Patents by Inventor David Lloyd Hoover

David Lloyd Hoover 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).

  • Patent number: 6283702
    Abstract: An automated drill road loader particularly suited for thin walled drill rods. The loader, generally affixed to a drill, includes an open frame sufficiently wide to accommodate and store drill rods. A clamp rod gripper and a swing gripper consisting of two pendulums are affixed to a side of the frame. A lift first raises a stored rod from the open frame. The rod is then grasped by the clamp rod gripper and the swing gripper to index the rod in a drill mast. By sequentially manipulating and translating the clamp rod gripper and the swing gripper, the rod is carefully held for threading. The drill rod may be establishing a new drill string or it may be inserted into an existing drill string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Inco Limited
    Inventors: Paul Devlugt, David Lloyd Hoover