Patent Publication Number: US-2021180742-A1

Title: Multi-legged equipment support having leg angle adjustment

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 62/948,946, filed Dec. 17, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure generally relates to equipment supports, and more particularly to stands such as bipods, tripods, etc., for supporting equipment such as weapons, optics, cameras, or other equipment. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Bipods, tripods, and other types of equipment stands are used to support various types of equipment. For example, hunters may use such stands to support an optic (e.g., spotting scope), a weapon (e.g., rifle), or a camera. Such equipment supports are also used in other areas. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, a multi-legged equipment support comprises a hub and a set of legs. The set of legs includes at least first and second legs. Each leg of the set of legs includes a head. Each head is pivotably connected to the hub for pivoting about a respective pivot axis. Each leg is pivotable with respect to the hub about the respective pivot axis outward from a stowed position to at least one operational pivoted position. The equipment support includes leg angle stop structure including a first stop and a corresponding first set of blockers. At least one of the first leg or the hub includes the first stop. The other of the at least one of the first leg or the hub includes the first set of blockers. The first set of blockers comprises a first first leg blocker and a second first leg blocker. At least one of the first stop or the first set of blockers is movable with respect to the hub to selectively arrange the first stop in registration with at least one of the first first leg blocker or second first leg blocker. The first first leg blocker is arranged to engage the first stop when the first stop is in registration with the first first leg blocker to stop outward pivoting of the first leg at a first preset operational pivoted positon of the first leg. The second first leg blocker is arranged to engage the first stop when the first stop is in registration with the second first leg blocker to stop outward pivoting of the first leg at a second preset operational pivoted position of the first leg. The first leg is pivotable outward a greater degree from the stowed position to the second preset operational pivoted position than from the stowed position to the to the first preset operational pivoted position. 
     In another aspect, a multi-legged equipment support comprises a hub and a set of legs. The set of legs includes at least first and second legs. Each leg of the set of legs includes a head. Each head is pivotably connected to the hub for pivoting about a respective pivot axis. At least the first leg is pivotable with respect to the hub about the respective pivot axis outward from a stowed position to at least first and second preset operational pivoted positions. A first actuator is associated with the first leg. The first actuator is movable with respect to the head of the first leg between first and second preset locations. The first leg is pivotable outward from the stowed position to the first preset operational pivoted position when the first actuator is in the first preset location. The first leg is pivotable outward from the stowed position to a second preset operational pivoted position different from the first preset operational pivoted position when the first actuator is in the second preset location. A first retainer is arranged to maintain the first actuator in at least one of the first preset location or the second preset location irrespective of the first leg being in the first or second operational pivoted positions. 
     Other objects and features of the present disclosure will be in part apparent and in part pointed out herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective of a multi-legged support of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary perspective of the multi-legged support; 
         FIG. 3  is a fragmentary front elevation of the multi-legged support; 
         FIG. 4  is a fragmentary front elevation of the multi-legged support, a head of a leg of the multi-legged support removed; 
         FIG. 5  is a fragmentary bottom perspective of the multi-legged support having legs and two of three leg angle adjusters removed; 
         FIG. 6  is a fragmentary section of the multi-legged support taken in a plane including line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 3 ; and 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective of a leg angle adjuster of the multi-legged support. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference numbers indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a multi-legged support of the present disclosure is indicated by  10 . The multi-legged support can be used to support a variety of objects, such as cameras, optics, and/or weapons (e.g., firearm), collectively referred to hereafter as equipment. In the illustrated embodiment, the multi-legged support  10  comprises a tripod having three legs, but it will be understood that multi-legged supports having other numbers of legs (e.g., two, four, etc.) can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The multi-legged support  10  includes a frame  12  and an equipment holder  14  (broadly, “equipment support”) supported by the frame. The equipment holder  14  includes a cradle comprising a bed  18  and opposing jaws  20  for clamping equipment to be supported by the multi-legged support  10 . The equipment holder  14  is adjustable (e.g., pivotable about multiple axes) to change an orientation of the supported equipment with respect to the frame  12 . It will be appreciated that other types of equipment holders can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the equipment holder may be configured to support the equipment in other ways (e.g., without clamping). The equipment holder  14  may have a construction and connection to a hub  22  such as disclosed in co-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 10,514,225, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     The frame  12  includes a stand comprising the hub  22  and a plurality of legs  24 . The hub  22  includes three arms  26  protruding radially from a main body of the hub. The legs  24  each comprise a head  30  and a plurality of telescopically connected leg sections  32 A- 32 C extending downward from the head. The legs  24  can be extended and retracted by telescoping the leg sections  32 A- 32 C out of and into each other. The heads  30  are pivotably connected to the arms  26  of the hub by fasteners  34  defining pivot connections. 
     The legs  24  are pivotable about the pivot connections between stowed positions and operational (deployed) positions. In a stowed configuration (not shown) of the multi-legged support  10 , the legs  24  are pivoted toward each other to extend generally alongside each other and alongside and/or generally parallel to a stowed axis SA extending downward from the equipment holder  14 . In such a configuration, the legs  24  could be retracted to provide a compact stowed arrangement. In an operational configuration (e.g.,  FIG. 1 ) of the multi-legged support  10 , the legs  24  (retracted, or partially or fully extended) are pivoted away from each other (and away from the stowed axis SA). Each leg  24  is pivotable to a plurality of preset operational pivoted positions in which the legs extend at predetermined angles with respect to the stowed axis SA. In the illustrated embodiment, the legs  24  can be pivoted to three different preset operational pivoted positions. It will be appreciated that, if desired, the legs  24  can be pivoted to non-preset positions in the range of movement between the stowed and preset positions. Moreover, other numbers of preset positions could be provided without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The hub  22  and legs  24  include corresponding leg angle stop structure configured to stop pivoting of the legs and define the preset operational pivoted positions of the legs. In the illustrated embodiment, the leg angle stop structure includes a plurality of blockers  40 ,  42 ,  44  (each having a respective blocking surface) on each arm  26 , and stops  46  defined by adjusters  48  carried by the heads  30  of the legs  24 . In a preset operational pivoted position of a leg  24 , the stop  46  abuts a selected one of the blockers  40 ,  42 ,  44  (whichever blocker the stop is in registration with) to stop and/or prevent further outward pivoting movement of the leg. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, each leg  24  has three preset operational pivoted positions defined by the blockers  40 ,  42 ,  44 . A first preset operational pivoted position is defined by a first blocker  40 . A second preset operational pivoted position is defined by a second blocker  42 . A third preset operational pivoted position is defined by a third blocker  44 . The three blockers  40 ,  42 ,  44  are angularly offset with respect to the pivot axis of the leg  24 . In the second preset operational pivoted position (not shown), the leg  24  is pivoted outwardly more (a greater degree with respect to the stowed axis SA) than in the first operational position (e.g.,  FIG. 1 ), and in the third operational position (not shown) the leg is pivoted outwardly more than in the second operational position. For example without limitation, the first blocker  40  may permit pivoting of the leg to a 20 degree angle (broadly, in an inclusive range of between 10 and 45 degrees) with respect to the stowed axis SA (e.g., for use in a standing position), the second blocker  42  may permit pivoting of the leg to a 45 degree angle (broadly, in an inclusive range of between 25 and 70 degrees) with respect to the stowed axis (e.g., for use in a sitting position), and the third blocker  44  may permit pivoting of the leg to an 85 degree angle (broadly, in an inclusive range of between 70 and 90 degrees) with respect to the stowed axis (e.g., for use in a prone position). Other angles can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4, 5, and 7 , the adjusters  48  comprise slides  50  (broadly, “actuators”) slidably received in tracks in the leg heads  30 . Each slide  50  has opposing press surfaces  50 A,  50 B on opposite ends of the slide that are exposed outside the leg head  30  for being pressed by a finger of a user for moving the slide in opposite first and second directions transverse to a longitudinal axis of the leg. The stop  46  is connected to an upper side of the slide  50  and moves conjointly with the slide. The stop  46  is carried by an intermediate portion of the slide  50  housed in the head  30 . The stop  46  has an upper stop surface arranged to engage a selected one of the blockers  40 ,  42 ,  44  (whichever blocker is in registration with the stop) to stop pivoting of the leg. The arrangement is such that a user can press on one of the opposing press surfaces  50 A,  50 B to slide the slide in one of the opposite first or second directions (e.g., left or right) to arrange the stop  46  in registration with a selected one of the blockers  40 ,  42 ,  44  to select a desired preset operational position of the leg. When the slide is in the desired preset location, the leg is pivoted outward, and pivoting of the leg is stopped by engagement of the stop  46  with the blocker in registration with the stop. 
     The frame  12  includes retaining structure configured to retain the adjusters  48  in position. In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining structure comprises detents  60  for each of the legs  24 . Each detent comprises a ball  60 A biased by a spring  60 B in an opening in the leg head  30 . The retaining structure further comprises recesses  62 A- 62 C in the slide  50  configured to receive the ball  60 A. Each recess  62 A- 62 C corresponds to a position of the slide  50  corresponding to a different preset operational pivoted position of the leg  24 . A first recess  62 A corresponds to the first preset operational pivoted position such that when the ball  60 A is received in the first recess the stop  46  is in registration with the first blocker  40  for engaging the first blocker. A second recess  62 B corresponds to the second preset operational pivoted position such that when the ball  60 A is received in the second recess the stop  46  is in registration with the second blocker  42  for engaging the second blocker. A third recess  62 C corresponds to the third preset operational pivoted position such that when the ball  60 A is received in the third recess the stop  46  is in registration with the third blocker  44  for engaging the third blocker. The arrangement is such that the ball  60 A is displaced from the retaining position (out of any one of the recesses  62 A- 62 C) to permit movement of the actuator  50  in the first or second direction responsive to force on the actuator tending to move the actuator in the respective first or second direction. When the ball  60 A moves into registration with the next recess  62 A- 62 C, the ball is resiliently pushed into the recess by the spring  60 B. The detent  60  and/or associated recesses  62 A- 62 C can collectively be referred to as a retainer for maintaining an actuator in one or more of the preset locations. 
     It will be appreciated that when the adjusters  48  are in the preset locations for selecting a preset operational pivoted leg position, the adjusters are free of spring bias tending to bias the adjusters in either the first direction or the second direction. Desirably, when the adjusters  48  are in the preset locations, the adjusters are maintained in such locations notwithstanding whether the stops  46  are in engagement with one of the blockers  40 ,  42 ,  44 . However, other arrangements can be used without departing form the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The head  30  of each leg  24  defines a window  66  (broadly, “opening”) through which the adjuster  48  and in particular indicators  68 A- 68 C on the slide  50  are visible for showing the user what preset operational pivoted position of the leg has been selected based on the current position of the slide. The window  66  can also be broadly referred to as a reference with respect to which a user references a position of the indicator  68 A- 68 C corresponding to the preset operational position in the particular position of the slide  50 . Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the indicators  68 A- 68 C are provided on the slide  50  to indicate to the user the preset operational pivoted position of the leg  24  based on which indicator is exposed or viewable through the window  66 . In the illustrated embodiment, the indicators  68 A- 68 C comprise numbers ( 20 ,  45 ,  85 ) corresponding to the degrees the leg  24  is pivotable away from the storage axis SA when the leg is pivoted to the preset operational position. When the slide  50  is in a preset location, the corresponding indicator  68 A- 68 C is visible in the window  66 , and the other indicators are hidden from view (inside the head  30 ). Other types of indicators (e.g., icons, labels, colors, etc.) can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     In use, by reference to the indicators  68 A- 68 C on the adjusters  48 , the user can slide the adjusters of the three legs  24  to select a desired preset operational pivoted position of each leg (which can be the same or different among the legs) and then pivot the legs outwardly until further pivoting movement is prevented by engagement of the stops  46  with the blockers  40 ,  42 ,  44  in registration with the stops defining the selected operational positions for each leg. 
     It will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims. For example, the locations of the stops  46  and the blockers  40 ,  42 ,  44  on the legs and hub can be swapped, such that the stops are provided on the hub and the blockers on the legs. Moreover, the blockers may be movable with respect to a fixed stop, rather than the stop being movable with respect to the blockers. Moreover, the locations of the detents  60  and the recesses  62 A- 62 C on the leg heads  30  and actuators  50  can be swapped, such that the detents are provided on the leg heads and the recesses on the actuators. Other types, arrangements, numbers, and/or configurations of legs, hubs, actuators, retaining structure, and leg angle stop structure can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.