Coupling device for underwater wellheads

Claim 1

A COUPLING DEVICE FOR UNDERWATER WELLHEADS, COMPRISING, A TUBULAR HOUSING ATTACHABLE TO A SUBMERGED WELLHEAD AND HAVING AN ANNULAR LOCKING GROOVE IN THE BORE WALL THEREOF, A TUBULAR CONNECTOR BODY COAXIALLY INSERTABLE IN THE BORE OF SAID HOUSING, SAID CONNECTOR BODY HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED OPENINGS THROUGH THE WALL THEREOF, LATCHING DOGS MOUNTED IN SAID OPENINGS FOR RADIAL MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SAID GROOVE, SEAL MEANS MOUNTED ABOUT SAID BODY ABOVE SAID OPENINGS FOR SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID HOUSING, A TUBULAR MANDREL SLIDABLY DISPOSED FOR RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT IN THE BORE OF SAID BODY, AN ANNULAR ENLARGEMENT ABOUT SAID MANDREL MOVABLE THEREWITH BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION URGING SAID LATCHING DOGS INTO SAID GROOVE AND A SECOND POSITION RELEASING SAID LATCHING DOGS FOR RETRACTION FROM SAID GROOVE, ABUTMENT MEANS MOUNTED IN THE BORE OF SAID HOUSING IN REGISTRATION WITH THE LOWER END OF SAID MANDREL TO LIMIT DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE MANDREL RELATIVE TO SAID BODY, RESILIENT MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID MANDREL AND SAID BODY TO BIAS SAID MANDREL TOWARD SAID FIRST POSITION, HOLDING MEANS INITIALLY SECURING SAID MANDREL TO SAID BODY IN SAID SECOND POSITION, SAID HOLDING MEANS BEING RELEASABLE IN RESPONSE TO DOWNWARD FORCE APPLIED TO SAID BODY AFTER ENGAGEMENT TO THE LOWER END OF SAID MANDREL WITH SAID ABUTMENT MEANS, AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE UPPER END OF SAID BODY TO A PIPE OR THE LIKE TO BE COUPLED TO SAID WELLHEAD.