Orientable retrievable whipstock and method of use

An arrangement for releasably anchoring a whipstock on an anchor secured downhole within a tubular member, the arrangement including:

• a releasable latch supported on the whipstock;
• an anchor surface on the anchor;
• and
• a latch surface on said latch for positioning within the anchor surface for releasably securing the whipstock with the anchor, such that the whipstock may be secured with the downhole anchor and subsequently released from the downhole anchor.

A whipstock for use in a cased well bore including:

• an inclined face thereon;
• a shaft depending from the whipstock;
• said shaft including an orientation sleeve;
• means to releasably secure said inclined face of the whipstock in any desired rotated position on said orientation sleeve;
• and
• means to releasably secure the whipstock in the cased well bore.

A retrievable whipstock arrangement for lowering on a well string to releasably engage with an anchor secured in a well bore prior to lowering the retrievable whipstock arrangement to engage the anchor, the whipstock arrangement comprising:

• an inclined face surface on a whipstock;
• a shaft depending from the whipstock;
• a latch releasably supported on said shaft for releasably securing the whipstock with the anchor;
• and
• cooperating surfaces on the whipstock and on the well string for releasably securing the well string with the whipstock, such that the whipstock may be retrieved while the anchor remains secured in the wellbore.

An arrangement for maintaining a predetermined fixed relationship between a whipstock face on a whipstock and a whipstock latch surface on an anchor secured downhole within a tubular member in a wellbore, the whipstock being retrievable independent of the anchor, said arrangement comprising:

• a shaft extending from the whipstock;
• cooperating surfaces on the whipstock and said shaft to lock the whipstock face in a predetermined relationship relative to the shaft;
• a latch supported on said shaft for releasably securing the whipstock and the anchor;
• and
• said shaft includes an orientation sleeve with an orientation surface thereon for engaging the whipstock latch surface on the anchor to orientate the whipstock face in a predetermined relationship relative to the whipstock latch surface on the anchor.

An arrangement for positioning a whipstock face on a well string in an anchor secured in a cased well bore tubular member for drilling a lateral well bore including:

• a shaft extending from the whipstock;
• said shaft including an orientation sleeve;
• said shaft including a latch mandrel;
• a lug on said sleeve;
• the anchor including a tubular body extending upwardly there from to terminate in an upper end with an inclined annular edge surface thereon and a whipstock latching surface extending longitudinally on said tubular body from said inclined annular edge surface for receiving said lug on said sleeve;
• and
• a latch supported on said latch mandrel for releasably engaging with the anchor for securing the whipstock with the anchor and for releasing the whipstock from the anchor for retrieval from the well bore by manipulation of a well string.