axis of the tripod body  104 . The interface between the mounting interface  105  and the tripod body  104  has sufficient friction to allow a selected position to be retained. The mounting interface may be moved by hand, by the user, but then will retain the selected position. 
       FIGS. 3A-3E  illustrate the tripod  100  in a third configuration where the mounting interface  105  is moved to the perpendicular relative to the main axis of the tripod body  104 . The mounting interface utilizes the space circumscribed by the cutout  106  to move into the third configuration. The interface between the mounting interface  105  and the tripod body  104  has sufficient friction to allow a selected position to be retained. The mounting interface may be moved by hand, by the user, but then will retain the selected position. 
       FIGS. 4, 5, and 6  illustrate an exploded view of the tripod  100  which demonstrate how the ball and socket joint between the main body and the mounting interface is able to retain tension, and remain in position under some load, even with the missing circumferential component of the cutout  106 . 
     A leg joining piece  115  joins the legs  101  together. The leg joining piece  115  may have ports adapted to receive the flexible legs  101 , and may splay out the legs  101  at an angle from vertical to enhance the opportunity to wrap the legs around something, such as a vertical or horizontal bar. The socket liner  110  provides an interface for the ball portion  117  of the mounting interface  115 . As seen, the socket liner has a cutout  106 . The cutout  106  interrupts the circumferential capture of the ball  117  by the socket. This interruption may weaken the ball and socket connection, and a plastic socket with such an interruption may be quite susceptible to creep of the plastic material, loosening the joint. The loosening of the joint may then lead to insufficient frictional grip of the ball by the socket. In order to support the socket liner  110  with its cutout  106 , a socket skirt  111  is placed around the outer perimeter of the socket liner  110  with a mating cutout. In some aspects, the socket liner  110  is plastic, with a cylindrical outer surface and a spherical inner surface, and the socket skirt  111  is metal. 
     The tripod body  104  may be assembled as a stack wherein the socket liner  110  is placed into the socket skirt  111 . The spacer  112  is placed between the socket skirt  111  and the body bottom piece  113 . A screw  114  is used to fasten the stack of components together, threading into a receiving threaded portion in the body bottom piece  113 . The body  104  may then be coupled to the leg joining piece  115 . With this lower end of the tripod assembled, the ball  117  of the mounting interface  106  is snapped into the socket. With the support of the socket skirt  111  the socket will have sufficient rigidity to frictionally hold the ball even with the presence of the cutout  106 . The mounting interface may be made of plastic molded over a post  116 .  FIG. 7  illustrates the tripod body in cross-section. 
     As evident from the above description, a wide variety of embodiments may be configured from the description given herein and additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is, therefore, not limited to the specific details and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures from such details may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant&#39;s general invention.