Lens casing control mechanism for a binocular telescope

Claim 1

IN A BINOCULAR TELESCOPE HAVING A PAIR OF OCULAROBJECTIVE LENS SYSTEMS AND TWO COMPACT, GENERALLY RECTANGULAR BOX-LIKE LENS CASING SLIDEABLY SUPPORTED UPON A CENTRAL SUPPORT MEMBER FOR INTERPUPILLARY DISTANCE ACCOMMODATION, SAID LENS SYSTEMS BEING MOUNTED IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT IN SAID LENS CASINGS WITH ONE OF THE LENSES OF EACH SYSTEM BEING MOVABLE ALONG ITS OPTICAL AXIS, SAID MOVABLE LENSES OF EACH OF SAID SYSTEMS BEING MOUNTED IN SLEEVES SLIDEABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID CASINGS ALONG A RESPECTIVE OPTICAL AXIS, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING EACH OF SAID SLEEVES HAVING A RADIALLY OUTWARDLY PROTRUDING FLANGE, SPRING MEANS INTERMEDIATE SAID FLANGE AND THE CASING WHICH MOUNTS SAID MOVABLE SLEEVE FOR URGING SAID LENS SLEEVE TOWARD AND INTO THE CASING, A TRANSVERSE FOCUSING BAR MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CENTRAL SUPPORT MEMBER EXTENDING INTO EACH OF SAID CASINGS OUTSIDE OF THE FIELD OF SIGHT THERETHROUGH, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING SAID BAR ALONG THE OPTICAL AXES, SAID FOCUSING BAR HAVING PARALLEL AND INCLINED BEARING SURFACES ADAPTED TO CONTACT THE INNER ENDS OF EACH OF SAID MOVABLE LENS SLEEVES IN OPPOSITION TO THE SPRING URGING OF SAID SLEEVES TOWARD SAID BEARING SURFACES, THE INNER ENDS OF SAID MOVABLE LENS SLEEVES BEING PROVIDED WITH A PIN TO MAKE SINGLE POINT CONTACT AGAINST SAID BEARING SURFACES, THE PARALLEL SURFACES OF SAID BAR EXTENDING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE CENTRAL SUPPORT AND PERPENDICULAR TO SAID OPTICAL AXES, SAID PARALLEL BEARING SURFACES BEING AT EACH END OF SAID BAR AND EACH PARALLEL SURFACE HAVING A LENGTH APPROXIMATELY EQUIVALENT TO HALF THE LENGTH OF THE NORMAL RANGE OF INTERPUPILLARY DISTANCE ACCOMMODATION OF SAID BINOCULAR, THE INCLINED BEARING SURFACES OF SAID BAR FORMING JUNCTURES WITH THE ENDS OF SAID PARALLEL SURFACES TOWARD THE CENTRAL PLANE OF THE BINOCULAR, THE INCLINED SURFACES EXTENDING TOWARD SAID CENTRAL PLANE AND BEING ORIENTED INWARDLY TOWARD A CENTRAL POINT BETWEEN THE FRONT AND REAR OF SAID BINOCULAR, THE EXTENT OF SAID INWARD ORIENTATION PERMITTING THE RETRACTION OF SAID MOVABLE LENSES INTO THE CASINGS BY SAID SPRINGS IN ALL POSITIONS OF SAID FOCUSING BAR ALONG THE OPTICAL AXES UPON TRANSVERSE MOVEMENT OF THE CASINGS INTO ADJACENT CONTACTING POSITIONS.