Patent ID: 7950868

Claim:
A system, comprising: a first shaft having a first annular wall disposed about a first receptacle; a second shaft having a second annular wall disposed about a second receptacle and a connector disposed in the first receptacle, wherein the first and second receptacles are disposed opposite from one another about the connector, the connector comprises a fluid passage extending to a first region adjacent the first annular wall and a second region adjacent the second annular wall, the connector comprises a first pair of annular seals disposed on opposite sides of the first region between the connector and the first annular wall and a second pair of annular seals disposed on opposite sides of the second region between the connector and the second annular wall, the fluid passage of the connector comprises a first outlet into the first region between the first pair of annular seals and a second outlet into the second region between the second pair of annular seals, the fluid passage comprises at least one inlet at an external intermediate region of the connector relative to the first and second receptacles, the first annular wall is elastically expandable in response to a first fluid pressure in the first region to reduce resistance during insertion of the connector into the first receptacle, the second annular wall is elastically expandable in response to a second fluid pressure in the second region to reduce resistance during insertion of the connector into the second receptacle, the first annular wall is contractible about the connector after removal of the first fluid pressure, and the second annular wall is contractible about the connector after removal of the second fluid pressure.