Patents Examined by James A. Leppink
  • Patent number: 4657090
    Abstract: A bearing structure including first and second tapered bearing surfaces for accommodating on-bottom and off-bottom thrust and radial forces on a drive shaft in a down hole drilling environment and further including a radial bearing mounted between the first and second tapered bearings for restricting bending of the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1987
    Assignee: Smith International, Inc.
    Inventor: Bela Geczy
  • Patent number: 4657091
    Abstract: There is disclosed a drill bit which is connectable to the lower end of a rotary drill string for use in drilling oil and gas wells as drilling mud is circulated downward through the string, out the bit, and upwardly within the annulus between the string and well bore so as to remove cuttings therefrom. The bit has cones which are mounted for rotation about thrust bearings which extend inwardly from the lower ends of legs which depend from a shank at the upper end of the bit body which is attached to the drill string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1987
    Inventor: Robert Higdon
  • Patent number: 4657307
    Abstract: An improved simple device for loosening, breaking up and removing concrete pavement slabs. The device has one or more planar vertical engagement members each having a generally horizontal slab-receiving slot. Each slot is bounded by upper and lower opposed edges and a crotch edge therebetween, all in fixed relative positions. The upper and lower edges extend forwardly to aligned upper and lower forward ends. The slot is dimensioned to accept and manipulate slabs, and to lift slab pieces taking advantage of the weight of the slabs to hold them for lifting. First and second pivot-mounting means are arranged to facilitate a can-opener like slab-manipulating motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1987
    Assignee: J. I. Case Company
    Inventors: Charles L. Staley, John R. Harms, Ronald L. Anderson
  • Patent number: 4657092
    Abstract: A transformable circulation tool for reversing the path of drilling fluid at the drill bit without removing the drill string from the borehole annulus is provided by a substantially hollow body having a chamber with external ports disposed between a section of the body having a through passage and a by-pass passage in combination with a diverter mounted on a telescoping member having means for engaging the body during drilling and disengaging the body for rotation of the diverter with respect to each of the passages. A seal is rotatably mounted to the substantially hollow body between the ports to divide the well borehole into an upper conventional flow portion and a lower portion where the flow of the drilling fluid can be reversed upon command from the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1987
    Assignee: J & F Oil Tools, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert L. Franks, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4657525
    Abstract: The invention relates to a transmission chain for transmission of torque between one pair of driving conical discs and another pair of driven conical discs in a continuously variable transmission. According to the invention, the chain is composed of identical, interlocking links in the form of blocks, the end surfaces of which are bevelled at an angle to fit the conical discs. Said blocks have opposite longitudinal sides having means with rolling contact surfaces for engagement with rolling contact surfaces on corresponding means of the adjacent links.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1987
    Assignee: AB Volvo
    Inventor: Lars G. Landerholm
  • Patent number: 4655733
    Abstract: The invention relates to an arrangement for transmitting torque between conical pulleys in a transmission mechanism. The invention is characterized in that the arrangement includes a first endless, flexible element (v-belt, chain or flat belt) for taking-up clamping forces and a corresponding second element for power transmission between the pulleys. The second element extends around the first element and is provided with devices which are in shape-bound engagement with co-acting devices on the first flexible element, the arc of contact (.alpha.) of which around the pulleys is greater than the arc of contact (.beta.) of the elements when in engagement together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: AB Volvo
    Inventor: Arne Jonason
  • Patent number: 4655284
    Abstract: Well head shut-off device having a housing with a bore for connection to the upper end of production tubing, upper and lower shoulders in the bore and an annular pack-off element with an internal tapering expansion member driveable reciprocably between the shoulders whereby compression of the pack-off element against the shoulders expands the element tightly between the bore and a cylindrical shaft passing through the middle of the pack-off element, whereby a pack-off can be achieved at upper or at lower positions. This allows rapid pack-off to be achieved regardless of the direction in which the pack-off member is driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: Positive Action Tool Western Limited
    Inventor: Garry McIlvride
  • Patent number: 4655290
    Abstract: A retrievable production seal assembly is shown for engaging and sealing within the internal bore of the liner within a well. A special latch mechanism carried on the seal assembly includes an externally threaded latch collet which can be stabbed into the setting sleeve threads which are normally provided in the interior of the liner for use with the running tool which installs the liner in the well bore. The seal assembly can be released by right hand rotation of the tubing string leading to the well surface, or be setting down weight on the tubing string, followed by a straight pull on the tubing string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: Hughes Tool Company
    Inventor: Sidney K. Smith, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4655299
    Abstract: A normally straight drill string component for use just above a downhole drilling motor, or directional jet, that can be caused to be alternately straight or bent by cycling the drilling fluid flow rate between selected flow rate limits by use of controls at the earth surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: Petro-Design, Inc.
    Inventor: William N. Schoeffler
  • Patent number: 4655634
    Abstract: A road planer machine having a housing containing a rotating planer drum and having access doors in the housing for maintenance and inspection of the cutting equipment which includes detectors for determining when the access doors are not in their normally closed positions and for disabling the propulsion system of the planer machine as well as the drum rotating system so that the machine can neither move nor the drum rotate if any of the access closure doors are not in their normally closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: Dresser Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert E. Loy, Donald C. Baldwin
  • Patent number: 4655730
    Abstract: The invention relates to a drive device having stepless torque adjustment, especially for cycles. The drive device comprises a drive shaft (13), a first adjusting disc (1) arranged coaxially with the drive shaft (13), into which first adjusting disc (1) a spiral-like cutout (3) is incorporated at least partially about the center of the first adjusting disc (1), a second coaxially arranged adjusting disc (5) into which through slots (6) are incorporated which run outwards from the center of the second adjusting disc (5), and a coaxial segmented ring (27) consisting of individual segments (28) onto the outer periphery of which segmented ring (27) can be placed an endless drive element (30). The segments (28) each have extensions (43) which engage both in the spiral-like cutout (3) and in an allocated through slot (6). One of the said adjusting discs can be driven by the drive shaft (13), whereas the other non-driven adjusting disc can be blocked by means of a blocking device (10a and 10b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Inventors: Gerd Kupper, Horst Fenzl, Siegfried Zabinski
  • Patent number: 4655508
    Abstract: A tool component is provided which has particular application in the cutting tool of a mining machine for cutting a variety of soft materials such as coal. The tool component has an elongate stud 12 and a composite abrasive compact 14 located in a recess 20 formed in one end thereof. The recess and composite abrasive compact are surrounded by a shoulder portion 22 which provides, in use, a protective surface for the cutting tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1984
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Inventor: Peter N. Tomlinson
  • Patent number: 4655731
    Abstract: A diametrical slot is provided in the bottom of the cup-shaped support of a tensioning roller assembly, for receiving a clamping bolt. A leaf spring is mounted in the bore and has a bending zone engaging the bolt, the leaf spring extending from on both sides of the bending zone to roll sections adapted to roll on and off the bore surface of the support so that, as tension is increased by the displacement of the bolt in the slot, a greater portion of the leaf spring rolls off of the bore surface of the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: SKF GmbH
    Inventor: Armin Olschewski
  • Patent number: 4655732
    Abstract: A V belt to be used for a dry type transmission. It comprises two endless load carriers and a plurality of blocks in engagement with said load carriers relatively immovable in lengthwise direction of the belt. Said load carrier has elastomers and tensile members embedded in said elastomers. Said block is made of plastics or hard rubber and has slant side surfaces to fit substantially to the groove surface of a pulley on which the V belt is wound and a slot which extends from said slant side surface toward the central part of the block and in which the load carrier is fitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1984
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: Bando Chemical Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Takashima
  • Patent number: 4655292
    Abstract: An actuating assembly for a single set production-injection packer and a method of operation are provided for use in variable temperature downhole environments, such as are encountered in steam injection processes for petroleum recovery operations. After the packer is set, a compensator allows for fluid volume increase or decrease of the packer fluid chamber to maintain the proper packer inflation pressure. A piston-type accumulator with a preselected nitrogen load prevents rupture of the packer by compressing the nitrogen load while further expanding the fluid chamber for the packer fluid should the inflation pressure rise above a selected level. The packer may be unset by axially raising the tubing with respect to the set packer to open the packer fluid to downhole pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: Baker Oil Tools, Inc.
    Inventor: Floyd A. Halbardier
  • Patent number: 4653954
    Abstract: Disclosed is apparatus for moving laterally a traffic control barrier having a plurality of pivotally linked sections. The transfer vehicle includes means for picking up the sections on one side and depositing them on the other side as it moves along the roadway. The vehicle has front and rear guide drums around which the sections are moved through the vehicle in an S-shaped path and there are means for varying the space between the axes of the guide drums to compensate for disparity in lengths of the lane dividers around a curved roadway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1987
    Inventors: William L. Booth, Leslie S. Stone
  • Patent number: 4654020
    Abstract: An improved automotive type V-belt being of a truncated trapezoidal shape in cross-sectional dimension, the belting being endless and molded or otherwise formed around a flexible metal or plastic strapping type material, the strapping material being similarly endless and having evenly longitudinally spaced apertures throughout its length. The belting can be cut to any desired length, the belting drawn back from the strapping and the ends of the strapping suitably joined with a fastener through the apertures, after which the belting ends may be released to again cover the strapping and meet in end to end smoothly abutting relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1987
    Inventor: Scott L. Cramer
  • Patent number: 4651818
    Abstract: A plug is disclosed for sealing off in a tubing having a sealing surface. A housing contains an annular metal seal means and two sets of segmented expanding lockdown rings that react with three solid rings to provide a downward motion. The expanding lockdown rings consist of a solid tapered ring that has been cut into a number of arcs. When a tapered mandrel is forced down inside the arcs, the arcs are expanded to the outside diameter of the mandrel. As the arcs expand, they are wedged between the solid rings that have matching tapers. The solid rings react between locking dogs and a shoulder in the housing to provide the downward movement. By using several expanding lockdown rings and solid rings, a relatively great deal of vertical motion can be obtained through the combined wedging action of each ring. Means on the housing and the tubing may be used to limit the locking load on the annular seal means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1987
    Assignee: Exxon Production Research Co.
    Inventors: Dale V. Johnson, Thomas W. Childers
  • Patent number: 4651829
    Abstract: A full opening subsurface control valve for use in subsurface closure of a well annulus. The valve includes a body with a sleeve reciprocably disposed in the valve body. The body is releasably attached to an upper tool string portion, and the sleeve is attached to a lower tool string portion. An actuator arm, mounted on the body and stationary with respect thereto, engages a ball valve element. When the body and sleeve are in a relatively converged position, the ball valve element is in a closed position. When the body and sleeve are in a relatively extended position, the ball valve is in an open position, such that the ball valve element, body and sleeve define a substantially unobstructed flow passage through the valve. A spring is utilized for relatively biasing the body and sleeve toward the converged position. The weight of the lower tool string portion overcomes the spring force such that the valve is maintained in an open position as it is longitudinally positioned in the well bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1987
    Assignee: Halliburton Company
    Inventors: Donald F. Hushbeck, Kenneth D. Caskey
  • Patent number: RE32390
    Abstract: The improvement in a hydraulic actuator for actuating a subsurface safety valve having a metal piston connected to and actuating the valve and movable in a cylinder in which the cylinder is connected at one end to a hydraulic control fluid passageway and on the second end to pressure in the safety valve. The cylinder includes metal valve seats and metal valve elements are connected to the piston for seating on the valve seats for providing positive seals. A universal connection may be provided between the pistons and the valve elements. The piston seal may be opposing metal cups or a labyrinth seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1987
    Assignee: Camco, Incorporated
    Inventor: Ronald E. Pringle