US20070045501A1

US20070045501A1 - Mounting base of a telescope

Info

Publication number: US20070045501A1
Application number: US11/210,770
Authority: US
Inventors: Chun-Hao Chen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-08-25
Filing date: 2005-08-25
Publication date: 2007-03-01

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.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
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.
2. Background of the Invention
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.
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.
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.
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

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.
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.
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.
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

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:
FIG. 1A is a planar view of a sleeve and a base of a telescope according to a prior art;
FIG. 1B is a planar view of a sleeve and a base of a telescope according to another prior art;
FIG. 2 is a planar view of a mounting base of a telescope according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mounting base of a telescope according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a mounting base of a telescope according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an upward view of a mounting base of a telescope according to a first embodiment of the present invention; and
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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
As indicated above, the mounting base of a telescope of the present invention has the following advantages:
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.
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.
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.
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.

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.