Patent ID: 7891908

Claim:
A ductile iron pipe extracting tool for use with a first ductile iron pipe received within an open end of a second ductile iron pipe with a gasket disposed between the first and second ductile iron pipes, the first ductile iron pipe having an outer surface defining an outer circumference and the second ductile iron pipe having an inner surface defining an inner circumference, wherein the gasket has an annular elastomeric body with a circumference sized to be disposed between the first and second ductile iron pipes and a plurality of metal segments extending radially inward from the annular elastomeric body, each metal segment including a plurality of teeth angled away from the open end of the second ductile iron pipe that are engageable with an exterior surface of the first ductile iron pipe to prevent the first ductile iron pipe from being pulled axially outward from within the second ductile iron pipe, the ductile iron pipe extracting tool comprising: (a) an arcuate blade having a circumferential length extending between first and second unbroken, continuous, straight edges and an axial length extending between third and fourth unbroken, continuous, straight edges, wherein the third and fourth unbroken, continuous, straight edges are substantially transverse to the first and second unbroken, continuous, straight edges, and wherein the arcuate blade comprises a material that extends continuously between the first, second, third, and fourth edges, the arcuate blade being sized and shaped to completely surround the outer circumference of the first ductile iron pipe and slide between the outer surface of the first ductile iron pipe and the inner surface of the second ductile iron pipe to disengage the teeth of the gasket from the outer surface of the first ductile iron pipe, the arcuate blade having a circumferential length to define first and second excess portions on the first and second ends of the arcuate blade that overlap when the arcuate blade surrounds the outer circumference of the first ductile iron pipe and the arcuate blade is slid between the outer surface of the first ductile iron pipe and the inner surface of the second ductile iron pipe; and (b) a driving member portion extending radially outward from the arcuate blade, the driving member portion having an inner circumferential length less than the circumferential length of the arcuate blade to define the first and second excess portions of the first arcuate blade.