Patents Represented by Attorney William A. Knox

Find this attorney in the Justia Lawyer Directory

  • Decoupled borehole sensor
    Patent number: 5044461
    Abstract: A sensor module having tri-axial spatial sensitivity is mounted in a closed compartment of an acoustic logging tool. The sensor module is resiliently mounted with three degrees of freedom with respect to the body of the tool. The compartment includes a volume of damping fluid to suppress parasitic vibrations transmitted to the sensor module from the tool body. In the inactive condition, a contact shoe, associated with the sensor module, projects through a window in the closed compartment. In the operating configuration, the sensor module and its contact shoe are caused to retract into the compartment against a compressive force when the logging tool is pressed against the wall of a borehole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1991
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter S. Aronstam
  • Damage location system for a tanker ship
    Patent number: 5018113
    Abstract: Hydrophones are installed in each tank of a liquid cargo tanker ship. In the unfortunate event that the tanker collides with an obstacle in the water, the hydrophones detect the shock wave due to the collision. The relative first arrival times of the shock wave at the respective hydrophones are measured and the arrival-time differences between two hydrophones of any two different selected pairs of hydrophones is calculated. Hyperbolic lines of constant time difference are projected on a map of the locations of the hydrophones on the ship. The intersection of the lines of position representing the calculated first arrival time differences marks the location of the impact of the ship with the obstacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1991
    Inventors: Booth B. Strange, Ben B. Thigpen
  • Correction for variable water-column velocity in seismic data
    Patent number: 4992993
    Abstract: In a marine seismic survey, a method for measuring the acoustic properties of the water mass at each seismic station along a line of survey by recovering acoustic reflections from discrete discontinuities within the water above the water-bottom reflection. A profile of the velocity distribution within the water column is calculated from a conventional velocity analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 12, 1991
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald E. Chambers
  • Secure optical-fiber communication system
    Patent number: 4965856
    Abstract: A data signal and a reference signal are multiplexed into a fiber optic communications link for transmission from a first secure location to a seond location. A replica of the reference signal is transmitted from the first location to the second location over a separate communication channel. At the second location, the angular phase difference between the reference signal and the replica thereof is continuously monitored. If the angular phase difference departs significantly from a specified value, an alarm is set as a warning that the fiber optic communications link has been compromised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 23, 1990
    Assignee: Arbus Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Swanic
  • Ship-borne emergency oil containment system and method
    Patent number: 4960347
    Abstract: This invention teaches that when a section of a tanker is damaged, the ship being far from shore-based help, it is imperative that the liquid cargo be transferred from the ruptured tank to an undamaged tank on the ship as quickly as possible. By doing so, the contents of the damaged tank are less likely to escape in a sufficiently voluminous quantity to seriously befoul the environment. To that end, a normally-empty emergency holding tank is provided on the ship with means to provide for emergency transfer of the liquid cargo from the damaged section into the emergency holding tank. At the same time, the ruptured tank is enshrouded by a flexible barrier curtain to entrap whatever liquid cargo that may have leaked from the damaged tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 2, 1990
    Inventor: Booth B. Strange
  • Coaxial coiled-tubing cable head
    Patent number: 4941349
    Abstract: A cable head connector is provided for coupling a plurality of nested tubes, each one of which conducts a different fluid, to a downhole geophysical tool such as a seismic sound source. The device includes separate clamps for individually gripping the respective nested tubes. Conduits are furnished for fluidly bypassing the respective clamping devices. The fluid bypass conduits are fluidly coupled to a distribution module for delivering the different fluids individually to the downhole geophysical tool. Additional facilities are provided for sending electrical control signals to the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 17, 1990
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventors: Arnold M. Walkow, William S. Kennedy, Kenneth J. Wolfe
  • Seismic noise suppression method
    Patent number: 4937794
    Abstract: Coherent noise on seismic records is suppressed by reformatting the common shot gathers to common receiver gathers. Pairs of seismic traces from a common receiver gather are corrected for differential normal moveout, weighted in inverse relation to the RMS signal power, and combined to generate compressed common receiver gathers. The compressed common receiver gathers may be reformatted as common midpoint gathers for further processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1990
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard A. Marschall, John F. Gillooly, Jr.
  • High pressure transducer
    Patent number: 4926396
    Abstract: In a tubular pressure transducer element, the axial stress imparted to the element is reduced relative to the radial stress by inserting a rigid core inside the tubular element. The reduction in stress is proportional to the ratio between the area of the full diameter of the tubular element and the area of the annulus represented by the wall thickness of the tubular element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1990
    Assignee: Teledyne Exploration
    Inventor: Bob K. Robertson
  • Depth alarm for a seismic sensor
    Patent number: 4926397
    Abstract: A hydrophone having a self-contained means for warning an operator that the hydrophone has reached or exceeded a safe design depth limit. The active elements of the hydrophone are bender-type piezoelectric wafers. An internal stop is provided such that in the presence of a hydrostatic pressure that exceeds a safe design limit, the wafers bottom out against the stop. The stop short-circuits the electrical output signals of the wafers, warning the operator that the hydrophone is in danger of destruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1990
    Assignee: Teledyne Exploration
    Inventor: Bob K. Robertson
  • Monte Carlo method for estimating lithology from seismic data
    Patent number: 4926394
    Abstract: A Monte Carlo statistical method for combining discrete geological measurements of rock properties with continuous measurements of seismic attributes and for converting those combined measurements into a display of the best estimate of subsurface rock classes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1990
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventor: Philippe M. Doyen
  • Marine seismic streamer cable
    Patent number: 4910715
    Abstract: A plurality of sensor arrays are mounted in a streamer cable. The sensors within each array are distributed over an elongated two-dimensional vertical plane. The seismic streamer cable is so constructed that its vertical dimension is substantially greater than its width and the top portion is relatively more buoyant in the water than the bottom portion. Because of that configuration the streamer cable resists vertical strumming and, when the sensor arrays are used in the differential mode, there is no orientation uncertainty.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 20, 1990
    Inventor: Carl H. Savit
  • Real-time simulation of the far-field signature of a seismic sound source array
    Patent number: 4908801
    Abstract: A method for extrapolating the far field signature of a seismic sound source array from near field measurements, by taking into consideration, the instantaneous firing and environmental parameters that exist locally for each individual sound source in the array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 13, 1990
    Assignee: Teledyne Exploration
    Inventors: Robert R. Bell, Stephen M. Whitley
  • Marine pollution containment device
    Patent number: 4889447
    Abstract: A marine pollution containment barge consists of two semi-circular hulls, which, when joined together at the extremities thereof, define an interior well that is open to the water. The semi-circular hulls may be separated. The hulls are self-propelled independently of each other and each may be dynamically positioned independently of the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1989
    Inventor: Booth B. Strange
  • Self-cleaning poppet valve for a core testing apparatus
    Patent number: 4864846
    Abstract: A poppet valve is mounted internally of a core tranfer piston of a core testing device. The valve face of the poppet valve is smoothly configured so that particulate matter will not cling thereto. A flow of gas is provided to blow debris away from the poppet valve assembly into the external environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1989
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventor: Stanley C. Jones
  • Method for extending the lateral subsurface coverage in VSP surveys
    Patent number: 4847813
    Abstract: In a VSP survey, the subsurface coverage of the bounce points of primary reflections is limited to one-half the offset between a borehole and a seismic-source point. The subsurface coverage may be extended by use of selected multiply-reflected wavefield arrivals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1989
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventors: M. Aftab Alam, Akkas Manzur
  • Transverse wave logger
    Patent number: 4834209
    Abstract: A transverse-wave logging tool consists of a plurality of sets of transducers mounted around a cylindrical mandrel. The transducer active faces are characterized by two orthogonal dimensions, one of which dimensions is a half-wavelength long relative to the acoustic excitation energy applied to a transmitter transducer and the transverse-wave formation velocity. Receiver transducers detect converted-compressional waves resulting from transverse waves that were generated by the acoustic excitation energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1989
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles B. Vogel, Mike Davis, James O. Guy, John R. E. Smith
  • Noise-cancelling streamer cable
    Patent number: 4821241
    Abstract: In a seismic streamer cable, stress sensors are co-located with the hydrophones in the cable. The stress sensors are responsive to mechanical stresses applied to the cable but it are substantially unresponsive to acoustic waves propagating in fluid media. The signal outputs from the stress sensors are combined with the signal outputs from the corresponding co-located hydrophones to cancel spurious signals due to bulge waves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1989
    Assignee: Teledyne Exploration Co.
    Inventor: Carl O. Berglund
  • Method for monitoring the goodness of the cement bond to a borehole casing
    Patent number: 4809237
    Abstract: A method for monitoring the relative goodness of a cement bond to a borehole casing by observing the relative change in amplitude of a converted-compressional wave as a function of depth in the borehole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1989
    Assignee: Western Atlas International, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles B. Vogel, Mike Davis, James O. Guy, John R. E. Smith
  • Connector assembly
    Patent number: 4808127
    Abstract: A connector assembly comprises a female connector having a protruding portion extending from one end and with one or more sockets therein and a male connector having one or more pins for being received in a different one of the sockets and a retractable pin shield member in which the pins are recessed when the shield member is in a forward position. The pin shield member includes a cavity for receiving the protruding portion of the female connector and as the connectors are progressively engaged the protruding portion is urged against the shield member causing it to become gradually retracted and exposing the pins which are then progressively received in the sockets of the female connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1989
    Assignee: Arbus, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Swanic
  • Apparatus for towing arrays of geophysical devices
    Patent number: 4781140
    Abstract: A ship is provided with booms that may be extended outwardly from the ship. Arrays of geophysical devices of different genera are towed from the booms, in the water behind the ship. A UHF antenna is located on each boom. A line joining the two antennas defines a long reference base line for determining the absolute heading of the ship with respect to a meridian and to locate the absolute positions of selected towed geophysical devices with respect to two-dimensional space. The booms may be oriented along a line perpendicular to the ship's track, independently of the ship's heading for the purpose of maintaining the integrity of the geometric pattern of the arrays of the towed geophysical devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1988
    Assignee: Teledyne Exploration Company
    Inventors: Robert R. Bell, Louis I. Schneider, Jr.