def copy(self):
        """
        Create an inactive copy of the client object, suitable for passing
        to a separate thread.

        Note that the copied connections are not initialized, so :meth:`.reinit`
        must be called on the returned copy.
        """
        _conns = self._conns
        self._conns = {}
        c = copy.deepcopy(self)
        self._conns = _conns
        return c