Patent Publication Number: US-11639767-B2

Title: Dual clamping device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/561,188, filed Dec. 23, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/105,190, filed Nov. 25, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,242,951, issued Feb. 8, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/731,569, filed Dec. 31, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,883,650, issued Jan. 5, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/100,885, filed Aug. 10, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,612,718, issued Apr. 7, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional App. No. 62/565,975, filed Sep. 29, 2017, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a dual clamping device. More specifically, a dual clamping device that works in conjunction with commonly available dovetail brackets for imaging devices and commonly available accessory rails for rifles. 
     The Picatinny rail, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, or Standardization Agreement 2324 rail, or also generally a NATO Accessory Rail referred to as STANAG 4694, is a bracket on some firearms that provides a mounting platform consisting of rails with multiple transverse slots. Referring to  FIG.  1   , the dimensions of the NATO Accessory Rail is illustrated. The Picatinny rail is designed to mount heavy sights and other attachments to the upper, side, or lower surfaces of all manner of weapons from crossbows to pistols and long arms up to and including anti-materiel rifles. The Picatinny rail consists of a strip undercut to form a flattened T cross-section provided with crosswise slots at intervals interspersed with flats that allow accessories to be slid into place from the end of the rail then locked in place; slid into the slots between raised flats then moved a short distance back or forth or clamped to the rail with bolts, and thumbscrews or levers. The Picatinny locking slot width is 0.206 in (5.23 mm). The spacing of slot centers is 0.394 in (10.01 mm) and the slot depth is 0.118 in (3.00 mm). 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   ,  FIG.  3   , and  FIG.  4    a NATO Picatinny Dovetail Adapter is illustrated. The adapter includes a body  100  with a clamp  110  that is movable with respect to the body  100 . A set of three threaded screws  120 , each of which may include a countersunk head  130 , is rotatably interconnected with matching threads on the body  100 . By rotation of the threaded screws  120 , the clamp  110  is moved laterally with respect to the body  100 . The body  100  defines a pair of dovetail groves  140  that fit arca-swiss style clamps. 
     Referring also to  FIG.  5   , the three screws  120  are loosened using a hex key until the jaw is fully opened. The body  100  is installed onto the rail  150  by aligning the screws with the slots in the rail. Each of the screws  120  are lightly tightened, and then further tightened using a torque wrench. Referring to  FIG.  6   , with the adapter securely affixed to the rail  150 , a quick release clamp  160  may be detachably attached to the dovetail grooves  140  to support the firearm on a tripod. 
     Unfortunately, when the firearm is not being used with a compatible clamp, such as the arca-swiss compatible clamp, the shooter may desire to remove the adapter from the firearm which is a burdensome task. Also, the clamp that is detachably secured to the adapter tends to permit the firearm to slide within the clamp if not sufficiently secured. 
     The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention may be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a NATO Accessory Rail. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates a top perspective view of a NATO Picatinny Dovetail Adapter. 
         FIG.  3    illustrates a bottom perspective view of the NATO Picatinny Dovetail Adapter of  FIG.  2   . 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a bottom view of the NATO Picatinny Dovetail Adapter of  FIG.  2   . 
         FIG.  5    illustrates the NATO Picatinny Dovetail Adapter of  FIG.  2    being attached to a Picatinny rail. 
         FIG.  6    illustrates the NATO Picatinny Dovetail Adapter of  FIG.  2    attached to a Picatinny rail. 
         FIG.  7    illustrates a tripod. 
         FIG.  8    illustrates an embodiment of a clamp assembly suitable to interconnect a dovetail plate of a camera and a Picatinny rail. 
         FIG.  9    illustrates an exploded view of clamp assembly of  FIG.  8   . 
         FIG.  10    illustrates an adjustment arm of the clamp assembly of  FIG.  8   . 
         FIG.  11    illustrates a base of the clamp assembly of  FIG.  8   . 
         FIG.  12    illustrates a base view of the clamp assembly of  FIG.  8   . 
         FIG.  13    illustrates another embodiment of a clamp assembly suitable to interconnect a dovetail plate of a camera and a Picatinny rail. 
         FIG.  14    illustrates an exploded view of clamp assembly of  FIG.  12   . 
         FIG.  15    illustrates a view of the base of the clamp assembly of  FIG.  12   . 
         FIG.  16    illustrates a view of the adjustment arm of the clamp assembly of  FIG.  12   . 
         FIG.  17    illustrates another view of the adjustment arm of the clamp assembly of  FIG.  12   . 
         FIG.  18    illustrates another view of the adjustment arm of the clamp assembly of  FIG.  12   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIG.  7   , in many situations it is desirable to have a stable, yet portable, support to permit a shooter to reliably take long and extreme long distance shots (e.g., even beyond 1,000 yards). In many cases, it is desirable that the support is suitable for positioning a rifle of a shooter over two feet or more from the ground, preferably over three feet or more from the ground, and preferably at a height consistent with a standing position of the shooter from the ground. By positioning the support at an elevated height, the shooter is able to shoot over most obstacles without meaningfully compromising the stability of the system or otherwise meaningfully diminishing accuracy. One suitable type of support is a tripod that includes three legs, each of which may be moved inward and outward along an arc from an upper central region. In addition, each of the legs has an adjustable length so that the upper region may be leveled or otherwise oriented in any desired orientation. In addition, the upper region typically includes a threaded member, or otherwise, suitable to be attached to the base of an imaging device or a ball head. An exemplary tripod is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 8,398,037, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Other supports include, for example, a monopod or a bipod. 
     Referring to  FIG.  8    and  FIG.  9   , a clamp assembly  200  is preferably detachably interconnected to a support or otherwise a ball head. The clamp assembly  200  includes a body  210  (see also  FIG.  11   ) and an adjustable arm  212  (see also  FIG.  10   ) that together form an upper channel  214  having upper opposed side walls  216  and  218 . The upper channel  214  may include a pair of opposing supporting surfaces, one of which are part of the body  210  and/or the adjustable arm  212 . Preferably, at least one of the supporting surfaces of the upper channel  214  extends less than half of the width of body  210  and is preferably substantially centered with respect to the adjustable arm  212 . The body  210  may define a pair of openings  220  through which the clamp  200  may be secured to the upper portion of a tripod or other support. Referring also to  FIG.  12   , the base of the body  210  may include a tongue and groove interface to facilitate it to key the rotation of the clamp relative to a support, such as a ball head. Alternatively, the base of the body may include a planar surface suitable for a support having a flat upper surface. Alternatively, the base and/or the adjustable base may define a lower pair of dovetail grooves for attachment to a suitable clamp. The adjustable arm  212  is slidably engaged along a threaded stud  222  which is threadably secured to corresponding threads  224  in the body  210 . The threaded stud  222  is secured to internal threads of a knob  226  together with a cap, together with a washer  228 , and arranged through an external opening  230  in the adjustable arm  212 . The end of the threaded stud  222  is threadably secured to the threads  224  in the body  210 . Rotation of the knob  226  selectively adjusts the width of the upper channel  214  and is accomplished through manual operation of the knob  226  fastened to the distal end of the stud  222 . Alternatively, the adjustable spacing may be achieved with any other suitable structure, such as a threaded fastener or a cam lever. By way of example, one exemplary cam lever is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,773,172, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. By way of example, one exemplary ball head is illustrated in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0175482, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     The knob  226 , operably attached to the adjustable arm  212 , permits adjustment of the spacing between the side walls  216  and  218  so that the upper channel may selectively either grip or release a pair of grooves attached to a camera body (not shown). An exemplary set of grooves attached to a camera body is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 9,298,069, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Each respective side wall  216  and  218  is preferably angled upward and inward to facilitate engagement with such grooves. In this manner, photographic equipment may be quickly engaged or released from the clamp assembly by using the upper channel. 
     A pair of springs  230  and  232  may be interconnected between the body  210  (preferably retained in a depression) and the adjustable arm  212  (preferably retained in a depression) so that an outwardly directed force is exerted between the body  210  and the adjustable arm  212  to assist in maintaining the adjustable arm  212  in a suitable position. Other structures may be included that operably tend to exert an outward force on the adjustment arm with respect to the body. By way of example, the upper channel  214  may define a minimum channel that is generally a maximum of about 41 millimeters wide at the inside of the channel, generally about a minimum of 34 millimeters wide at the top of the side walls  216  and  218 , with a height of generally about 4 millimeters, and an angle of substantially 45 degrees. Other channel sizes and structures may be used to correspond with the desired support structure for an imaging device. 
     In many situations, it is desirable to remove the camera being used to capture images of a scene from the clamp assembly and support a firearm together with a scope thereon to obtain a sharpened view of the particular scene. In many cases, the firearm includes a Picatinny rail on the lower surface thereof. To facilitate interconnection of the clamp assembly to the Picatinny rail, the clamp assembly preferably includes a lower channel, at an elevation lower than the upper channel, suitable for detachably interconnecting with the Picatinny rail. 
     The clamp assembly  200  includes the body  210  and the adjustable arm  212  that together form a lower channel  300  having lower opposed side walls  302  and  304 . The lower channel  300  may include a supporting surface which is primarily defined by the body  210  and a portion of which may be defined by the adjustable arm  212 , if desired. Preferably, the supporting surface of the lower channel  300  extends the width of body  210 . The adjustable arm  212  is slidably engaged along the threaded stud  222  which is threadably secured to the corresponding threads  224  in the body  210 . Movement of the adjustable arm  212  selectively adjusts the width of the lower channel  300  and is accomplished through manual operation of rotating the knob  226  fastened to the distal end of the stud  222 . The knob  226 , attached to the adjustable arm  212 , permits adjustment of the spacing between the side walls  302  and  304  so that the lower channel may selectively either grip or release one or more rails attached to the base of a firearm. Each respective side wall  302  and  304  includes a portion of which is preferably angled upward and inward to facilitate engagement with such rails. The lower channel  300  also preferably defines a raised central portion, which may be defined by the stud  222 , which preferably has a width suitable to be positioned between a pair of rails of the Picatinny rail. In this manner, the raised central portion will tend to inhibit the clamp sliding with respect to the Picatinny rail because the raised central portion will come into contact with one of the rails of the Picatinny rail. Preferably the adjustment mechanism is achieved using a centered shaft, but may alternatively be more than one centered shafts and/or one or more off-centered shafts. Preferably, the shaft occupies the same region of space as the Picatinny clamp. Alternatively, the shaft may be positioned beneath the lower channel, if desired. As described, the shaft which is part of the adjustment arm adjustment mechanism may be used to engage the grooves of the Picatinny clamp to prevent shifting of the clamp under loaded conditions. Alternatively, other structures may be used for engagement with the grooves of the Picatinny clamp, such as one or more pins or protruding features. In this manner, firearms may be quickly engaged or released from the clamp assembly by using the lower channel. 
     As previously described, the clamp assembly  200  with a “stationary” body together with a moving adjustment arm defines the upper clamp that is preferably compatible with Really Right Stuff™ and Arca-Swiss style dovetails. As previously described, the clamp assembly  200  with a “stationary” body together with a moving adjustment arm defines the lower clamp that is preferably compatible with the Picatinny rail. With separate structures at different elevations within the same clamp assembly facilitates a compact clamp assembly that defines a pair of adjustable spacing structures. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  13 - 18   , another embodiment includes a clamp head  400  with a supporting structure suitable for a Harris style clamp for being attached to a Harris bipod. 
     The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.