Abstract: The invention comprises a rifle scope having an adjustment sighting mechanism, the mechanism itself, and methods of making and using the rifle scope and adjustment mechanism. The rifle scope includes an inner and an outer tube, the outer tube mounted on the rifle and the inner tube being sealed within the outer tube. The inner tube is fixed in a ball-type joint at one end, with the other end free and having positioned therein an erector lens or a reticle. An adjustment mechanism adjusts the sight of the rifle scope by displacing the second end of the inner tube. The adjustment mechanism includes a threaded adjustment plunger that is rotationally fixed with respect to the body of the scope. The adjustment plunger threads to a rotating member having a threaded portion. As the rotating member rotates, the adjustment plunger, being prevented from rotating, moves in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotating member.

Abstract: A variable optical power telescopic sight with adjustable focus control includes a tubular housing having a longitudinal axis, an interior and exterior, and first and second ends. The housing holds an eyepiece positioned at the second end and an erector positioned in the interior of the housing medially of the first end and the eyepiece. To enable side focus control in the telescopic sight, an objective lens system includes a stationary portion positioned in the interior of the housing near the first end and a movable portion positioned in the interior of the housing between the stationary portion and the erector for movement generally along the longitudinal axis to adjust the focus of the telescopic sight. A manually adjustable focus control device projects outwardly from the exterior of the housing in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis and is connected to the movable portion of the objective lens system.

Abstract: A method for producing a group of binoculars entails the use of injection molding to mold prism set housings with great uniformity. Prior to any production run, the mold is refined by iteratively producing and testing a prism set housing, altering the mold, and then molding another test prism set housing. This method is less time-consuming and less expensive than methods available until now. Moreover, it permits the production of binocular channels that are more thoroughly waterproof than previously available because no aperture in the binocular channel is necessary for the adjustment of individual prism set housings.

Abstract: The present invention provides an erector system characterized by centered erector lenses and lens holder movement capability to alter relative erector lens placement. Alignment of the erector lens optical centers facilitates the reduction of the phenomenon of trackout. Alteration of relative erector lens position permits a pistol scope or another device embodying the erector system to operate at more than one magnification.

Abstract: Binoculars capable of simultaneous individual focus and simultaneous individual focus mechanisms therefor are discussed. The binoculars of the present invention are preferably offset hinged in the bridging portion to accommodate various users and for compactness. In addition, the binoculars of the present invention simulate the ease of center focus and combat parallax that results from misalignment of the optical axis and the mechanical axis of each binocular tube.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for releasably mounting an optical device on a support member in a rapid, repeatable and precise manner is provided. The mounting system is especially suitable for releasably mounting an optical device such as a sighting scope on a projectile firing apparatus such as a rifle. The mounting system includes one or more studs, each having a groove provided therein, and a corresponding number of rotating shafts. Each rotating shaft interacts with the groove in the corresponding stud to releasably lock the studs in a support member. Each stud is mounted directly or indirectly on an optical device, and each rotating shaft is received in a support member mountable, for example, on a projectile firing apparatus.

Abstract: A smart shaft position encoder apparatus is described which can be used for measuring changes in liquid levels. The apparatus employs dedicated logic and decoder circuitry for converting the raw shaft sensor data into instrumentation-compatible format. The raw shaft sensor data is generated by a shaft pulse generator which provides a pulse for each discrete change in shaft position. The sequence of pulses indicates whether shaft rotation is in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. A preferred shaft pulse generator includes three reed switches which are operated by four permanent magnets mounted on a support disk which rotates in accordance with the position of the shaft, such shaft being coupled to a float pulley when used as a liquid level recorder. A rotation position detector is coupled to the shaft interface and produces output pulses in response to the raw shaft position data from the shaft interface.

Abstract: A telescopic sight is disclosed which may be used as a riflescope for viewing objects at different viewing distances. The telescopic sight is provided with a focus adjustment by longitudinal movement of the erector lens unit relative to an objective lens, an eyepiece lens and a reticle within the housing of such telescopic sight while maintaining a substantially constant magnification over the range of viewing distances. Such focus adjustment is accomplished in a simple manner with a rotatable knob coupled to the erector lens unit by a pin which is offset from the axis of rotation of such knob for orbital rotation, such axis of rotation extending laterally substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal movement of the erector lens unit. The focus adjustment pin is spring biased into engagement with a notch in a lens mounting tube containing the erector lens unit for longitudinal movement of the mounting tube in response to orbital rotation of the coupling pin by the focus adjustment knob.

Abstract: A telescopic sight apparatus is described having a lens holder tube which is pivotally mounted at one end thereof by means of an improved half socket pivot means for windage and elevation adjustments. The telescopic sight apparatus may be a rifle scope. The lens holder tube contains image erector lenses which may be mounted for longitudinal adjustment to vary the magnification of the scope or may be fixed against longitudinal movement to provide fixed magnification. The half socket pivot mount includes a spherical pivot surface provided on one end of the lens holder tube which is resiliently urged by a socket compression spring into contact with a conical socket surface provided by an internal shoulder on a surrounding housing tube.

Abstract: A telescopic sight for a rifle or an optical instrument is described having an improved reticle centering mount apparatus. A reticle centering sleeve is provided around a reticle mounting ring mounted within an outer housing tube containing erector lenses supported within an inner lens holder tube in axial alignment along an optical axis. The reticle centering sleeve has a longitudinal cross-section of tapered shape which is wedged between the housing tube and the mounting ring to center the sight point of the reticle on the optical axis. When the erector lenses are longitudinally adjusted within the lens tube to change the magnification of the telescopic sight, the reticle sight point is maintained centered on the image transmitted through such telescopic sight by the centering sleeve.

Abstract: An adjustment gasket for resiliently locking a threadedly connected tube against accidental rotation while permitting rotational adjustment of such tube, is described. The adjustment gasket may be clamped between two threadedly interconnected tubes in a rifle scope to permit rotational adjustment of such tubes such as for rotational alignment of the lenses during manufacture of such scope, while preventing accidental rotation of such tubes. The adjustment gasket is a resilient ring member of synthetic plastic material which is compressible longitudinally of such tubes to resiliently lock such tubes against accidental rotation without damaging the tubes. The adjustment gasket is in the form of an undulated ring having a plurality of concave arcuate areas separated by flat areas to provide a set of surface areas on each side of the gasket. The two sets of surface areas are angularly offset so that the flat areas on one side of the gasket are in alignment with the arcuate areas on the other side of the gasket.