Telescoping pole

Claim 1

A TELESCOPING POLE FOR USE WITH A PRUNING SAW OR THE LIKE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AN UPPER TUBULAR POLE EXTENSION, A LOWER TUBULAR POLE EXTENSION HAVING AN INNER DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE OUTER DIAMETER OF SAID UPPER POLE EXTENSION, SAID UPPER EXTENSION BEING TELESCOPED WITHIN SAID LOWER EXTENSION, AN EXTERNALLY THREADED MEMBER DISPOSED AT THE UPPER END OF SAID LOWER POLE EXTENSION AND FIXED RELATIVE TO THE LATTER, AN UPPER INNER PORTION OF SAID THREADED MEMBER BEING FORMED AS A FIRST ANNULAR TAPERED SURFACE EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY, A NUT MEMBER THREADED ON THE UPPER END OF SAID THREADED MEMBER, SAID NUT MEMBER BEING ROTATABLE ON SAID THREADED MEMBER FOR ADJUSTING THE RELATIVE AXIAL POSITION OF SAID NUT MEMBER AND SAID THREADED MEMBER, A SECOND ANNULAR TAPERED SURFACE FORMED INTERNALLY ON SAID NUT MEMBER PROXIMATE THE UPPER END THEREOF, SAID SECOND ANNULAR TAPERED SURFACE EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY AND BEING DISPOSED ABOVE SAID FIRST ANNULAR TAPERED SURFACE SO AS TO DEFINE THEREBETWEEN A CHAMBER OF VARIABLE AXIAL LENGTH DETERMINED BY THE RELATIVE AXIAL POSITION OF SAID NUT MEMBER ON THE THREADED MEMBER, AND AN ELASTIC HELICAL COLLET SHAPED APPROXIMATELY AS A SPLIT RING WITH AXIALLY SPACED ENDS WHEN IN AN UNCONFINED STATE, SAID COLLET HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ANNULAR INCLINED SURFACES FORMED ON THE OUTSIDE THEREOF FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND ANNULAR SURFACES RESPECTIVELY OF THE NUT AND THREADED MEMBERS WHICH DEFINE A CHAMBER OF VARIABLE AXIAL LENGTH, SAID COLLER BEING POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER SO AS TO SUBSTANTIALLY ENCIRCLE SAID UPPER POLE EXTENSION AND BEING SEATED AGAINST SAID FIRST ANNULAR TAPERED SURFACE BETWEEN THE LATTER AND SAID SECOND ANNULAR TAPERED SURFACE ON SAID NUT MEMBER, WHEREBY SAID UPPER TUBULAR EXTENSION MAY BE RELEASABLY LOCKED IN POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID LOWER TUBULAR EXTENSION BY THREADING SAID NUT DOWNWARDLY ON SAID THREADED MEMBER SO AS TO DECREASE THE AXIAL LENGTH OF SAID CHAMBER AND DEFORM THE ELASTIC COLLET FROM ITS INITIAL HELICAL TO A MORE NEARLY CIRCULAR SHAPE AND THEREBY CAUSE SAID COLLET TO BE CLAMPED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND ANNULAR TAPERED SURFACES AND TO TIGHTLY ENGAGE SAID UPPER EXTENSION TO HOLD SAID UPPER EXTENSION AGAINST AXIAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE LOWER POLE EXTENSION.