Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    NONE. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program. 
       REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
       [0003]    NOT APPLICABLE 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    This invention relates to the coaching of participants in sports motion, in general, and to the instructions for their ultimate athletic performance, in particular. 
         [0006]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0007]    Film and video cameras are being used more frequently for the development of improved athletic activities. Whether they be used in the analysis of a golfer&#39;s swing, a pitcher&#39;s pick-off move, a running back&#39;s cradling of the ball, a hoopster&#39;s free-throw release, or a sprinter&#39;s finish line lunge, their availability has become a major tool in a coach&#39;s teaching arsenal. 
         [0008]    As will become clear from the following description, the present invention expands upon this by providing for the coupling of the camera to a personal computer in a portable system. The coach or instructor can then see on the monitor a view through the camera lens of the participating athlete in motion in using the computer to capture the image and to store it on a disc. From that point, the coach or instructor can play back the image and its video file over-and-over again, starting and stopping it where desired, and zoom in or out to study the different aspects of the body positionings both to look for existing problems, and to change things in a suitable manner. In its simplest terms, the portable system of the invention consists of a training type tool to be used with an athlete in developing his/her performance to the utmost. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The tripod tray of the invention is of a unique design, developed to allow the mounting of such electronic equipment as a personal computer or a video monitor directly on a camera tripod, while allowing for the simultaneous mounting of a camera or camcorder itself. A cantilever technique utilizing three simple clamps attached to the legs of the tripod is employed to provide a configuration absent of any moving parts. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the assembly will take only seconds to set up—and requires no extra brackets, fasteners or other parts for support. Primarily intended for use with a professional grade tripod, the tray will be able to easily support a laptop, a monitor or other similar electronic equipment simultaneously with the attaching of a standard camera or camcorder. The tray design will be seen to be such that its positioning on the tripod is at a comfortable working height adjustable to the user, and which does not interfere with the operation either of the mounted camera or camcorder. 
         [0010]    As will be more particularly described, the complete assembly consists of the tray and three support clamps. In a preferred embodiment, the tray comprises a rigid, flat, one-piece rectangular sheet constructed from aluminum or Lucite, having a triangular cutout at one end for mounting over the legs of the camera tripod. Made from tempered aluminum plate or plastic/Lucite for example (and approximately 21″ by 13″ wide, and ⅛-¼″ thick), the mounting tray includes the cutout in a pattern matching the tripod leg configuration. The support clamps for the tray, at the same time, are round, screw-type adjustable clamps composed of plastic or metal, two of which tighten around tripod legs to form a support for the tray, and with the third tightening around a leg to provide the cantilever action. As will become clear, the tray slips over the tripod and is entirely self-supported by the first two clamps as rear supports on which the tray rests, with the weight of the computer, the monitor, or other electronic equipment on the tray acting to lock the tray in place under the third clamp at an elevated positioning on the tripod without any additional fasteners. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    These and other features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a top pictorial view of the tray and the three support clamps of the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a front view of a camera tripod with the tray and clamps of  FIG. 1  in place; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a rear top view of the tripod and tray ready to receive the computer, monitor or other equipment for use in coaching and instructing an athlete&#39;s performance; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a similar rear top view of the tripod with a camera or camcorder mounted for viewing; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a further rear top view of the tripod along with a laptop supported on the tripod tray; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a left side view of the tripod configuration employing a pair of tripod trays helpful in an understanding of a further use of the invention; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a rear view of the tripod illustrating a manner of using the two trays of  FIG. 6  in tandem. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    In the top view of  FIG. 1 , the aluminum or Lucite tray of the invention is shown at  10  having a triangular cutout at one end  12  for mounting at its apices over the legs of a camera tripod. In one construction of the invention, the following dimension were found quite useful for a tray thickness of ⅛-¼ inches: 
         [0000]                                                    Length 101   21   inches           Width 102   13   inches           Spacing 103   ¾   inches           Width 104   1⅛   inches           Length 105   6½   inches,                        
and with the apice dimensions being selected in accordance with the dimensions of the tripod legs (which for a professional grade tripod is typically of the order of 1 inch).
 
         [0020]    The three clamps  20  are screw-type adjustable clamps  14  of a plastic or metal composition openable and closable to tighten around the tripod legs. They may each be of a 1 inch nominal diameter—and a cushion matte  16  sits atop the tray  10  at its end opposite the cutout  12 . Such matte may be of closed-cell foam fabrication. 
         [0021]      FIG. 2  shows the tray  10  mounted on the legs  15 ,  17  and  19  of a tripod. Clamps  21  and  23  represent two of the three clamps for adjusting the height of the tripod by adjusting the length of its legs. Two screw-type adjustable clamps of the invention  14   a  and  14   b  are mounted on the tripod legs  17  and  19  at the same, fixed lower height position than the third, screw-type adjustable clamp  14   c  mounted on the third tripod leg  15 . In such manner, the tray  10  is entirely self-supported, locked under the front tray support clamp  14   c  and resting on the rear support clamps  14   a,    14   b  in a cantilever configuration. (See the rear top view of  FIG. 3 , and the rear top view of  FIG. 4  with a camcorder  50  coupled with the tripod by its mount  52 .) With a laptop  55  placed on the tray cushion as in  FIG. 5 , the computer&#39;s weight on the tray further acts to lock the tray in place without any additional fasteners, simply by the cantilever effect produced by the positionings of the clamps  14   a,    14   b  and  14   c.  Adjustment of the clamp  14   c  up and down the leg  15  for a fixed positioning of the clamps  14   a  and  14   b  serves to optimize the cantilever results for the weight to be placed on the tray  10 . 
         [0022]    As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the tray  10  of the invention may be of different sizes to accommodate different dimensions of computers, monitors or other electronic equipment. Similarly, the tray may be drilled with other varying size cutouts, to hold such photographic equipment as the lenses to be used, for example. Also, the tray may be hinged in the center if desired, to fold into a more compact size for storage when not being used. Where the computer, monitor or other electronic equipment is of a greater mass, additional thumb-screw adjustable clamps could be positioned above the tray  10  in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , slid down the legs  17  and  19 , and tightened to further lock the tray in place. 
         [0023]    In the configuration of  FIGS. 6 and 7 , on the other hand, such additional clamps are particularly useful in locking pairs of trays together to provide two working surfaces on a single tripod. The additional two clamps are shown at  75 , with the trays indicated at  10   a  and  10   b.  The camera mount is shown at  52 , the camcorder at  50  and the laptop at  55 —and with the additional tray  10   b  used to support a notepad  80  and pen  82  for information recording. 
         [0024]    In operation, with the tripod, clamps, tray(s), camera and computer set up, everything seen by the camera can be viewed on the computer monitor and stored, for later use as a training tool to optimize the performance of an athlete. The tray or trays continue to rest on the two lower clamps  14   a,    14   b,  with the third higher clamp  14   c  continuing to secure the tray in place through the cantilevered action. The weight of the equipment on the tray pulls the front end of the tray upwardly where it is locked by the raised clamp  14   c.    
         [0025]    While there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. Thus, whereas the tripod tray has been described specifically for use in analyzing and coaching athletic performance motions, the teachings can also be used in the medical field by chiropractors, physical therapists and hospitals, for example, for use in conjunction with a rehabilitation movement program. In essence, then, the tripod tray of the invention will be seen to represent a generic, general purpose type tool that can be used in studying anything having to do with motion activity. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention.

Technology Category: 2