Patents by Inventor Michael P. Dolbey

Michael P. Dolbey 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: 4372161
    Abstract: A pneumatically operated pipe crawler for transporting inspection equipment along the interior of a pipe comprises an elongate cylindrical tube of flexible resilient material, such as latex rubber, the tube being partitioned by longitudinally spaced plugs which are hermetically sealed to the wall of the tube thus defining three longitudinally separated chambers. The inspection equipment is mounted at the leading end of the crawler. To advance the crawler along the pipe, air or other gas is supplied to the chambers and exhausted therefrom in repeated cyclic sequence for sequentially expanding the chamber wall portions into clamping relation with the pipe, each wall portion recovering to its axial length upon deflation of the chamber, thereby to propel the tube step by step along the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1981
    Date of Patent: February 8, 1983
    Inventors: Eric G. de Buda, John R. Boon, Michael P. Dolbey