Patent ID: 7905667

Claim:
A walking staff apparatus, comprising: a shaft; a handle region provided at a top portion of the shaft; and a tripod assembly provided below and extending from the shaft that includes a base and at least three legs descending from the base that are movable between a closed position in which the legs are retracted to form a monopod and an open position in which the legs are extended outwardly; wherein the tripod assembly is releasably coupled to the shaft through a fastening mechanism that includes a first tapered surface provided on the shaft and a second tapered surface, complementary to the first tapered surface, provided on the base of the tripod assembly, the complementary first and second surfaces serving to center the tripod assembly with the shaft when the tripod assembly is releasably fastened to the shaft; and a magnetic-based releasable mount mechanism coupled to the shaft, the mount mechanism including a first member and a second member that are releasably coupled through magnetic attraction, the first member being fixedly coupled to the shaft and the second member adapted for attachment to an ancillary article; wherein the tripod assembly, the shaft and the first and second surfaces are configured such that when the tripod assembly is coupled to the shaft through the fastening mechanism, the second surface is substantially flush against the first surface and the legs are readily movable between the open and closed positions.