Patent ID: 8070464

Claim:
A retention system comprising: a first element having a longitudinal axis and including an engagement structure; a retention ring divided into at least two pieces and located around at least a portion of the first element, wherein at least one portion of the retention ring engages the engagement structure of the first element; a resilient member coupled to, and in contact with, the retention ring and configured to resiliently bias each of the at least two pieces of the retention ring toward the first element; and a retainer coupled around, and in contact with, the at least one portion of the retention ring, and being coupled around at least a portion of the resilient member, the retainer having an inner surface that is spaced apart from an outer surface of at least one of the retention ring and the resilient member by a gap; wherein the first element, the retention ring, the resilient member, and the retainer are configured so that the retention ring is moveable in an axial direction relative to the first element and so that the movement of the retention ring relative to the first element acts to expand the resilient member against the bias provided by the resilient member.