...that the Slinky toy was the result of a failed attempt by engineer Richard James to produce an antivibration device for ship instruments? His goal was to develop a spring that would instantaneously counterbalance the wave motion that rocks a ship at sea. Instead, he developed the Slinky.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7575049 | Exit window milling assembly with improved restraining force An assembly for milling a window in a tubular features a layout that keeps a restorative force normal to the whipstock slope acting on the window mill to help it track the whipstock ramp long enough for making an exit at the desired location. A string mill assembly ... | 08/18/2009 |
| 7451810 | Kickover tool and selective mandrel system A kickover tool is disclosed for installing and retrieving a well flow control device from a side pocket mandrel in a wellbore. The kickover tool includes a spring-loaded key which has an outer circumferential surface having a predetermined machined pattern formed t... | 11/18/2008 |
| 7422057 | Whipstock with curved ramp The whipstock face below the mounting lug is initially curved with a fairly long radius to protect the whipstock body initially. After moving down the minimally sloping curved face a transition to a greater angle is presented to increase the lateral forces on the wi... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7373984 | Lining well bore junctions A well bore liner is carried on a working string into a main bore of a well. A well bore liner is directed from the main bore into an auxiliary bore of the well with a whipstock. The whipstock is coupled to a working string without withdrawing the working string fro... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7370702 | Single mill casing window cutting tool and method An apparatus for cutting a window in a casing pipe in a well, having only a single mill with full gage primary cutting inserts of a very hard, highly wear resistant, material. The primary inserts can be protected from damage by forming each blade on the mill with an... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7357185 | Subsea tubing hanger assembly for an oil or gas well A subsea tubing hanger assembly is disclosed which comprises a tubing hanger (12) having a plurality of conduits (14). A pup joint (16) is connected to the hanger (12) and a shroud (20) surrounds the pup joint (16). A plural... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7353867 | Whipstock assembly and method of manufacture The present invention discloses a whipstock assembly (100) for use in forming a lateral borehole from a parent wellbore. The whipstock assembly comprises a body (122) and a deflection member 120) above the body. The deflection member includes a ... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7322410 | Controllable production well packer An apparatus and method for operating an electrically powered device in a packer using the piping structure of the well as an electrical conductor for providing power and/or communications. The electrically powered device may comprise an electrically controllable va... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7320366 | Assembly of downhole equipment in a wellbore A system and method for assembly of downhole equipment in a subterranean well. In a described embodiment, a method of assembling an apparatus in a subterranean well includes the steps of: positioning an expandable shell in the well; expanding the shell in the well; ... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7284614 | Wellbore system for simultaneous drilling and production A wellbore system for simultaneously drilling a wellbore into an earth formation and producing hydrocarbon fluid from the wellbore, is provided. The system comprises a production tubing extending into the wellbore and having a hydrocarbon fluid inlet arranged in a f... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7284607 | System and technique for orienting and positioning a lateral string in a multilateral system A technique that is usable with a subterranean well that has a first string that lines a borehole includes running a second string into the well and engaging a deflecting face of a deflector to deflect the second string into a window of the first string. The techniq... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7278493 | Auto entry guide Systems and methods for guiding a seal assembly associated with a string of production tubing, or a tubular member generally, into a receptacle within a wellbore. The muleshoe of a seal assembly is provided with an auto entry guide device in the form of a guide memb... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7261155 | Cable side-entry sub with grease injection flow tubes An integrated side-entry sub with grease injection flow tubes is adapted for making up in a drill string and includes a port to receive a cable, such as a wire line. A first pedestal, mounted within a cutout of the side entry sub, provides entry for the cable into t... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7259688 | Wireless reservoir production control A reservoir production control system includes a plurality of wells for producing a reservoir linked to a central computer over a downhole communication network and a surface communication network. Both the downhole and the surface communication networks are wireles... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7258165 | Hole opener and drillable casing guide and methods of use A down-hole tool guide is disclosed for deflecting various down-hole tools having a tendency to hang or bind in uncased bore holes. The down-hole tool guide or ball guide assembly, being adaptive to the down-hole tools, extends forwardly there from and includes an e... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7243738 | Multi seam coal bed/methane dewatering and depressurizing production system A process for underbalanced drilling into multiple coal and shale formations, and dewatering the drilled formations, which includes drilling a first borehole through several coal seams to a certain depth; lowering an upstock on the end of a carrier string to the dep... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7240738 | Self-orienting selectable locating collet and method for location within a wellbore A self orienting selectable locating collet including a collet having at least one deflectable finger; an orientation key positioned at the deflectable finger and being deflectable with the finger; and a collet profile disposed at an outside dimension of the collet.... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7231979 | Short radius whipstock system A short radius exit from a window milled in casing is possible using a whipstock with a sloping surface in excess of 3.5° and a window mill whose diameter is reduced to a percentage generally below about 95% of the casing inside diameter in a mono-bore or non-throu... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7231980 | Self orienting lateral junction system A self orienting liner hanger system including a bent sub, an indexing sub in operable communication with the bent sub, a hanger assembly in operable communication with the indexing sub, and a profile connected with the hanger assembly. Yet further disclosed ... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7228909 | One-way valve for a side pocket mandrel of a gas lift system Embodiments include providing a gas lift system comprising production tubing disposed within a wellbore, the production tubing capable of allowing fluid flow in a first direction from outside the production tubing through a wall of the production tubing to inside th... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7228897 | Cement through side pocket mandrel Well completion cement may be pumped through a side pocket mandrel that includes parallel rows of filler sections to exclude cement from void space within the side pocket tube. The filler sections are drilled with cross-flow jet channels and surface upsets to stimul... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7225887 | Method of drilling an ultra-short radius borehole A method of drilling a borehole into an earth formation using a drill string having an upper part and a lower part which is more flexible than the upper part, the method involving drilling a first section of the borehole, drilling a second section of the borehole fr... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7213654 | Apparatus and methods to complete wellbore junctions A method and apparatus for completing a wellbore junction, wherein, in one embodiment, a first leg of a screen is fastened within a first tubular with a preformed window. The first tubular houses a whipstock with a cut-out portion containing a folded second leg of t... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7213607 | Mandrel for a gas lift valve The present invention relates to a mandrel for a gas lift valve which comprises an elongated body provided with means of connection at its ends. The body is provided with a side pocket (17) and a side receptacle (16) in the interior of which may be hou... | 05/08/2007 |
| RE39509 | Top entry sub arrangement A top entry sub (ES) includes a tubular member (TM) with a main body section (8) and an enlarged external diameter upper end portion (11). A single passage (15) extends through the main body section (8) and terminates in a pair of spaced ... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7188672 | Well string assembly A well string assembly includes an upper tubular well string part having upper and lower ends between which there is formed a passageway, a lower well string part having upper and lower ends, which lower end is spaced apart from the lower end of the upper well strin... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7170424 | Oil well casting electrical power pick-off points A power supply apparatus is provided for supplying power and communications within a first piping structure. An external power transfer device is positioned around the first piping structure and is magnetically coupled to an internal power transfer device. The inter... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7168498 | Side entry apparatus and method An apparatus and method for transferring torque on a rig. The apparatus comprises a central body having a central passage, and a first plurality of splines formed within the central passage and a second plurality of splines formed on a bottom sub, and wherein the fi... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7156171 | Dual diameter and rotating centralizer/sub A centralizer for maintaining stand-off and/or centralizing a tubular member inside a larger diameter tubular member, for instance, in a wellbore. The centralizer is provided with bow springs that compress to a minimal diameter around the outer diameter of the sub t... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7147059 | Use of downhole high pressure gas in a gas-lift well and associated methods A gas-lift petroleum well and method for producing petroleum products using downhole pressurized gas to provide lift. The gas-lift well having a well casing, a production tubing, a packer, and a gas-lift valve. The well casing extends within a wellbore of the well, ... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7140432 | Dual diameter and rotating centralizer/sub and method A dual diameter centralizing sub for maintaining stand-off and/or centralizing a tubular member inside a larger diameter tubular member, for instance, in a wellbore. The centralizer is provided with bow springs that compress into grooves between radially outwardly-e... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7134493 | Logging system for use in a wellbore A logging system that may be used in a wellbore formed in an earth. A tubular conduit extends from surface into the wellbore and contains a body of wellbore fluid. A logging tool string may be passed from a position within the conduit to a position outside the condu... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7114561 | Wireless communication using well casing A petroleum well having a borehole extending into a formation is provided. A piping structure is positioned within the borehole, and an induction choke is positioned around the piping structure downhole. A communication system is provided along the piping structure ... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7104332 | Method and apparatus for creating a cemented lateral junction system An apparatus for creating a cemented lateral junction including a sleeve with a premachined opening and a cover disposed at the sleeve. A release material is disposed at the cover. Further disclosed is a method for constructing a wellbore which includes prepa... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7104316 | Tong positioning and alignment device An improved tong positioning apparatus which includes a base positionable on the rig floor; a hydraulic cylinder positioned on the base, having a first end engageable to a rear support member and a second end engageable to a pivotal moment arm; a forward shock attac... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7100693 | Process for pressure stimulating a well bore through a template One or more templates are provided for circulating fluids in a main well bore and for drilling and completing at least one offset well bore from the main well bore. Each template has a body, an inlet leg, a main outlet leg, and an offset outlet leg. A straddle assem... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7077204 | Whip retrieval method and apparatus The retrieval tool includes a cylindrical member having a body, an inner passage, a guide cylinder and an engaging member. The engaging member may slide within the cylindrical member in order to frictionally engage a whipstock against an inner surface of the guide c... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7077206 | Method and apparatus involving an integrated or otherwise combined exit guide and section mill for sidetracking or directional drilling from existing wellbores A section mill is positioned below an exit guide in a drill string assembly used to mill a section of steel casing below the whipstock and which as the section mill moves down and mills along the section of casing, causes the whipstock to be lowered down adjacent th... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7075454 | Power generation using batteries with reconfigurable discharge A petroleum well for producing petroleum products that incorporates a system adapted to provide power to a downhole device in the well. The system includes a current impedance device and a downhole power storage device. The current impedance device is positioned suc... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7073594 | Wireless downhole well interval inflow and injection control An apparatus and methods of electrically controlling downhole well interval inflow and/or injection. The downhole controllable well section having a communications and control module, a sensor, an electrically controllable valve and an induction choke. The electrica... | 07/11/2006 |