Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to adjustable camera flash mounts that provide for camera flash positioning adjustments in relation to the orientation of the camera on multiple planes. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Both amateur and professional photographers have occasion to rotate their cameras from a horizontal position to a vertical position or any position therebetween to obtain a desired photograph of the subject matter. While this typically creates no physical problems for the photographer, such camera rotation usually results in the rotation of the associated flash unit that is either physically attached to the camera or to a bracket that is attached to the camera. When the angular orientation of the flash unit is changed, side shadows, which are undesirable, may be introduced into the resulting photograph. It should be noted that shadows behind the subject are desirable and such shadows can be produced when the flash unit is above the subject rather than to one side thereof. There are numerous devices or brackets available to hold a flash in a specific orientation while changing the orientation of the camera. Examples of related prior art address this problem by maintaining the orientation of the flash in relation to a movable mount for the camera, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,897 which discloses a support for a camera wherein the angular position of the camera with respect to the support can be adjusted by means of a mounting screw which is received through an elongated slot within the support and which threadably engages the mount in the base of the camera. In this reference, in order to change the angular position of the camera with respect to the supporting flash unit attached thereto, the mounting screw must be loosened and the camera must be moved relative to the support and the mounting screw re-tightened. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,825 discloses a support for a camera and flash unit that permits the camera to rotate through ninety degrees while maintaining the flash unit in fixed position above the subject. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,922,609 discloses an adjustable camera mount that utilizes a support member having a lower cylindrical surface that is received within a complimentary circular depression provided within a disk attached to the base plate. 
     Applicant&#39;s own U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,544 is directed to an adjustable camera mounting device wherein the camera is rotated on a movable mounting arm allowing the camera to be repositioned in relation to a camera flash attached to the base portion of the mounting device. 
     It can therefore be seen that a number of mounting devices and brackets have been developed to provide for the camera to be rotatably adjusted without changing the orientation of the flash unit in regards to the subject matter. It therefore has become desirable to develop a camera flash mounting device which will allow the flash unit to move independently while the camera remains in a stated position orientation thereby achieving a greater flexibility and usability for the user non-dependent on desired camera orientation for flash positioning. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An adjustable camera flash mounting bracket device that provides for an integrated repositioning of a mounted camera flash in regards to a fixed mounted camera. The orientation of the independently adjustable camera flash vis-à-vis the camera is achieved by a movable flash mounting base having a curved interconnected armature with an internal guide and resistant inducing guide elements affording incremental and pre-determined fixed interengagement fixation points therebetween. The combination of the guide and pressure gripping contact between the rotatable guide surfaces and the guide channels within the flash mount assures slidable gripping contact and therefore positioning therebetween without changing the relative orientation of the camera so positioned within the bracket structure by encompassing a moving orientation of the flash mount to maintain the flash at a desired position to the subject matter. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the adjustable camera flash mounting device of the invention illustrating the orientation between the movable flash mount and a fixed camera, not shown, positioned thereon. 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevational view thereof with portions broken away and in broken lines illustrating the interengagement guides and the adjustable flash mounting portion shown in broken lines. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view on lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view on lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view on lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the adjustable camera flash mounting device of the invention with rotatably adjustable flash mount in maximum rotational orientation. 
         FIG. 7  is a rear elevational view of the adjustable camera flash mounting device. 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged top plan view of the camera mounting platform on the camera flash mounting device. 
         FIG. 9  is an end elevational view of the adjustable camera flash mounting device of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  7  and  8  of the drawings, an adjustable camera flash mounting device  10  of the invention can be seen having a base member  11  with a camera mounting assembly  12  secured inwardly from one end thereof. The camera mounting assembly  12  has an apertured support base  14  with multiple engagement slots  15  extending therethrough for adjustably receiving camera positioning arm elements  16 . A central threaded camera attachment fitting  17  extends freely and rotatably through a central bore  18  in the platform  14  to selectively engage and secure a camera, not shown, thereto as will be understood by those skilled in the art and as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. 
     A camera flash mounting assembly  19  of the invention is mounted on and extends from the base member  11  inwardly of its oppositely disposed free end  21 . An adjustable base stabilization arm  22  is pivotally secured by a threaded pivot pin  23  to the base and can therefore be selectively extended as shown in broken lines in  FIG. 1  of the drawings providing an independent self-support to the base  11 . 
     The camera flash mounting assembly  19  has a main upstanding support bracket  24  removably secured by a threaded finger engagement fitting  25  to the base member  11 , best seen in  FIG. 7  of the drawings. The support bracket  24  is slotted longitudinally at  26  for adjustably securing in fixed position a guide wheel assembly  27  having a curved internal base  28 . 
     The guide wheel assembly  27  has a pair of arcuately spaced guide wheels  29  and  30 , each having an annular beveled engagement surface  31  which are rotatably mounted to the base  28  within associated recesses  32  and  33  by respective bolts  34  extending through a central aperture therein and received with a threaded bore  35  as best seen in  FIG. 5  of the drawings. 
     A pressure guide member  36  is positioned in a recess  37  in the base  28  between the hereinbefore described guide wheels  29  and  30 . The pressure guide member  36  has a spring urged guide wheel  38  which is rotatably secured to a movable mounting block  39  by a bolt  34 . The mounting block  39 , best seen in  FIG. 4  of the drawings, has a spring receiving seat  40  therein for tension springs  41 A and  41 B used in this example. The tension springs  41 A and  41 B are in contact with the inner wall of the recess  37  so as to urge the mounting block  39  and its rotatable guide wheel  38  towards an inner curved groove engagement surface  43  of a movable curved flash mounting arm  44  when slidably positioned thereover as seen in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. 
     The camera flash mounting arm  44  is typically made from a metallic material, such as aluminum as is the hereinbefore described base member  11 , main support bracket  24  and guide wheel assembly curved base  28 . 
     The flash mounting arm  44  circumscribes an arc with a pair of spaced arcuate sidewalls  45  and  46  having pairs of side by side grooves  45 A,  45 B and  46 A and  46 B formed respectively therein as seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5  of the drawings. The grooved surfaces permit the guide wheels  29  and  30  and pressure guide wheel  38  to be received within there defined beveled exterior wheel surfaces for arrangement therebetween and allowing the flash mounting arm  44  to be rotatably positioned on the fixed guide wheel assembly  27 . The sidewalls  45  and  46  are interconnected by an integral end wall forming a closed end at  47 . 
     The flash mounting arm  44  has a T-shaped camera flash mounting bracket  48  secured thereto by a lug  49  extending integrally from the sidewall  45  in spaced relation to the closed end  47 . The camera flash mounting bracket  48  has adjustable spacer blocks  50  and  51  with a threaded finger engagement bolt  52  extending centrally therethrough to provide a universal camera flash engagement and retainment arrangement as will be well understood by those skilled in the art. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-6  and  7  of the drawings, as engaged, the camera flash mounting arm  44  is positioned on and over the fixed guide wheel assembly  27  such that the guide wheels  29  and  30  and intermediate pressure guide member  36 , spring urged guide wheel  37  are received between the opposing grooved pairs  45 A and  45 B and  46 A and  46 B as described in the curved flash mounting arm  44  and the spring urged guide wheel  38  grippingly contacts the corresponding portions of the registered grooves  45 A and  45 B imparting gripping contact to the respective surfaces thereby providing a resistant sliding contact therebetween. 
     This arrangement allows the mounting arm  44  and attached camera flash mount  48  to be rotated therealong and once a desired rotational position has been achieved to be held in that selected position even if that position is such that the camera flash mount  19  is oriented ninety degrees with respect to the camera mount  12  as shown in  FIG. 6  of the drawings. 
     It will be seen that an inner surface  53  of the flash mounting arm  44  between the aforementioned grooved sidewalls  45  and  46  has a curvilinear recessed area  54  therein with a plurality of adjacently positioned spaced detents  55 ,  56  and  57 . The recessed area  54  extends between respective defined points of the closed end  47  and open end of the flash mounting arm  44 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  of the drawings, a travel stop pin  58  extending from a registration aperture  58 A in the guide wheel assembly  27  and is in registering contact within the recessed area  54  and therefore defines a maximum travel path MTP of the flash mounting arm  44  as illustrated  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 6  of the drawings. 
     It will be correspondingly seen, therefore, that the hereinbefore described detents  55 ,  56  and  57  can be selectively engaged by a spring mounted indexing pin  59  extending resiliently from a registration aperture  59 A in the base  28 . 
     The combination of the multiple arm retaining elements with the hereinbefore described guide wheel assembly  27  will allow the flash mounting arm  44  to be rotatable with respect to the camera mounting base member  12  within a given range and then grippingly held at any position selected within its travel path as previously noted. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 8  of the drawings, the camera mounting assembly  12  having the camera positioning elements  16  are comprised of a pair of contoured armatures  60  and  61 , each having an upstanding camera engagement registration stop  60 A and  61 A at the respective free ends. Each of the armatures  60  and  61  are adjustably positioned, as seen in broken lines in  FIG. 8  of the drawings, within their respective registration slots  15  by a retainment fasteners RF extending through selected threaded apertures therein  63 A and  63 B. The respective contoured armatures  60  and  61  can therefore be selectively adjusted to accommodate different camera body configurations, not shown, by repositioning about a retainment attachment and pivot point within the respective slots  15  indicated by directional broken arrows. 
     It will thus be seen that the camera flash mounting device  10  of the invention permits infinite rotational adjustment of the camera flash, not shown, along its curvilinear travel path from a parallel horizontal plane to the camera mounting assembly  12  to a ninety degree vertical orientation thereto as seen in  FIG. 6  of the drawings. Additionally, after the camera flash arm  44  has been adjusted into the desired position, it is grippingly retained, as noted, automatically. 
     This allows, in use, the maintaining of a relative and optimal position of a mounted camera flash, not shown, relative to the photographic subject, not shown, regardless of the actual rotation of the camera imparted by the user. This assures shadow management by during a photo shoot as will be understood by those skilled in the art. 
     It will therefore be evident that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Technology Category: 2