U.S. patent application number 11/210770 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-01 for mounting base of a telescope.
Invention is credited to Chun-Hao Chen.
Application Number | 20070045501 11/210770 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37802729 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070045501 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Chun-Hao |
March 1, 2007 |
Mounting base of a telescope
Abstract
A mounting base of a telescope is assembled between a focusing
device and a tubular body and is assembled on a tripod. The
mounting base has a sleeve portion and a base portion. The sleeve
portion has a rear end and a front end for being assembled with a
front end of the focusing device and a rear end of the tubular
body, respectively. The base portion integrally connects with a
bottom of an outer annular surface of the sleeve portion. The base
portion is for being assembled on the tripod. As a result, the
mounting base of a telescope of the present invention integrates a
sleeve's function and a base's function together. Therefore, the
cost of the telescope is reduced, and the stability and the
appearance of the telescope are improved.
Inventors: |
Chen; Chun-Hao; (Taipei
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROSENBERG, KLEIN & LEE
3458 ELLICOTT CENTER DRIVE-SUITE 101
ELLICOTT CITY
MD
21043
US
|
Family ID: |
37802729 |
Appl. No.: |
11/210770 |
Filed: |
August 25, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/346.03 ;
248/176.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B 23/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/346.03 ;
248/176.1 |
International
Class: |
B65D 19/00 20060101
B65D019/00 |
Claims
1. A mounting base of a telescope, the mounting base being
assembled between a focusing device and a tubular body and being
assembled on a tripod, the mounting base comprising: a sleeve
portion having a rear end and a front end for being assembled with
a front end of the focusing device and a rear end of the tubular
body, respectively; and a base portion integrally connecting with a
bottom of an outer annular surface of the sleeve portion, wherein
the base portion is for being assembled on the tripod.
2. The mounting base of a telescope as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the sleeve portion has a rear connecting structure disposed at the
rear end thereof.
3. The mounting base of a telescope as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the sleeve portion has an outer annular concavity disposed at the
rear end thereof.
4. The mounting base of a telescope as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the sleeve portion has an inner annular concavity and an inner
thread disposed at the rear end thereof.
5. The mounting base of a telescope as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the sleeve portion has a shading thread disposed at an inner
annular surface thereof.
6. The mounting base of a telescope as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the sleeve portion has a front connecting structure disposed at the
front end thereof.
7. The mounting base of a telescope as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the sleeve portion has an inner thread disposed at the front end
thereof.
8. The mounting base of a telescope as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the base portion extends forwardly from the sleeve portion.
9. The mounting base of a telescope as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the base portion has a bottom connecting structure disposed at a
bottom surface thereof.
10. The mounting base of a telescope as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the base portion has a screw hole disposed at a bottom surface
thereof.
11. The mounting base of a telescope as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the base portion has a concave portion disposed at a rear end
thereof.
12. The mounting base of a telescope as claimed in claim 1,
comprising a soft pad, wherein the soft pad is fixed on a bottom
surface of the base portion.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a mounting base of a
telescope, and more particularly, to a mounting base that
integrates a sleeve's function and a base's function together.
[0003] 2. Background of the Invention
[0004] Telescopes are commonly used for many different purposes and
by many different kinds of people, from amateur stargazers and
enthusiasts catching a glimpse of astrological phenomena, to
scientists conducting academic research. A telescope is mounted on
a tripod to make it easy for the user to operate the focusing
device and move the retractable objective tube of the telescope, so
the user can adjust the image of a viewed object (such as a star or
a migratory bird) to the focus position of the telescope. As such,
the viewed object can be seen distinctly.
[0005] Referring to FIG. 1A, a conventional telescope includes a
focusing device 92, a sleeve 91, a tubular body 93, a retractable
objective tube 94, and a base 95. The sleeve 91 has a rear end
assembled with a front end of the focusing device 92. This design
allows the sleeve 91 and the focusing device 92 to relatively
rotate. The sleeve 91 has a front end assembled with a rear end of
the tubular body 93. The retractable objective tube 94 is
retractably assembled with a front end of the tubular body 93. The
base 95 is fixed on a bottom of an outer annular surface of the
tubular body 93, so that the telescope can be mounted on a tripod
5.
[0006] The base 95 of the above-described conventional telescope is
an independent element. The manufacture of the base 95 increases
the cost of the telescope. Assembling the base 95 and the tubular
body 93 can be a costly affair, and causes the whole structure to
be less stable, and unpleasant to look at.
[0007] FIG. 1B shows another conventional telescope. The base 95 of
the telescope is fixed on a bottom of an outer annular surface of
the sleeve 91, so that the telescope can be mounted on a tripod 5.
However, the telescope still has the above-described drawbacks.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0008] The primary object of the invention is therefore to specify
a mounting base of a telescope to reduce the cost of the telescope,
and to improve the stability and the appearance of the
telescope.
[0009] According to the invention, the object is achieved via a
mounting base of a telescope. The mounting base is assembled
between a focusing device and a tubular body and is assembled on a
tripod. The mounting base comprises a sleeve portion and a base
portion. The sleeve portion has a rear end and a front end for
being assembled with a front end of the focusing device and a rear
end of the tubular body, respectively. The base portion integrally
connects with a bottom of an outer annular surface of the sleeve
portion. The base portion is for being assembled on the tripod.
[0010] As the base portion integrally connects with the sleeve
portion, the mounting base of a telescope of the present invention
integrates the sleeve's function and the base's function together.
Therefore, the cost of the telescope is reduced, and the stability
and the appearance of the telescope are also improved.
[0011] To provide a further understanding of the invention, the
following detailed description illustrates embodiments and examples
of the invention. Examples of the more important features of the
invention thus have been summarized rather broadly in order that
the detailed description thereof that follows may be better
understood, and in order that the contributions to the art may be
appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the
invention which will be described hereinafter and which will form
the subject of the claims appended hereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages
of this invention will be more readily appreciated as the same
becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed
description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1A is a planar view of a sleeve and a base of a
telescope according to a prior art;
[0014] FIG. 1B is a planar view of a sleeve and a base of a
telescope according to another prior art;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a planar view of a mounting base of a telescope
according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mounting base of a
telescope according to a first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a mounting base of a
telescope according to a first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0018] FIG. 5 is an upward view of a mounting base of a telescope
according to a first embodiment of the present invention; and
[0019] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a mounting base of a
telescope according to a second embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0020] FIGS. 2-5 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
The present invention provides a mounting base 1 of a telescope.
The mounting base 1 is assembled between a focusing device 2 and a
tubular body 3 and is assembled on a tripod 5. The mounting base 1
comprises a sleeve portion 11 and a base portion 12.
[0021] The sleeve portion 11 has a rear end and a front end for
being assembled with a front end of the focusing device 2 and a
rear end of the tubular body 3, respectively. The rear end of the
sleeve portion 11 matches the front end of the focusing device 2,
and the sleeve portion 11 has a rear connecting structure, such as
an outer annular concavity 111, disposed at the rear end thereof,
for being penetrated via a screw (not shown) fastened at the front
end of the focusing device 2. In this way, the mounting base 1 and
the focusing device 2 can relatively rotate. The front end of the
sleeve portion 11 matches the rear end of the tubular body 3, and
the sleeve portion 11 has a front connecting structure, such as an
inner thread 112 disposed at the front end thereof, for being
fastened on the rear end of the tubular body 3. The sleeve portion
11 has a shading thread 113 disposed at an inner annular surface
thereof to avoid light pollution generated therein.
[0022] The base portion 12 connects with a bottom of an outer
annular surface of the sleeve portion 11. The base portion 12 is
for being assembled on the tripod 5. The base portion 12 extends
forwardly from the sleeve portion 11 for reliably supporting the
tubular body 3. The base portion 12 has a bottom connecting
structure, such as a screw hole 121, disposed at a bottom surface
thereof, for being fastened with a bolt (not shown) of the tripod
5, so that the telescope can be mounted on the tripod 5. The base
portion 12 has a concave portion 122 disposed at a rear end thereof
to enable the user to operate the focusing device 2. In this
embodiment, the concave portion 122 is an inclined surface.
[0023] In this embodiment, the base portion 12 integrally connects
with the bottom of the outer annular surface of the sleeve portion
11 to form the mounting base 1. For example, the mounting base 1
may be made by processing an aluminum tube or injection-molding of
a plastic.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the telescope includes a focusing device
2, a mounting base 1, a tubular body 3, and a retractable objective
tube 4. As described in the above description, the mounting base 1
is assembled between the focusing device 2 and the tubular body 3.
In addition, the retractable objective tube 4 is retractably
assembled with the front end of the tubular body 3. The mounting
base 1 of the telescope of the present invention has both a
sleeve's function and a base's function. It is simple to assemble
the mounting base 1 between the focusing device 2 and the tubular
body 3, so the tubular body 3 does not require a structure for
fastening on the mounting base 1. As such, the cost of the
telescope is reduced, and the appearance of the telescope is more
aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, the tolerance of the mounting
base 1 is smaller than the combined tolerance of the sleeve and the
base of the prior art. Therefore, the axis of the telescope is more
precise, and the stability of the telescope is improved.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting base 1 of the telescope of
the present invention further comprises a soft pad 13, made of cork
or soft rubber. The soft pad 13 is fixed on the bottom surface of
the base portion 12 for increasing the amount of friction between
the mounting base 1 and the tripod 5. Therefore, the stability of
the telescope is improved. The soft pad 13 also provides a
cushioning function.
[0026] FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
In the second embodiment, the sleeve portion 61 of the mounting
base 6 has an inner annular concavity 611 and an inner thread 613
(a rear connecting structure) disposed at the rear end thereof, for
connecting a joint tube (not shown). The mounting base 6 and the
focusing device (not shown) are connected via the joint tube. The
concave portion 622 formed at the rear end of the base portion 62
is a concave curved surface. In addition, as described in the first
embodiment, the sleeve portion 61 also has an inner thread 612 (a
front connecting structure), and the base portion 62 also has a
screw hole 621 (a bottom connecting structure).
[0027] Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, the length and the
appearance of the mounting base may be different and are not
restricted to the above embodiments. The mounting base still has
the same functions as the sleeve and the base. In addition, the
rear connecting structure and the front connecting structure of the
sleeve portion and the bottom connecting structure of the base
portion may be different according to the focusing device, the
tubular body, and the tripod, and are not restricted to the above
embodiments.
[0028] As indicated above, the mounting base of a telescope of the
present invention has the following advantages:
[0029] 1. As the base portion integrally connects with the sleeve
portion, the mounting base of the telescope of the present
invention integrates the sleeve's function and the base's function
together.
[0030] 2. It is simple to assemble the mounting base between the
focusing device and the tubular body. Therefore, the cost of the
telescope is reduced, and the appearance of the telescope is more
aesthetically pleasing.
[0031] 3. The tolerance of the mounting base is smaller than the
combined tolerance of the sleeve and the base of the prior art.
Therefore, the stability of the telescope is improved.
[0032] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the
above description is only illustrative of specific embodiments and
examples of the invention. The invention should therefore cover
various modifications and variations made to the herein-described
structure and operations of the invention, provided they fall
within the scope of the invention as defined in the following
appended claims.
* * * * *