Did You Know...
...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7350597 | Drilling system and method A drilling system for drilling a bore hole into an earth formation, the bore hole having an inside wall. A drill string reaches into the bore hole from a surface, leaving a drilling fluid return passage between the drill string and the bore hole inside wall. A botto... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7320374 | Wellbore top drive systems A system for wellbore operations, the system, in at least certain aspects, including a derrick, a guide beam connected to the derrick, a top drive movable on the guide beam, torque reaction structure connected to the guide beam and to the derrick, skid apparatus hel... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7284602 | Self-aligning stuffing box A self-aligning stuffing box having a spherical joint between the upper and lower portions of the housing permits universal movement of the upper portion relative to the lower portion to permit a rod to pass through the bore if the axis of the rod is misaligned rela... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7231969 | Wellbore top drive power systems and methods of use A top drive system having a drive motor, a gear system coupled to the drive motor, a drive quill coupled to the gear system, a top drive support system for supporting the drive motor, the gear system, and the drive quill, a lower support apparatus connected to the t... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7228913 | Tubular clamp apparatus for top drives and methods of use An apparatus for releasably clamping and holding a member for wellbore operations, the apparatus having a main body, two opposed clamping apparatuses in the main body, the two opposed clamping apparatuses spaced-apart for selective receipt therebetween of a member t... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7222683 | Wellbore top drive systems An containerized top drive system including a container, top drive apparatus removably disposed within the container, an extension system for moving the top drive apparatus generally horizontally within a derrick, the top drive apparatus secured to the extension sys... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7213656 | Apparatus and method for facilitating the connection of tubulars using a top drive An apparatus and method for facilitating the connection of tubulars using a top drive and is, more particularly but not exclusively, intended for facilitating the connection of a section or stand of casing to a string of casing. ... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7188683 | Drilling method A system and method is disclosed for continuously supplying drilling fluid down a bore hole while adding or removing tubulars. ... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7188686 | Top drive systems A top drive system for wellbore operations including a hollow bore alternating current permanent magnet motor with a motor bore therethrough, a planetary gear system coupled to the motor, the gear system having a gear system bore therethrough, a quill drivingly conn... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7185719 | Dynamic annular pressure control apparatus and method A drilling system for drilling a bore hole into a subterranean earth formation, wherein at least a portion of the mud flow from the primary mud pump is diverted to the mud discharge outlet, thereby creating a backpressure system to readily increase annular pressure.... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7165634 | Method and apparatus for cementing drill strings in place for one pass drilling and completion of oil and gas wells The steel drill string attached to a drilling bit during typical rotary drilling operations used to drill oil and gas wells is used for a second purpose as the casing that is cemented in place during typical oil and gas well completions. Methods of operation are des... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7147068 | Methods and apparatus for cementing drill strings in place for one pass drilling and completion of oil and gas wells The steel drill string attached to a drilling bit during typical rotary drilling operations used to drill oil and gas wells is used for a second purpose as the casing that is cemented in place during typical oil and gas well completions. Methods of operation are des... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7107875 | Methods and apparatus for connecting tubulars while drilling The present invention provides an apparatus that permits sections of tubulars to be connected to or disconnected from a string of pipe during a drilling operation. The apparatus further permits the sections of drill pipe to be rotated and to be axially translated du... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7100697 | Method and apparatus for reforming tubular connections The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for connecting tubulars and reforming the connection between the tubulars. In one aspect of the invention, the tubulars are aligned, connected, and then reformed at the connection. In one embodiment, t... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7073598 | Apparatus and methods for tubular makeup interlock The present invention provides for an apparatus and methods to prevent an operator from inadvertently dropping a string into a wellbore during assembling and disassembling of tubulars. Additionally, the apparatus and methods can be used to for running in casing, run... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7048050 | Method and apparatus for cementing drill strings in place for one pass drilling and completion of oil and gas wells The steel drill string attached to a drilling bit during typical rotary drilling operations used to drill oil and gas wells is used for a second purpose as the casing that is cemented in place during typical oil and gas well completions. Methods of operation are des... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7036610 | Apparatus and method for completing oil and gas wells A method of drilling and completing a wellbore in a geological formation to produce hydrocarbons from a well comprising at least the following four steps: drilling the well with a retrievable drill bit attached to a casing; removing the retrievable drill bit from th... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7028586 | Apparatus and method relating to tongs, continous circulation and to safety slips A tong system includes an upper tong having grips for gripping a tubular and a rotation mechanism to rotate the grips and the tubular. A lower tong also has grips and a rotation mechanism to rotate the grips to provide rotation to a lower tubular, such that the uppe... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7028585 | Wrenching tong Apparatus for applying torque to a first tubular relative to a second tubular, the apparatus comprising a first tong for gripping the first tubular and a second tong for gripping the second tubular, wherein the first tong is provided with teeth around a peripheral s... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7021374 | Method and apparatus for connecting tubulars using a top drive An apparatus for facilitating the connection of tubulars, said apparatus comprising a winch (15), at least one wire line (4, 5), and a device (2) for gripping the tubular (3), the arrangement being such that, in use, the winch (15)... | 04/04/2006 |
| 7004259 | Apparatus and method for facilitating the connection of tubulars using a top drive An apparatus for facilitating the connection of tubulars using a top drive, the apparatus comprising a supporting member (13) connectable to said top drive (3) characterized in that it further comprises an internal tool (30) for engaging said tu... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6976298 | Methods and apparatus for connecting tubulars using a top drive An apparatus for facilitating the connection of tubulars using a top drive, the apparatus comprising a stator attachable to said top drive, and a supporting member for supporting a tool, wherein means are provided to allow substantially horizontal movement of said s... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6955223 | Blow out preventer handling system A process to transport a blow out preventer for a drilling rig having a drawworks wherein the blow out preventer is transported between a storage area and a use position over a wellbore. The process includes the steps of connecting an upper connector end of an elong... | 10/18/2005 |
| 6904981 | Dynamic annular pressure control apparatus and method A system and method for controlling formation pressures during drilling of a subterranean formation utilizing a selectively fluid backpressure system in which fluid is pumped down the drilling fluid return system in response to detected borehole pressures. A pressur... | 06/14/2005 |
| 6776229 | Check enhancer A check enhancer for use in a well comprises a housing portion and an injector portion disposed in the housing portion. The housing portion includes an outer body defining a fluid cavity therein with a plurality of body ports in communication with the fluid cavity. ... | 08/17/2004 |
| 6655454 | Check enhancer for injecting fluids into a well A check enhancer for use in a well comprises an outer housing portion and an inner injector portion disposed in the housing portion. The housing portion includes an outer body defining a fluid cavity therein with a plurality of body ports in communication... | 12/02/2003 |
| 6412554 | Wellbore circulation system A system for continuously circulating fluid to and through a tubular string either of coiled tubing or made up of a plurality of tubulars connected end-to-end while an upper tubular is added to or removed from a top tubular of the plurality of tubulars, a... | 07/02/2002 |
| 5875841 | Oil well blow-out preventer An oil well blow-out preventer for use on an oil well equipped with a well casing, a wellhead, a production tubing string, and a pump rod receivable within the production tubing string. The blow-out preventer comprises a central housing member that includ... | 03/02/1999 |
| 5141052 | Wellhead stuffing box for polished rod and accessories for same A wellhead stuffing box for a polished rod includes a body with an elongated opening extending through it to receive the polished rod. Packing in the body makes a sliding seal around the polished rod and a static seal against the interior of the body. Int... | 08/25/1992 |
| 5137083 | Wellhead stuffing box for polished rod and accessories for same A wellhead stuffing box for a polished rod includes a body with an elongated opening extending through it to receive the polished rod. Packing in the body makes a sliding seal around the polished rod and a static seal against the interior of the body. Int... | 08/11/1992 |
| 5025857 | Wellhead tubing and casing packer and installation and removal tool In the area of oilfield wellhead equipment, and specifically the wellhead valve known as the master valve on the wellhead array, there is often the necessity to remove this valve for repairs or for its replacement by some other piece of equipment such as ... | 06/25/1991 |
| 5020590 | Back pressure plug tool In the area of oilfield wellhead equipment and well servicing, specifically the operations associated with the prevention of fluids and gases from escaping from the well when valves and associated equipment which normally control the flow of these fluids ... | 06/04/1991 |
| 4993488 | Well casing packers An expanding nipple, externally mounted packer has a body which mounts onto a stack of blowout preventers or a casing head and tubing spool or the like. The body contains an external locking mechanism and the upper ends of a pair of concentric mandrels wh... | 02/19/1991 |
| 4991650 | Wellhead isolation tool An improved wellhead isolation tool is presented which includes an expanding nipple operable from outside the wellhead and casing, the nipple and its concentric mandrels being inserted into the wellhead and thus down through the wellhead array and into th... | 02/12/1991 |
| 4907650 | Wellhead with safety valve for pumping well A wellhead for a polished rod pumping unit to provide emergency closure of the bore through the wellhead in the event of breakage of the polished rod. The valve assembly includes a flapper valve mounted on a swivel pin for movement between a vertical open... | 03/13/1990 |
| 4889184 | Polished rod stuffing box with safety valve for a beam pumped production well A wellhead assembly for a beam pumped production well comprises a stuffing box for providing a seal around a polished rod of the beam pump assembly and a flapper type safety valve for sealing off the wellhead in case of polished rod failure. The safety va... | 12/26/1989 |
| 4881598 | Blow-out preventor test tool Apparatus and methods are provided for testing a blow-out preventor system of a well, which blow-out preventor system is designed to close upon both a smaller drill pipe string and a larger drill pipe string. The apparatus includes a first elongated cylin... | 11/21/1989 |
| 4875523 | Pipeline servicing tool The invention relates to a compact valve removal tool with a fixed crosshead (18) to be mounted on a pipeline end, such as a wellhead spool outlet (3), and a moving crosshead (19) which is axially slidable, the fixed crosshead accommodating an axially sli... | 10/24/1989 |
| 4836289 | Method and apparatus for performing wireline operations in a well Method and apparatus for performing operations in a well near the surface of which is a blowout preventer stack. The apparatus includes a bell nipple assembly extending upwardly from the blowout preventer stack and a lubricator assembly for central dispos... | 06/06/1989 |
| 4632183 | Insertion drive system for tree savers An insertion drive system for a well head tree saver includes a pair of parallel, spaced beams, a lower one of which is attached to the tree. High pressure tubing is held by the upper beam and is inserted into or withdrawn from the tree by motor driven me... | 12/30/1986 |
