Patent ID: 6547216
Filing Date: 2003-04-15
Classification: B66F

Abstract:
A telescopic tube comprising:a first annular band wound in helical form about a central axis with its turns transversely normal to said central axis and capable of taking a retracted stacked position with its turns resting flat against one another, and an extended position with its turns spaced from one another in the direction of said central axis; a second band wound on itself, with its turns transversely parallel to said central axis and capable of taking a retracted, spiral position with its turns nested within one another and an extended position with its turns forming a helix around said central axis and generally equally radially spaced therefrom to form a tube, said first and second bands, when in retracted position, being in respective locations so as to clear each other; a frame having a base resting on the ground and a rotor rotatably carried by said base; a continuous frictionless support member carried by said rotor and forming at least a portion of a helix for supporting part of said first band, and for successively spacing the turns of said first band; a power device, to cause relative rotation of said first band and of said rotor about said central axis, said continuous frictionless support member allowing the axially oriented load of said push actuator to be transmitted from said first band to said rotor while allowing a substantially frictionless relative rotation of said first band and said rotor; and a guiding member to insert the turns of the second band between the spaced turns of the first band, with the edges of the turns of the second band bearing against the turns of the first band, the second band thus forming a spacer for the turns of the first band.