Patent ID: 8608216

Claim:
An elevator connector for lifting pipes, comprising: an elevator housing having an internal bore adapted to receive a pipe passing therethrough, a pair of opposing shafts arranged perpendicular to an axis of the bore, the shafts arranged on opposite sides of an upper end of the elevator housing, a first pair of semi-circular locking jaws, each arranged to rotate about one of the shafts, the jaws being rotatable from a first, neutral position to a second, active position wherein the two semi-circular jaws abut to form a ring concentrically arranged within the internal bore, each of the jaws having an internal lip arranged to engage a socket on the pipe, a second pair of semi-circular locking jaws, each arranged to rotate about one of the shafts, the jaws being rotatable from a first, neutral position to a second, active position wherein the two semi-circular jaws of the second pair abut to form a ring concentrically arranged within the ring formed by the first pair of jaws when said first pair of jaws are in their active position, each of the jaws of the second pair having an internal lip arranged to engage a socket on the pipe, said second pair of jaws forming a ring of smaller diameter than the ring formed by the first pair of jaws, and further wherein the second set of jaws, in the active position, are arranged to abut and be supported by the lip of the first pair of jaws.