Two-way automatic locking and friction device

Claim 1

A TELESCOPING STRUCTURE COMPRISING (A) AN ELONGATE ROD-LIKE MEMBER OF PREDETERMINED CROSS-SECTION AND DEFINITIVE OF A MAJOR AXIS, (B) HOUSING SLEEVE MEANS INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND PIVOT SURFACES RECEIVED OVER SAID ROD-LIKE MEMBER AND HAVING CLOSED CAVITIES AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, (C) FIRST AND SECOND LOCKING PLATES DISPOSED IN SAID CAVITIES, MEANS BIASING SAID LOCKING PLATES TO OPPOSITELY CANT SAID PLATES ABOUT SAID PIVOT SURFACES INTO LOCKING POSITIONS WHEREBY SAID SLEEVE AND SAID ROD-LIKE MEMBER ARE LOCKED AGAINST RELATIVE MOVEMENT IN EITHER DIRECTION BY SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOCKING PLATES, (D) UNITARY ELONGATED CONTROL MEANS CARRIED IN SAID HOUSING SLEEVE MEANS, (E) SAID ELONGATED UNLOCKING CONTROL MEANS BEING OF A LENGTH LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OPPOSED FACES OF SAID LOCKING PLATES AND INCLUDING CONTROL SURFACES SELECTIVELY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID OPPOSING FACES OF SAID OPPOSITELY CANTED PLATES, (F) SAID CONTROL SURFACES BEING SELECTIVELY AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE ALONG AN AXIS PARALLEL TO SAID MAJOR AXIS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH EITHER SAID FIRST OR SECOND LOCKING PLATE TO UNCANT ONLY ONE OR THE OTHER OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOCKING PLATES, (G) WHEREBY SAID SLEEVE MAY BE MOVED FREELY SOLELY IN THE DIRECTION OF THE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID CONTROL SURFACES, SAID SLEEVE BEING RESTRAINTED FROM MOVEMENT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION BY THE CANTED LOCKING PLATE.