Patents by Inventor Andrew Curtis

Andrew Curtis 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: 20110046886
    Abstract: A method for processing geophysical data. The method includes generating a model from geophysical data acquired at a receiver location and one or more boundary receiver locations. After generating the model, the method applies a forward modeling algorithm using information from the model to generate a modeled estimate of a direct ground roll between the receiver location and each boundary receiver location. The method then estimates a ground roll between a source location and each boundary receiver location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Inventors: David Fraser Halliday, Andrew Curtis
  • Publication number: 20110044132
    Abstract: A method for processing geophysical data. The method includes applying a first interferometry on an estimate of a direct ground roll between a receiver location and one or more boundary source locations and an estimate of a direct ground roll between one or more boundary receiver locations and each boundary source location to generate an interferometric estimate of a direct ground roll between the receiver location and each boundary receiver location. The method then includes applying a second interferometry on geophysical data between the source location and each boundary receiver location and the interferometric estimate of the direct ground roll between the receiver location and each boundary receiver location to generate an interferometric estimate of a direct and scattered ground roll between the source location and the receiver location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Inventors: David Fraser Halliday, Andrew Curtis
  • Patent number: 7894298
    Abstract: There is described a method of moveout or velocity analysis of seismic signals using the steps of obtaining such signals 5 from a plurality of receivers, identifying receiver functions within the acoustic signals, analyzing said receiver functions for velocity or moveout characteristics, using the result of said analyzing step to determine, properties of multiple layers of earth located below said 10 receivers. The analyses can involve the use of representation of the traveltime differences as approximated power series of slowness or horizontal distances. The method is the first to comprehensively deal with a multi-layered earth or velocity model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: WesternGeco LLC
    Inventors: Dirk-Jan Van Manen, Andrew Curtis, Johan Robertsson
  • Patent number: 7869565
    Abstract: A method of determining a parameter of interest of reservoir rock formation is described using the steps of measuring an x-ray attenuation or absorption distribution of a sample of said rock formation, identifying the mineral phase part of said distribution, and subdividing the mineral phase part of said distribution to derive classification or rock type information of said sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Rachel Wood, Andrew Curtis, Andreas Kayser
  • Patent number: 7857993
    Abstract: Applicant's present invention is a composite scintillator having enhanced transparency for detecting ionizing radiation comprising a material having optical transparency wherein said material comprises nano-sized objects having a size in at least one dimension that is less than the wavelength of light emitted by the composite scintillator wherein the composite scintillator is designed to have selected properties suitable for a particular application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignees: UT-Battelle, LLC, BWXT Y-12, LLC
    Inventors: Sheng Dai, Andrew Curtis Stephan, Suree S. Brown, Steven A. Wallace, Adam J. Rondinone
  • Publication number: 20100266397
    Abstract: Blowing devices (100) have many uses; for example, they can be used to dry, cool, clean, or move objects. These functions are often performed by human beings with limited carrying capacity and endurance; therefore, a lightweight blower (100) is desired to perform the above tasks more easily. In accordance with the example uses, the present disclosure includes a lightweight blower (100) having an upper scroll (11), a lower scroll (10), and a joint (15) where the two scrolls (10, 11) are welded together to form a strong, lightweight joint (15).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: HUSQVARNA CONSUMER OUTDOOR PRODUCTS N.A., INC.
    Inventors: John Allen, Bob Samuelson, Andrew Curtis
  • Publication number: 20100234125
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a golf club and golf ball combination that maximizes the distance of travel when the golf club strikes the golf ball. More specifically, a golf club and golf ball combination capable of generating a higher launch angle combined with the lower spin rate to maximize the distance. The golf club in accordance with the present invention may generally have a lower center of gravity, a higher loft angle, or may even have a coating on the club face that optimizes the coefficient of friction between the golf club and the golf ball. The golf ball in accordance with the present invention may generally have a ratio of the coefficient of lift (CL) near the beginning of flight to the coefficient of lift near the end of the flight within a range that maximizes flight distance, with similar ratios in appropriate ranges for the coefficient of drag (CD) and the lift-to-drag ratio (CL/CD).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Inventors: Steven Aoyama, Andrew Curtis, Daniel Stone
  • Patent number: 7715987
    Abstract: A method of processing seismic data that includes including first and second modes of seismic energy where the second mode has been generated by partial mode conversion of the first mode at a boundary face of a layer of the seabed includes the step of cross-correlating a trace acquired at a receiver and including events corresponding to the first mode with a trace acquired at the same receiver and including events corresponding to the second mode. An event in the cross-correlated data that corresponds to partial mode conversion is identified, and the amplitude of this event is normalized, for example relative to the amplitude of the peak in the cross-correlogram at zero time delay. Information about the effects of the static shift produced by the layer and/or about vector infidelity can be arrived from normalized cross-correlograms for receivers in a receiver array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Johan Olof Anders Robertsson, Andrew Curtis, Dirk-Jan Van Manen
  • Patent number: 7715985
    Abstract: Described is a finite-difference methodology for efficiently computing the response from a model subject to changes within sub-volumes with the sub-volume enclosed with an extrapolation surface within an injection boundary using Green's functions to update the injection boundary and transmitting an updated wavefield from the injection boundary back into the altered sub-volume to include higher order reflections from outside of the altered sub-space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Dirk-Jan Van Manen, Johan Robertsson, Andrew Curtis
  • Publication number: 20100074051
    Abstract: A method for estimating seismic data from sources of noise in the earth surrounding a first seismic receiver and a second seismic receiver. The method includes calculating a Green's function G?(X1, X2) between a first seismic receiver X1 and a second seismic receiver X2 using interferometry. The first seismic receiver X1 is located at a distance away from the second seismic receiver X2. After calculating the Green's function G?(X1, X2), the method may include steps for determining an estimate of one or more non-physical wavefields present in the Green's function G?(X1, X2) and determining a filter to remove the non-physical wavefields from the Green's function G?(X1, X2) based on the estimate of the non-physical wavefields. The filter may then be applied to the Green's function G?(X1, X2) to obtain a Green's function G?(X1, X2) free of non-physical wavefields.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Inventors: David Fraser Halliday, Andrew Curtis
  • Publication number: 20100067328
    Abstract: A method for estimating seismic data from sources of noise in the earth. The method includes calculating a first set of Green's functions between a first seismic receiver and each seismic receiver of an array of seismic receivers using interferometry. The array of seismic receivers is disposed around the first seismic receiver, and the first seismic receiver is part of the array of seismic receivers. The method also includes calculating one or more correction factors to correct the first set of Green's functions and calculating a second set of Green's functions between each seismic receiver of the array and a second seismic receiver using interferometry. Here, the first seismic receiver is disposed at a predetermined distance away from the second seismic receiver. Also, the first set and the second set of Green's functions are biased due to non-identical strengths of the sources of noise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Inventor: Andrew Curtis
  • Publication number: 20090103677
    Abstract: A method of determining a parameter of interest of reservoir rock formation is described using the steps of measuring an x-ray attenuation or absorption distribution of a sample of said rock formation, identifying the mineral phase part of said distribution, and subdividing the mineral phase part of said distribution to derive classification or rock type information of said sample.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2005
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Inventors: Rachel Wood, Andrew Curtis, Andreas Kayser
  • Publication number: 20090043545
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of processing data representing energy propagating through a medium (e.g., acoustic, elastic or electromagnetic energy) and describes an efficient and flexible e approach to forward modeling and inversion of such energy for a given medium. The representation theorem for the wave-equation is used, in combination with time-reversal invariance and reciprocity, to express the Green's function between two points in the interior of the model as an integral over the response in those points due to sources regularly distributed on a surface surrounding the medium and the points.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2005
    Publication date: February 12, 2009
    Applicant: WESTERNGECO, LLC
    Inventors: Dirk-Jan van Manen, Andrew Curtis, Johan Olof Anders Robertsson
  • Publication number: 20080275650
    Abstract: A method of processing seismic data that includes including first and second modes of seismic energy where the second mode has been generated by partial mode conversion of the first mode at a boundary face of a layer of the seabed includes the step of cross-correlating a trace acquired at a receiver and including events corresponding to the first mode with a trace acquired at the same receiver and including events corresponding to the second mode. An event in the cross-correlated data that corresponds to partial mode conversion is identified, and the amplitude of this event is normalized, for example relative to the amplitude of the peak in the cross-correlogram at zero time delay. Information about the effects of the static shift produced by the layer and/or about vector infidelity can be arrived from normalized cross-correlograms for receivers in a receiver array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2008
    Publication date: November 6, 2008
    Applicant: WesternGeco L. L. C.
    Inventors: Johan Olof Anders Robertsson, Andrew Curtis, Dirk-Jan Van Manen
  • Publication number: 20080225641
    Abstract: There is described a method of moveout or velocity analysis of seismic signals using the steps of obtaining such signals 5 from a plurality of receivers, identifying receiver functions within the acoustic signals, analyzing said receiver functions for velocity or moveout characteristics, using the result of said analyzing step to determine, properties of multiple layers of earth located below said 10 receivers. The analyses can involve the use of representation of the traveltime differences as approximated power series of slowness or horizontal distances. The method is the first to comprehensively deal with a multi-layered earth or velocity model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2004
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: WESTERNGECO, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Dirk-Jan Van Manen, Andrew Curtis, Johan Robertsson
  • Patent number: 7418349
    Abstract: A method of processing seismic data that includes including first and second modes of seismic energy where the second mode has been generated by partial mode conversion of the first mode at a boundary face of a layer of the seabed includes the step of cross-correlating a trace acquired at a receiver and including events corresponding to the first mode with a trace acquired at the same receiver and including events corresponding to the second mode. An event in the cross-correlated data that corresponds to partial mode conversion is identified, and the amplitude of this event is normalized, for example relative to the amplitude of the peak in the cross-correlogram at zero time delay. Information about the effects of the static shift produced by the layer and/or about vector infidelity can be arrived from normalized cross-correlograms for receivers in a receiver array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Johan Olof Anders Robertsson, Andrew Curtis, Dirk-Jan Van Manen
  • Patent number: 7333393
    Abstract: A new approach is described based on reciprocity for estimating acquisition-related effects, which has several advantages over conventional surface-consistent processing techniques: (i) It can be applied to complete recordings, hence does not require the isolation of primary reflections in the data, (ii) no assumptions are imposed on the subsurface, and (iii) it is applicable to multi-component data. The application of reciprocity requires symmetric data acquisition, i.e. identical source and receiver patterns, identical locations, and the source orientations have to be identical to the receiver components. Besides reciprocity, additional constraints are required to determine the lateral source and receiver amplitude variations fully. Criteria based on minimizing total energy differences between adjacent common source and common receiver gathers, and in common offset panels of the medium response are applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Westerngeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: Robbert Van Vossen, Andrew Curtis, Jeannot Trampert
  • Publication number: 20070233437
    Abstract: Described is a finite-difference methodology for efficiently computing the response from a model subject to changes within sub-volumes with the sub-volume enclosed with an extrapolation surface within an injection boundary using Green's functions to update the injection boundary and transmitting an updated wavefield from the injection boundary back into the altered sub-volume to include higher order reflections from outside of the altered sub-space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventors: Dirk-Jan Van Manen, Johan Robertsson, Andrew Curtis
  • Publication number: 20070104028
    Abstract: A data set can be corrected for the effects of interface waves by interferometrically measuring an interface wavefield between each of a plurality of planned locations within a survey area; and correcting survey data acquired in the survey area for the interface waves. The interface wavefield may be interferometrically measured by receiving a wavefield including interface waves propagating within a survey area, the survey area including a plurality of planned survey locations therein; generating interface wave data representative of the received interface wavefield; and constructing a Green's function between each of the planned survey positions from the interface wave data. Other aspects include an apparatus by which the interface wavefield may be interferometrically measured and a computer apparatus programmed to correct the seismic data using the interferometrically measured interface wave data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Publication date: May 10, 2007
    Inventors: Dirk-Jan Van Manen, Johan Robertsson, Andrew Curtis
  • Patent number: 7164619
    Abstract: A method of determining seismic properties of a layer of the seabed, in particular a surface or near-surface layer (5), comprises directing seismic energy propagating in a first mode at a boundary face of the layer so as to cause partial mode conversion of the seismic energy at the boundary face. For example partial mode conversion may occur when seismic energy propagates upwards through the interface between a surface or near-surface layer (5) and the basement (6), owing to the difference in seismic properties between the surface or near-surface layer (5) and the basement (6). In the invention, the two modes of seismic energy—that is the initial mode and the mode generated by mode conversions at the interface—are received at a receiver. The difference in travel time of the two modes between the interface and the receiver is determined from the seismic data acquired by the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2007
    Inventors: Johan Robertsson, Andrew Curtis, Dirk-Jan Van Manen