Patent ID: 7237305

Claim:
An extension pole, comprising: an elongated, tubular outer pole section; an elongated inner pole section telescopically received within said outer pole section and shiftable relative thereto; and a locking mechanism for locking said inner pole section at any one of the number of different positions relative to said outer pole section, said locking mechanism including an elongated, tubular collet cam disposed about and operatively coupled with said outer pole section and having at least a pair of body sections and a corresponding pair of axially projecting, resilient locking segments, each of said segments having an elongated, axially extending connection portion and having an unrestrained, axially extending margin remote from said connection portion, each of said segment margins being radially displaceable relative to the corresponding connection portion, each of said segment margins being separated from the body section by a circumferentially extending slot so that the segment margins are attached to the respective body section by the connection portion and cantilevered from the connection portion in a circumferential direction; and a chuck shiftably secured to said outer pole section and adjacent said collet cam, said chuck upon shifting thereof operable to inwardly displace said segment margins in order to lock said inner pole section relative to said outer pole section.