Patent ID: 7287731

Claim:
A panhead for supporting equipment and providing movement from a vertical position to a tilt position, said panhead comprising, in combination, a tilt housing, a rotatable structure defining a tilt axis, said rotatable structure being mounted within said housing for rotation about said tilt axis, at least four springs, said springs forming at least a first pair of springs and a second separate pair of springs, said springs of said first pair of springs being mounted such that the springs are disposed substantially parallel to one another, said springs of said second pair of springs being disposed substantially parallel to one another, said at least four springs being mounted in planes substantially perpendicular to said tilt axis, a common axis disposed substantially parallel to the tilt axis, a horizontal plane including said common axis, said common axis and said tilt axis defining a vertical plane containing both axes, at least one mount for mounting one end of each of said springs pivotally along said common axis, the opposite ends of the springs being disposed on a same side of the horizontal plane, said opposite ends of said first pair being disposed one side of the vertical plane and said opposite ends of the second pair being disposed on the opposite side of the vertical plane, the ends of one spring in each pair of springs coupled to the common axis by said at least one mount being mounted between the ends of the other pair of springs coupled to the common axis, such that the ends of the spring pairs to the common axis are staggered, and a plurality of mounts for coupling the opposite ends of each pair of said springs to the rotatable structure for rotation therewith, said pairs of springs being mounted at an angle to a substantially vertical plane containing the tilt axis when said panhead is in said vertical position, whereby said springs exert a restoring torque when the rotatable structure is tilted from said vertical position to said tilt position.