Automatic connector

Claim 1

IN AN AUTOMATIC CONNECTOR FOR OIL WELL DRILLING, CASING AND CEMENTING STRINGS INCLUDING AN INNER, HOLLOW MANDREL HAVING ONE END SLIDABLY RECEIVED AND ADAPTED TO BE AUTOMATICALLY AND RELEASABLY CONNECTED IN ONE END OF AN ELONGATED, HOLLOW, OUTER BARREL MEMBER WITHOUT ROTATION OF THE STRING OR OF ANY ELEMENTS OF THE MANDREL AND BARREL MEMBER, A PROVISION OF: A HOLLOW MANDREL HAVING AN OUTER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE, A STOP SHOULDER FOR THE END OF A BARREL PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID OUTER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE AND SPACED FROM THE END OF SAID MANDREL; AN OUTWARDLY FACING CIRCUMFERENTIAL LOCKING GROOVE PROVIDED IN SAID OUTER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID MANDREL AND SPACED BETWEEN THE END OF SAID MANDREL AND SAID BARREL STOP SHOULDER; A HOLLOW BARREL HAVING AN INNER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF A DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID OUTER SURFACE OF SAID MANDREL; AN INWARDLY EXTENDING, CIRCUMFERENTIAL LOCKING HEAD RETAINING RING PROVIDED ON THE INNER SURFACE OF THE END OF SAID BARREL, THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID RING HAVING A DIAMETERR SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF AND ADAPTED TO SLIDABLY ENGAGE SAID OUTER SURFACE OF SAID MANDREL; CARRIER MEANS RIGIDLY CARRIED WITHIN AND SPACED FROM SAID ONE END OF SAID BARRIEL INCLUDING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIAL SLEEVE HAVING AN OUTER DIAMETER WHICH IS LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID INNER SURFACE OF SAI DBARREL THEREBY FORMING A SPRING RECEIVING CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN; A CYLINDRICAL, ELONGATED LOCKING MEANS SLIDABLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID BARREL AND EXTENDING FROM WITHIN SAID SPRING RECEIVING CHAMBER TO SAID LOCK RETAINING RING; SAID LOCKING MEANS INCLUDING AN UPPER PORTION SLIDABLY RECEIVED IN SAID CHAMBER AND A LOWER PORTION COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF RESILIENT, CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED FINGERS ADAPTED TO EXPAND OUTWARDLY, EACH FINGER HAVING AN INWARDLY PROJECTING LOCKING HEAD ON THE END THEREOF AND NORMALLY IN CONTACT WITH SAID RETAINING RING; IN THE NORMAL UNEXPANDED POSITION OF SAID RESILIENT FINGERS, THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID LOCKING HEADS HAVE A DIAMETER LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID OUTER SURFACE OF SAID MANDREL AND SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF SAID LOCKING GROOVE; A SPRING RETAINED WITHIN SAID SPRING RECEIVING CHAMBER AND ENGAGING SAID UPPER PORTION OF SAID LOCKING MEANS AND URGING SAID LOCKING HEADS ON SAID SPRING FINGERS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID INWARDLY EXTENDING RETAINING RING; UNLOCKING MEANS ON SAID CYLINDRICAL LOCKING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID LOCKING MEANS INTO SAID CHAMBER AGAINST SAID SPRING AND MOVING SAID LOCKING HEADS AWAY FROM SAID RETAINING RING AND OUT OF SAID LOCKING GROOVE WHEN THE BARREL AND MANDREL ARE CONECTED; AND FLUID SEALING MEANS BETWEEN SAID LOCKING MEANS, SAID BARRREL AND SAID MANDREL FOR PREVENTING FLUID FROM LEAKING OUT OF SAID HOLLOW BARREL AND HOLLOW MANDREL WHEN SAID LOCKING HEADS ARE IN LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LOCKING GROOVE AND SAID BARREL AND MANDREL ARE CONNECTED; WHEREBY SAID BARREL MEMBER AND MANDREL ARE ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED BY RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE MANDREL WITHIN THE BARREL SO THAT THE SPRING FINGERS OF SAID LOCKING MEANS ARE EXPANDED OUTWARDLY UNTIL THE END OF THE BARREL ENGAGES THE BARREL STOP AND THE LOCKING HEADS ASSUME THEIR NORMAL POSITION AND SNAP INWARDLY INTO LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LOCKING GROOVE AND ARE RETAINED THEREIN BY SAID RETAINING RING.