Patent attributes
A pole assembly to support a device at an elevation and including a slidably joined first tube and second tube. A first collar mounts to an end of the first tube and the second tube protrudes from the end. A second collar is adjacent the first collar. A lock-and-key coupling, associated with the collars, prevents them from separating longitudinally along the tubes. The coupling is operable in adjustment and lock modes while a key is in a lock aperture to secure the collars together. In the adjustment mode, the tubes can slidably move relative to one another. In the lock mode, the first tube can be fixed relative to the second tube. The key can slide radially inward and outward, toward and away from a longitudinal axis of the first and second tubes when the lock-and-key coupling transitions from the adjustment mode to the lock mode and vice versa.