Patent ID: 7870688

Claim:
A clamping device for coaxially coupling optical devices, said device comprising; a. a first, front clamp assembly securable to a peripheral part of a housing of a first, front optical device, said front clamp assembly including a tubular front portion adapted to receive rearwardly therewithin a tubular rear portion of said first, front optical device, said tubular front portion of said clamp assembly including a split front collar portion comprised of a hollow cylindrical tube that is split into a pair of semi-cylindrically-shaped split collar halves by a longitudinally disposed slot which penetrates a front transversely disposed annular wall and inner and outer cylindrical wall surfaces of said tube, said tube having a front tubular portion partially severed from a rear solid cylindrical tubular base ring portion thereof by a thin transversely disposed slot which has a circumferential length of less than 360 degrees, and a tensioning structure for causing said split collar halves of said tubular front portion to resiliently exert a radially inwardly directed compressive force on an outer circumferential wall surface of a tubular rear portion of said first front optical device, b. an intermediate structure coupled to said front clamp assembly, said intermediate structure having a central bore adapted to receive coaxially with respect thereto a second, rear optical device with an optical axis of said second optical device coaxially aligned with an optical axis of said first, front optical device, and c. a releasable support structure coupled to said intermediate structure for releasably holding said second, rear optical device in coaxial alignment with said first, front optical device.