Patents by Inventor David Ian Hill

David Ian Hill 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).

  • Acquiring azimuth rich seismic data in the marine environment using a regular sparse pattern of continuously curved sail lines
    Patent number: 8908469
    Abstract: A method for determining a sail plan for a towed-array marine seismic survey includes: dividing a survey area into a regular grid of tiles; and identifying a subset of the tiles as nodes around which continuously curved sail lines are defined. The nodes define regular pattern further including: a first subpattern of nodes; and a second subpattern of nodes offset from the first subpattern. A method for conducting a towed array marine survey includes: traversing a plurality of continuously curved sail lines across a survey area, each sail line being relative to a node; and acquiring seismic data while traversing the continuously curved sail lines. The set of nodes defining a regular pattern further including: a first subpattern of nodes; and a second subpattern of nodes offset from the first subpattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: David Ian Hill, Nicolae Moldoveanu, Steven Fealy
  • ACQUIRING AZIMUTH RICH SEISMIC DATA IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT USING A REGULAR SPARSE PATTERN OF CONTINUOUSLY CURVED SAIL LINES
    Publication number: 20130301384
    Abstract: A method for determining a sail plan for a towed-array marine seismic survey includes: dividing a survey area into a regular grid of tiles; and identifying a subset of the tiles as nodes around which continuously curved sail lines are defined. The nodes define regular pattern further including: a first subpattern of nodes; and a second subpattern of nodes offset from the first subpattern. A method for conducting a towed array marine survey includes: traversing a plurality of continuously curved sail lines across a survey area, each sail line being relative to a node; and acquiring seismic data while traversing the continuously curved sail lines. The set of nodes defining a regular pattern further including: a first subpattern of nodes; and a second subpattern of nodes offset from the first subpattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Inventors: DAVID IAN HILL, NICOLAE MOLDOVEANU, STEVEN FEALY
  • Acquiring azimuth rich seismic data in the marine environment using a regular sparse pattern of continuously curved sail lines
    Patent number: 8488409
    Abstract: A method for determining a sail plan for a towed-array marine seismic survey, includes: dividing a survey area into a regular grid of tiles; and identifying a subset of the tiles as nodes around which continuously curved sail lines are defined. The nodes define regular pattern further including: a first subpattern of nodes; and a second subpattern of nodes offset from the first subpattern. In alternative aspects, a computer-readable program storage medium may be encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method, or a computing apparatus may be programmed to perform the method. A method for conducting a towed array marine survey includes: traversing a plurality of continuously curved sail lines across a survey area, each sail line being relative to a node; and acquiring seismic data while traversing the continuously curved sail lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: WesternGeco L.L.C.
    Inventors: David Ian Hill, Nicolae Moldoveanu, Steven Fealy
  • ACQUIRING AZIMUTH RICH SEISMIC DATA IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT USING A REGULAR SPARSE PATTERN OF CONTINUOUSLY CURVED SAIL LINES
    Publication number: 20090122640
    Abstract: A method for determining a sail plan for a towed-array marine seismic survey, includes: dividing a survey area into a regular grid of tiles; and identifying a subset of the tiles as nodes around which continuously curved sail lines are defined. The nodes define regular pattern further including: a first subpattern of nodes; and a second subpattern of nodes offset from the first subpattern. In alternative aspects, a computer-readable program storage medium may be encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method, or a computing apparatus may be programmed to perform the method. A method for conducting a towed array marine survey includes: traversing a plurality of continuously curved sail lines across a survey area, each sail line being relative to a node; and acquiring seismic data while traversing the continuously curved sail lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Inventors: David Ian Hill, Nicolae Moldoveanu, Steven Fealy
  • Technique for velocity analysis
    Patent number: 6901332
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and article of manufacture of processing seismic data and provides techniques for building and verifying velocity fields using velocity worms in a visualization environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Western Geco, L.L.C.
    Inventor: David Ian Hill
  • TECHNIQUE FOR VELOCITY ANALYSIS
    Publication number: 20040102902
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and article of manufacture of processing seismic data and provides techniques for building and verifying velocity fields using velocity worms in a visualization environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2002
    Publication date: May 27, 2004
    Inventor: David Ian Hill