Patent ID: 7980802

Claim:
A pipe handling apparatus for moving a pipe to a drill floor comprising: a supporting structure; an arm extending from said supporting structure, said arm movable between a first position away from the drill floor and a second position over the drill floor; and a stiffening member coupled at one end of said arm and at another end to a surface structure, the stiffening member including an elastic element configured to apply a variable resistance to said arm as said arm moves from said first position to said second position, the variable resistance being greatest when said arm is in said second position, said stiffening member further comprising: a first cable assembly having one end connected to said arm and an opposite end fixedly mounted to the surface structure, said first cable assembly extending downwardly from one side of the arm, said first cable assembly further comprising a link member pivotally mounted to said arm, a cable affixed to said link member at one end thereof, a spring pod affixed to an opposite end of said cable, and a member having one end connected to said spring pod and an opposite end fixedly mounted; and a second cable assembly having one end interconnected to the arm and an opposite end fixedly mounted to the surface structure, said second cable assembly extending downwardly from an opposite side of the arm, said second cable assembly further comprising a link member pivotally mounted to said arm, a cable affixed to said link member at one end thereof, a spring pod affixed to an opposite end of said cable, and a member having one end connected to said spring pod and an opposite end fixedly mounted.