Patents by Inventor Keith Shotbolt

Keith Shotbolt 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: 6595725
    Abstract: A mid-water tethered buoyant support assembly for a riser system for use in water is described to bring fluids from seabed equipment to a production vessel at the surface. The tethered buoyant support assembly comprises at least two tethers (6) from seabed anchors, at least one beam assembly (2) extending between and connected to the tops of the tethers, buoyancy means (7) to maintain tension in the tethers, and hangers (10) for lower riser portions mounted at spaced positions along the beam assembly, each hanger (10) being positioned so that the line of action of the tension due to the weight of the suspended lower riser portion is close to or on a line extending between the connections of the beam to the tethers (6) to minimize or eliminate turning moment to the beam assembly (2) tending to cause rotation of the beam around its major axis as a result of the weight of the suspended lower riser portion. The assembly is particularly designed for use in deep water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Foster Wheeler Energy Limited
    Inventor: Keith Shotbolt
  • Patent number: 4793737
    Abstract: A flexible riser 10 has a lower connector 11 which is moved laterally over the seabed by a pull-in sled 7 under a mid-water support buoy 3 to connect it to a connection point 17 on subsea equipment 1. The riser 10 is attached at a point part way along its length to buoy 3. This is done at one side of the buoy prior to construction vessel 13 laying the riser over the buoy and connecting the upper connector 24 to a production vessel 2 positioned over the subsea equipment. Attachment is done by guiding the riser pipe into a channel 36, a projection 20 on the riser engaging the channel against lowering of the pipe. A upper connector of the riser may include a single pivotal arm and a single offset guide post to maintain its orientation while it is being pulled into engagement with a mating part on the production vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1988
    Assignee: Bechtel Limited
    Inventor: Keith Shotbolt
  • Patent number: 4486037
    Abstract: A submarine ball and socket pipe connection employs male and female coupling members, of which the male member has an enlarged portion with concentric forward and rearward facing part-spherical external surfaces and the female member has a housing defining a part-spherical recess to receive said forward facing, part-spherical surface of the male member. The male member furthermore carries, slidably with relation thereto, a hub having a part-spherical surface to engage said rearward facing, part-spherical external surface of the male member, and means are provided for drawing said hub towards said housing to make the connection. The male member furthermore carries means biasing the hub towards the rearward facing part-spherical surface of the male member, from the rearward side thereof to assist in assembling the connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 4, 1984
    Inventor: Keith Shotbolt
  • Patent number: 4470721
    Abstract: A floatable oil/gas production platform assembly has a deck, disposed beneath the deck a zone including a plurality of adjacent stations for support of oil/gas flowlines/risers originating from beneath the platform, and a crane disposed in a space above the station zone but below the deck and moveable over at least some of the stations.Such an assembly enables two new alternative equipment arrangements to be provided in floating platforms for tensioning and supporting underwater well maintenance lines or "workover risers" which require considerable tensioning forces and stroke capacity for safe support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1984
    Assignee: John Brown Engineers and Constructors Ltd.
    Inventor: Keith Shotbolt
  • Patent number: 4417830
    Abstract: A connector assembly comprises first and second connecting parts which are oriented for joining by a guide post and a cable having a hydraulic hose core terminating in a radially expandable mandrel. The cable is threaded through a bore in the second connecting part and located in the bore of the guide post by a hydraulic latch. The cable is tensioned and the second connecting part slid along the cable to the receive guide post in the opening thus orienting the two connecting parts for proper connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1983
    Assignee: Constructors John Brown Limited
    Inventor: Keith Shotbolt
  • Patent number: 4391331
    Abstract: A guide is provided for forming a pipe connection from a sub sea wellhead back to a surface platform which may not be in perfect alignment. The guide comprises a guide post and a cable on which it may be lowered through a pipe to the wellhead. The guide post has a radially expandable mandrel for temporary rigid attachment in the wellhead and an elongate portion having a rotatable sleeve over which the pipe may be lowered into engagement with the wellhead and rotation to form the connection desired. The rotation of the pipe to form the connection is possible because of the sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1980
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1983
    Assignee: Constructors John Brown Limited
    Inventor: Keith Shotbolt
  • Patent number: 4386659
    Abstract: A guide for use in connecting a riser pipe to a subsea riser base comprises a guide post and an expanding mandrel actuable by hydraulic pressure applied through a cable having hydraulic hoses in its core to lock the mandrel in a subsea riser base. The guide post is provided with buoyancy means to reduce its effective weight in water to enable it to be manipulated and manoeuvred by a remote controlled vehicle or diver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1981
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1983
    Assignee: Constructors John Brown Limited
    Inventor: Keith Shotbolt
  • Patent number: 4317488
    Abstract: A template for spacing a submarine structure such as an anchor block or a guide base for a second underwater well alongside an existing underwater well comprises a beam attached at one end, by means of a hinge, to a lowering guide which can be threaded over and be lowered along two guide wires of the first well, and at the other end by a remote-controlled release mechanism to the submarine structure such as the anchor block itself or a guide base for a second well.The beam, with such a submarine structure attached, is lowered down the guide wires while held in a vertical configuration, and is then swung into a generally horizontal configuration at the sea bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1982
    Assignee: The British National Oil Corporation
    Inventor: Keith Shotbolt
  • Patent number: 4139221
    Abstract: A ball and socket joint comprising a member having forward facing and rear facing spherical surface portions, a collar engaged about the member and having internal surface portions mating with the spherical surface portions of the member, a socket into which is received the previously formed assembly comprising the member with the collar engaged thereabout, and securing means for securing the assembly in the socket. The ball and socket joint being constructible as a pipe coupling, particularly a pipe coupling for use in difficult working environments such as a deep subsea location, the securing means can be constructed for remote operation and can be constructed for applying to the assembly a continuous pre-load force tending to push the assembly into the socket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1976
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1979
    Inventor: Keith Shotbolt
  • Patent number: 4081503
    Abstract: Container closures are given the customary sealing gasket of plastics material by a two stage deformation of a pellet of the plastics material. In a first stage the material is partly deformed and is heated by direct conduction from a heated deforming member, and in the second stage a relatively cool final moulding die effects further deformation to impart the desired finished configuration to the gasket. The pressure member, and possibly also a workpiece support on which the upturned closure rests, is heated by means of a radiant heat source directing radiant heat onto a blackened roughened surface of the pressure member, and the workpiece support where applicable. The pressure member has a low-adhesion surface of polytetrafluoroethylene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1974
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1978
    Assignee: W. R. Grace & Co.
    Inventor: Keith Shotbolt
  • Patent number: 4040650
    Abstract: Apparatus for joining two conduits in an articulated relationship comprising: a male member attached to one of the conduits and having a radially enlarged portion thereon; a female member attached to the other of said conduits and into which the male member may be inserted; a gripping assembly carried by the female member and movable from a radially expanded position, in which the male member may be freely inserted and removed from the female member, to a radially contracted position gripping the enlarged portion of the male member, preventing its removal and locking it in a fixed articulated relationship with the female member; and an actuating assembly, carried by the female member, engageable with the gripping assembly and being operable by a force applied externally of the apparatus for moving the gripping assembly between its expanded and contracted positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1975
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1977
    Assignee: Comex Marine Services, Inc.
    Inventor: Keith Shotbolt
  • Patent number: 3999782
    Abstract: Apparatus for connecting a cylindrical first member to a second cooperating member comprising: a tubular housing adapted for connection to the second member and to coaxially receive a portion of the cylindrical first member; a gripping assembly carried by the housing and movable from a radially expanded position, in which the first member portion may be axially received in and displaced from the housing, to a radially contracted position gripping the exterior of the first member and preventing its axial displacement from the housing; and an actuating assembly carried by the housing, engageable with the gripping assembly and being operable by a force applied externally of the housing for moving the gripping assembly between its expanded and contracted positions, the actuating assembly being self-locking so that upon removal of the externally applied force the gripping assembly remains in its gripping contracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1975
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1976
    Assignee: Comex Marine Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith Shotbolt, Pierre Ory
  • Patent number: 3963396
    Abstract: A plastics introducing unit for a closure lining machine in which pellets are severed from a continuous rod and carried along part of a closed path to a transfer station where the pellets are deposited accurately centrally of the closures to be subsequently moulded into liners for the closures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1974
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1976
    Assignee: W. R. Grace & Co.
    Inventors: Keith Shotbolt, Gottfried Von Bismarck