United States Patent [19]
`Rutledge, Jr. et al. (cid:9)
`
`[11] Patent Number:
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`4,919,560
`Apr. 24, 1990
`
`[54] OIL WELL SUCKER ROD
`[75] Inventors: Woodrow T. Rutledge, Jr.; Russell P.
`Rutledge; T. Mike Jones; Don E.
`McCown; J. Tom Hodnett, all of Big
`Spring, Tex.
`[73] Assignee: Fiberglass Technologies, Inc., Big
`Spring, Tex.
`[21] Appl. No.: 344,673
`Apr. 28, 1989
`[22] Filed: (cid:9)
`[51] Int. C1.5
`[52] U.S. Cl. (cid:9)
`
` F16B 11/00
` 403/268; 403/13;
`403/361
` 403/268, 267, 13, 361,
`403/334, 266, 265
`
`[58] Field of Search (cid:9)
`
`[56] (cid:9)
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`Re. 32,865 2/1989 Rutledge, Jr. et al. (cid:9)
`2,864,967 12/1958 Redrick et al. (cid:9)
`4,089,612 5/1978 Mazzeo (cid:9)
`4,224,786 9/1980 Langlie et al. (cid:9)
`4,401,396 8/1983 McKay .
`4,433,933 2/1984 Parsons, Jr. et al. (cid:9)
`
` 403/268
` 403/361 N
` 403/361
` 403/361 X
`
` 403/268
`
`4,475,839 10/1984 Strandberg .
`4,653,953 3/1987 Anderson et al. (cid:9)
`4,662,774 5/1987 Morrow, Jr. .
`4,666,326 5/1987 Hope .
`4,787,771 11/1988 Allen (cid:9)
`4,822,201 4/1989 Iwasaki et al. (cid:9)
`
`
`
`
`
`
`403/268
`
`403/267 X
`403/268
`
`Primary Examiner—Peter M. Cuomo
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—H. Dennis Kelly
`
`ABSTRACT
`[57] (cid:9)
`Disclosed is an oil well sucker rod having a fiberglass
`rod with steel connectors on each end. Each connector
`has a rod-receiving receptacle having an open end, a
`closed end, and a plurality of axially spaced annular,
`tapered surfaces. The taper angles of the tapered sur-
`faces are progresssively less toward the open end of the
`receptacle. An annular centering surface within the
`receptacle engages the end of the rod to the center the
`rod within the connector. A plurality of evenly spaced
`dimples on the connector extend into the receptacle to
`the center the rod within the connector at a point
`spaced from the centering surface.
`
`9 Claims, 1 Drawing Sheet
`
`21 45 37
`
`19 (cid:9)
`
`63 (cid:9)
`
`15
`39 613 (cid:9)
`33 31 69/
`25 67 )
`73
`
`35
`
`23
`
`13
`
`43
`
`27
`
`j 29
`s43
`
`47
`
`53 59 55 49 61 57 51
`
`71
`
`63 17
`
`Petitioners' Exhibit 1008
`John Crane v. Finalrod
`IPR2016-01827
`Page 1 of 4
`
`(cid:9)
`(cid:9)
`(cid:9)
`(cid:9)
`

`
`
`of
`
`JD
`
`A --A
`
`Fig. 2
`
`53 59 55 49 61 57 51 63 17
`
`71
`
`O,
`
`- millE11MP- `4
`
`47
`
`41
`
`C43
`29
`
`27
`
`35
`
` 73 23
`
`33 31 69/
`15
`
`/ 25 67 (cid:9)
`8 5 (cid:9)
`
`39
`
`19 65
`
`21 45 37 (cid:9)
`
`43
`
`13m
`
`45 39W' 33 35 127
`
`Fig. 1
`
`\
`
`11
`
`15 (cid:9)58 (cid:9)
`
`Page 2 of 4
`
`(cid:9)
`

`
`1
`
`OIL WELL SUCKER ROD
`
`4,919,560
`
`2
`tacle to center the rod within the receptacle at a point
`spaced from the centering surface. The rod is thus cen-
`tered in two places to align the rod with the connector.
`
`5
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`FIG. 1 is a side view of the apparatus of the inven-
`tion.
`FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus of the
`invention as seen along line 2-2 in FIG. 1.
`DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENT
`As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sucker rod 11 of the
`invention has an elongated, cylindrical, fiberglass rod
`13. Each rod 13 is approximately thirty-seven feet long.
`A steel connector 15 is attached to each end 17 of the
`fiberglass rod 13. Each connector 15 has a rod-receiving
`receptacle 19 having an open end 21 and a closed end
`23. The end 17 of the rod 13 is inserted into the open end
`21 of the receptacle 19 and secured with an adhesive
`bonding material 25.
`Each connector 15 has standard external threads 27
`on the outer end 29 of the connector 15. A selected
`number of sucker rods 11 can be connected together
`with standard box connectors (not shown) to form a
`sucker rod string long enough to extend from a pump-
`ing unit on the surface to a sub-surface pump.
`The outer surface 31 of each connector 15 has a large
`cylindrical section 33. Four flats 35, on the large cylin-
`drical section 33 of the connector 15, allow the connec-
`tor 15 to be gripped with a sucker rod wrench (not
`shown).
`The outer surface 31 of the connector 15 also has a
`small cylindrical section 37 adjacent to the open end 21
`of the rod-receiving receptacle 19. Between the small
`cylindrical section 37 and the large cylindrical 33, the
`outer surface 31 of the connector 15 has a frusto-conical
`section 39. The frusto-conical section 39 tapers inward
`from the large cylindrical section 33 to the small cylin-
`drical section 37.
`The rod-receiving receptacle 19 has a cylindrical
`section 41 adjacent to the open end 21. The cylindrical
`section 41 of the receptacle 19 is parallel to the longitu-
`dinal axis 43 of the connector 15. Three indentations or
`dimples 45 are evenly spaced around the circumference
`of the cylindrical section 41. The dimples 45 extend into
`the rod-receiving receptacle 19 to center the rod 13
`within the receptacle 19. The dimples are sized to
`closely fit the outside diameter of the rod 13. If a smaller
`diameter rod 13 is to be used, the dimples 45 are made
`longer.
`Between the cylindrical section 41 and the closed end
`23, the receptacle 19 has three axially spaced, annular,
`tapered surfaces 47, 49, and 51. The tapered surface 47
`closest to the open end 21 of the receptacle 19 has a
`taper angle 53 of four and one-half degrees. The taper
`angle is the angle between a tapered surface 47, 49, or 51
`and the longitudinal axis 43 of the connector 15. The
`taper angle 55 of the second tapered surface 49 is five
`degrees, and the taper angle 57 of the innermost tapered
`surface 51 is five and one-half degrees. Different taper
`angles can be used, but the taper angles should be pro-
`gressively smaller toward the open end 21 of the recep-
`tacle 19.
`The large cylindrical section 33 of the outer surface
`31 of the connector 15 is adjacent to the innermost
`tapered surface 51 and the frusto-conical section 39 is
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`1. Field of the Invention
`This invention relates in general to oil well sucker
`rods. In particular, the invention relates to oil well
`sucker rods made of fiberglass with steel connectors on
`each end.
`2. Description of the Prior Art
`In many oil wells the pressure in the oil reservoir is
`insufficient to lift the oil to the surface. In such cases it
`is conventional to use a sub-surface pump to force the
`oil out of the well. The sub-surface pump is driven by a
`pumping unit located at the surface.
`The pumping unit is connected to the sub-surface
`pump by a string of sucker rods. The pumping unit
`moves the sucker rod string up and down to drive the
`sub-surface pump.
`For many years sucker rods were generally made of 20
`steel. Due to the heavy weight of the steel sucker rods,
`large pumping units were required and pumping depths
`were limited. It is now preferable to use sucker rods
`made of fiberglass with steel connectors. Fiberglass
`rods provide sufficient strength and yet weigh substan- 25
`tially less than steel rods.
`Since the invention of the fiberglass sucker rod, ef-
`forts have continued to improve the steel connectors
`between successive rods. For example, U.S. Pat. No.
`4,653,953, issued Mar. 31, 1987, to Anderson et al., 30
`shows a fiberglass sucker rod having a typical prior art
`connector.
`The connector shown in Anderson et al. has a rod-
`receiving receptacle and a plurality of axially spaced,
`annular, tapered surfaces. Bonding material between 35
`the rod and the connector holds the rod within the
`receptacle. The tapered surfaces create increased com-
`pressive forces to significantly improve the grip of the
`bonding agent on the rod. The taper angles of the ta-
`pered surfaces are progressively smaller toward the 40
`open end of the receptacle.
`U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,396, issued Aug. 30, 1983, to Mc-
`Kay, shows another typical sucker rod. The rod is cen-
`tered within the receptacle of the connector by a cen-
`tering ring and by the tapered end of the rod. Other 45
`sucker rod connectors have used evenly spaced dimples
`to center the rod within the receptacle.
`U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,865, issued Feb. 14, 1989, to
`Rutledge, Jr. et al., discloses another typical sucker rod.
`The outer surface of the connector is generally cylindri- 50
`cal. However, the outer surface of the connector is
`tapered adjacent to the internal tapered surface nearest
`the open end of the receptacle.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION (cid:9)
`The oil well sucker rod of the invention includes an
`elongated, cylindrical, fiberglass rod, having a steel
`connector on each end. Each connector has a rod-
`receiving receptacle having an open end, a closed end,
`and a plurality of axially spaced, annular, tapered sur- 60
`faces. The rod is secured within the rod-receiving re-
`ceptacle by a bonding agent. The taper angles of the
`tapered surfaces are progressively smaller toward the
`open end of the receptacle.
`An annular, tapered centering surface within the 65
`receptacle engages the end of the rod to center the rod
`within the connector. Near the open end of the recepta-
`cle, three evenly spaced dimples extend into the recep-
`
`10
`
`15
`
`55
`
`Page 3 of 4
`
`

`
`20
`
`3
`adjacent to the first and second tapered surfaces 47 and
`49. Therefore, the outer surface 31 of the connector 15
`is tapered adjacent to the two tapered surfaces 47 and 49
`nearest the open end 21 of the rod-receiving receptacle
`19. The junction 58 between the large cylindrical sec-
`5
`tion 33 and the frusto-conical section 39 is located radi-
`ally outward from the second tapered surface 49.
`The rod-receiving receptacle 19 has an annular shoul-
`der 59, 61, and 63 at the inner end of each tapered sur-
`face 47, 49, and 51, respectively. The taper angles 65, 10
`67, and 69 of the shoulders 59, 61, and 63, that is, the
`angles between the shoulders 59, 61, and 63 and the
`longitudinal axis 43 of the connector 15, are progres-
`sively smaller toward the open end 21 of the receptacle
`19. The taper angle 65 of the first shoulder 59 is twenty-
`four degrees, the taper angle 67 of the second shoulder 15
`61 is twenty-seven degrees, and the taper angle 69 of the
`third shoulder 63 is thirty-two degrees.
`The closed end 23 of the rod-receiving receptacle 19
`is a conical surface as a result of the drilling of the
`receptacle 19. An annular, tapered centering surface 71
`is located between the third shoulder 63 and the conical
`closed end 23 of the receptacle 19. The taper angle 73 of
`the centering surface 65, that is, the angle between the
`centering surface 65 and the longitudinal axis 43 of the
`connector 15, is smaller than the taper angle 57 of the
`third shoulder 63. The preferred taper angle 67 of the
`centering surface 65 is nine degrees.
`The circumference of the end of the rod 13 engages
`the centering surface 71 when the rod 13 is inserted into
`the rod-receiving receptacle 19. The taper angle 73 of 30
`the centering surface 71 causes the end of the rod 13 to
`move toward the center of the receptacle 19 as the rod
`13 enters the receptacle 19. The connector 15 can be
`used with any rod 13 having a diameter within a certain
`range, because the centering surface 71 will accommo- 35
`date a range of diameters. A rod 13 having a smaller
`diameter will simply move farther into the receptacle 19
`and engage the centering surface 71 at a different point.
`The centering surface 71 centers the end of the rod 13
`axially within the connector 15. The dimples 45 center 40
`the rod 13 within the receptacle 19 at a point spaced
`from the centering surface 71. Centering the rod 13 in
`two spaced apart locations causes the rod 13 to be
`aligned along the longitudinal axis 43 of the connector
`15. (cid:9)
`The apparatus of the invention has several advan-
`tages over the prior art. The dimples 45 and the center-
`ing surface 71 simply and accurately center and align
`the rod 13 within the connector 15. Also, the centering
`surface 71 will accommodate any rod 13 having a diam-
`50
`eter within a certain range.
`The invention has been shown in only one of its em-
`bodiments. It should be apparent to those skilled in the
`art that the invention is not so limited, but is susceptible
`to various changes and modifications without departing
`from the spirit of the invention.
`We claim:
`1. An oil well sucker rod, comprising:
`an elongated, cylindrical rod;
`a connector attached to one end of the rod for con-
`necting the rod to another rod and having a rod-
`receiving receptacle, the receptacle having an open
`end, a closed end, and a plurality of axially spaced,
`annular, tapered surfaces;
`an annular, tapered centering surface within the re-
`ceptacle in engagement with the end of the rod for 65
`centering the rod axially within the connector;
`a plurality of dimples on the connector extending into
`the receptacle to contact the rod for centering the
`
`45
`
`55
`
`60
`
`4,919,560
`
`25
`
`4
`rod within the connector at a point spaced from the
`centering surface; and
`an adhesive bonding material within the receptacle
`for securing the connector to the rod.
`2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein each
`tapered surface has a different taper angle.
`3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the
`taper angles of the tapered surfaces are progressively
`smaller toward the open end of the receptacle.
`4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the
`taper angles of the tapered surfaces decrease by one-half
`degree from one tapered surface to the next progres-
`sively toward the open end of the receptacle.
`5. An apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein the
`taper angles of the tapered surfaces are five and one-half
`degrees, five degrees, and four and one-half degrees
`progressively toward the open end of the receptacle.
`6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the
`centering surface has a taper angle of nine degrees.
`7. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the
`centering surface of the receptacle engages the circum-
`ference of the end of the rod.
`8. An oil well sucker rod, comprising:
`an elongated, cylindrical rod;
`a connector attached to one end of the rod for con-
`necting the rod to another rod, the connector hav-
`ing an outer surface which has a generally cylindri-
`cal section and a frusto-conical section and the
`connector having a rod-receiving receptacle, the
`receptacle having an open end, a closed end, and at
`least three axially spaced, annular, tapered sur-
`faces, including first and second tapered surfaces
`nearest to the open end of the receptacle, the first
`and second tapered surfaces being adjacent to the
`frusto-conical section of the outer surface of the
`connector and the other tapered surfaces being
`adjacent to the generally cylindrical section of the
`outer surface of the connector;
`an annular, tapered centering surface within the re-
`ceptacle in engagement with the end of the rod for
`centering the rod axially within the connector;
`a plurality of dimples on the connector extending into
`the receptacle to contact the rod for centering the
`rod within the connector at a point spaced from the
`centering surface; and
`an adhesive bonding material within the receptacle
`for securing the connector to the rod.
`9. An oil well sucker rod, comprising:
`an elongated, cylindrical rod;
`a connector attached to one end of the rod for con-
`necting the rod to another rod, the connector hav-
`ing an outer surface which as a generally cylindri-
`cal section, a frusto-conical section, and a junction
`between the generally cylindrical section and the
`frusto-conical section, and the connector having a
`rod-receiving receptacle, the receptacle having an
`open end, a closed end, and at least three axially
`spaced, annular, tapered surfaces, including first
`and second tapered surfaces nearest to the open
`end of the receptacle, the junction between the
`generally cylindrical section and the frusto-conical
`section being located radially outwards from the
`second tapered surface;
`an annular, tapered centering surface within the re-
`ceptacle in engagement with the end of the rod for
`centering the rod axially within the connector;
`a plurality of dimples on the connector extending into
`the receptacle to contact the rod for centering the
`rod within the connector at a point spaced from the
`centering surface; and
`an adhesive bonding material within the receptacle
`for securing the connector to the rod.
`* * * * *
`
`•
`
`Page 4 of 4