Patent ID: 6905080

Claim:
A pressure washing apparatus comprising: a) a telescoping tube section comprising a rear end portion and a forward end portion, and defining a hose carrying passageway, said telescoping tube section having a longitudinal center axis extending along said tube passageway, and comprising at least a rear tube member and a front tube member; b) a control section located at the rear end portion of the telescoping tube section and having a water supply inlet connector adapted to be connected to a water supply line, a hose inlet connector adapted to be connected to a rear end of a hose that extends through the telescoping tube section, and a control mechanism to control water flow from the water supply inlet connection to the hose inlet connector; c) a forward outlet section mounted to the forward end of the telescoping tube section and comprising a hose outlet connection arranged to have a releasable connection to a forward outlet end of a hose in the hose passageway, said forward outlet section being arranged to permit access to the releasable connection, whereby a hose in the telescoping tube section can be connected and disconnected to the hose outlet connection and the hose inlet connector for insertion of the hose into an operating position in the telescoping tube section and removal therefrom; d) at least one tube member having at an end portion thereof a releasable connector comprising a tube engaging section comprising: i) a rearwardly positioned sleeve portion arranged to extend substantially around the first tube and be secured thereto; ii) a forwardly positioned gripping portion having a forward end portion and rear end portion, and comprising a plurality of gripping fingers arranged to be positioned at spaced circumferential locations, each of said fingers having a rear base end portion connected to the sleeve portion, a forward end finger portion, and an interior gripping surface; iii) said gripping portion having a tapered outer surface portion comprising outer tapered surface portions of said gripping fingers, each outer tapered surface portion sloping in a forwardly and longitudinally inward taper toward the forward end finger portion of the forward gripping portion; iv) said gripping portion having an outer tapered surface formed with exterior threads which follow the taper of the outer tapered surface so that the outer diameter of the exterior threads increase in a rearward direction, with said exterior threads extending across and through the outer tapered surface portions of the gripping fingers; e) a compression nut having a tapered inwardly facing compression surface arranged to extend around the gripping portion, said tapered inwardly facing compression surface of said compression nut having interior threads tapering outwardly in rearward direction and being arranged to come into threaded engagement with the exterior threads of the forward gripping portion.