Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8152580 | Loading system The present invention relates to a loading system for transferring at least one medium between a first installation and a floating vessel, comprising an anchoring device which can be fixed relative to a seabed, at least one elongated first transfer element, which is... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8118632 | Tanker loading assembly Tanker loading assembly includes a first on-board hose arrangement with first coupling portion and a second submerged buoyant hose arrangement provided with second coupling portion for cooperation with the first coupling portion for obtaining a fluid-tight connectio... | 02/21/2012 |
| 7766710 | Disconnectable buoyant turrent mooring system A mooring system includes a vessel with a lower-side cavity, a turret extending from deck level to the cavity, and a coupling mechanism releasably attaching a mooring buoy to the cavity, at least one buoy-supported riser. The riser end has a coupling member, the ris... | 08/03/2010 |
| 7666044 | Method of supplying oil from a floating production structure to an offloading buoy via a thermally insulated flexible transfer duct Method of supplying oil from a first floating structure to an offloading structure, includes providing a flexible duct extending between the two structures at a water depth of between 50 m and 500 m, the duct including a flexible elastomeric material and having an i... | 02/23/2010 |
| 7426897 | Mooring apparatus The present invention relates to apparatus for mooring a floating vessel in open sea, using a semi submersible floating dock. The apparatus is particularly suitable for tankers carrying liquid natural gas in cryogenic form which can be a dangerous substance to handl... | 09/23/2008 |
| 7377225 | Spar-type offshore platform for ice flow conditions A spar-type platform includes a hull defining a centerwell extending downward to a keel. The hull includes a reduced diameter neck portion for diverting ice flow. Adjustable ballast tanks allow the hull to be moved between a ballasted down position defining an upper... | 05/27/2008 |
| 7347156 | Lower bearing assembly for disconnectable turret A turret mooring system for a vessel comprises a turret which is rotatably connected to the vessel and comprises a lower end, a buoy which is anchored to the sea floor and is releasably connectable to the lower end, and a bearing assembly which is positioned between... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7322308 | Mooring apparatus with moveable ballast weight A mooring apparatus for mooring first and second vessels, (1, 7) together in a heavy seaway ofFshore is described. The apparatus is for tandem mooring using soft yoke technology. The apparatus consists of a rigid arm (2) with a longitudinal axis and fi... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7311053 | Support vessel The invention regards a multipurpose support vessel (1), comprising a hull (2) with a bow (3) and a stern (4) and with a propulsion arrangement (5), a bridge (6) and accommodation quarters (7) and storage areas (8 | 12/25/2007 |
| 7299835 | Apparatus for transferring a fluid between a transport vessel and a storage station An apparatus for transferring a fluid product between a fluid transport vessel and a storage vessel includes a tubular arrangement for conveying the fluid between the two vessels. The tubular arrangement includes a flexible transfer pipe hanging freely between ends ... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7270066 | Ice breaker (variants), method and system for single-support mooring and servicing ships To ensure the possibility of offshore shipping of a liquid medium, primarily oil, from an onshore tank farm into sea-going tankers in the winter time in the ice conditions by ensuring both mooring to an offshore terminal and single-point mooring of a tanker at any t... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7202423 | Apparatus for weighing out the remaining quantity of a substance in a storage vessel Apparatus for weighing out the remaining quantity of a substance in a storage vessel disposed in a cabinet and attached with rigid connecting lines to a valve plate fastened in the cabinet and from which rigid connecting lines lead to a consumer. The apparatus inclu... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7191836 | Dry tree subsea well communications apparatus and method using variable tension large offset risers Disclosed are compliant variable tension risers (106) to connect deep-water subsea wellheads (102) to a single floating platform (104). The variable tension risers (106) allow several subsea well-heads (102), in water depths from 4... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7182660 | Offshore fluid transfer system Apparatus for transferring fluid between first and second floating vessels is described, comprising a submerged rigid transfer arm defining a fluid conduit for receiving fluid from a first vessel, a first end of the arm attached to the first floating vessel so as to... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7179144 | Off-shore mooring and fluid transfer system Apparatus for transferring cryogenic fluid from a first vessel (5) to a second vessel in an offshore environment. The apparatus includes a semi-submersible floating dock with variable buoyancy structure (14, 15) operable to alter the draught of the doc... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7174931 | Liquefied gas transfer installation and use thereof The invention concerns a liquefied gas transfer installation, in particular for liquefied natural gas, adapted to transfer liquefied gas between two surface tanks and distally spaced apart. The installation comprises a transfer line. The transfer line is immersed in... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7117808 | System for transferring liquid load, mainly oil to a tanker The invention can be used for a off-shore discharge of a liquid load, mainly oil from a land storage plant to ocean-going tankers during winter time and initial ice formation when the thickness of a stable fast ice is equal to or less than 1.5 m. In the first varian... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7063158 | Bottom tensioned offshore oil well production riser An offshore oil well riser system comprises one or more tubular conduits suspended from a floating platform and having bottom ends extending downward substantially vertically toward the sea floor. A bottom end connection and tensioning assembly is disposed at the bo... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7056177 | Spread moored midship hydrocarbon loading and offloading system A hydrocarbon mooring and transfer system (2) includes a tower (3) resting on the seabed (4), a vessel (1) containing hydrocarbons, anchoring elements including at least four spaced-apart anchoring members (12, 13, 14, 15) connecte... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7051774 | Mooring system for fluid cargo tankers The liquid cargo mooring and fluid transfer system of the present invention includes a first column affixed to the ocean floor. The first column supports one end of an extended length space frame. At the opposite end of the space frame is a buoyant support. The buoy... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7044817 | Anchoring system Anchoring system to hold a vessel anchored during loading or unloading, which vessel can be connected to or from the anchoring system in a similar way under all operating conditions without adjustments in the anchoring system, which anchoring system is comprising on... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7029348 | Wave motion absorbing offloading system comprising a slender mooring buoy The invention relates to a mooring buoy (6), comprising a submerged part (13) and a part extending above water level (11). The part above water level comprising a fluid outlet duct (24) for attaching to a vessel (7), the buoy being... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7007623 | Retrieval and connection system for a disconnectable mooring yoke A mooring yoke and method for using same to connect or disconnect a shuttle vessel to a body, such as an LNG liquefaction and storage vessel (LNG/FPSO). The yoke is pivotably connected at one end to the LNG/FPSO. The other or tip end of the yoke includes a buoyant e... | 03/07/2006 |
| 7004680 | Temporary support assembly and method of supporting a flexible line A support assembly for a flexible line comprises a hanger to suspend the flexible line from an offshore oil rig without subjecting the line to a bending stress adjacent the support assembly, a frame supporting the hanger, and a connector coupled to the frame to remo... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6997643 | LNG tanker offloading in shallow water A system for offloading LNG (liquified natural gas) from a tanker (26) in shallow waters, for regasing, or heating the offloaded LNG to produce gaseous hydrocarbons, or gas, for pressurizing the gas, and for flowing the gas to an onshore station (56), ... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6976443 | Crude oil transportation system A crude oil transportation system uses a dynamically positionable floating crude oil storage and offloading vessel and a dynamically positionable shuttle tanker. The dynamically positionable floating crude oil storage and offloading vessel is a self-contained unit i... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6971934 | Autonomous liquid filled buoy A buoy system includes a sea-bed pump station having separate reservoirs of lighter-than-water and heavier-than-water liquids. The reservoirs are in fluid communication with peristaltic pumps that are operated via a preprogrammed control within the station. A buoy h... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6945736 | Offshore platform for drilling after or production of hydrocarbons Platform for drilling after or production of hydrocarbons at sea, consisting of a semi-submersible platform body which supports drilling and/or production equipment on its upper surface. The platform body is designed as a vertical mainly flat bottomed cylinder which... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6942427 | Column-stabilized floating structure with telescopic keel tank for offshore applications and method of installation A floating offshore fluid storage caisson platform has a large diameter vertically oriented buoyant column or caisson, or multiple caissons, defining a storage chamber, and a telescopic keel tank disposed at the bottom end thereof, and may have deck on top of the ca... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6932127 | System for transferring oil from an offshore platform to a tanker A system for transferring oil from an offshore tanker to a platform. The system comprises at least one flexible hose (4) which is adapted to direct transfer of oil from a supply means (7-10) on a deck (2) on the platform (1) to the tanker... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6923225 | Hydrocarbon fluid transfer system The invention relates to a fluid transfer system, in particular for LNG in which an articulated vertical and horizontal mooring arm are suspended from a support on the processing vessel. Independently moveable ducts, for instance cryogenic hard piping are placed par... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6916218 | Wave motion absorbing offloading system The invention relates to a hydrocarbon transfer system (1) in which a floating construction (2) such as a FPSO is connected to an offloading buoy (3) via a submerged offloading pipeline (10). The motions of the buoy are de-coupled form th... | 07/12/2005 |
| 6851994 | Disconnectable mooring system and LNG transfer system and method A disconnectable mooring system for connecting an LNG carrier vessel to a permanently moored LNG liquefaction process vessel in combination with an LNG offloading system. One end of a mooring yoke is suspended from a frame at the stern of the LNG process vessel. A m... | 02/08/2005 |
| 6824330 | Constant tension steel catenary riser system A steel catenary riser (SCR) system includes a tensioning mechanism on a floating facility that controllably applies a substantially constant tension to an SCR that is fluidly coupled to the facility by a flexible jumper conduit. More specifically, the system includ... | 11/30/2004 |
| 6817914 | System for transferring a load from ship-based production and storage units to dynamically positioned tankers A system for transferring a load from ship-based production and storage units (10) to dynamically positioned tankers (3), comprising a loading hose (14) which, during a loading operation, extends between an end (11) of the ship-based unit... | 11/16/2004 |
| 6805598 | Liquid natural gas transfer station A semi-submersible floating transfer station for unloading liquid natural gas (LNG) from, or charging LNG to an oceangoing vessel. The station comprises at least one and preferably two or more pontoons that include outboard sections comprising LNG tanks and a depres... | 10/19/2004 |
| 6780072 | Subsurface buoy and methods of installing, tying and dynamically stabilizing the same The present invention relates to equipment installed in an intermediary region between a floating production unit at the ocean surface and a wellhead of an oil reservoir on the ocean floor. The equipment, known as a subsurface buoy, is designed to support rigid and ... | 08/24/2004 |
| 6769376 | Transfer conduit system, apparatus, and method The present invention relates to systems and methods for prevention of clashing between multiple conduits spaced closely together and to methods of installation of multiple conduits at the same time. Various aspects of the invention are provided involving separating... | 08/03/2004 |
| 6708639 | Single point mooring with suspension turret An arrangement for suspending a Single Point Mooring Turret from its corresponding vessel, by transmitting a circumferentially uniform axial vertical load without moment through the interface of motion between the vessel and turret, by decoupling mooring system load... | 03/23/2004 |
| 6685519 | System for transferring fluids and methods for installing, modifying and operating system System for transferring fluids between a floating installation (10) and a tanker (30), wherein the floating installation is permanently moored (31, 32) to the seabed (1), and comprising a buoy (20) being moored (21A, 21B) to the seabed and connected to th... | 02/03/2004 |
