Support for photographic instruments and the like

Claim 1

A SUPPORT FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC INSTRUMENTS AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING A LEG-SUPPORTED HOLLOW BODY WITH A CONVEX TOP SURFACE AND A VERTICAL BORE TERMINATING THEREAT, SAID BORE WIENING BELOW SAID SURFACE INTO A SOCKET OF SPHERICAL CURVATURE CENTERED ON A POINT WHOSE DISTANCE FROM ANY PART OF SAID SURFACE EXCEEDS THE WIDTH OF SAID BODY AT THE LEVEL OF SAID POINT; A BALL MATINGLY RECEIVED IN SAID SOCKET, SAID BALL BEING PROVIDED WITH A STEM PROJECTING OUTWARDLY THROUGH SAID BORE BEYOND SAID SURFACE, SAID BODY IN A VERTICAL PLANE THROUGH SAID POINT BEING FORMED WITH AN UPWARDLY AND LATERALLY OPEN CHANNEL MERGINING INTO SAID BORE AND EXTENDING FROM IT ACROSS SAID SURFACE AND AN ADJOINING SIDE OF SAID BODY OVER AN ARC OF SUBSTANTIALLY 90*, SAID CHANNEL BEING WIDE ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE SAID STEM WHEREBY THE LATTER IS TILTTABLE FROM A VERTICAL POSITION INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION IN WHICH IT PROJECTS LATERALLY FROM SAID BODY; AN INSTRUMENTSUPPORTING PLATFORM SECURED TO THE PROJECTING TIP OF SAID STEM FOR SWINGING BETWEEN A HORIZONTAL POSITION ATOP SAID SURFACE AND A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION AT SAID SIDE OF SIDE BODY, SAID PLATFORM HAVING A DOWNWARDLY CONCAVE UNDERSIDE HUGGING SAID CONVEX SURFACE IN ITS HORIZONTAL PORTION; AND LOCKING MEANS ON SAID BODY FOR RELEASABLY CLAMPING SAID BALL IN SAID SOCKET, THEREBY IMMOBILIZING SAID PLATFORM IN ANY SELECTED POSITION THEREOF.