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A pivoting ball mount provides four essentially equal and (generally) evenly spaced constraints on the ball, creating a ball and socket joint in which the “socket” is composed of four small constraining pads of equal size and equally spaced around the surface of the ball or sphere. If a sphere is co

A pivoting ball mount provides four essentially equal and (generally) evenly spaced constraints on the ball, creating a ball and socket joint in which the “socket” is composed of four small constraining pads of equal size and equally spaced around the surface of the ball or sphere. If a sphere is constrained by four equidistant points, each point will exert the same amount of force on the sphere. If additional pressure is applied to one point, the pressure exerted by the other points will rise to match this increased pressure. The effect of constraining a smooth ball by four equidistant points is to create the equivalent of a ball and socket joint in which the force required to rotate the ball at a particular rate is about the same in any direction. The ball is constrained by four equidistant points such that the relative movement between the ball and housing is smooth and predictable in any direction.

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1. An articulating tripod head joining a tripod to an optical device, such that the second element is rotatable around three axes relative to the first element, with controlled and even resistance around all three axes and lockable in any position within a range of articulation, the articulating tri

1. An articulating tripod head joining a tripod to an optical device, such that the second element is rotatable around three axes relative to the first element, with controlled and even resistance around all three axes and lockable in any position within a range of articulation, the articulating tripod head comprising: a housing attaching the articulating tripod head to one of the tripod and the optical device;an essentially spherical ball attaching to an other of the tripod and the optical device the essentially spherical hall solely supported by four essentially equally spaced constraints;the four essentially equally sized constraints having essentially equally sized contact areas, mounted to the housing, essentially equidistant from each other, and solely in contact with the essentially spherical ball, restraining the essentially spherical ball, the essentially equal size and contact areas of the constraints and the essentially equidistance spacing of the constraints allowing the ball to rotate with controlled and even resistance around any axis relative to the housing; andwherein one or more of the four constraints further comprises at least one adjuster adjusting pressure on a corresponding at least one of the four constraints to the essentially spherical ball, wherein the at least one adjuster tightens and adjusts the at least one of the four constraints, to control one or more of a clamping pressure and a level of drag. 2. The articulating tripod head of claim 1, wherein the four constraints comprise one or more of flat pads, convex pads, concave pads, rollers, balls, point contacts, ring contacts, and linear contacts. 3. The articulating tripod head of claim 1, wherein the at least one adjuster comprises a threaded rod mounted to at least one of the four constraints, the threaded rod threaded through a portion of the housing, the threaded rod having a knob adjusting pressure on the at least one of the four constraints to the essentially spherical ball. 4. The articulating tripod head of claim 1, wherein the at least one adjuster controls frictional drag externally from the articulating tripod head, when the essentially spherical ball is not locked down, by constraining the motion of the at least one of the four constraints so that the at least one of the four constraints is capable of being backed off only a limited predetermined amount, while maintaining all four constraints in contact with the essentially spherical ball. 5. The articulating tripod head of claim 1, wherein the adjuster comprises a lever to apply selective pressure to the at least one of the four constraints. 6. An articulating tripod head joining a tripod to an optical device, such that the second element is rotatable around three axes relative to the first element, with controlled and even resistance around all three axes and lockable in any position within a range of articulation, the articulating tripod head comprising: a housing attaching the articulating tripod head to one of the tripod and the optical device;an essentially spherical ball attaching to the other of the tripod and the optical device the essentially spherical hall solely supported by four essentially equally spaced constraints;the four essentially equally sized constraints having essentially equally sized contact areas, mounted to the housing, essentially equidistant from each other and solely in contact with the essentially spherical ball, restraining the essentially spherical ball, the essentially equal size and contact areas of the constraints and the essentially equidistance spacing of the constraints allowing the ball to rotate with controlled and even resistance around any axis relative to the housing; andwherein one or more of the four constraints further comprises one of a concentric ring and concentric partial ring surrounding one of the four constraints;at least one adjuster adjusting pressure on a corresponding at least one of the four constraints to the essentially spherical ball, wherein the at least one adjuster tightens and adjusts the at least one of the four constraints, to control one or more of a clamping pressure and a level of drag,wherein the at least one adjuster further comprises:a drag adjuster, coupled to the one of a concentric ring and concentric partial ring, controlling drag on the essentially spherical ball when the essentially spherical ball is not locked down by applying pressure to the one of a concentric ring and a concentric partial ring independently of pressure applied to the one of the four constraints, anda lock down adjuster, locking down the essentially spherical ball by applying pressure from the one of the four constraints to the essentially spherical ball. 7. The articulating tripod head of claim 6, wherein the at least one adjuster comprises a threaded rod mounted to at least one of the four constraints, the threaded rod threaded through a portion of the housing, the threaded rod having a knob adjusting pressure on the at least one of the four constraints to the essentially spherical ball. 8. The articulating tripod head of claim 6, wherein the at least one adjuster controls frictional drag externally from the articulating tripod head, when the essentially spherical ball is not locked down, by constraining the motion of the at least one of the four constraints so that the at least one of the four constraints is capable of being backed off only a limited predetermined amount, while maintaining all four constraints in contact with the essentially spherical ball. 9. An articulating tripod head joining a tripod to an optical device, such that the second element is rotatable around three axes relative to the first element, with controlled resistance around all three axes and lockable in any position within a range of articulation, the articulating tripod head comprising: a housing attaching the articulating tripod head to one of the tripod and the optical device;an essentially spherical ball attaching to the other of the tripod and the optical device the essentially spherical hall solely supported by four essentially equally sized constraints;the four essentially equally sized constraints having essentially equally sized contact areas, mounted to the housing, solely in contact with the essentially spherical ball, restraining the essentially spherical ball, the essentially equal size and contact areas of the constraints allowing the ball to rotate with controlled resistance relative to the housing; andat least one adjuster adjusting pressure on a corresponding at least one of the four constraints to the essentially spherical ball, wherein the at least one adjuster tightens and adjusts the at least one of the four constraints, to control one or more of a clamping pressure and a level of drag, andwherein the essentially spherical ball has a center, and a central axis passing through the center of the essentially spherical ball and intersecting a surface of the essentially spherical ball at a first point and at a second point, and the four constraints comprise:a first pair of constraints on opposite sides of the central axis, each of the first pair of constraints located at a same predetermined distance from the first point and lying on a first plane intersecting the central axis passing through the center of the essentially spherical ball; anda second pair of constraints on opposite sides of the central axis, each the same predetermined distance from the second point and lying on a second plane intersecting the central axis passing through the center of the essentially spherical ball,wherein the first plane and the second plane are perpendicular to one another and intersect along the central axis. 10. The articulating tripod head of claim 9, wherein the four constraints comprise one or more of flat pads, convex pads, concave pads, rollers, balls, point contacts, ring contacts, and linear contacts. 11. The articulating tripod head of claim 9, wherein the at least one adjuster comprises a threaded rod mounted to at least one of the four constraints, the threaded rod threaded through a portion of the housing, the threaded rod having a knob adjusting pressure on the at least one of the four constraints to the essentially spherical ball. 12. The articulating tripod head of claim 9, wherein the at least one adjuster controls frictional drag externally from the articulating tripod head, when the essentially spherical ball is not locked down, by constraining the motion of the at least one of the four constraints so that the at least one of the four constraints is capable of being backed off only a limited predetermined amount, while maintaining all four constraints in contact with the essentially spherical ball. 13. The articulating tripod head of claim 9, wherein the corresponding at least one of the four constraints further comprises:one of a concentric ring and concentric partial ring surrounding one of the four constraints; andwherein the at least one adjuster comprises:a drag adjuster, coupled to the one of a concentric ring and concentric partial ring, controlling drag on the essentially spherical ball when the essentially spherical ball is not locked down by applying pressure to the one of a concentric ring and a concentric partial ring, independently of pressure applied to the one of the four constraints, anda lock down adjuster, locking down the essentially spherical ball by applying pressure from the one of the four constraints to the essentially spherical ball. 14. The articulating tripod head of claim 9, wherein the adjuster comprises includes a lever to apply selective pressure to the at least one of the four constraints.