Tool for laying a pipeline laterally of a well bore

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR FORCING A PLURALITY OF PIPE SEGMENTS FROM A BOREHOLE OF A WELL LATERALLY INTO A FORMATION SO AS TO FORM A FLOWWAY BETWEEN THE FORMATION AND THE BOREHOLE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HOUSING ADAPTED TO BE LOWERED INTO THE BOREHOLE, MEANS CARRIED BY THE HOUSING FOR SUPPORTING A PIPE SEGMENT IN POSITION SO THAT IT CAN BE PUSHED LATERALLY OF THE HOUSING INTO THE FORMATION, MEANS IN THE HOUSING FOR HOLDING A SUPPLY OF SAID SEGMENTS AND FOR FEEDING THEM ONE-BY-ONE INTO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AS THE PRECEDING SEGMENT IS PUSHED THEREFROM, AN ANVIL MOUNTED IN THE HOUSING FOR RECIPROCATION TRANSVERSE OF THE HOUSING BUT FOR LIMITED LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT THERETO TO PUSH SAID SEGMENTS WITHOUT ROTATION FROM SAID SUPPORTING MEANS OUT INTO THE FORMATION, A WEDGE MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATION LONGITUDINALLY OF THE HOUSING BEHIND THE ANVIL SO THAT DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE WEDGE MOVES THE ANVIL TOWARD SEGMENT PUSHING POSITION, A SLIDING CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ANVIL AND WEDGE CAUSING THE ANVIL TO BE RETRACTED RESPONSIVE TO UPWARD MOVEMENT OF THE WEDGE, AN ACTUATING MEMBER RECIPROCABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE HOUSING ABOVE THE WEDGE, DOGS PIVOTED TO THE WEDGE AND MOVABLE BETWEEN LATCHING AND UNLATCHING POSITIONS AND IN LATCHING POSITION ENGAGEABLE WITH SHOULDERS ON SAID ACTUATING MEMBER, AND AN ABUTMENT CARRIED BY THE HOUSING FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE DOGS UPON MOVEMENT OF THE WEDGE TO ITS UPPERMOST POSITION TO RELEASE THE DOGS FROM LATCHING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ACTUATING MEMBER, SAID HOUSING EXTENDING A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE ABOVE THE WEDGE WHEN THE WEDGE IS IN ITS UPPERMOST POSITION SO AS TO PERMIT THE ACTUATING MEMBER TO OVERTRAVEL AFTER RELEASE FROM THE WEDGE WITHOUT MOVING THE LATTER.