Did You Know...
...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
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 |
| 7383663 | Anchor sheet and attachment devices A method and apparatus for connecting anchor sheets to each other and/or to a floor. The approach includes using attachment pieces which fit into an area of reduced thickness of the anchor sheet which surround a cut away of the anchor sheet. In one embodiment, the a... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7308953 | Mobile drilling rig An embodied mobile drilling rig is made of three sections, two substructures and a mast section, which are easily transported and installed at a drilling site. Each substructure includes a mast starting section; a floor side box connected to the mast starting sectio... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7168214 | Two-piece joining device for sheet pile retaining walls The joining device serves for connecting two adjacent individual elements (5, 11) of a sheet pile retaining wall which are to be pile-driven in each case, e.g. for connecting two adjacent pipes of a sheet piling. The first joining element comprises a button s... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7165759 | Crown block dead line anchor The line system on a drilling rig is arranged to place the dead line clamp at the upper end of the derrick. A dead line anchor sheave is preferably located to accept wraps of the dead line to insure reduced load on the dead line clamp. The anchor sheave is preferabl... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7162837 | Structural member stabilizing system A bracket connects a structural member to a structural element to stabilize the structural member against movement. The bracket includes connector portions for connecting the bracket to tensioned stabilizing cables or other structural stabilizing elements and one or... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7155873 | Structural connector for a drilling rig substructure A method and apparatus for connecting sections of a drilling rig substructure is disclosed. The disclosed invention is a unique structural connector in which sections of a drilling rig substructure can be connected together without the use of pins or pin-type connec... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7089705 | Portable tower system A portable surveillance system having an easily transportable skid-type base structure that forms a support for a portable tower apparatus. Stabilizers are extendably mounted to the base structure. The tower components include a base member affixed to the base plate... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7055286 | Modular post system and method of construction The invention provides a modular post system including a plurality of modular post members 10, 20 which are inter-connectable to form a post structure 30. The modular post members include a plurality of front post members 10 and rear post member... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7047695 | Steel frame stress reduction connection The present invention provides for improvement of ductility and strength performance of connections in structural steel buildings made typically with rolled structural shapes, specifically in bolted and/or welded beam-to-column connections with welded flanges, by gr... | 05/23/2006 |
| 6994171 | Two section mast with self-aligning connections A method of self-aligning connections for a two section mast. The method includes the steps of transporting the elongated bottom mast section to a guide frame adjacent to a well site, the bottom mast section having a pair of front legs and a pair of rear legs. An el... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6951082 | Drilling rig with torque carrier A telescoping rig with an upper mast telescopingly received within a lower mast. A torque carrier is formed of an upper part suspended within the upper mast and a lower part attached to the lower mast. The lower part may be secured to the upper part when the rig is ... | 10/04/2005 |
| 6618999 | Crown bumper A safety apparatus for a lifting structure having a crown and at least one traveling block, and an oil derrick having a crown bumper, wherein the safety apparatus comprises at least two support beams attached to crown of the lifting structure; a plate sec... | 09/16/2003 |
| 5782042 | Tilting pole system A new Tilting Pole System for allowing an individual to quickly and easily perform maintenance upon an object conventionally supported by an elongated pole. The inventive device includes a lower pole, an upper pole pivotally secured to a top end of the lo... | 07/21/1998 |
| 5570546 | System for raising and lowering communications equipment A system for lowering and raising telecommunications equipment along a mast pole. The system comprises a mast pole, a platform means, a frame means, a plurality of lift cables, a hoisting means and a transition means. The platform means surrounds the exte... | 11/05/1996 |
| 4932175 | Telescopic drilling derrick apparatus A telescopic drilling derrick apparatus that is light for easy transportation and utilizes structure to enable the mast to be raised from a collapsed horizontal position to a vertical position while still in an unextended position and thereafter telescopi... | 06/12/1990 |
| 4903443 | Derrick having upper and lower crown block positions The crown block has two parallel clusters of sheaves. In one use the crown block is positioned such that the center of the derrick passes through the axle of one of the clusters and a power cable is threaded through the first cluster of the crown block an... | 02/27/1990 |
| 4831795 | Drilling derrick assembly A drilling derrick assembly is described which provides for the elevation above ground level of the assembly's working floor which supports both the mast and the drawworks. Prior to erection, the elevatable equipment floor is carried on a supporting subst... | 05/23/1989 |
| 4821816 | Method of assembling a modular drilling machine A drilling machine includes a drilling substructure skid which defines two spaced parallel skid runners and a platform. The platform supports a draw works mounted on a draw works skid, and a pipe boom is mounted on a pipe boom skid sized to fit between th... | 04/18/1989 |
| 4722157 | Building frame support A method and apparatus for erecting buildings is disclosed. The method involves providing frame elements of a building which may be made up of spaced columns connected together by a beam or beams which may meet at a gable. To erect the frames, each frame ... | 02/02/1988 |
| 4662146 | Building frame support and method of erection A method and apparatus for erecting buildings is disclosed. The method involves providing frame elements of a building which may be made up of spaced columns connected together by a beam or beams which may meet at a gable. To erect the frames, each frame ... | 05/05/1987 |
| 4651884 | Portable and collapsible derrick structure A pickup truck derrick assembly includes a base frame, a derrick A-frame pivotally mounted on the base frame, a derrick frame erection subassembly, a frame support and locking subassembly and a cable compensation system. In one form, the frame erection su... | 03/24/1987 |
| 4643358 | Boom mounting assembly A mechanism for adjusting the height and level of a movable boom is disclosed. This mechanism includes a carrier member mountable for vertical pivotal movement about one end thereof, and a first actuator is provided for controlling the movement and positi... | 02/17/1987 |
| 4620693 | Pole lifting apparatus Apparatus for lifting electric line poles is disclosed which also enables a ground rod or stake to be driven into the ground next to such a pole. There is provided a telescopic mast having a hoist with a rope run over pulleys to a lifting hook and attache... | 11/04/1986 |
| 4590719 | Erection hinge An erection hinge for use in erecting columns for open air structures utilizes a mounting plate which removably attaches to the foundation of such structures and which supports an offset hinge. The offset hinge carries a cradle which supports a column to ... | 05/27/1986 |
| 4578911 | Cantilevered mast drilling rig with single step erection A cantilevered mast drilling rig is disclosed in which the erection operation for elevating the cantilevered mast and the drill rig floor to the elevated operating positions is a single step procedure. Both the cantilevered mast and the drill rig floor ar... | 04/01/1986 |
| 4578016 | Shingle loading ladder An attachment for a conventional ladder comprises first and second mounting arms, support arms and leg members arranged to present a cradle for receiving at least one bundle of shingles therein. Subsequent to insertion of the shingles into the cradle, the... | 03/25/1986 |
| 4478015 | Cable sling arrangement for pivoting a drilling mast and drawworks elevator to a raised or reclined position in relation to a substructure support and method of cable sling string up A drilling mast and drawworks elevator are pivotally secured to a substructure support with a frame secured to the support and extending upwardly between the drilling mast and elevator support. A cable on a rotatable drum on the drawworks elevator extends... | 10/23/1984 |
| 4473977 | Erection means for portable drilling system A portable apparatus for drilling deep boreholes in the earth, comprising a subbase structure, a drawworks platform supported on four legs hinged both to the subbase structure and to the drawworks platform and when in lowered position extends away from a ... | 10/02/1984 |
| 4471587 | Dual swing-up elevator well drilling apparatus A well drilling apparatus includes a first swing-up elevator platform on which the mast structure is pivotally mounted. After the mast structure has been raised to its erect position, the first elevator platform is elevated to carry the mast structure to ... | 09/18/1984 |
| 4447997 | Drilling rig A drilling rig comprising a base; and an A-frame carried by the base. The A-frame has left and right hydraulic mast cylinders with pistons in the cylinders. The rig also has a mast pivoted on the base and capable of being raised from a horizontal position... | 05/15/1984 |
| 4292772 | Trailer mounted high floor drilling mast and substructure arrangement Telescopable drilling mast means is transportable on and pivotally connected to a first trailer means. Setback tower means is pivotally connected to the drilling mast means and to the first trailer means. Second trailer means are provided with elevatable draww... | 10/06/1981 |
| 4269396 | Wrecker-hoist attachment for truck bed A wrecker-hoist combination attachment for mounting on the bed of a truck includes an A-frame having one end supported by the truck bed and the upper apex supported by a support member connected between the apex of the A-frame and the truck bed. The A-fra... | 05/26/1981 |
| 4269009 | Low lift, elevatable high floor drilling mast and substructure arrangement therefor Low level base means extend longitudinally on the earth's surface. Drilling mast support means are positioned adjacent and pivotally connected to the base means and setback tower means are pivotally connected to the mast support means and to the base mean... | 05/26/1981 |
| 4221088 | Low lift, elevatable high floor drilling mast and substructure arrangement therefor Low level base means extend longitudinally on the earth's surface. Drilling mast support means are positioned adjacent and pivotally connected to the base means and setback tower means are pivotally connected to the mast support means and to the base mean... | 09/09/1980 |
| 4084359 | Survey apparatus A survey system employs a ground-based extendible mast so that survey instruments, such as cameras, mounted at the top of the mast can attain heights comparable to those of low-level aerial photography. The mast is mounted on a base structure that houses ... | 04/18/1978 |
| 4080916 | Maritime platform assemblies A method of fabricating a maritime assembly comprising the steps of stabilizing a foundation raft alongside a quay, moving at least a part of an erect tower structure from the quay onto the foundation raft, securing the tower structure to the foundation r... | 03/28/1978 |
| 4009544 | Drilling rig with improved mast support structure An improved portable drilling rig for drilling deep boreholes in the earth, in which the mast is rotatable to a horizontal position at a small distance above the ground. The mast is of rectangular construction, with four corner columns, and four support l... | 03/01/1977 |
| 3945107 | Process of erecting vertical rising mast This disclosure describes a drilling mast system which is adapted to be assembled section by section in a vertical position, as distinguished from the conventional method of raising a drilling mast by assemblying the mast in a horizontal position on the g... | 03/23/1976 |
