Adjustable supporting leg

Claim 1

AN ADJUSTABLE LEG COMPRISING: A TUBING MEMBER; A SLEEVE TELESCOPED ONTO AN END OF SAID TUBING MEMBER AND FIXED WITH RELATION THERETO, SAID SLEEVE HAVING A PLURALITY OF RESILIENT OUTWARDLY BIASED GRIPPING AND LOCKING FINGERS, SAID GRIPING FINGERS EXTENDING BEYOND THE ENDS OF SAID LOCKING FINGERS; AN INNER MEMBER EXTENDING TELESCOPICALLY INTO SAID TUBING MEMBER, SAID INNER MEMBER BEING EXTERNALLY THREADED FOR AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE LENGTH THEREOF; SAID GRIPPING FINGERS BEING PROVIDED WITH NUT SEGMENTS ON THEIR ENDS, SAID NUT SEGMENTS EACH HAVING AN INTERNAL SHOULDER EXTENDING INWARDLY AND ADAPTED TO ABUT SAID END OF SAID TUBING MEMBER, SAID NUT SEGMENTS BEING INTERNALLY THREADED COMPLEMENTARILY TO SAID INNER MEMBER BUT BEING BIASED THEREFROM BY SAID GRIPPING FINGERS, SAID NUT SEGMENTS HAVING A RAISED PORTION OPPOSITE SAID THREADED PORTION AND JOINED TO SAID GRIPPING FINGER BY A CAM SURFACE; A COLLAR AXIALLY MOVABLE ON SAID SLEEVE, SAID COLLAR HAVING AN INNER SURFACE ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID CAM SURFACE TO FORCE SAIDNUT SEGMENTS RADIALLY INWARDLY INTO THREADED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID EXTERNALLY THREADED INNER MEMBER; AND MEAND FOR LOCKING SAID COLLAR IN POSITION, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A RADIALLY INWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE ON SAID COLLAR HAVING PORTIONS OF THE UPPER HORIZONTAL SIDE THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF SAID TUBE, AT LEAST ONE CAM SURFACE ON SAID HORIZONTAL SIDE AS AN EMBOSSMENT THEREON AND AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL EMBOSSMENT ON SAID SURFACE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED FROM SAID ONE CAM SURFACE A DISTANCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF SAID LOCKING FINGER, SAID LOCKING FINGER BEING BIASED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY BETWEEN SAID EMBOSSMENTS WHEREBY THE FREE ENDS THEREOF ENGAGE SAID HORIZONTAL SURFACE TO LOCK SAID COLLAR AGAINST RETROGRADE MOVEMENT FROM SAID POSITION AND SAID COLLAR MAY BE RELEASED FROM SAID POSITION BY TWISTING SAID COLLAR ABOUT SAID AXIS THEREBY ENGAGING SAID LOCKING FINGERS AND FORCING THEM RADIALLY INWARDLY.