Retainer assembly for securing a covering on a tubular member

Claim 1

A RETAINER ASSEMBLY FOR POSITIONING CONCENTRIC TUBULAR MEMBERS ON A TUBULAR MEMBER COMPRISING, A RETAINER RING FOR FITTING ABOUT A TUBULAR MEMBER AND HAVING A PAIR OF ANNULAR VERTICAL END FACES FOR ABUTTING CONCENTRIC TUBULAR MEMBERS TO BE RETAINED BY THE ASSEMBLY, SAID RETAINER RING HAVING AN INNER DIAMETER AT ONE END LARGER THAN THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER ON WHICH IT IS POSITIONED, SAID RETAINER RING HAVING AN INNER DIAMETER AT ITS OTHER END LARGER THAN THE DIAMETER ON SAID FIRST END TO THEREBY PROVIDE AN ANNULAR SLOPING SURFACE IN SAID RETAINER RING IN SPACED RELATION TO THE TUBULAR MEMBER ON WHICH THE RING IS POSITIONED, A THREADED OUTER SURFACE ON SAID RING ADJACENT THE END OF SAID RING OPPOSITE SAID VERTICAL END FACES, ANNULAR SEGMENTS FITTING WITHIN SAID RING AND HAVING ONE SURFACE FOR ENGAGING THE TUBULAR MEMBER ON WHICH SAID RETAINER RING IS POSITIONED AND AN OUTER ANNULAR TAPERED SURFACE ABUTTING THE SLOPING SURFACE IN SAID RETAINER RING, AND A LOCK RING HAVING AN INNER THREADED SURFACE ADJACENT ONE END FOR ENGAGING THE OUTER THREADED SURFACE ON SAID RETAINER RING, AN ANNULAR INNER END SURFACE ON SAID LOCK RING FOR HOLDING SAID SEGMENTS IN SAID RETAINER RING, SAID LOCK RING ADAPTED TO THREADEDLY ENGAGE SAID RETAINER RING AND HOLD SAID RETAINER RING IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CONCENTRIC TUBULAR MEMBERS AND TO RETAIN SAID SEGMENTS WITHIN THE ASSEMBLY TO ENGAGE THE SURFACE OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER.