Patent ID: 6854413

Claim:
A tower attached to a vehicle, such as a marine vessel, said tower comprising: a first strut held in fixed relation to the vehicle; a second strut having a first end and a second end; a hinge assembly pivotably connecting said first strut to said second strut, said hinge assembly including a first member attached to said first strut; a second member attached to said first end of said second strut, said second member pivotably connected to said first member; an operator locking said first member to said second member in a locked position, said operator held captive in said hinge assembly; a releasable footer for securing said second end of said second strut, said releasable footer including a body held in fixed relation to the vehicle, said body having a first opening; a footer bolt movable within said body, said footer bolt movable between a retracted position and an extended position; a releasable member adapted to be received by said first opening in said body, said releasable member having an opening adapted to receive said footer bolt when said releasable member is received by said first opening and said footer bolt is in said extended position; whereby said tower folds when said second strut is released and said hinge assembly is unlocked.