Patent ID: 7155764

Claim:
A split-apart basket stretcher comprising: first and second stretcher portions for mounting in opposed facing relation to one another, wherein said first stretcher portion has at least a first rail and wherein said second stretcher portion has at least a second rail in coaxial substantially abutting relation to said at least a first rail when said first and second stretcher portions are mounted together, a rail coupling and lock for releasably locking together said first and second stretcher portions in said opposed facing relation, said rail coupling and lock including a collar snugly slidably mounted on, so as to extend, when in an extended position, from a distal end of said at least a first rail so as to be releasably mountable, by releasable coupling means, onto a distal end of said at least a second rail to thereby mount said distal ends into adjacent co-axial relation and to thereby mount said first and second stretcher portions together in said opposed facing relation, a stop disengageably mounted to said distal end of said at least a first rail so as to be adjacent and behind said collar when said collar has been slid into said extended position so as to extend from said distal end of said at least a first rail, said stop including a stop member raised, when in a raised position, from the at least a first rail thereby preventing said collar from sliding back along said at least a first rail when said collar is in said extended position, a stop disengagement means cooperating with said stop member so as to provide for selective disengagement of said stop member from behind said collar to allow said collar to be dismounted from said distal end of said at least a second rail, and, slid back from said extended position wherein said stop member when in said raised position does not protrude beyond a radially outermost surface of said collar, radially outermost relative to a longitudinal axis of symmetry of said collar.