Celebrity Inventors
Glam girl Heddy Lamar may have used her good looks to good effect on the silver screen, but she put her smarts to better use as an inventor. During World War II, she co-patented a frequency-switching system for torpedo guidance that was considered years ahead of its time.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8181699 | Auxiliary conduit cutting apparatus A cutting assembly for external conduits on a tubing string features a breakaway in the string that can be severed with a tensile force. Preferably each external conduit is run through a cutter housing. Upon severing of the string and applying a pickup force, a tens... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8176639 | Filament clamp for a vegetation trimmer A vegetation trimmer with a spool and hub assembly has a cutting filament wound around the spool. The free end of the filament extends through an aperture in the hub into the cutting plane. The spool and hub are rotated at a high rate to allow the filament to cut ve... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8171994 | Multi-position valve for fracturing and sand control and associated completion methods A completion tubular is placed in position adjacent the zone or zones to be fractured and produced. It features preferably sliding sleeve valves that can assume at least two configurations: wide open and open with a screen material juxtaposed in the flow passage. In... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8162066 | Tubing weight operation for a downhole tool A downhole tool has housing components that are relatively movable. One of the components is supported downhole while a control line provides fluid pressure to move the other housing component relative to the supported component to put the tool in a first position. ... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8157090 | Ball tray organizer for subterranean complex completions An organization system for a series of objects to be sequentially run downhole is disclosed. The preferred objects are spheres of progressively larger diameter put into a wellbore to land at discrete locations for operation of ports in a given sequence so that a spe... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8151902 | Slickline conveyed bottom hole assembly with tractor A bottom hole assembly is run into the wellbore on slickline with a tractor to assist in movement of the bottom hole assembly through a deviation in either direction. The tractor can have retractable drive components and can be responsive to tension in the slickline... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8151886 | Open hole stimulation with jet tool A fracturing method for preferably open hole uses fluid velocity impinging on the wellbore wall to initiate fractures. Telescoping members that extend using nozzles inside them but come out to a distance from the wellbore wall can be used. Fixed nozzles that do not ... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8151873 | Expandable packer with mandrel undercuts and sealing boost feature An open hole packer uses mandrel expansion and a surrounding sealing element that can optionally have a swelling feature and further a seal enhancing feature of a ring with an internal taper to match an undercut on the mandrel exterior. As a swage progresses to the ... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8136587 | Slickline conveyed tubular scraper system A downhole tubular scraper is run in on slickline with an on board power supply. It features counter-rotating scrapers without an anchor in one embodiment or an anchor with single rotating scrapers. The scraper is selectively operated to conserve power in the power ... | 03/20/2012 |
| 8132625 | Dual action jet bushing An eductor sub is used as a portion of a downhole debris removal apparatus. It features an eductor outlet port that is selectively closed for run in to allow flow pumped through a tubing string to all go to the lower end of the debris removal tool to fluidize the de... | 03/13/2012 |
| 8132619 | One trip liner running, cementing and setting tool using expansion A tool allows in a single trip advancing the liner while more hole is made until the liner is properly positioned. Slips are actuated into the inside of the liner to grasp it as a swage is released to move to support the liner to the surrounding tubular. With the li... | 03/13/2012 |
| 8127978 | Swelling packer and method of construction A swelling element packer is made with internal rings that are either split or scrolled. After the swelling element is built on a temporary mandrel a longitudinal seam of a variety of designs is cut through the element. This allows the rapid deployment of the elemen... | 03/06/2012 |
| 8127847 | Multi-position valves for fracturing and sand control and associated completion methods A completion tubular is placed in position adjacent the zone or zones to be fractured and produced. It features preferably sliding sleeve valves one series of which can be put in the wide open position after run in for gravel packing and fracturing zones one at a ti... | 03/06/2012 |
| 8127447 | Method for downhole screen manufacturing A method of making a screen for downhole use uses mesh screen layers that are diffusion bonded to each other. The ends that will overlap to make a seam when the sheets that are attached together are rolled into a tube are compressed before the tube shape is created ... | 03/06/2012 |
| 8118101 | Ball catcher with retention capability A ball catcher is designed to stop balls that are the same size or different sizes at an inlet on a seat that is connected to a movable biased sleeve. Once the ball or other shaped object lands at the seat the flow around it increases differential pressure on the se... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8118092 | Swelling delay cover for a packer A swelling packer is covered with a material that is preferably in a tubular form and slipped over the swelling element to be shrink fit with applied heat. The material is formulated to break down at temperatures slightly below the expected downhole temperatures so ... | 02/21/2012 |
| RE43198 | Tangentially-loaded high-load retrievable slip system A slip system includes a set of drive slips having wickers thereon, substantially all of which being truncated in cross-section; a set of gripping slips operatively interengagable with the set of drive slips; a drive slip end ring in operable communication with the ... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8113286 | Downhole barrier valve A ball type downhole barrier valve capable of bidirectional sealing features a ball rotating on its axis to open or close with control line pressure to an actuating rod piston assembly. The ball is also shiftable to a locked open position. A cage surrounds the ball ... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8109331 | Slickline conveyed debris management system A wellbore cleanup tool is run on slickline. It has an onboard power supply and circulation pump. Inlet flow is at the lower end into an inlet pipe that keeps up fluid velocity. The inlet pipe opens to a surrounding annular volume for sand containment and the fluid ... | 02/07/2012 |
| 8104538 | Fracturing with telescoping members and sealing the annular space A fracturing operation is done in open hole. The annular space is spanned by telescoping members that are located behind isolation valves. A given bank of telescoping members can be uncovered and the telescoping members extended to span the annular space and engage ... | 01/31/2012 |
| 8069915 | Non-metallic whipstock A whipstock that is totally to substantially non-metallic is made preferably from a composite material. The body can include one or more stiffeners that are also preferably non-metallic. The mounting lug for the window mill can also be non-metallic. A metallic base ... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8056622 | Slickline conveyed debris management system A wellbore cleanup tool is run on slickline. It has an onboard power supply and circulation pump. Inlet flow is at the lower end into an inlet pipe that keeps up fluid velocity. The inlet pipe opens to a surrounding annular volume for sand containment and the fluid ... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8056618 | Flapper mounted equalizer valve for subsurface safety valves An equalizing valve for a flapper in a subsurface safety valve has a valve member disposed in a passage in the flapper that is made of a material that changes shape when subjected to a stimulus such as heat, for example. In one configuration, the valve member closes... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8046974 | Bottle closure with low torque assembly feature A closure system for a container reduces the needed torque for assembly by minimizing frictional resistance to rotation of the closure into its desired alignment with the container before the closure is driven home onto the container neck. The reduction in the torqu... | 11/01/2011 |
| 8024847 | Method of manufacturing a downhole lubricator valve A ball type downhole lubricator valve features a ball rotating on its axis to open or close with control line pressure to an actuating piston. The ball is also shiftable to a locked open position. A cage surrounds the ball and retains opposed seats to it. The cage i... | 09/27/2011 |
| 8020639 | Cutting removal system for PDC drill bits The blades of a PDC bit have a nozzle between them preferably oriented laterally across the plane of the cutters on the blade and more preferably in a trough disposed adjacent the row of cutters. The cutting is less likely to adhere to the bit surface because the tr... | 09/20/2011 |
| 7997344 | Multi-function indicating tool A crossover tool assembly is run in with a packer and after the packer is set it is released from the packer for independent movement. The assembly is picked up to allow spring loaded dogs to come out so that upon setting down weight the crossover assembly has an ou... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7997338 | Sealing feed through lines for downhole swelling packers A swelling element on a packer has a trough formed on a longitudinal axis. The control line or cable or conduit that needs to run along the string where the packer is mounted is first wrapped in a preferably non-swelling underlayment that can be a loose scroll or ha... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7987905 | One trip cemented expandable monobore liner system and method An apparatus to protect the mounting area of casing and a locating profile and optionally a sliding sleeve valve and a flow path is provided from the outside of the valve to the annulus when subsequent attachment of an expanded liner is intended and the expanded lin... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7980265 | Valve responsive to fluid properties A valve for downhole use has the ability to throttle between fully open and closed and is fully variable in positions in between. The valve is preferably responsive to flowing fluid viscosity and uses a three dimensional flow through restrictor in combination with a... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7971646 | Multi-position valve for fracturing and sand control and associated completion methods A completion tubular is placed in position adjacent the zone or zones to be fractured and produced. It features preferably sliding sleeve valves that can assume at least two configurations: wide open and open with a screen material juxtaposed in the flow passage. In... | 07/05/2011 |
| 7954550 | Tubing pressure insensitive control system A system isolates a control system for a downhole tool from the internal pressures in the tubing in which the tool is mounted. Opposed seals are used on a moving component in the tool so as to offset pressure induced forces regardless of the internal operating press... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7954546 | Subterranean screen with varying resistance to flow A screen section is made with variable resistance to flow in the screen material to balance the flow along the screen length. In one variation different discrete zones have screens configured for different percentages of open area while all have the same particle fi... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7938188 | Completion method with telescoping perforation and fracturing tool An apparatus and method for perforating a liner, fracturing a formation, and injection or producing fluid, all in one trip with a single tool. The tool has a plurality of outwardly telescoping elements (12, 14) for perforation and fracturing. The tool also ha... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7938179 | Method of using a charged chamber pressure transmitter for subterranean tools A sensor and transmitter is employed with a pressurized chamber of a downhole tool to be able to tell at a glance when the tool is delivered for service that it is properly charged. The sensor and transmitter can be integrated within the tool so as to be protected f... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7934559 | Single cycle dart operated circulation sub A circulating sub is run in with the circulating port closed. A dart blocks a central passage and moves two concentric pistons in tandem to open the circulation port while retaining the dart. The outer piston shoulders out in the circulation port open position. A se... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7934555 | Multiple zone isolation method Multiple producing zones separated by a non-producing zone are gravel packed together. The non-producing zone has locations to take returns so as to get a consistent pack in the non-producing zone. The production string features external seals and/or an internal plu... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7934433 | Inverse venturi meter with insert capability An insert meter can be run into an inverse venturi on wireline and make use of the existing pressure taps to allow accurate measurement of reduced flow rates that could not be accurately measured with the inverse venturi meter. The insert meter has seals and can loc... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7921915 | Removable injection or production flow equalization valve One or more valves can be run into a string to land near associated ports in the string for injection or/and production service. When multiple valves are installed they can be initially configured to balance flow into or from a zone. The position of each valve can b... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7909088 | Material sensitive downhole flow control device A screen section has a valve assembly to control flow through it. The valve is open and has a closure spring held compressed by a shape memory material that responds to the presence of a specific well fluid or fluids so that its property changes to allow the spring ... | 03/22/2011 |
