Patents by Inventor Colin J. Lyttle

Colin J. Lyttle 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: 12061306
    Abstract: Method and systems are provided for building a structural model of the subsurface. The method may comprise obtaining discretized data that includes surfaces, polylines, points, or combinations thereof. The surfaces in the discretized data are segmented by other surfaces to form a number of segments. Each of the segments are fit to an implicit function. The implicit function for each of the segments is thresholded to create a number of implicit surfaces. The implicit surfaces are intersected to create a number of model surfaces. The structural model is then constructed from the model surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2024
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Matthias Imhof, Matthew S. Casey, Colin J. Lyttle, Ross Whitaker, Shankar Sastry
  • Patent number: 11662501
    Abstract: Geologic modeling methods and systems disclosed herein employ fault face parameterization to constrain and improve the transformation of a faulted physical space geologic model into an unfaulted depositional space geologic model. An illustrative embodiment includes: associating a seismic image with each face of at least one fault in a subsurface region; determining a correspondence map between the seismic images for said at least one fault; parameterizing the faces using the correspondence map to match parameter value assignments for corresponding portions of the faces; creating a displacement map that draws together matching parameter values to align the corresponding portions of the faces; applying the displacement map to the geologic model to create a design space model; modifying the design space model; applying the displacement map in reverse to the modified design space model to obtain a modified geologic model; and outputting the modified geologic model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Guo-Shi Li, Hao Huang, Colin J. Lyttle, Matthias Imhof, Sha Miao
  • Publication number: 20190302309
    Abstract: Geologic modeling methods and systems disclosed herein employ fault face parameterization to constrain and improve the transformation of a faulted physical space geologic model into an unfaulted depositional space geologic model. An illustrative embodiment includes: associating a seismic image with each face of at least one fault in a subsurface region; determining a correspondence map between the seismic images for said at least one fault; parameterizing the faces using the correspondence map to match parameter value assignments for corresponding portions of the faces; creating a displacement map that draws together matching parameter values to align the corresponding portions of the faces; applying the displacement map to the geologic model to create a design space model; modifying the design space model; applying the displacement map in reverse to the modified design space model to obtain a modified geologic model; and outputting the modified geologic model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Guo-Shi Li, Hao Huang, Colin J. Lyttle, Matthias Imhof, Sha Miao
  • Publication number: 20180348401
    Abstract: Method and systems are provided for building a structural model of the subsurface. The method may comprise obtaining discretized data that includes surfaces, polylines, points, or combinations thereof. The surfaces in the discretized data are segmented by other surfaces to form a number of segments. Each of the segments are fit to an implicit function. The implicit function for each of the segments is thresholded to create a number of implicit surfaces. The implicit surfaces are intersected to create a number of model surfaces. The structural model is then constructed from the model surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Matthias Imhof, Matthew S. Casey, Colin J. Lyttle, Ross Whitaker, Shankar Sastry