Patent ID: 8523130

Claim:
A deployment apparatus comprising: (a) a deployment object; (b) a deployment arm coupled to the deployment object, wherein the deployment arm comprises a mating surface; (c) a rotation limiting pin coupled to the mating surface of the deployment arm; (d) a deployment link, wherein an end of the deployment link comprises a mating surface that confronts the mating surface of the deployment arm and an opposing end of the deployment link is coupled in a fixed location to a deployment arm mount; (e) a pivot housing, wherein the pivot housing is adjacent the mating surfaces of the deployment link and the deployment arm; (f) at least two linear guides, wherein the at least two linear guides are coupled to the deployment arm mount and comprise at least two tracks that are slidingly engaged with a plurality of linear bearings on the surface of the pivot housing; and (g) a gas spring coupled at one end to the pivot housing and coupled at an opposing end to the deployment arm mount; wherein the rotation limiting pin is configured to contact the deployment link when the deployment arm is positioned between a stowed angle and a released angle, wherein the stowed angle is an angle formed between the deployment arm and a vertical axis, and wherein the released angle is an angle formed between the deployment arm and the stowed angle.