Patent ID: 8016438

Claim:
A spherical mount assembly for mounting an optical element, comprising: a spherical element; an optical element positioned relative to the spherical element, wherein an optical surface of the optical element is positioned to coincide with a center of rotation of the spherical element; a first retainer including a first flange having a plurality of first through-holes for receiving a plurality of fasteners; and a second retainer including a second flange being parallel to the first flange and having a plurality of second through-holes aligned with the first through-holes for receiving the fasteners, a mounting surface configured to mount the spherical mount assembly to an external structure, and an orifice that is substantially parallel to the mounting surface, wherein the spherical element is configured to be positioned such that substantially all light impinging on the optical element enters and exits substantially through the orifice, and the first flange and the second flange are configured to receive the plurality of fasteners, which when the fasteners are tightened, draw the first and the second retainers toward each other, without rotation therebetween, to hold the spherical element captive in a fixed position, wherein each of the first retainer and the second retainer includes an interior curved surface having a radius that substantially corresponds to an outer radius of the spherical element.