Remote control mechanism for a varifocal lens

Claim 1

A CONTROL MECHANISM FOR A VARIFOCAL LENS SYSTEM HAVING A ROTATABLE RING FOR FOCUSING AND A ROTATABLE BARREL FOR DRIVING THE MOVABLE LENS ELEMENTS COMPRISING, A MAIN HOUSING SUPPORTING SAID LENS SYSTEM AND THE ELEMENTS OF SAID CONTROL MECHANISM SITUATED ADJACENT TO SAID SYSTEM, A FIRST YEAR MEANS FIXED TO SAID RING FOR FOCUSING, A PINION MESHING WITH SAID FIRST GEAR MEANS AND SERVING AS THE DRIVER FOR THE FOCUSING BARREL, A FIRST SHAFT SUPPORTED BY BEARINGS WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR RETAINING SAID PINION IN MESH WITH SAID FIRST GEAR MEANS, A FIRST SPROCKET MEANS FIXED TO SAID FIRST SHAFT, A SECOND SPROCKET MEANS MOUNTED ON A SECOND ROTATABLE SHAFT SUPPORTED IN BEARINGS RETAINED BY A BUSHING FIXED TO SAID HOUSING, MEANS FOR DRIVABLY LINKING SAID FIRST AND A SECOND SPROCKET MEANS, A FOCUS CONTROL HOUSING SEPARATED FROM SAID MAIN HOUSING, AND INPUT SHAFT SUPPORTED IN BEARINGS HELD BY SAID FOCUS CONTROL HOUSING, A WORM MOUNTED ON SAID INPUT SHAFT, A WORM GEAR MESHING WITH SAID WORM, AN INDICATOR SHAFT FOR SUPPORTING SAID WORM GEAR, AN INDICATING SCALE ON SAID INDICATOR SHAFT TO DISPLAY THE FOCUSING DISTANCE, A LIMIT STOP ASSOCIATED WITH SAID INDICATING SCALE OF PREVENT ROTATION OF THE LATTER WHEN THE LIMITS OF THE FOCUSING RANGE ARE REACHED, FLEXIBLE MEANS FOR COUPLING SAID INPUT SHAFT TO SAID FIRST SHAFT, A THIRD SPROCKET MEANS FIXED TO SAID BARREL FOR DRIVING THE MOVABLE ZOOM LENS ELEMENTS, FOURTH SPROCKET CARRIED BY THE HOUSING AND MEANS FOR LINKING IT TO SAID THIRD SPROCKET, AN INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FOR SUPPORTING SAID FOURTH SPROCKET WITHIN SAID MAIN HOUSING, A UNIVERSAL JOINT COUPLED TO SAID INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, A HANDWHEEL FOR MOVING THE LENS SYSTEM TO THE DESIRED POINT WIHTIN THE ZOOM RANGE, GEAR MEANS INTERCONNETING THE UNIVERSAL JOINT AND HANDWHEEL, AND A LIMIT STOP ASSOCIATED WITH SAID HANDWHEEL TO PREVENT THE LATTER FROM EXCEEDING THE LIMITS OF THE ZOOM RANGE.