Did You Know...
...that the x-ray was discovered purely by accident? When German physicist Wilhelm Konrad von Roentgen was experimenting with cathode rays in 1895, he put an activated Crookes tube in a book and went out to lunch. When he returned, he discovered that a key that had also been placed in the book showed up as an image on the developed film!
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7909537 | Deep-sea network and deployment device Existing underwater networks are formed using telecommunications cable technology designed for intercontinental links. The network is formed by a continuous series of transport segments that are connected in the factory by repeaters or bypasses and deployed continuo... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7331436 | Communications spooler for a mobile robot A cable handling system mounted to a mobile robot to dispense and retrieve cable at zero tension includes a cable reel drive and a downstream tension roller drive that includes an idler. As a cable passes through the tension roller drive, position along the length o... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7189028 | Underwater pipe-laying A pipe-laying vessel includes an upwardly extending tower (14) assembly defining a path down which the pipe passes as a pipeline (40) is being laid by the vessel, and a lower guide arrangement for guiding the pipeline after it has passed down the tower... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7182212 | Floating lifting device The invention relates to a floating lifting device, using two movable lifting structures (13, 14) which can be alternatively engaged with broaden support members (5, 6, 7) of a cable (4). The cable (4) is stored substantially without tens... | 02/27/2007 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 7021510 | Cable traction apparatus and method A high force traction apparatus which operates along the cable linear axis with no cable bending. The cable is encircled with links from several looping chain drives. The links have a concave friction surface to match the cable radius. Rollers apply pressure to mult... | 04/04/2006 |
| 6988854 | Cable dispenser and method Fiber-optic cable is dispensed underwater into a trench from a vehicle moving along the bed of the body of water. The cable is wound on a stationary spool and dispensed over the end of the spool by a rotary arm driven by a motor controlled to maintain a desired tens... | 01/24/2006 |
| 6915943 | Tetherless internal line-up unit for pipeline welding A line-up clamp unit is powered by a diesel engine which drives a hydraulic pump for operating hydraulic equipment in the unit. The unit includes a line-up clamp which has front shoes, rear shoes and expanding copper back-up tiles. Drive wheels are deployed by a hyd... | 07/12/2005 |
| 6364573 | Jack mechanism for J-Lay pipelaying system A system for laying a pipeline from a floating vessel onto the ocean floor in relatively deep ocean water which provides jacking mechanisms which can be used to gimbal the tower which incorporate the ability to be independently raised in height, have hori... | 04/02/2002 |
| 6350085 | Cable deployment system and method of using same A cable deployment system and method for laying a cable on the sea floor. The cable deployment system includes a cable having a first cable section connected to a riser cable section. The riser cable section includes an armor that is connected to a drum c... | 02/26/2002 |
| 5919003 | Marine pipeline recovery system and method of recovering marine pipeline A pipeline recovery system (10) is disclosed having a recovery vessel (11) with an upper deck (12) and a pivotal pipeline ramp (13) mounted to the bow of the vessel. The system also includes a pipeline support bed (22) having a middle portion (23), two gr... | 07/06/1999 |
| 5823712 | Method and installation for laying a pipeline on a surface located under water A method for laying a pipeline on a surface located under water such as a deep sea bed. The pipeline is held fixedly by tensioners having tensioning elements each extending between a clamping member engaging on the pipeline and a support member connected ... | 10/20/1998 |
| 5624207 | Ocean bottom cable handling system and method of using same A marine seismic cable deployment and retrieval system for utilization in conjunction with a marine vessel. The present, searched for invention teaches a large wheel mounted in the front of the vessel for retrieving seismic cable from the water, and a hor... | 04/29/1997 |
| 5547314 | Offshore system and method for storing and tripping a continuous length of jointed tubular conduit A system and method is provided for storing a continuous length of an assembled jointed tubular conduit on an offshore vessel and for conveying the tubular conduit between the deck of the vessel and a subsurface wellhead on the floor of the body of water.... | 08/20/1996 |
| 4986697 | Marine pipeline trenching plow for simultaneous pipe laying and entrenchment A method and apparatus for simultaneously digging a trench in the bottom of a body of water and laying a pipe from a barge therein. The plow is provided with vertical side plates to assist in molding the side of the cut trench so an inclined ramp can move... | 01/22/1991 |
| 4929124 | Method and apparatus for constructing and moving long pipelines This invention provides a plurality of bearing stations in conjunction with traction and braking means to assemble and launch long pipelines where prior assembly and rapid installation are required. A method including prediction of wind, current, and othe... | 05/29/1990 |
| 4927294 | Method and equipment for laying an elongated element underground In mobile laying apparatus for laying an elongated element, such as a cable, in a trench, especially a trench in a sea bed, which apparatus is advanced in a predetermined direction and includes apparatus for digging the trench and ways along which the ele... | 05/22/1990 |
| 4909670 | Submarine pipeline span correction by local axial tension release A method of locally supplying slack to an axially tensioned length of pipeline spanning unsupported across an undulating seabed. During pipeline deployment, the pipeline is fitted with two weighted masses that will be positioned on either side of the undu... | 03/20/1990 |
| 4896998 | Submarine cable plough A plough by means of which a cable may be buried below the sea-bed is characterized by means to vary the length of the path of a cable extending through the plough, which means is responsive to changes in tension in the cable. In one preferred form of the... | 01/30/1990 |
| 4810132 | Pipe tensioner machine A pipe tensioner machine for off-shore pipe laying operations having adjustable squeeze elements for the transfer of tension to the pipes comprises four tensionbanks orientated in an angle of substantially 90° to each other and adjustable by an adjustmen... | 03/07/1989 |
| 4538937 | Marine continuous pipe laying system A marine continuous pipe laying system comprising a variable departure angle reel operably connected to a retractable trenching plow and backfilling apparatus. The reel comprises a pipe straightening mechanism connected to the rotational axis of the reel ... | 09/03/1985 |
| 4521132 | Apparatus and method for simultaneously tensioning pipes A method and apparatus for allowing the simultaneous laying of at least two pipes from a pipe-laying barge using at least two coaxially aligned pipe tensioners, wherein a first pipe tensioner tensions a first pipe and allows a second pipe to pass freely t... | 06/04/1985 |
| 4147454 | Method of and apparatus for construction of pipes for marine use, as for ocean mining and the like The present invention is concerned with methods of and apparatus for constructing cylindrical structures such as large-diameter pipes for the transport of materials in ocean mining and the like, whereby one or more rolls of previously prepared sheet mater... | 04/03/1979 |
| 4091629 | Marine pipeline installation system An apparatus and system for simultaneously laying and burying pipelines as they are constructed in an offshore marine environment which apparatus is comprised of a rigid structural frame having skids to contact the ocean floor as the device is propelled t... | 05/30/1978 |
