Patent ID: 8407878

Claim:
A method for coupling the ends of two tubing segments comprising: (a) notching an internal end of a first tubing segment with a plurality of end notches and an internal end of a second tubing segment with a plurality of end notches; (b) aligning a first end of a tubing connector with the internal end of the first tubing segment and a second end of the tubing connector with the internal end of the second tubing segment, wherein the tubing connector comprises (i) a wire rope segment having a first end, a second end, and an interior mid-point; (ii) a first rope socket having an interior end facing the wire rope mid-point and an exterior end attached to the wire rope segment proximal to the first end of the wire rope segment; (iii) a second rope socket having an interior end facing the wire rope mid-point and an exterior end attached to the wire rope segment proximal to the second end of the wire rope segment; (iv) a first cylindrical retainer ring slidably positioned along a length of the wire rope segment between the first rope socket and the wire rope mid-point; and (v) a second cylindrical retainer ring slidably positioned along the length of the wire rope segment between the second rope socket and the wire rope mid-point; (c) inserting the interior end of the first rope socket into a bore of the notched internal end of the first tubing segment and the interior end of the second rope socket into a bore of the notched internal end of the second tubing segment; (d) inwardly bending the end notches of the first tubing segment toward a tapered end nose of the first rope socket and the end notches of the second tubing segment toward a tapered end nose of the second rope socket; (e) sliding a first end of a bore of the first retainer ring to abut the bent end notches of the first tubing segment and a first end of a bore of the second retainer ring to abut the bent end notches of the second tubing segment; and (f) attaching several points of the first end of the bore of the first retainer ring to the bent end notches of the first tubing section and several points of the first end of the bore of the second retainer ring to the bent end notches of the second tubing section.