Metrology grade light weight tripod
AssigneeBrunson Instrument Company
InventorsMark J. Meuret, Eric L. McKinney
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tripod and a method of stabilizing a collapsible stand are provided. The tripod includes three legs attached to a base that swing open to a predetermined angle against a positive stop. The legs are locked into place in the open position via a leg spreader that forces (or pre-stresses/pre-loads) the legs outward against the stops. The method includes the steps of pivoting the legs of the collapsible stand to an open pivotal position into engagement with a stop, applying a load upon the legs to force the legs against the stop, and maintaining the load upon the legs while the stand is in use.
Claims32
A tripod comprising:
- a base;
- three legs spaced apart generally equally and pivotally connected to said base, each leg being movable between a generally collapsed position and an open pivotal position;
- a stop associated with each of said legs, said stop being configured to prevent said legs from rotating beyond said open pivotal position, thereby defining a maximum outward angle for each of said legs in said open pivotal position;
- and
- a leg spreader associated with each of said legs;
- wherein urging said leg spreader towards said base causes said leg spreader to urge said legs towards said open pivotal position when said leg spreader is in an engaged configuration, and
- wherein urging said legs towards said open pivotal position by said leg spreader when said legs are already in said open pivotal position causes said legs to be secured in said open pivotal position.
A tripod for supporting an object above a surface, the tripod comprising:
- a base;
- three legs spaced apart generally equally and pivotally connected to said base, each leg being configured to extend between the surface and said base when the tripod is being used to support an object above the surface;
- a stop associated with each of said legs, said stop being configured to prevent said legs from rotating beyond an open pivotal position when said legs are engaged with the surface;
- and
- a spreader means for applying a load upon said legs to force said legs against said stop regardless of whether said legs are engaged with the surface.
A method of stabilizing a collapsible stand for supporting measuring equipment above a surface, the stand including at least three legs pivotally connected to a base, said method comprising:
- pivoting the legs to an open pivotal position into engagement with a stop;
- applying a load upon said legs to force said legs against said stop;
- and
- maintaining said load upon said legs so as to prevent said legs from moving away from said stop regardless of whether said stand is positioned on the surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.