Multipurpose ball joint assembly and work holding devices

A bail joint assembly comprising, a base and means for attaching said base to a work surface or a stand;

• a cylindrical housing and means for attaching a bottom of said cylindrical housing to a top surface of said base, and said cylindrical housing includes a lateral slot formed around an arc of less than ninety degrees adjacent to said base;
• which said cylindrical housing is open across its bottom end, includes a top having a concave inner surface, a center opening and a pair of slots that align across said cylindrical housing that intersect said cylindrical housing center opening, and said cylindrical housing concave inner surface has a like arc to the curve of the outer surface of a ball that has a diameter to fit into said cylindrical housing and is slid therein, into engagement with said concave inner surface, and which said ball has a straight shaft or stem extending outwardly from said ball surface that fits through said cylindrical housing top center opening and will slide along each of said aligned slots, between ends of said slots, when said ball is tilted, traveling in an arch of approximately one hundred eighty degrees across said cylindrical housing top;
• means for elevating said ball located within said cylindrical housing that includes a round nut with a threaded center passage that a jacking screw is turned through that includes a plunger on a top end for engaging said ball surface, and is secured to an end of a handle on its lower end that extends through said housing lateral slot for gripping by an operator;
• said round nut has a smooth cylindrical outer surface for siding into said housing bottom end after turning said jacking screw into said round nut threaded center passage;
• means for maintaining said round nut positioning in said cylindrical housing such that, turning said handle that is mounted to said jacking screw and extends out from said housing side, less than ninety degrees, elevates said jacking screw plunger onto said ball, urging it into locking engagement with said cylindrical housing top concave inner surface;
• a spring means having an apex with outwardly sloping legs for installation into and is held in place in the cylindrical housing lateral slot between an end wall of said lateral slot and the side of said handle to bias said handle to turn the jacking screw to urge the ball against the cylindrical housing top inner concave surface, and said spring means, when said sloping legs are squeezed towards one another, load to resist handle travel when said handle is moved to release said ball from a locking attitude against said housing top inner concave surface;
• and coupling means on an outer end of said straight shaft or stem for mounting a work holding device.