Core barrel

Claim 1

ROTARY CORE DRILLING APPARATUS FOR TAKING A CORE SAMPLE COMPRISING A DRILL STEM HAVING AN APERTURED CORE BIT AT THE INNER END THEREOF, A LATCH SEAT AXIALLY SPACED FROM SAID CORE BIT AND A HANGER COUPLING AXIALLY INTERMEDIATE SAID LATCH SEAT AND THE CORE BIT, SAID HANGER COUPLING HAVING AN ANNULAR RECESS, AND A WIRE LINE CORE BARREL INNER TUBE ASSEMBLY THAT INCLUDES A LATCH, A LATCH BODY PORTION MOUNTING SAID LATCH FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN EXTENDED POSITION TO LATCHINGLY ENGAGE SAID LATCH SEAT AND A RETRACTED POSITION, LATCH RELEASE MEANS MOUNTED BY SAID LATCH BODY PORTION FOR LIMITED MOVEMENT BETWEEN A LATCH RETRACTED POSITION AND A LATCH EXTENDED POSITION, MEANS FOR RECEIVING AND RETAINING A CORE SAMPLE, AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE CORE RECEIVING MEANS TO THE LATCH BODY PORTION TO EXTEND AXIALLY INWARDLY OF THE LATCH BODY PORTION, THE LAST MENTIONED MEANS HAVING A REDUCED DIAMETER PORTION TO FORM A SHOULDER, AND RESILIENTLY EXPANDABLE MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID RECESS FOR EXPANDING AS THE PART OF THE CORE BARREL INNER TUBE ASSEMBLY INWARDLY OF SAID REDUCED DIAMETER PORTION PASSES THERETHROUGH AND ALTERNATELY CONTRACTING ONTO SAID REDUCED DIAMETER PORTION FOR ABUTTING AGAINST SAID SHOULDER TO HOLD THE CORE RECEIVING MEANS OUT OF CONTACT OF THE CORE BIT AS CORE IS BEING DRILLED, SAID CORE RECEIVING MEANS HAVING AN OUTER DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE INNER DIAMETER OF THE EXPANDABLE MEANS IN A CONTRACTED CONDITION, AND SAID CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS HAVING A FLUID CHANNEL FOR BYPASSING SAID EXPANDABLE MEANS IN A CORE BARREL INNER TUBE ASSEMBLY LATCH SEATED POSITION, A SPINDLE, MEANS FOR CONNECTING ONE END PORTION OF THE SPINDLE TO SAID LATCH BODY PORTION, TWO RESILIENT WASHERS MOUNTED ON SAID SPINDLE THAT ARE EXPANDABLE IN GIRTH TO FORM A FLUID SEAL WITH THE DRILL STEM WHEN SUFFICIENTLY COMPRESSED, A METAL WASHER ON THE SPINDLE INTERMEDIATE SAID RESILIENT WASHERS AND MEANS MOUNTINGLY RETAINED ON SAID SPINDLE FOR LIMITED RELATIVE SLIDABLE MOVEMENT TO CONNECT THE CORE RECEIVING MEANS TO THE SPINDLE AND COMPRESS SAID WASHERS TO EXPAND THE RESILIENT WASHERS IN GIRTH WHEN THE CORE RECEIVING MEANS IS FILLED WITH CORE AND THE LATCH ENGAGES THE LATCH SEAT.