Portable tripod and universal mounting assembly for an object

A portable stand assembly for removably securing a camera phone thereto, said camera phone containing a universal mounting button having neck portion and a head portion, said head portion having a transverse width dimension greater than that of the neck portion, the button neck portion having a proximal end for coupling to the camera phone and a distal end thereof mounted to the head portion, said stand assembly comprising:

• a portable stand device;
• and
• a camera mount device mounted to the portable stand device in a manner enabling articulation of the mount device, said mount device including a body defining an opening into a receiving socket of the body, said body further defining an elongated slot extending along and into said receiving socket from a support surface, said elongated slot having a transverse width dimension smaller than that of said receiving socket, but suitable to receive a transverse width dimension of the neck portion of the mounting button, and said receiving socket being formed and dimensioned for sliding receipt of the transverse width dimension of said head portion as said neck portion slides along the elongated slot to a dock position;
• and
• a lock assembly selectively retaining and locking the mounting button to the mount device in the dock position, and including a resilient retaining arm cantilever disposed in said receiving socket, and having a contact portion movable between a released position and a locked position, locking said head portion to the body when at the dock position in the receiving socket, said contact portion includes a retaining nipple upstanding therefrom, and formed for retaining receipt in a hollow in the bottom side of the head portion of the universal mounting button when the retaining arm is in the locked position, said retaining nipple further includes a ramped portion facing the opening into said receiving socket, and formed to facilitate sliding movement of the nipple into the button hollow during sliding movement of the head portion toward the docked position, said lock assembly further including a locking wedge manually operable between an unengaged condition, enabling movement in the retaining arm toward the released position, and an engaged condition, preventing movement of said retaining arm from the locked position toward the released position.