Well casing and tubing suspension assembly

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SUSPENDING A STRING OF PIPE WITHIN A WELL, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A SUSPENSION BODY HAVING AN AXIAL THROUGHBORE, A SLOPING-FACED SLIP BOWL BEING FORMED IN SAID SUSPENSION BODY AROUND A PORTION OF THE THROUGHBORE, A PLURALITY OF SLIP SEGMENTS CARRIED IN CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP IN SAID SLIP BOWL IN A NORMALLY RETRACTED INOPERATIVE POSITION AND MOUNTED FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT ALONG THE SLOPING FACE THEREOF, THE OUTER FACE OF SAID SLIP SEGMENTS SLOPING AT THE SAME ANGLE AS SAID SLIP BOWL, THE INNER FACES OF SAID SLIP SEGMENTS SLOPING IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIRECTION, POSITIONING MEANS NORMALLY RELEASABLY CONNECTING SAID SLIP SEGMENTS TO SAID SUSPENSION BODY IN A RETRACTED POSITION OUT OF THE THROUGHBORE THEREOF, AUXILIARY SLIP MEANS CARRIED ON THE INNER FACES OF SAID SLIP SEGMENTS IN CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER, THE INNER FACES OF SAID SLIP MEANS BEING VERTICAL AND SERRATED HORIZONTALLY, SECOND POSITIONING MEANS RELEASABLY CONNECTING SAID SLIP SEGMENTS AND SAID SLIP MEANS TO HOLD SAID SLIP MEANS IN A RETRACTED POSITION, MOVING MEANS CARRIED WITHIN SAID SUSPENSION BODY IN CONTACT WITH SAID SLIP MEANS FOR NORMALLY URGING SAID SLIP MEANS TO AN EXTENDED POSITION, AND SLIP SEGMENT ACTUATING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SUSPENSION BODY AND IN CONTACT WITH SAID SLIP SEGMENTS FOR NORMALLY URGING SAID SLIP SEGMENTS DOWNWARDLY ALONG SAID SLIP BOWN TO RELEASE SAID FIRST POSITIONING MEANS AND SUBSEQUENTLY TO RELEASE SAID SECOND POSITIONING MEANS TO RADIAL INWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIP SEGMENTS.