US 3,942,865 AGranted

Portable telescope

OwnerAlan E. Randinventor

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Abstract

A portable telescope assembly comprising a telescope mounted on portable support means. The portable support means includes a polar axis shaft, means for aligning the polar axis shaft parallel to the polar axis of the earth, means for revolving the telescope about the polar axis shaft, and means for rotating the telescope about an axis normal to the polar axis shaft. In addition, the polar axis shaft is balanced both torsionally and longitudinally with the telescope supported at one end and to one side of the polar axis shaft, with a fulcrum intermediate the ends of the polar axis shaft, and counterweights supported at the other end and on the other side of the polar axis shaft. The portable support means includes an air suspension system so that the assembly can be transported between erection sites without substantial hazard of damage due to vibrations or shocks.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A portable telescope assembly comprising portable support means, a polar axis shaft mounted on said portable support means, means for rotating said polar axis shaft with respect to said portable support means about a vertical axis and for tilting said polar axis shaft intermediate its ends about a horizontal axis to orient the polar axis shaft parallel to the axis of rotation of the earth, a declination axis shaft mounted on one end of said polar axis shaft and extending perpendicular to said polar axis shaft, a telescope displaced from one side of said polar axis shaft and mounted on said declination axis shaft with its sight axis perpendicular to said declination axis shaft, means for revolving said telescope and said declination axis shaft about said polar axis shaft and for rotating said telescope on said declination axis shaft while maintaining the sight axis of said telescope in a plane parallel to said polar axis shaft, a counterweight assembly mounted on said polar axis shaft and including removable weights positioned on the side of said polar axis shaft opposite to said telescope and on an end portion of said polar axis shaft opposite to said telescope to balance said telescope about the longitudinal axis of said polar axis shaft and about said horizontal axis, the weight of said counterweight assembly being movable along the length of the polar axis shaft and toward and away from the polar axis shaft.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.