Patent ID: 7698915

Claim:
A locking device, comprising: (A) a first body member having a first interior; (B) a second body member having a second interior including a catch; (C) a retainer element including a first end portion received in the first interior, a second end portion received in the second interior, a latch portion, and a retaining head, said retainer element operative to mechanically link said first and second body members together for longitudinal movement between a collapsed orientation and an expanded orientation, said retainer element movable between a retain position wherein said latch portion is operative to engage said catch whereby the first and second body members are secured in the collapsed orientation and a release position wherein said latch portion is operative to release from said catch whereby the first and second body members may move between the collapsed orientation and said expanded orientation, said retaining head operative to engage said catch when said first and second body members are in the expanded orientation thereby to define a limit stop that prohibits movement of said first and second body members away from one another beyond the expanded orientation; and (D) a lock core disposed in the first interior and operative to engage said retainer element, said lock core having a locked state wherein said retainer element is held in the retain position and movable to an unlocked state wherein said retainer element is moved from the retain position to said release position.