Patents by Inventor Kirt Ervin

Kirt Ervin 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).

  • Microbot pigging system and method
    Patent number: 10220424
    Abstract: A method for cleaning the interior of a pipe using a plurality of microbots, where each microbots has a propulsion device and a programmable computer processor operatively associated with the propulsion device, and each of said processors is programmed to instruct its associated propulsion device to operate in cooperation with one or more of the other microbot propulsion devices of said plurality of microbots to form a pig in the pipe having a mutable shape that dynamically and substantially conforms to the interior contours of the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Inventor: Kirt Ervin
  • MICROBOT PIGGING SYSTEM AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20170304880
    Abstract: A method for cleaning the interior of a pipe using a plurality of microbots, where each microbots has a propulsion device and a programmable computer processor operatively associated with the propulsion device, and each of said processors is programmed to instruct its associated propulsion device to operate in cooperation with one or more of the other microbot propulsion devices of said plurality of microbots to form a pig in the pipe having a mutable shape that dynamically and substantially conforms to the interior contours of the pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventor: Kirt Ervin
  • Microbot pigging system
    Patent number: 9731334
    Abstract: A self-adjusting microbot pigging system for cleaning the interior of a pipe, the system comprises a plurality of microbots, each microbots comprises a propulsion device and a programmable computer processor operatively associated with the propulsion device, each of said processors programmed to instruct its associated propulsion device to operate in cooperation with one or more of the other microbot propulsion devices of said plurality of microbots to form a pig in the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Inventor: Kirt Ervin
  • MICROBOT PIGGING SYSTEM AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20160001337
    Abstract: A self-adjusting microbot pigging system for cleaning the interior of a pipe, the system comprises a plurality of microbots, each microbots comprises a propulsion device and a programmable computer processor operatively associated with the propulsion device, each of said processors programmed to instruct its associated propulsion device to operate in cooperation with one or more of the other microbot propulsion devices of said plurality of microbots to form a pig in the pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Publication date: January 7, 2016
    Inventor: Kirt Ervin