Patent ID: 7356883

Claim:
A holding device for spherical and flat objects comprising: (a) a carrier body; (b) a clamping device held to the carrier body, the clamping device including first and second clamping elements for accommodating round or angular objects; (c) a cover plate held to the carrier body, the cover plate and carrier body being partly spaced-apart to provide a guide slot; (d) a plurality of holding elements; and (e) an axle accommodated by said holding elements; wherein: the carrier body comprises retention elements, each retention element including a basic body and a plurality of formed lips extending from said basic body, each lip including an uninterrupted front edge; the cover plate is pivoted in a tiltable manner around said axle to connect the cover plate with the carrier body; the cover plate is held under a tension force of at least one torsion spring against the carrier body; and the cover plate is formed so as to allow a tilt motion against the force of the at least one torsion spring to open the guide slot; said plurality of holding elements, said axle and said at least one torsion spring being covered by said cover plate so as to be arranged inaccessible under said cover plate; said cover plate including an angled edge portion and a base portion, said angled edge portion extending from said base portion toward said carrier body, surrounding said base body, including two apertures in opposing parts of said angled edge portion to accommodate the ends of said axle, and comprising a protrusion in the area of each of said apertures extending toward said carrier body to prop said cover plate against said carrier body; and said cover plate including a clamping part and an operating part, said clamping part comprising an even clamping surface cooperating with an even clamping surface of said carrier body, said operating part being wedge shaped to allow and to limit the tilt motion of said cover plate, said apertures and said protrusions of said cover plate being arranged in an area positioned between said clamping part and said operating part of said cover plate.