Patents Examined by Patrick F. Brinson
  • Patent number: 12270501
    Abstract: A thread protector that includes an end cap for engaging with a pin end or box end of a tubular member and a securing apparatus extending from the end cap to frictionally engage an inner side of the tubular member to maintain the thread protector's engagement with the tubular member. The securing apparatus includes a plurality of leg assemblies to engage the inside of the tubular member. The thread protector also includes a bolt extending through an opening in the end cap that actuates the leg assemblies when the bolt is turned. Another thread protector that includes a cup end for engaging with a pin end or box end of a tubular member and the cup end has an end plate. The thread protector also includes a protective sleeve extending from the end plate of the cup end outside of the tubular member wherein the protective sleeve has inner threads disposed on an inside part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Tweedy's Speed Protectors, LLC
    Inventor: Neil E. Tweedy
  • Patent number: 12270257
    Abstract: Insulated drill pipes, couplers and coupling systems for securing an inner (liner) tubing inside of an outer drill pipe, with insulation in between, thread designs for the inner liner tubing, couplers, and outer drill pipe, and methods for assembling insulated drill pipes are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Inventor: Milton Hruschak
  • Patent number: 12259079
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a sealing plug assembly for stopping flow of a product in a pipe, the assembly having two sealing elements and having an isolation zone in the assembly which can be drained by a bleed lance to maintain pressure in the isolation zone within a safe limit. The present disclosure further provides sealing elements, bleed lances, systems, and methods of using the same. A benefit of the sealing plug assembly, and methods of using the same, can include forming safer seals during line stopping and the efficiency of recovering product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2024
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: WELDFIT LLC
    Inventors: David Albertson, Brian Anderson, Paul Hatch, Ray Prater, Joaquin Reyes Espinosa, Robert Niksich, Timothy Irelan, Brian Gresh
  • Patent number: 12259082
    Abstract: An easily polymerizable substance handling device is provided that can prevent generation of irregularities and steps between a pipeline and a cover member due to the cover member being installed at an opening part of the pipeline. A cover part 3 is formed to have a curved surface 3a on a side closer to inside of a pipeline 1. The shape of the surface 3a on the pipeline 1 side is preferably a concave shape when viewed from inside of the pipeline 1. The shape of the surface 3a of the cover part 3 on the pipeline 1 side is more preferably the shape of a curved surface having a curvature radius equal or approximate to that of the internal circumference of the pipeline 1. With this configuration, a polymer material is unlikely to be generated at the cover part 3 and around a gap 1b at an opening part 1a, and the frequency of cleaning can be reduced as compared to conventional cases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shingo Nakaoka, Koji Nomoto
  • Patent number: 12259080
    Abstract: There is provided a pipe thread protector according to a first aspect. The pipe thread protector includes a tubular body shaped to protect a threaded end portion of a pipe or a pipe coupling. The tubular body includes an inner portion with a first of right-handed and left-handed threading. The tubular body includes an outer portion with a second of right-handed and left-handed threading. The pipe thread protector includes an end member. The end member includes the second of right-handed and left-handed threading via which the end member threadably couples to the outer portion of the tubular body. The pipe thread protector includes a locking member with a first position in which removal of the end member from the tubular body is inhibited. The locking member is moveable from the first position thereof to a second position in which the end member is selectively removable from the tubular body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: Universal Moulding Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: John Danneffel, Max Danneffel
  • Patent number: 12259084
    Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to corrugated pipe, and more particularly to corrugated pipe with an outer wrap. In one embodiment, a pipe includes an axially extended bore defined by a corrugated outer wall having axially adjacent, outwardly-extending corrugation crests, separated by corrugation valleys. The pipe also includes an outer wrap applied to the outer wall. The outer wrap may include fibers and plastic. The outer wrap may span the corrugation crests producing a smooth outer surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2024
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Bill Russell Vanhoose, Nicholas James Piazza, Ronald Robert Vitarelli, Owen Michael Atchison, Tyler James Frost
  • Patent number: 12253200
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for passing pipes or cables through an opening in a building. Said device comprises a sleeve-like housing that has an axial passage channel that is open at its opposite ends; bristles that are mounted on the walls of the passage channel in such a way that they are opposite each other and that are extended inwards in such a way that they mesh with one another in order to close the passage channel; and flexible strips of material that are mounted in the passage channel and that are coated with an intumescent material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2024
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Mario Paetow, Christian Förg, Rudolf Semler, Thomas Monden
  • Patent number: 12247387
    Abstract: Protective covers made of protective material to prevent twisting and kinking of associated apparatus used for clearing obstructions in pipes or other cavities (the apparatus also commonly referred to as drain snakes) are disclosed. The cover bodies encircle the apparatus with an entry opening, closest point to the where the apparatus is coming from when the apparatus is moving toward the drain, and an exit opening, where the apparatus leaves the protective cover and moves toward or into the part being cleaned, which could be a drain, pipe or other part that material flows through. The entry and exit openings could be a section of the protective cover or they could be a separate attachable part. The protective cover body may have a handle, and may be rigid or flexible, with an option to have accordion like flexibility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2024
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2025
    Inventor: H. V. Albrecht
  • Patent number: 12234814
    Abstract: A guidance unit comprises a first pipe part and a second pipe part, an inner space diameter of the second pipe part is smaller than an inner space diameter of the first pipe part, causing a cross-sectional area of a second flow space perpendicular to a pipe axis of the second pipe part smaller than that of a first flow space perpendicular to a pipe axis of the first pipe part; one end of the pipe axis of the second pipe part and one end of the pipe axis of the first pipe part are connected in series with each other and spaced apart from each other by a first angle, so that the second flow space communicates with the first flow space; thereby, a pressure of an external fluid in the second flow space is greater than a pressure of the external fluid in the first flow space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: Tunghai University
    Inventors: Kuo-wei Chiu, Chia-An Yeh
  • Patent number: 12209699
    Abstract: A motorized apparatus for use in maintaining a pipe having a sidewall defining an interior cavity is provided. The motorized apparatus includes a body assembly extending along a longitudinal axis, at least one maintenance device coupled to the body assembly, and a plurality of leg assemblies coupled circumferentially around the body assembly. The motorized apparatus also includes a plurality of drive mechanisms coupled to the plurality of leg assemblies. The plurality of drive mechanisms are configured to interact with the sidewall. The plurality of drive mechanisms include at least two wheels. The plurality of drive mechanisms are arranged to move the body assembly in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, move the body assembly in a second direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and rotate the body assembly around the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Todd William Danko, Alexander Kyle Duncan
  • Patent number: 12203027
    Abstract: A frozen material prevention system for preventing a freezable material in a fluid flow from freezing and accumulating frozen material in a flow path, including, a surface configured to interact with a freezable-material-miscible (FMM) liquid to retain the FMM liquid to the surface. The system can include the FMM liquid. The FMM liquid can be configured to absorb the freezable material to prevent freezing and accumulation of frozen material on the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: Exxon Mobil Technology and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Mohsen S. Yeganeh, Robert J. Colby, Mark A. King, Abhimanyu O. Patil, Satish Bodige
  • Patent number: 12203583
    Abstract: This invention encompasses a system and a method used in the petrochemical and mechanical engineering area, more specifically in the area of protecting pipes or similarly shaped objects against external or internal damage or wear, which comprises a protective system for the ends and the inside of coated pipes, using the coating itself and other additional devices. The system is comprised of a cup (1), spacer (2), coating (3), external ring (4), and cap (5) used in the production line of the pipe-coating process, using the external coating itself, preventing corrosion and mechanical damage at the ends/bevel, in the sandblasted area of the collar and internal surface, from storage and transport to the location where it will be used, and welding in the field or on the vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2024
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignees: PETROLEO BRASILEIRO S.A.—PETROBRAS, IPT—Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnologicas do Estado de Sao Paulo S/A
    Inventors: Murilo Costa Monteiro, Bertrando Ribeiro Rabelo, Daniel De Almeida Pereira, Mario Henrique Fernandes Batalha, Leandro Aparecido Da Silva Albino, Alessandro Guimaraes
  • Patent number: 12203585
    Abstract: An adjustable tubular insulator, such as for insulating a pipe, has a body having a width, a thickness, a length, and a longitudinal slit extending the length of the body. The width and the thickness define a first inner diameter. The body is sized and configured for engaged receipt of a first pipe size having first outer diameter. The body has first and second longitudinal seams at first and second predetermined distances from the longitudinal slit. The first and second longitudinal seams demark first and second detachable insulator strips having different predetermined widths. One or both of the detachable insulator strips may be selectively removed or repositioned to reduce the width of the body such that the body is sized and configured for engaged receipt of a second pipe size, the second pipe size having an outer diameter less than the first outer diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Inventor: John Frederick Herter
  • Patent number: 12203582
    Abstract: A corrugated pipe for high pressure having a metal braided net, which includes a joining portion formed to be twice as thick as a corrugated pipe when a valley and a crest of an end portion of the corrugated pipe are compressed to form a flat radial surface, a connector welded to the joining portion, and a coupling ring compressed on the connector, so that the thickness of the welded portion of the corrugated pipe is doubled, and the portion where the coupling ring is compressed is formed on the groove portion of the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: KOPULSO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Seung-il Oh
  • Patent number: 12203569
    Abstract: A hose which has at least the following plies in the following order: an innermost layer (A4) which is based on thermoplastic material or thermoplastic elastomer material; an internal layer (A5) which is applied to the innermost layer (A4) and which is based on elastomer material; at least one reinforcing element ply (B, B1, B2), wherein the reinforcing element is arranged at an angle smaller than the neutral angle of 54.7°, and possibly an external layer (C) which is based on polymer material. The hose is suitable in particular as a pressure carrier hose for refrigerant lines, in particular for CO2, for use as a pressure carrier of corrugated pipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: ContiTech Techno-Chemie GmbH
    Inventors: Alexandra Brandt, Michael Sont
  • Patent number: 12196235
    Abstract: A valve block may have a cross-drill intersection bore formed within the valve block by a first flow bore intersecting a second flow bore. Additionally, at least one insert may be within the first flow bore or the second flow bore. The at least one insert may include a wall contacting an inner surface of the first flow bore or the second flow bore, a passageway defined within the wall and having openings at opposite ends of the insert, and a plurality of vanes extending from an inner surface of the wall into the passageway. The one of the opposite ends of the at least one insert may align with a surface of the cross-drill intersection bore. The at least one insert may reduce and/or protect the bores within the valve block from erosional damage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: FMC Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Arnaud Sanchis, Guilherme Moura, Leonardo Bernardo
  • Patent number: 12186631
    Abstract: A rope edge protection system having a rope protection mat, an edge protection mat, and/or a replaceable abrasion pad in combination for the protection of rope. The rope protection mat is a generally rectangular sheet that may be secured in a sleeve-like configuration around a climbing rope and move along the rope with the user. The rope protection mat and/or replaceable abrasion pad are configured to be replaceable after it is sufficiently worn down from use. The replaceable abrasion pad is configured to be laid flush overtop the edge protection mat. The edge protection mat is a generally rectangular sheet that has one or more frictional sections positioned on a bottom side that add resistance to horizontal force vectors to the edge protection mat during use. The edge protection mat is a multi-layer sheet with a high loft layer to decrease the bend radius of the rope across a ledge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Inventors: Michael Ratigan, Edward Ratigan
  • Patent number: 12186630
    Abstract: A rope edge protection system having a rope protection mat, an edge protection mat, and/or a replaceable abrasion pad in combination for the protection of rope. The rope protection mat is a generally rectangular sheet that may be secured in a sleeve-like configuration around a climbing rope and move along the rope with the user. The rope protection mat and/or replaceable abrasion pad are configured to be replaceable after it is sufficiently worn down from use. The replaceable abrasion pad is configured to be laid flush overtop the edge protection mat. The edge protection mat is a generally rectangular sheet that has one or more frictional sections positioned on a bottom side that add resistance to horizontal force vectors to the edge protection mat during use. The edge protection mat is a multi-layer sheet with a high loft layer to decrease the bend radius of the rope across a ledge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Inventors: Michael Ratigan, Edward Ratigan
  • Patent number: 12188582
    Abstract: A tubular irrigation device, such as a pipe or sleeve, having a circular multilayer polymeric structure including one or more layers of woven polymeric thermoplastic materials, one or more layers of thermoplastic polymeric materials, and one or more layers of polymeric waterproofing materials in film form. Methods of making the tubular irrigation device are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Silverpack, LLC
    Inventor: Carlos Plata
  • Patent number: 12180721
    Abstract: A gooseneck for filling drywall mud from a pump to a taping machine that attaches to a hose to deliver water to the taping machine's interior cavity during cleanup. In one embodiment, the gooseneck includes an upper pump plate with an inlet port with internal threads compatible with a threaded male hose connector. In another embodiment, a gooseneck is used with an adapter plate disposed between the gooseneck's upper pump plate and the pump's outlet port. The adapter plate includes two connector bores and a center entrance port with internal threads compatible with a male hose connector. When assembled, the bores and entrance port are axially aligned with connector holes or slots and the input port on the upper pump plate. Also disclosed is a method for cleaning the taping machine's interior cavity using one of the two embodiments and a garden hose that dispenses water into the taping machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Inventor: Jerome Bryant