Patent ID: 8141648

Claim:
A shifting tool for use with a mechanical sliding sleeve valve deployed in a tubing string of a hydrocarbon well, said sliding sleeve valve including an internal sliding sleeve and an outer valve body, said shifting tool comprising: a top sub; a shifting tool key positioned on said top sub, said shifting tool key radially expandable to engage said internal sliding sleeve to enable shifting of said internal sliding sleeve relative to said outer valve body by displacement of said shifting tool within said sliding sleeve valve during valve shifting operations and radially retractable to disengage from said internal sliding sleeve to enable release of said sliding sleeve valve from said shifting tool during valve release operations; a bottom sub; a reciprocating assembly interconnecting said top and bottom subs, said reciprocating assembly including an inner mandrel and an outer housing disposed about said inner mandrel, said outer housing having a biasing means to reciprocate said outer housing in a first direction during said valve shifting operations and an actuating means to cause reciprocation of said outer housing in a second direction during said valve release operations, said actuating means operatively cooperating with said shifting tool key during valve release operations to disengage said shifting tool key from said internal sliding sleeve to place said internal sliding sleeve at a spatial position relative to said valve body, said spatial position selected from a plurality of possible spatial positions.