Patents by Inventor E. Frederic Herkenhoff

E. Frederic Herkenhoff 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: 9014985
    Abstract: A system for and computer implemented method for transforming seismic trace information includes obtaining seismic trace information for each trace, the seismic trace information including shot to receiver offset and the vertical velocity of at least one subsurface primary reflector and including respective information resulting from near-surface layering and velocity effects and relating to the primary reflector, reversibly transforming seismic trace information from each non-zero offset trace such that the respective information resulting from the near-surface effects at each non-zero offset position is moved in a time dimension such that they become effectively periodic with respect to respective primary reflector information and in accordance with a periodicity for a zero offset trace at the same surface location, filtering the transformed seismic trace information to remove at least a portion of the information resulting from near-surface effects, and inverting the reversible transforming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventors: Richard B. Alford, E. Frederic Herkenhoff
  • Publication number: 20110270527
    Abstract: A system for and computer implemented method for transforming seismic trace information includes obtaining seismic trace information for each trace, the seismic trace information including shot to receiver offset and the vertical velocity of at least one subsurface primary reflector and including respective information resulting from near-surface layering and velocity effects and relating to the primary reflector, reversibly transforming seismic trace information from each non-zero offset trace such that the respective information resulting from the near-surface effects at each non-zero offset position is moved in a time dimension such that they become effectively periodic with respect to respective primary reflector information and in accordance with a periodicity for a zero offset trace at the same surface location, filtering the transformed seismic trace information to remove at least a portion of the information resulting from near-surface effects, and inverting the reversible transforming.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Inventors: Richard B. Alford, E. Frederic Herkenhoff
  • Patent number: 7679990
    Abstract: A method for obtaining seismic data is disclosed. A constellation of seismic energy sources is translated along a survey path. The seismic energy sources include a reference energy source and a satellite energy source. The reference energy source is activated and the satellite energy source is activated at a time delay relative to the activation of the reference energy source. This is repeated at each of the spaced apart activation locations along the survey path to generate a series of superposed wavefields. The time delay is varied between each of the spaced apart activation locations. Seismic data processing comprises sorting the traces into a common geometry domain and replicating the traces into multiple datasets associated with each particular energy source. Each trace is time adjusted in each replicated dataset in the common-geometry domain using the time delays associated with each particular source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventors: E. Frederic Herkenhoff, Joseph P. Stefani
  • Patent number: 7230879
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for arriving at true relative amplitude destretched seismic traces from stretched seismic traces. The method compensates for offset varying reflection interference effects due to normal moveout. Stretch factors ? and also input spectra are determined for NMOR stretched seismic traces. Estimates are then made of stretched wavelet spectra from the input spectra. A destretched wavelet spectra is then obtained. Shaping correction factors are determined by taking the ratio of the destretched wavelet spectra to the stretched wavelet spectra and are applied to the input spectra of the stretched traces to arrive at a destretched trace spectra. True relative amplitude scaling factors are computed by taking the ratio of a true relative amplitude property of the destretched wavelet spectra to a corresponding true relative amplitude property of the stretched wavelet spectra.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventors: E. Frederic Herkenhoff, Richard B. Alford, Harry L. Martin