Drill pipe handling apparatus

Claim 1

A DRILL PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS FOR A DRILL TOWER HAVING A ROTARY HEAD SLIDABLY SUPPORTED THEREON, COMPRISING: (A) AN ELONGATED TUBULAR HOUSING DISPOSED WHOLLY WITHIN THE DRILL TOWER, (B) MEANS FOR MOVABLY CONNECTING SAID HOUSING TO SAID DRILL TOWER, (C) A FIRST DRILL PIPE SUPPORTING AND GRIPPING ASSEMBLY CONNECTED TO SAID HOUSING AND COMPRISING: (1) A PAIR OF PIVOTALLY CONNECTED, COACTING FIRST JAWS FOR ENGAGING AND HOLDING A DRILL PIPE, (D) A SECOND DRILL PIPE SUPPORTING AND GRIPPING ASSEMBLY CONNECTED TO SAID HOUSING IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID FIRST DRILL PIPE SUPPORTING AND GRIPPING ASSEMBLY, (E) SAID SECOND DRILL PIPE SUPPORTING AND GRIPPING AS SEMBLY COMPRISING: (1) A PAIR OF SPACED U-SHAPED PLATES SECURED TO SAID HOUSING, (2) A THIRD PLATE OF INVERTED U-SHAPE IN CROSS SECTION SPACED BELOW SAID PAIR OF U-SHAPED PLATES, (3) A PAIR OF PIVOT PINS EXTENDING THROUGH REGISTERED OPENINGS IN EACH OF SAID PAIR OF PLATES AND SAID THIRD PLATE, (4) TONGS MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID PINS BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF PLATES AND CONNECTED TO BE PIVOTALLY MOVED BY ROTATION OF SAID PINS, (5) SAID TONGS BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED ENGAGE AND PREVENT ROTATION OF A DRILL PIPE, (6) A PAIR OF SECOND JAWS FOR ENGAGING A DRIL PIPE SAID PAIR OF SECOND JAWS BEING MOUNTED ON SAID THIRD PLATE AND INCLUDING A SECOND JAW ON EACH OF SAID PINS FOR CONJOINED ROTATION WITH SAID PINS SO AS TO PIVOT TO CLOSED AND OPEN POSITIONS, (7) EACH OF SAID SECOND JAWS HAVING A HORIZONTAL FLANGED PORTION FOR RECEIVING THE END OF THE PIPE AND SUPPORTING THE WEIGHT THEREOF, (8) SAID THIRD PLATE AND SAID SECOND JAWS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID PINS FOR SLIDABLE MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID PINS AND SAID HOUSING,