Mechanical holding device

Claim 1

A MECHANICAL HOLDING DEVICE COMPRISING A TUBULAR MEMBER, AN ELONGATED EXPANSIBLE AND CONTRACTIBLE TUBULAR GRIPPING MEMBER ADAPTED TO EMBRACE AN OBJECT TO BE GRIPPED LOCATED WITHIN SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, SAID TUBULAR MEMBER BEING LONGER THAN SAID GRIPPING MEMBER AND WHOLLY ENCLOSING THE SAME, A FIRST RING THROUGH WHICH THE OBJECT MAY BE INSERTED, SECURED TO ONE END OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND TO ONE END OF SAID GRIPPING MEMBER AND SECURING THE LATTER IN FIXED RELATION TO SAID TUBULAR MEMBER END, THE OTHER END OF SAID GRIPPING MEMBER BEING FREELY MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY RELATIVE TO SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, GUIDE MEANS THROUGH WHICH THE OBJECT MAY BE INSERTED SECURED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID GRIPPING MEMBER AND PROJECTING BEYOND THE LATTER, TO PROVIDE AN INTEGRAL PORTION PROJECTING BEYOND THE EXTERIOR OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND OPERABLE BY A FORCE APPLIED TO SUCH INTEGRAL EXTERIOR PORTION BEYOND THE EXTERIOR OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER TO SHIFT SAID GUIDE MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AND SAID SECOND RING SLIDABLY ENGAGING THE OTHER END OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER TO ENABLE SAID OTHER END OF THE GRIPPING MEMBER TO BE DIRECTLY SUPPORTED BY SAID OTHER END OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER WITHIN THE RANGE OF MOVEMENTS THEREOF IN THE GRIPPING AND NONGRIPPING OPERATIONS OF SAID GRIPPING MEMBER, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AT A PLACE SPACED FROM SAID GUIDE MEANS AND PROJECTING BEYOND THE EXTERIOR OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER FOR SECURING SAID DEVICE AND THE GRIPPED OBJECT TO ANOTHER DEVICE.