Patent 10316895 was granted and assigned to Ulterra Drilling Technologies L.P. on June, 2019 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A universal joint assembled to a drill string transfers torque and axial force between two components where the shafts of the components are not completely aligned. The universal joint includes end members connected to opposite ends of a cable for connecting to components of the drill string. As the joint rotates the cable flexes to accommodate misalignment between the connected drill string components.