Portable camera support device with aiming structure

Claim 2

Portable apparatus for use with a camera including means for slidably receiving a tongue, said apparatus comprising: a housing; a compartment within said housing for storing such camera when it is not in use; means for selectively providing access to said compartment to facilitate the positioning of such camera therein and the subsequent removal of such camera therefrom; hand engagable means on said housing for facilitating the portage of said apparatus; and means provided on said housing for mounting such camera thereon for adjustment in at least two orthogonally aligned directions with respect to said housing to facilitate its proper orientation during photographic operations, said mounting means including a tongue of complementary configuration with respect to such tongue receiving means of such camera, means for connecting said tongue to sAid housing for pivotal displacement about a given axis between a first position, wherein it is folded upon said housing, through a second position, wherein it is accessible to have such camera slidably mounted thereon, to a third position and spring means for yieldably restraining said tongue in its said first and second positions whenever it is disposed in either of those said positions, said spring means tending to return said tongue to its said first position as it is displaced away therefrom until it has reached a given point intermediate its said first and second positions and thereafter tending to position said tongue in its said second position whenever it is disposed between said given point and its said third position.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mounting means is structured so that said spring means serves to seat such camera against said apparatus when such camera is slidably mounted on said tongue and such camera may thereafter be pivotally displaced on said tongue towards said third position of said tongue to facilitate the proper orientation of such camera for purposes of photographing a subject located in front of such camera.

Claim 4

The invention of claim 2 wherein such camera is of the self-developing type in which an exposed film unit is treated with a processing fluid responsive to its being withdrawn from such camera and said tongue is positioned on said apparatus housing to facilitate the manual withdrawal of such an exposed film unit from such camera when such camera is seated against said apparatus housing under the influence of said spring means.

Claim 5

The invention of claim 2 wherein such camera is of the back-loading type and said tongue is positioned on said apparatus housing to facilitate the loading of such camera with film when such camera is seated against said apparatus housing under the influence of said spring means.

Claim 6

Portable apparatus for use with a camera including means for slidably receiving a tongue, said apparatus comprising: a housing; a compartment within said housing for storing such camera when it is not in use; means for selectively providing access to said compartment to facilitate the positioning of such camera therein and the subsequent removal of such camera therefrom; hand engagable means on said housing for facilitating the portage of said apparatus; and means provided on said housing for mounting such camera thereon for adjustment in at least two orthogonally aligned directions with respect to said housing to facilitate its proper orientation during photographic operations, said mounting means including a tongue of complementary configuration with respect to such tongue receiving means of such camera, means for connecting said tongue to said housing for pivotal displacement about a given axis between a first position wherein it is folded upon said housing and at least a second position wherein it is accessible to have such camera slidably mounted thereon and means for yieldably restraining said tongue in at least its said first position whenever it is disposed therein, said tongue being structured for torsional movement about an axis orthogonally disposed with respect to said given axis.

Claim 7

Portable apparatus for use with a camera including means for slidably receiving a tongue, said apparatus comprising: a housing; a compartment within said housing for storing such camera when it is not in use; means for selectively providing access to said compartment to facilitate the positioning of such camera therein and the subsequent removal of such camera therefrom; hand engagable means on said housing for facilitating the portage of said apparatus; and means provided on said housing for mounting such camera thereon for adjustment in at least two orthogonally aligned directions with respect to said housing to facilitate its proper orientation during photographic operations, said mounting means including a tongue of complementary configuration with respect to such tongue receiving means of such camera, means for connecting said tongue to said housing for pivotal displacement about a given axis between a first position wherein it is folded upon said housing and at least a second position wherein it is accessible to have such camera slidably mounted thereon and means for yieldably restraining said tongue in at least its said first position whenever it is disposed therein, said tongue being structured for torsional movement about an axis orthogonally disposed with respect to said given axis.

Claim 8

Portable apparatus for use with a camera including means for slidably receiving a tongue, said apparatus comprising: a housing; a compartment within said housing for storing such camera when it is not in use; means for selectively providing access to said compartment to facilitate the positioning of such camera therein and the subsequent removal of such camera therefrom; hand engagable means on said housing for facilitating the portage of said apparatus; and means provided on said housing for mounting such camera thereon for adjustment in at least two orthogonally aligned directions with respect to said housing to facilitate its proper orientation during photographic operations, said mounting means including a base member connected to said apparatus housing, a tongue of Complementary configuration with respect to such tongue receiving means of such camera and having an end thereof configured in detending roll form, means for pivotally connecting said tongue to said base member and a leaf spring having one end thereof connected to said base member and a detent formed adjacent its other end to engage said end of said tongue, said detent being configured to yieldably restrain said tongue in its said first position under the force of said leaf spring when said tongue is disposed therein and to yieldably restrain said tongue in its said second position under the force of said leaf spring when said tongue is disposed therein, said end of said tongue and said detent on said leaf spring serving as an over-center mechanism to automatically return said tongue to either its said first or its said second position whenever it is manually displaced to a position intermediate its said first and second positions and subsequently released.

Claim 9

Portable apparatus for use with a camera including means for slidably receiving a tongue, said apparatus comprising: a housing; a compartment within said housing for storing such camera when it is not in use; means for selectively providing access to said compartment to facilitate the positioning of such camera therein and the subsequent removal of such camera therefrom; hand engagable means on said housing for facilitating the portage of said apparatus; and means provided on said housing for mounting such camera thereon for adjustment in at least two orthogonally aligned directions with respect to said housing to facilitate its proper orientation during photographic operations, said mounting means including a base member connected to said apparatus housing, a tongue of Complementary configuration with respect to such tongue receiving means of such camera and having an end thereof configured in detending roll form, means for pivotally connecting said tongue to said base member and a leaf spring having one end thereof connected to said base member and a detent formed adjacent its other end to engage said end of said tongue, said detent being configured to yieldably restrain said tongue in its said first position under the force of said leaf spring when said tongue is disposed therein and to yieldably restrain said tongue in its said second position under the force of said leaf spring when said tongue is disposed therein, said end of said tongue and said detent on said leaf spring serving as an over-center mechanism to automatically return said tongue to either its said first or its said second position whenever it is manually displaced to a position intermediate its said first and second positions and subsequently released.

Claim 10

The invention of claim 6 wherein said end of said tongue and said detent on said leaf spring serve to yieldably urge said tongue into its said second position whenever said tongue is pivotally displaced from its said second position in a direction away from its said first position.