Patents by Inventor David Howlett

David Howlett has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20120055467
    Abstract: A metered-dose inhaler includes at least one vessel and an actuator for receiving the at least one vessel. The at least one vessel includes a first reservoir containing a first formulation and a second reservoir containing a second formulation. The metered-dose inhaler is actuable when the at least one vessel is received by the actuator. The metered-dose inhaler is configured to simultaneously deliver a first metered dose of the first formulation and a second metered dose of the second formulation upon actuation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: CHIESI FARMACEUTICI S.P.A.
    Inventors: Gaetano Brambilla, David Andrew Lewis, Robert Johnson, David Howlett
  • Patent number: 7757771
    Abstract: A wellhead seal unit for sealing a subsea oil and/or gas well at the wellhead. The unit comprises a sleeve, sealingly engaged to the workstring and to which, blow out preventer rams can engage. The unit allows the workstring to be rotated and reciprocated within the wellbore without releasing the seal. Methods of cleaning the sealed well and performing an inflow test are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Specialised Petroleum Services Group Limited
    Inventor: Paul David Howlett
  • Patent number: 7740073
    Abstract: A wellhead seal unit for sealing a subsea oil and/or gas well at the wellhead. The unit comprises a sleeve, sealingly engaged to the workstring and to which, blow out preventer rams can engage. The unit allows the workstring to be rotated and reciprocated within the wellbore without releasing the seal. Methods of cleaning the sealed well and performing an inflow test are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Specialised Petroleum Services Group Limited
    Inventor: Paul David Howlett
  • Patent number: 7413023
    Abstract: A wellhead seal unit for sealing a subsea oil and/or gas well at the wellhead. The unit comprises a sleeve, sealingly engaged to the workstring and to which, blow out preventer rams can engage. The unit allows the workstring to be rotated and reciprocated within the wellbore without releasing the seal. Methods of cleaning the sealed well and performing an inflow test are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Specialised Petroleum Services Group Limited
    Inventor: Paul David Howlett
  • Patent number: 7322408
    Abstract: A downhole tool for use in a cased or lined well bore (40), the tool including a barrier (36) arranged on an outer surface of the tool. The barrier may be of a resilient material so that it can be deformed on actuation to control the passage of fluid between the tool and the casing or liner. Fluid flow is thus selectively diverted through flow paths (22) in the tool. Embodiments are described for actuating the barrier by hydraulic means and for filtering the fluid within the flow paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Specialised Petroleum Services Group Ltd.
    Inventor: Paul David Howlett
  • Patent number: 7237617
    Abstract: A disengageable downhole tool (10) for use in the oil and gas industry. The tool can be decoupled from a work string to allow further tools to be operated from the work string on being run deeper into a well. The tool is then picked-up by the work string on retrieval from the well. In one embodiment a milling tool (28, 32) is described having a hex-drive system for operation of the tool from the work string with coupling and decoupling being achieved via shear pins (40) and a mating ledge and shoulder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Specialised Petroleum Services Group Limited
    Inventor: Paul David Howlett
  • Patent number: 7228910
    Abstract: A safety trip button (12) is described for a weight-set downhole tool. The button operates between the tool body (36) and a sleeve (34) of the tool, locking them initially together. When the tool reaches a selected formation (44) in a well bore, the button engages the formation (44) which unlocks the body and sleeve. The button is kept in the unlocked position by virtue of the formation while the tool is set. The button prevents premature setting of the tool and finds application on weight set tools such as packers and circulation tools.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Specialised Petroleum Services Group Limited
    Inventor: Paul David Howlett
  • Patent number: 7191835
    Abstract: A downhole tool for use in the removal of burrs or other unwanted material from an inner surface of a pipeline, well casing or other tubular. The tool has a plurality of milling elements, which may be biased against the surface or retracted from the surface to disengage the tool from the tubular. A drop ball mechanism with a fluid by-pass is described for disengaging the milling elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Specialised Petroleum Services Group Ltd.
    Inventors: Paul David Howlett, George Telfer
  • Patent number: 7152686
    Abstract: A downhole tool for connection in a work string to prevent premature activation of weight set tools on the work string. The tool has moveable pads which contact the tubing wall and thereby support the weight of the work string. The pads are activated by increasing fluid pressure in the annulus between the tool and tubing wall and deactivated by increasing fluid pressure through the central bore of the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Specialised Petroleum Services Group Limited
    Inventors: Paul David Howlett, George Telfer
  • Patent number: 7096950
    Abstract: A downhole tool (1) for providing the dual role of cleaning and milling within a wellbore casing or liner is described. In an embodiment scraper blades (6) are mounted on a body (2) together with a milling sleeve (4). Additionally, a centralizer sleeve (3) is incorporated as is a filter and/or junk basket for collecting debris is dislodged from the casing or liner during the cleaning and milling operation. The milling sleeve (4) can be locked onto the body (2) while the cleaning members e.g. scraper blades (6) may be free floating around the tool (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Specialised Petroleum Services Group Limited
    Inventors: Paul David Howlett, George Telfer
  • Patent number: 7086571
    Abstract: A valve for use with a pressurized dispensing container containing a liquid, the valve including a slidable valve stem, the valve stem including an inlet port for conveyance, in use, of liquid from the pressurized dispensing container into the valve stem, and a flange against which biases the valve stem into a non-dispensing position, wherein an external opening of the inlet port is located within the flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Bespak PLC
    Inventors: Richard John Warby, David Howlett
  • Patent number: 7055605
    Abstract: A downhole tool (10) for selectively circulating fluid in a borehole is disclosed. The tool operates via the use of a combination of deformable drop balls (36) and smaller hard drop balls (40). In use a deformable drop ball (36) moves a sleeve (20) exposing a radial port (30,32) to provide fluid circulation radially from the tool. The smaller drop ball (40) can then obstruct the radial port (32,30) and by the increased pressure the deformable drop ball (36) is extruded through the tool. The resulting pressure differential as the drop ball (36) moves causes the sleeve (20) to rise, releasing the smaller drop (40) ball and closing the radial port (32,30). The process can be repeated to selectively circulate fluid through the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Specialised Petroleum Services Group Ltd.
    Inventors: Paul David Howlett, George Telfer
  • Publication number: 20060053156
    Abstract: Systems and methods for analysis and generating reports presenting analysis involving capturing unstructured data from online information services. Speaker attributes and semantic attributes associated with items of the captured data are determined. The captured data, speaker attributes, and semantic attributes are analyzed to generate processed information based on the captured data. A report is generated to present the processed information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2005
    Publication date: March 9, 2006
    Inventors: Howard Kaushansky, Ted Kremer, David Howlett
  • Patent number: 6896064
    Abstract: A downhole packer for providing a seal in a well bore to allow integrity testing of the well bore. The packer is set by a sleeve movable on a body of the packer being set down on a formation in the well bore. Movement of the sleeve compresses one or more packing elements. The packer further includes a by-pass channel which allows fluid to pass through the tool as it is run in the well bore, and brushes or scrapers for cleaning the well bore and preparing the location for the packer elements to be contacted upon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: Specialised Petroleum Services Group Limited
    Inventors: Paul David Howlett, George Telfer
  • Publication number: 20050066963
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a variable acoustic source and a microphone, both acoustically coupled to a volume having a fluid region and an air region. The apparatus also can include a processor to determine a volume of the air region based on signals received from the microphone and the variable acoustic source. A fluid valve is coupled to the processor, and is configured to allow an amount of fluid to exit the fluid region associated with the volume of the air region. An atomizer, coupled to the fluid region, is configured to aerosolize at least a portion of the fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2003
    Publication date: March 31, 2005
    Applicant: DEKA Products Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Russell Beavis, Larry Gray, David Howlett
  • Publication number: 20040154807
    Abstract: A downhole tool for connection in a work string to prevent premature activation of weight set tools on the work string. The tool has moveable pads which contact the tubing wall and thereby support the weight of the work string. The pads are activated by increasing fluid pressure in the annulus between the tool and tubing wall and deactivated by increasing fluid pressure through the central bore of the tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2004
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Paul David Howlett, George Telfer
  • Publication number: 20040099447
    Abstract: A downhole tool (10) for selectively circulating fluid in a borehole is disclosed. The tool operates via the use of a combination of deformable drop balls (36) and smaller hard drop balls (40). In use a deformable drop ball (36) moves a sleeve (20) exposing a radial port (30,32) to provide fluid circulation radially from the tool. The smaller drop ball (40) can then obstruct the radial port (32,30) and by the increased pressure the deformable drop ball (36) is extruded through the tool. The resulting pressure differential as the drop ball (36) moves causes the sleeve (20) to rise, releasing the smaller drop (40) ball and closing the radial port (32,30). The process can be repeated to selectively circulate fluid through the tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2004
    Publication date: May 27, 2004
    Inventors: Paul David Howlett, George Telfer
  • Publication number: 20040011528
    Abstract: A downhole tool (1) for providing the dual role of cleaning and milling within a well bore casing or liner is described. In an embodiment scraper blades (6) are mounted on a body (2) together with a milling sleeve (4). Additionally, a centraliser sleeve (3) is incorporated as is a filter and/or junk basket for collecting debris is dislodged from the casing or liner during the cleaning and milling operation. The milling sleeve (4) can be locked onto the body (2) while the cleaning members e.g. scraper blades (6) may be free floating around the tool (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2003
    Publication date: January 22, 2004
    Inventors: Paul David Howlett, George Telfer
  • Publication number: 20030178448
    Abstract: A valve for use with a pressurised dispensing container (30) containing a liquid (31), the valve comprising a slidable valve stem (11), the valve stem comprising an inlet port (24) for conveyance, in use, of liquid from the pressurised dispensing container into the valve stem, and a flange (26) against which acts a biasing means (25) which biases the valve stem into a non-dispensing position, wherein an external opening of the inlet port is located within the flange.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2003
    Publication date: September 25, 2003
    Inventors: Richard John Warby, David Howlett
  • Patent number: 6609569
    Abstract: A downhole tool and method of operation is described for collecting fluid samples in a downhole environment. The tool is connectable on a work string and is activated by dropping a ball through the work string. On activation a sleeve arranged on the body of the tool is caused to shift from a first to a second position thereby creating a chamber between the sleeve and body. The sample fluid is drawn into the chamber as it is created and is prevented from exiting by a non-return valve. The tool locks the sleeve in the second position to fix the chamber. The sample can then be retrieved along with the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: SPS-AFOS Group Limited
    Inventors: Paul David Howlett, George Telfer