Patent ID: 7231969

Claim:
A top drive system comprising a drive motor, a gear system coupled to the drive motor, a drive quill coupled to the gear system, a top drive support system for supporting the drive motor, the gear system, and the drive quill, a lower support apparatus connected to the top drive support system, tubular handling apparatus connected to and below and supported by the lower support apparatus, the tubular handling apparatus including hydraulic-fluid-powered apparatus, provision apparatus connected to the tubular handling apparatus for providing hydraulic fluid to power the hydraulic-fluid-powered apparatus, the provision apparatus including flow line apparatus for providing hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic-fluid-powered apparatus and electrically-operable control apparatus for controlling fluid flow to and from the flow line apparatus, electrical power generating apparatus connected to the tubular handling apparatus for providing electrical power to the electrically-operable control apparatus, the tubular handling apparatus including clamping apparatus for clamping an item, the clamping apparatus powered by hydraulic fluid from the provision apparatus, the clamping apparatus rotatable with respect to the lower support apparatus, the lower support apparatus including a locking mechanism for selectively locking the tubular handling apparatus in position, and the locking mechanism includes driving apparatus for rotating the clamping apparatus, the drive quill rotatable by the gear system with the clamping apparatus locked in position by the locking mechanism.