Patent ID: 8235105

Claim:
A method for connecting drill pipe sections together using a mouse hole and support unit, said support unit comprising an opening, a wall extending around said opening, a plurality of movable slips deployed in said opening, a plurality of lever assemblies pivotally attached to said wall for extending and retracting said slips, wherein each lever assembly comprises an arm with a proximal end operably associated with at least one of said slips and a distal end, a single peripheral support structure provided around the outside of said wall of said support unit and operably associated with said distal ends of said arms of said lever assemblies, and at least one lift including a follower that is deployed immediately adjacent but not attached to said peripheral support structure, said method comprising the steps of: a. inserting a first drill pipe section into said mouse hole through said opening in said support unit, said slips being in a retracted position; b. extending said plurality of slips toward the center of said opening to engage said first drill pipe section by upwardly moving said peripheral support structure to move said distal ends of said arms of said lever assemblies; c. aligning a second drill pipe section above and adjacent to said first drill pipe section, and holding said second drill pipe section in a fixed position; d. attaching said first drill pipe section to said second drill pipe section by rotating said slips around said opening by rotating said peripheral support structure thereby rotating said first drill pipe section against said fixed-position second drill pipe section; and e. retracting said plurality of slips from said first drill pipe section by downwardly moving said peripheral support structure to move said distal ends of said arms of said lever assemblies.