TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a length-adjusting arrangement for ski poles, walking poles and similar, said arrangement including an inner element and an outer tube, the inner element having a first free end that projects from and is axially displaceable from a first end of the outer tube, there being a locking device on this same first end of the outer tube, with which locking device the inner element and the outer tube can be releasably locked in various axial positions relative to each other, there being a regulating device connected to the other end of the outer tube, with which regulating device the locking device can be manoeuvred.

BACKGROUND ART

For ski poles and walking poles, a number of length-adjusting arrangements including an inner element and an outer tube where the inner element has a first free end that projects from and is axially displaceable from a first end of the outer tube are known. One example is DE 29604594 U1 where a locking device on a first end of the outer tube includes a spring- loaded, swingable locking pin that, in the locked position, engages with one of several radially oriented holes in the inner element. Lock opening is via a collar (below the second end of the outer tube and enclosing the outer tube) being moved axially in a direction towards said end. The collar is connected to an axially oriented control rod that, at its second end, is connected to said locking pin, this locking pin swinging out of the locked position when the control rod is influenced in the above-mentioned way. The control rod is in a channel parallel with and separated from the cylindrical cavity in which the inner element is displaced when length adjusting the pole. This arrangement is a simple design, but has several disadvantages. One of these is that adjustment is via a control being moved upwards in a direction towards the second, upper end of the outer tube where the handle is fitted. This results in an uncomfortable grip for the user. The design further requires the outer tube to have a separate channel for the control rod. This results in increased weight and a clumsy appearance, which are inconveniences for these types of products. Yet another disadvantage is that the locking pin engages with a through-hole in the inner element, in this case a tube. Owing to this, dirt and water can easily penetrate into the inner element. Another known arrangement, which can be considered the most developed, is W02009/102260 where there is a frictional locking device on the inner element's second end and where length adjustment is via an easily manoeuvrable regulating device connected to the second end of the outer tube. This arrangement demonstrates the advantage of stepless length adjustment that is easily manoeuvrable via an operating member being pressed downwards in a direction towards the first end of the outer tube. However, this arrangement has the disadvantage of having a complicated design with many constituent parts and tight tolerance requirements to achieve the intended functionality. The design is also relatively heavy which, as mentioned, is a significant disadvantage for ski and walking poles.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

One purpose of the present invention is to realise, as per the ingress, an arrangement: whose length can be regulated via a downwards force on an operating member on the other end of the outer tube; and, that can be manufactured significantly cheaper and significantly lighter than is possible using known technologies.

Another purpose of the present invention is to realise an arrangement where the outer tube has a circular cross section and where the control organ is on the inside of the outer tube in the ring-shaped space between the outer tube and the inner element.

This purpose is realised via an arrangement as per the ingress including a control organ in a ring-shaped space between the inner element and the outer tube, this control organ transmitting force from the regulating device to the locking device.

The invention will now be more closely described with reference being made to the attached drawings. These are intended to explain the invention and not to limit it. In this connection:

Fig. 1 shows, in perspective, obliquely from the front, a view of a pole as per the invention.

Fig. 2 shows, from the front, a broken view of the pole in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows, from the side, a view of the arrangement in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows, from the front, a broken view of the pole in fig. 1, but without the handle and with the pole's locking device in the locked position. Fig. 5 shows, from the side, a cut-away view of the arrangement in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 shows, from the front, a broken view of the pole in fig. 1, but without the handle and with the pole's locking device in the open position.

Fig. 7 shows, from the side, a cut-away view of the arrangement in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 shows, from the front, a broken view of the outer tube, the control rod, a blocking body and a latch.

Fig. 9 shows, from the side, a view of the arrangement in fig. 8.

Fig. 10 shows, from the front, a broken view of the outer tube.

Fig. 11 shows, in perspective, obliquely from the front, the blocking body in fig. 8.

Fig. 12 shows, in perspective, obliquely from the rear, the blocking body in fig. 11.

Fig. 13 shows, from the front, a broken view of the control rod in fig. 8.

Fig. 14 shows a cross section (A-A) of the control rod in fig. 13.

Fig. 15 shows, from the front, a broken view of the control rod in fig. 13 with: the blocking body in figs. 11 and 12 fitted; an operating member fitted on the upper part of the control rod; and, a locking spring.

Fig. 16 shows a cross section (B-B) of the arrangement in fig. 15.

Fig. 17 shows, from the side, a view of the arrangement in fig. 15.

Fig. 18 shows a cross section (C-C) of the arrangement in fig. 17.

Fig. 19 shows, from the front, a broken view of an inner element with a shock absorber.

Fig. 20 shows a cross section (B-B) of the inner element in fig. 19.

Fig. 21 shows, from the side, a cut-away view of the arrangement in fig. 19.

Fig. 22 shows, from the front, a view of a housing included in the locking device in fig. 21.

Fig. 23 shows, from above, a view of the housing in fig. 22. Fig. 24 shows, in perspective, obliquely from above, an end stop included in the shock absorber in fig. 19.

Fig. 25 shows, in perspective, obliquely from the front, an impact disc included in the shock absorber in fig. 19.

Fig. 26 shows, in perspective, obliquely from above, a partial view of parts of an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 27 shows a cross section of the outer tube in the embodiment in fig. 26.

Fig. 28 shows, in perspective, obliquely from above, an end stop included in the embodiment in fig. 26.

Fig. 29 shows, in perspective, obliquely from above, a partial view of parts of a further alternative embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 30 shows, from the side, a view of the right half of a housing included in a locking device intended for the embodiment in fig. 29.

Fig. 31 shows, from the front, a view of the detail in fig. 30.

Fig. 32 shows, obliquely from above, a partial view, in perspective of the arrangement in fig. 29; two housing halves are also shown.

Fig. 33 shows, from above, a partial view of the arrangement in fig. 32 in the locked position where, for clarity's sake, only the right-hand housing half is shown.

Fig. 34 shows, from the side, a view of the arrangement in fig. 33.

Fig. 35 shows, from above, a partial view of the arrangement in fig. 32 in the open position where, for clarity's sake, only the right-hand housing half is shown.

Fig. 36 shows, from the side, a view of the arrangement in fig. 35.

Fig. 37 shows, from the side, a view of parts of a simplified version of the embodiment in figs. 29 - 36.

The starting point of the present invention is a shape-linked locking principle. A restriction on the number of possible lengths of the ski or walking pole is entailed. Nonetheless, there can be enough length positions to meet the needs that exist in practice. The difficulty is realising dependable locking that, from the upper part of the pole, can be easily operated without cumbersome relatively heavy parts being required to transmit the operating movement to the locking device. It is desirable that transmission of the operating movement can be effected through there being a control organ, preferably a control rod, in the inner space of the outer tube. It is also desirable that there is a regulating spring in this same inner space of the outer tube, this regulating spring, on disengagement of the locking device, moving the inner element out from the outer tube, thereby extending the pole. This latter desirable feature further reduces available space for said control organ. These desirable features present significant problems as, for reasons of functionality, it is standard in the industry that the inner element (most often tubular) has a tight fit in the outer tube. For example, outside diameters of 18 mm and 16 mm for, respectively, the outer tube and the inner element are common. This leaves a space of only a few tenths of a mm in the radial direction.

Figures 1 - 3 show a pole that includes an outer tube 1 and an inner element 2 with a first free end 23 that projects from and is axially displaceable from a first end 11 of the outer tube 1. A tip 8 is attached to the first end 23 of the inner element 2. There is a locking device 3 on the first end 11 of the outer tube 1, with which locking device the inner element 2 and the outer tube 1 can be releasably locked in various axial positions relative to each other. Additionally, there is a regulating device 4 connected to the other end 12 of the outer tube 1, with which regulating device 4 the locking device 3 can be manoeuvred. The regulating device 4 includes a handle 41. There is an axially oriented cavity in the top of the handle. In said cavity, there is an operating member 42 (preferably made via injection moulding of a suitable engineering plastic), this operating member 42, on opening of the locking device 3, being displaced downwards in an axial direction. Also in said cavity of the handle 41, there is space for a spring member that exerts an upwards force on the operating member 42, whereby the locking device 3 is influenced to take up a locked position. The locking device 3 is fastened to the outer tube 1 using a radially oriented screw (or other known method). The outer tube 1 may suitably be made of a light metal or composite material. The inner element 2 may suitably be made of a light metal or composite material and, preferably, designed as a tube with a non-circular cross section. However, it can also have a filled cavity or be a solid rod. The outer surface of the inner element 2 includes two or more recesses 21 arranged axially at a distance from each other. These recesses 21 can be realised via cutting, which is suitable if the inner element 2 is made of a composite material. If the inner element 2 is made of a light metal, the recesses 21 can also be realised via pressing. It is preferred that the recesses are formed in such a way that they are each part of a cylinder's mantle surface.

Figures 4 and 5 show a pole in the locked position. The outer tube 1 has an inner element 2 inserted therein. A shock absorber 5 is fastened to the other end of the inner element 2. For clarity's sake, the pole is shown without the handle 41, but with the locking spring 43 support surface 419 of the handle 41 shown symbolically. The locking spring 43 is preferably a helical compression spring, but other types of spring members 43 are conceivable. It is desirable that the locking spring 43 exerts a force that locks the locking device 3 and that this force is directed towards the top end of the pole in arrow direction M. The operating member 42 includes a plate 421 and a downwards oriented bar 422 on the underside of the plate 421. The plate includes an upper pressure surface 424, which pressure surface is influenced by the operator when opening the locking device 3. The bar 422 includes an axially oriented cavity 423 that has an essentially rectangular cross section. Surrounding the base of the bar 422, there is a lower pressure surface 425 on the plate 421. Said pressure surface 425 is a support surface for the locking spring 43, the locking spring 43 thereby exerting a force in arrow direction M. A control rod 6 is fastened inside the cavity 423 of the bar 422. The control rod 6 (described in greater detail hereafter) is preferably made of thin, high-strength, steel strip and has, at its upper end, a downwards folded lug. At assembly, the upper end of the control rod 6 is pressed into the cavity 423 until said end bottoms out in the cavity. When it is attempted to pull the control rod 6 out of the operating member 42, the edges of said lug catch on one of the walls of the cavity 423. The control rod 6 is thereby fixed relative to the operating member 42 in both axial directions and the force from the locking spring 43 in arrow direction M can be transmitted to the locking device 3 via the control rod 6. The same effect can be achieved by the locking spring 43 being included in the locking device 3. However, the advantage of the locking spring 43 being placed on the upper part of the pole is that the locking device 3 can then be smaller and lighter. A lighter locking device means that the moment of inertia as regards a rotation of the pole around an axis through the handle 41 and directed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis is lower. This facilitates the oscillatory motion that characterises skiing or walking with a pole.

Relative to the handle 41, the operating member 42 of the regulating device 4 is axially displaceable in arrow directions M and M'. When said operating member is pressed in arrow direction M', the locking device 3 is disengaged and, relative to the outer tube 1, the inner element 2 can be displaced axially in arrow directions N and N'. It is preferred that, on disengagement, the inner element 2 is, influenced by a regulating spring 7 in the inner space of the outer tube 1, pushed out in direction N' from the outer tube's first end 11. The regulating spring 7 (shown schematically in figure 5) is suitably designed as a helical compression spring and, to eliminate the scraping noise that would otherwise arise when the spring is compressed inside the outer tube 1, enclosed in a textile stocking.

Via the control rod 6, the force from the locking spring 43 is transmitted to the locking device 3. The control rod 6 runs axially along: the inner mantle surface of the outer tube 1 in the space between the outer tube and the regulating spring 7; and, the space between the outer tube 1 and the inner element 2. At its lower end, the control rod 6 is anchored in a blocking body 33, which blocking body is axially displaceable inside a housing 35, this selfsame housing 35 being fastened to and partially enclosing the first end of the outer tube 1. The housing 35 further has a downward opening designed as a guide hole, through which, with a certain radial play, the inner element 2 can be axially displaced. Said blocking body 33 is so designed that, on an axial displacement, a latching element 32 moves in a radial direction, whereby the locking device 3 takes up a locked or unlocked state. The latching element 32 is preferably designed as a cylindrical peg with a diameter slightly smaller than the corresponding recesses 21 of the inner element 2. Additionally, the latching element 32 is inserted in a radially oriented opening in the outer tube 1, the latching element being thereby fixed, with a certain play, in the axial direction. In the locked state in figures 4 and 5, the latching element 32, under the influence of the blocking body 33, is inserted in one of the recesses 21 of the inner element 2, whereby the outer tube l and the inner element 2 are locked relative to each other in the axial direction.

Figures 6 and 7 show a pole in an unlocked state. The operating member 42 is displaced in arrow direction M', the blocking body 33, influenced by the control rod 6, being thereby displaced in the same direction. The latching element 32 is thereby moved in a radial direction out from the recess 21 of the inner element 2, this disengaging the outer tube 1 and the inner element 2 relative to each other in the axial direction.

Figures 8 - 10 show how the axial movement of the control rod 6 is translated into a radial motion of the latching element 32.

In the present invention, the problem that the shortage of space entails as regards control rod 6 has been solved as set out below. The control rod 6 is preferably made of thin, high- strength, steel strip with a thin arcuate cross section, this cross section's outer contour essentially coinciding with some part of the inner contour of the cross section of the outer tube 1. Owing to the arcuate shape, the control rod can be thin without breaking under the compressive forces necessary for reliable regulation of the locking device. For a rod with this profile, any tendency towards breaking is in the form of outwards bending in a radial direction, such outwards bending being here prevented by the surrounding outer tube 1. Thus, the control rod can be extremely thin. It is preferred that the control rod is made of steel, it then being possible for it to have a thickness of down to around 0.1 mm, preferably less than 0.2 mm. At its upper end, the control rod 6 has a downwards folded lug for fastening to the operating member 42 as described above. The lower end of the control rod 6 includes an axially oriented, outwards folded lug inserted from the inside of the outer tube 1 through an axially oriented opening 14 in the mantle surface of the outer tube 1, the length of this opening allowing said lug to be displaced in an axial direction. Said lug is inserted into a corresponding groove in the blocking body 33, this blocking body being on the outside of the outer tube 1. On displacement of the control rod 6 in the M and M' directions, said lug is displaced in the axially oriented opening 14, the blocking body 33 being thereby displaced in the same way. This moves the latching element 32 in a radial direction. As previously stated, the latching element (preferably a cylindrical peg) is inserted, with a certain axial play, in a radially oriented opening 13 in the mantle surface of the outer tube 1.

Reliable locking requires the recesses 21 to have a significant depth. If the depth is shallow, axial loading of the pole gives rise to large, outwards oriented, radial forces on the latching element 32. These forces influence the blocking body 33, said forces then having to be taken up by the housing 35. This would require the locking device 3 to be robustly dimensioned and heavier. Increased depth of the recesses 21 reduces said radial forces. Increased depth of the recesses 21 reduces said radial forces. However, this also results in the latching element 32 not sliding spontaneously out of a recess 21 on disengagement of the locking device 3. In the present invention, this problem has been solved by designing the blocking body 33 as per the description below (see figures 11 and 12).

The blocking body 33 is suitably made of an injection moulded engineering plastic and includes a mounting 331 and a regulating part 332. The mounting 331 includes an outwards oriented recess 333 in which there is an axially longitudinal mounting groove 334. The inside of the mounting 331 includes a slide face 336 forming part of a cylindrical mantle surface that has a slightly larger radius than that of the outer mantle surface of the outer tube 1, on which mantle surface the blocking member 33 slides when, influenced by the control rod 6, it is displaced. From the slide face 336 of the mounting 331, said mounting groove 334 is continuous to the recess 333. Projecting from the recess 333 and along the edge of the mounting groove 334, there is a bar 335. The regulating part 332 of the blocking body 33 includes a guide groove 337, in which guide groove the latching element 32 can run and be moved in a radial direction while the latching element 32 is axially fixed by the radially oriented opening 13 in the outer tube 1.

Said radial movement of the latching element 32 occurs under the influence of various surfaces of the guide groove 337. When the blocking body 33 is moved in arrow direction M, a sinking surface 3371 presses the latching element 32 in a radial direction down towards the inner element 2. When the latching element 32 encounters a recess 21 in the inner element 2, the blocking body 33 is displaced further in arrow direction M, a locking surface 3373 thereby pressing the latching element 32 down into the recess 21. Both said surfaces 3371 and 3373 are oriented inwards towards the centre axis 15 of the outer tube 1

RECTIFIED SHEET (Rule 91) in such a way that the surfaces' normals deviate from a right angle to the centre axis 15, the sinking surface 3371 having a greater angular deviation than does the locking surface 3373. In the first phase of the locking process (under the influence of the sinking surface 3371) from disengagement to the latching element 32 having encountered a recess 21 in the inner element 2, this achieves a relatively large radial movement in relation to the axial displacement of the blocking body 33. In the second phase of the locking process (under the influence of the locking surface 3373), the latching element 32 is pushed down into the bottom of the recess 21. As the angle is less than that of the sinking surface 3371, the latching element 32 is wedged fast between the blocking body 33 and the inner element 2. Here, the inner element 2 is also pressed inwards in a radial direction and the play between the inner element 2 and the outer tube 1 is reduced. On axial loading of the inner element 2 relative to the outer tube 1, a radially oriented force is exerted on the latching element 32. However, owing to the relatively large depth of the recesses 21, this force is relatively small. Said radial force presses the latching element 32 in a direction towards the locking surface 3373 of the blocking body 33. Here, the outside 338 of the regulating part 332 of the blocking body 33 is supported by the inside of the housing 35.

When the blocking body 33 is displaced in arrow direction M', the locking surface 3373 is disengaged from the latching element 32. However, owing to the relatively great depth of the recess 21 in the inner element 2, the latching element 32 does not slide spontaneously out of its locked position on an axial loading of the inner element 2 relative to the outer tube 1. To realise a disengagement, the guide groove 337 of the regulating part 332 of the blocking body 33 includes an outwards oriented lifting surface 3372 with an angle similar to that of the above-mentioned sinking surface 3371. On further axial displacement of the blocking body 33, the latching element 32, on contact with the lifting surface 3372, is lifted out of the recess 21 and the locking device 3 takes up a disengaged position. In the present embodiment, said surfaces 3372 and 3373 are each divided into two part surfaces that influence both ends of the latching element 32. This is because, in the locked position, the latching element 32 is partly inside the outer mantle surface of the outer tube 1. Of course, a latching element with a larger diameter or a non-circular cross section, said surfaces 3372 and 3373 thereby being one and the same surface, is conceivable. Other guide groove 337 designs or several guide grooves are additionally conceivable. However, it is essential that the blocking body includes both inwards and outwards oriented surfaces, or edges 3371 and

3372, intended to influence the radial position of the latching element 32.

Figures 13 - 18 show, in detail, a preferred design of the control rod 6 and how this same control rod is preferably anchored in the operating member 42 and the blocking body 33.

As stated above, it is preferred that the control rod 6 is made of a thin, high-strength, steel strip. Practical testing has shown as suitable a width of around 10 mm and a thickness of between 0.1 and 0.3 mm (suitably 0.15 mm). The cross section of the control rod 6 is arcuate so that it fits into the ring-shaped space between the outer tube 1 and the inner element 2. Securely anchoring the control rod in connecting parts 42 and 33 has proved to involve significant problems. These problems rest partly in the material being so thin and partly in the control rod's lower end, which is between the inner element 2 and the outer tube 1, having to be anchored in the blocking body 33, which is outside the outer tube. Consequently, a radially oriented fastener that fastens both these parts to each other is required. However, the available space does not allow the use of any dependably dimensioned screw or rivet fasteners. The present invention has solved this problem as set out below.

The upper end of the control rod 6 includes, as described above, a downwards folded lug 61. At assembly, this same upper end is pressed into the cavity 423 of the operating member 42 until it bottoms therein. Owing to the spring properties of the high-strength strip, there can be significant force against the walls of the cavity 423, the edges of a suitably long lug 61 catching on said walls and, the higher the pulling-out force, the greater the wedging.

The lower end of the control rod 6 is cut from the side to about half its width and the resulting lug 62 is folded outwards. Consequently, the cross section of this outwards folded lug 62 is axially oriented and can, with suitable guiding, take up significant axial forces without acting as a spring. Figure 13 shows an angled groove above the lug 62 and, at the bottom, under the lug 62, an angled cut-off. The purpose of these angles is to avoid parts of the inner element 2 catching on the lower end of the control rod 6. The purpose of the above-mentioned groove above the lug 62 is to realise a tension reducing radius when fastening the lug. Said cut-off and groove are easy to manufacture via punching. At assembly, the lug 62 is threaded from the inside of the outer tube 1 through the axially oriented opening 14 of the outer tube 1, the blocking body 33 then being placed on the outside of the outer tube 1 and the lug 62 threaded, from the inside of the blocking body 33, into the axially oriented mounting groove 334. The mounting groove 334 is so dimensioned that the lug 62 is easy to thread, but has an almost entirely play-free fit, in the blocking body 33. This assembly finishes with the top part of the lug 62 being folded over the previously described bar 335, as depicted in figure 16 and also in figure 14 where the lug 62 is shown in its final form. The lug 62 is now anchored, free of play, in the blocking body 33. Additionally, owing to the lug's axial extension, the anchorage is inelastic. This is a great advantage as springiness could interfere with length-adjusting of the pole. This arrangement thus achieves an easily assembled and very dependable anchoring of the control rod 6 against the blocking body 33.

Figures 19, 21, 24 and 25 show a shock absorber 5 and some of its constituent parts. The shock absorber 5 is attached to the other end 24 of the inner element 2. The function of the shock absorber 5 is to reduce the force that arises when the locking device 3 disengages the inner element 2 from a locked position where it is inserted far into the outer tube 1, the regulating spring 7 then being highly compressed. The striking edge 528 of the shock absorber here strikes the corresponding stop edge of the housing 35. The shock absorber 5 includes an end stop 51, an impact disc 52, an impact spring 53 and a locking peg 54. The end stop 51 includes a neck 511 whose cross section is the same as the shape of the inner element 2, this neck 511 being inserted in the other end 24 of the inner element 2 and fastened to this using a radially oriented pin (or other known method). The end stop 51 further includes a head 512 that has a diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of the outer tube 1, whereby the end stop 51 can slide freely, with a certain play, inside the outer tube 1. The mantle surface of the head 512 includes a hollow 515, this hollow providing a place for the control rod 6. The end stop 51 further includes a support plate 516 in which a groove 517 has been hollowed out. The neck 511 of the end stop 51 includes an axially oriented hole 513 that runs into the head 512. The hole 513 is a through-hole but, at its bottom, has a smaller diameter, thereby forming a support edge for an impact spring 53. Laterally through the neck 511, there is a radial through-hole 514. The head 512 includes projections 518 oriented towards the neck, these projections including strike surfaces 5181. The head 512 further includes a guide pin 519 designed to guide the lower end of the regulating spring 7. The impact disc 52 includes an axially oriented hole 521 with a cross section slightly larger than that of the end stop's neck 511. The cross section of the outer mantle surface of the impact disc 52 has an outer contour similar to that of the head 512 and, in the same way, has a hollow 523 designed to provide space for the control rod 6. The impact disc 52 further includes projections 526 with strike surfaces 527. The impact disc 52 also includes a tongue 524 and a radially oriented through-hole 522. The lower end of the impact disc constitutes a striking edge 528. The shock absorber 5 is mounted in such a way that the impact spring 53 is pushed into the hole 513 of the end stop 51, the impact disc 52 then being threaded over the neck 511 of the end stop 51. The tongue 524 of the impact disc 52 is then inserted into the groove 517 of the end stop 51. This forms a bridge over which the latching element 32 can slide when the inner element 2 is pulled out to its endmost position. In the next assembly phase of the shock absorber 5, the impact spring 53 is compressed and the locking peg 54 threaded into the radially oriented hole 522 of the impact disc 52, through the corresponding hole 514 of the end stop 51 and out at the other side. The impact spring 53 is then tensioned between the bottom edge of the hole 513 and the locking peg 54. It is further compressed when the impact disc 52 is displaced in an axial direction towards the head 512 of the end stop 51. With the shock absorber 5 fastened to the inner element 2, the striking edge 528 strikes the corresponding stop edge 354 of the housing 35 when the inner element 2 is pulled out or pushed in to its endmost positions. Here, the impact disc 52 is displaced axially in a direction towards the head 512 of the end stop 51. The energy in the strike is then transmitted to the spring. This results in a longer stopping distance and, thereby, the strike force being less in comparison to what it would be with an inelastic strike.

Figure 20 shows a cross section of the inner element 2. The cross section is tubular, noncircular and has a plane 22 where the wall thickness is greater. The recesses 21 are hollowed out in this plane.

Figures 22 and 23 show the housing 35, which housing is designed as a socket with a bottom. The inside of the housing includes a partially cylinder-shaped fastening surface 351, to which surface the first end 11 of the outer tube 1 is fastened using a known method. The fastening surface 351 here partially surrounds the outer tube 1, this same outer tube bottoming against the stop edge 354 of the housing 35. There is a guide hole 353 in the bottom of the housing 35. The cross section of the hole has the same shape as the cross section of the inner element 2, but is slightly larger so that the inner element 2 can run freely, with a certain play, in the guide hole. Owing to the non-circular cross section: the inner element 2 is here prevented from rotating around its longitudinal axis; and, the latching element 32 is always at the correct angle for being pushed into a recess 22 in the inner element 2. The opening of the housing 35 further includes a space in which the blocking body 33 can be displaced axially, it being here guided by the internal guide surface 352. The blocking body 33 is here fixed from rotation and radial movement. The radial, outwards force exerted on the latching element 32 when the pole is loaded axially is then taken up by the housing 35 via the contact the blocking body 33 has with the guide surface 352 of the housing 35.

Of course, there are many other conceivable embodiments that can realise the idea underlying the invention. For example, the blocking body entirely surrounding the outer tube, thereby eliminating the housing, is conceivable. This is provided that there is another way that the blocking body can be rotationally secured. Additionally, rotational securing of the inner element relative to the outer tube being via the outer tube having a non-circular cross section is conceivable.

It is preferred that the latching element 32 is designed as a cylindrical peg whose longitudinal axis is essentially oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the inner element 2, this inner element 2 including one or more recesses 21 arranged axially at a distance from each other.

Recesses 21 are preferably so formed that they are each part of a cylinder's mantle surface, this cylinder's diameter being equal to, or slightly larger than, the diameter of the cylindershaped latching element 32, the longitudinal axis of the recesses 21 being essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder-shaped latching element 32. Axial forces on the inner element 2 relative to the outer tube 1 give rise to: almost surface, or at least line, contact between the latching element 32 and the selected recess 21; and, line contact between the latching element 32 and the surfaces 3371, 3372 and 3373 of the blocking body 33. This enables a desirable reduction in the contact forces. It is advantageous if the latching element 32 is designed with a rotation-symmetrical cross section. It does not then need to be fixed as regards movements around its own longitudinal axis. It is, of course, conceivable for the latching element 32 to be designed as an arm, this arm being rotatable around an articulation, the rotational axis being preferably oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the inner element 2 and the arm having an inwards oriented projection suitable for recesses in the inner element 2. An arrangement with several latches 32 that, in the locked position, are inserted into various recesses 21 of the inner element is also conceivable. In this way, the contact forces can be reduced. A spherical latch 32 that can fit into suitable recesses 21 in the inner element 2 is also conceivable. This arrangement has the advantages that: it saves space; and, guiding of the latching element 32 is easy. The disadvantage is that the contact forces are larger. It is also conceivable for the inner element 2 to have a circular cross section that includes recesses in the form of grooves that follow the circumference of the inner element, these grooves being realisable through pressing or turning. With a suitably designed latching element 32, a locking of the inner element 2 relative to the outer tube 1 can then be realised without the inner element and the outer tube needing to be rotationally secured in relation to each other.

Here, it is an advantage for the inner element 2 to be rotationally fixed relative to the outer tube 1. This has been realised by the internal mantle surface of the outer tube 1 having a non-circular cross section and the head 512 of the end stop 51 having a corresponding, but slightly smaller, cross section.

One essential aspect of the present invention is that the latching element 32 can be actively lifted out of a recess 21. As described, this can be effected via a blocking body 33 that includes a lifting surface 3372 facing outwards from the outer tube 1. Of course, the same effect can be achieved by the locking device 3 including an edge or some other regulating part such as, for example, a spring member, this regulating part, on disengagement of the lock, influencing the latching element 32 with an outwards from the outer tube 1 radially oriented force, the latching element 32 being thereby lifted out of a recess 21.

Another essential aspect of the present invention is that there is a control organ 6 in the ring-shaped space between the outer tube 1 and the inner element 2. There are major advantages with this described embodiment. Nonetheless, a design is, of course, conceivable where the blocking body 33 (under the influence of a locking spring 43 included in the locking device 3) puts the locking device 3 into a locked position via an axial movement oriented downwards in the opposite direction to the previous description. In such a design, the locking device 3 is disengaged from the locked position by the blocking body 33 being pulled, with the aid of a control rod 6, upwards in arrow direction M towards the regulating device 4. As, for ergonomic reasons, it is desirable that disengagement of the locking device 3 is via a pushing force in arrow direction M', this design requires an operating member 42 that can turn such a pushing force into a pulling force exerted on the control rod 6 in arrow direction M.

For ski and walking poles, it is an advantage if the outer mantle surface of the inner element is cylindrical. It is then easier to automate production and also to print any desired logos or similar on the inner element. Figure 26 shows parts of such a pole including an outer tube 1 and an inner element 2 designed as a tube with a cylindrical outer mantle surface. The same outer mantle surface includes two or more hollows 21 arranged at a distance from each other in the axial direction of the inner element 2. The hollows 21 can be through-holes, as in the figure, or recesses in the cases where, as with the embodiment in figure 20, the inside of the inner element 2 offers sufficient thickness of material.

As in a previous embodiment, the outer tube 1 has radially and axially oriented openings, respectively 13 and 14, to enable a locking function using a locking device 3 and a regulating device 4 as per the above-described embodiment. Rotational fixing of the inner element 2 relative to the outer tube 1 is here realised via a non-circular end stop 51 on the other end 24 of the inner element 2, this end stop being shown in figure 28. The end stop 51 includes a neck 511 designed to project into the other end 24 of the inner element 2 and be fastened there using a known method. The end stop 51 further includes a head 512, the mantle surface of which has axially oriented shoulders 5175 and, between these shoulders, grooves 517. In figure 1 , the size and placing of the shoulders 5175 is such that they fit into a corresponding axially oriented grooves 17 and shoulders 16 of the inner mantle surface of the outer tube 1. With correct dimensions, the inner element 2 can slide freely in an axial direction relative to the outer tube 1 and, at the same time, be rotationally fixed relative to the same outer tube. The end stop 51 further includes a hollow 515 in the mantle surface of

RECTIFIED SHEET (Rule 91) the head 512, this hollow providing a place for a control organ 6 with a function as per the above-described embodiment.

The invention can also be designed as per figure 29, which shows parts of a pole that includes an outer tube 1 and an inner element 2, this inner element being designed as a tube with a cylindrical outer mantle surface. The same outer mantle surface includes two or more hollows 21 arranged at a distance from each other in the axial direction of the inner element 2. The arrangement in figure 29 further includes a latching element 32 that itself includes a latching pin 324 designed to be inserted, at locking, through a radially oriented opening 13 in the mantle surface of the outer tube 1 and then into one of the hollows 21 of the inner element 2, the inner element 2 being thereby axially locked relative to the outer tube 1. For clarity's sake in figure 29, the latching element 32 has been lifted from its functional position. The latching element 32 further includes an arm 321, from the underside of one end of which a latching pin 324 projects. At the other end of the arm 321, there is a shaft 322, both ends of this shaft forming trunnions around which the latching element 32 can rotate. The latching element 32 further includes a regulating pin 323 on the other end of the arm 321. This projects from the underside of the arm 321. The arrangement in figure 29 further includes an actuating member 9 that itself includes a mounting 91 and a regulating part 92. On the top face of the regulating part 92, there is a through-hole 93. When the latching element 32 is in its functional position as shown in figure 32, the regulating pin 323 is inserted into this hole 93. The actuating member 9 is otherwise designed and anchored in a control organ 6 as in the description of figures 8 - 12. In the mantle surface of the outer tube 1, there is an axially oriented groove 14 as shown in figure 10. In this way, as earlier described, the actuating member 9 can be displaced axially through the influence of the control organ 6. Figures 30 and 31 show the right-hand side 36 of a housing 35 that, together with the corresponding left-hand side 37, forms said housing. The right-hand part 36 of the housing 35 includes: a fastening surface 361 for fastening to the first end 11 of the outer tube 1; a guide surface 362 for guiding the actuating member 9 in a radial direction; a hole 365 that has a diameter slightly larger than that of the shaft 322 of the latching element 32; and, a part 363 of a guide hole 353, this guide hole being slightly larger than the cross section of the inner element 2. Correspondingly, the left-hand part 37 of the housing 35 includes: a fastening surface 371; a guide surface 372; and, a hole 375.

RECTIFIED SHEET (Rule 91) Figure 32 shows, in a functional position, the following parts: the latching element 32; the actuating member 9; and, the right-hand part 36 of the housing 35. Here, one of the trunnions of the shaft 322 of the latching element 32 is rotatably inserted in the hole 365. For clarity's sake, the left-hand part 37 of the housing 35 is shown pulled away from its functional position. These two housing parts 36 and 37 are fastened together by gluing (or other known method) to form, in a way similar to that shown in figure 23, a housing 35 with a fastening surface 351 and a guide hole 353 for the inner element 2. In this housing 35, the latching element 32 is rotatably fixed in holes 365 and 375. The housing 35, along with the latching element 32 and the actuating member 9, constitutes a locking device 3. This locking device can be regulated via a regulating device 4 on the other end 12 of the outer tube 1. Its function is as previously described. Additionally, in the arrangement in figures 29 - 37, the inner element 2 is rotationally fixed relative to the outer tube 1. Fixing is: as set out in the description of the arrangement in figures 26 - 28; or, using another known method.

Figures 33 and 34 show the locking device 3 in the locked state. For clarity's sake, only the right-hand part 36 of the housing 35 is shown. Under the influence of the locking spring 43, the control organ 6 is moved in arrow direction M as in the description of figures 4 and 5. Here, the actuating member 9 is moved in the same direction M and the upper edge of the hole 93 in figure 34 pulls the regulating pin 323 of the latching element 32 in the same direction. The latching element 32 is then rotated around its shaft 322 in arrow direction 0 and latching pin 324 is inserted into the radially oriented opening 13 of the outer tube 1 and further into one of the hollows 21 of the inner element 2. Relative to the outer tube 1, this locks the inner element 2 axially in arrow directions N and N'. When the user presses the pole against the ground for support, the inner element 2 is pressed towards the outer tube 1 in direction N. This turns latching element 32 in arrow direction 0 until the latching pin 324 of the latching element 32 is pushed against the lower edge of the radially oriented opening 13 of the outer tube 1 (figure 34). With increased force from the user, the latching pin 324 is pushed ever harder against said edge of the opening 13 and the pole remains locked. This is essential for dependable functionality. When the inner element is subjected to a pulling-out force in arrow direction N', the latching element 32 is rotated in arrow direction O' and the latching pin 324 tends to slide out of the hollow 21. This is not necessarily a major disadvantage. Figures 35 and 36 show the locking device 3 in the unlocked state. Under the influence of a force in arrow direction M' exerted by the user on operating member 42, the control organ 6 is moved in this same direction M' as in the description of figures 6 and 7. Here, the actuating member 9 is moved in the same direction M' and the lower edge of the hole 93 in figure 36 pushes the regulating pin 323 of the latching element 32 in the same direction. The latching element 32 is then rotated around its axis 322 in arrow direction O', whereby latching pin 324 is pulled out of one of the hollows 21 of the inner element 2 and the inner element 2 is disengaged in an axial direction from the outer tube 1, the user then being able to adjust the pole to the desired length.

The above-described embodiment has certain similarities with known technology as per DE29604549 U1 (cited in the ingress). However, it exhibits the following advantages over said known technology. First, the control organ is in the space between an outer tube 1 and an inner element 2. This gives major savings in materials and weight. Second, the locking device 3 opens through a downwards oriented force exerted by the user in arrow direction M'. This is essential from an ergonomic perspective.

The embodiment described in figures 29 - 36 can be simplified with maintained functionality. This is illustrated in figure 37, which only shows the outer tube 1, the control organ 6, the right-hand part 36 of the housing 35, the latching element 32 and a peg 325. Here, the actuating member 9 has been eliminated in such a way that the outwards folded lug 62 of the control organ 6, as per figure 14, has been: modified to project entirely straight out; and, given a hole. This same lug 62 is inserted into an axially oriented slot in the regulating pin 323 of the latching element 32, this regulating pin having a hole that has the same orientation as the hole in the lug 62. A peg 325 has been inserted through said holes and, through interference fit or other known method, anchored in the regulating pin 323. Here, the corresponding hole in the lug 62 is somewhat larger than the diameter of the peg 325. In this way, on displacement of the control organ 6 in directions M and M', the latching element 32 can be rotated around its axis 322 in the above-stated way, it being thereby possible to regulate the locking device 3 between the locked and unlocked states.

Common to all the described embodiments is: there being a control organ 6 in the space between the outer mantle surface of the inner element 2 and the inner mantle surface of

RECTIFIED SHEET (Rule 91) the outer tube 1, this control organ 6 extending radially from a locking device 3 on the first end 11 of the outer tube 1 to a regulating device 4 on the other end 12 of the outer tube 1, the locking device 3 including a latching element 32 that, relative to the outer tube, is fixed in an axial direction; and, it being possible, under the influence of the control organ 6, to move parts of said latching element out from a hollow 21 in the mantle surface of the inner element 2.

Here, the control organ 6 is displaceable, in the axial direction of the outer tube 1, between a first position where said latching element 32 is moved into one of said hollows 21 and a second position where said latching element 32 is moved out of said hollows 21. It is preferred that the latching element 32 is moved in a direction towards said first position through the influence of a locking spring 43, in which position the inner element 2 and the outer tube 1 are, relative to each other, locked in the axial direction and where, under the influence of the regulating device 4, the control organ 6 is moved in a direction towards said second position, in which said second position the inner element 2 and the outer tube 1 are, relative to each other, disengaged in the axial direction.

RECTIFIED SHEET (Rule 91)