Patent ID: 7343988

Claim:
A drilling apparatus for drilling a deviated bore, said apparatus comprising: a tubular outer member having gripping means for selectively engaging the wall of a bore to restrain the member against rotation and including an offset portion for rotatably supporting a drill bit; an inner member located within the outer member and for coupling to the drill bit at one end and to a drill string at another end; wherein the apparatus has a first configuration in which the gripping means is retracted and the inner member is coupled to the outer member such that rotation of the drill string provides for corresponding rotation of the inner and outer members, and a second configuration in which the gripping means is extended and the inner member is rotatable relative to the outer member such that the outer member is restrained from rotation in the bore and rotation of the drill string provides for corresponding rotation of the inner member and the drill bit, and wherein the inner member is moveable in at least one of an axial and rotatable direction relative to the outer member to reconfigure the apparatus.