Patents by Inventor Robert O. Lilley

Robert O. Lilley 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: 6076605
    Abstract: A subsea wellhead assembly has a tubular housing having a sidewall, an axial bore, and a housing lateral passage extending from the bore through the sidewall. A blocking sleeve fits around the housing to block the housing lateral passage while drilling through the housing. A tubing hanger is secured to a string of tubing and landed in the housing. The tubing hanger has a vertical passage which communicates with the tubing and a tubing lateral passage which extends from the vertical passage and registers with the housing lateral passage. A lower annulus port is in the sidewall of the housing below the lower seal and leads to a tubing annulus. An upper annulus port is in the sidewall of the housing above the upper seal and leads to the bore of the housing. A tree block having a central opening for receiving the housing is lowered over the housing after removal of the blocking sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Assignee: ABB Vetco Gray Inc.
    Inventors: Robert O. Lilley, Stephen P. Fenton, David S. Christie, Peter A. Scott, Walter J. Lacey
  • Patent number: 5971077
    Abstract: A subsea well has a an outer wellhead housing with a tree on an upper end and a tubing hanger landed in the bore of the tree. A tree cap lands on and is secured to the tree. The tree cap has a plurality of production and annulus valves and a dual-bore control pod assembly. The tree has annulus bypass passages which communicate with a tubing annulus on a lower end and upper ports in the tubing hanger on an upper end. Production fluids flow up the tubing hanger bore to the tree cap and circulates through a flowline in the control pod. Access to the tubing annulus is through the annulus passages and tree cap annulus passage to a separate flowline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: ABB Vetco Gray Inc.
    Inventor: Robert O. Lilley
  • Patent number: 5503230
    Abstract: A subsea well assembly has guides for orienting electrical connectors located on a concentric tubing hanger and on the tree. The guides use a guide slot and key to rotate the electrical connectors on the lower end of the tree when the tree is installed on the wellhead. The tree electrical connectors are located on the upper guide member and rotate relative to the tree as the guide slot engages the guide key. An annulus valve in the tubing hanger uses a sleeve with inner and outer metal seal lips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1996
    Assignee: Vetco Gray Inc.
    Inventors: John H. Osborne, Brett R. McConaughy, Robert O. Lilley, Norman Brammer, Kenneth C. Davidson
  • Patent number: 4848457
    Abstract: An annulus valve for a well concentric tubing hanger has features to prevent damage to the seals. The annulus valve has a closure sleeve that when moved to an open position, communicates fluid from an annulus between casing and tubing to a point above the tubing hanger. The lower end of the closure sleeve slides above an annulus port located on the exterior of the tubing hanger. A protector sleeve located below the closure sleeve protects a seal located below the annulus port when the closure sleeve moves to the open position. The protector sleeve is urged upward by a spring into contact with the lower end of the annulus sleeve. The protector sleeve has a stop that prevents further upward movement of the protector sleeve once the upper edge of the protector sleeve reaches the lower edge of the annulus port. This allows the closure sleeve to separate from the annulus sleeve to open the port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1989
    Assignee: Vetco Gray Inc.
    Inventor: Robert O. Lilley
  • Patent number: 4771646
    Abstract: A rotating and indexing mechanism (10) having two spaced apart, rows of toothed profiles (48, 52) which form camming surfaces for two spaced apart rows (62, 64) of cam followers (32). The toothed profiles (48, 54) and cam followers (32) are such that when there is relative movement between the toothed profiles (48, 54) and the rows (62, 64) of cam followers (32) in one direction, the camming action of the cam followers and toothed profiles pause incremental rotation of a shaft (16). A groove (66) is also provided for locking the two profiles and cam followers together when the desired incremental (index) position is reached.Two embodiments are shown, one where the toothed profiles are moved axially to give rotation to the cam followers and shaft, and the other where the cam followers move axially to give rotation to the toothed profiles and the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1987
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1988
    Assignee: Vetco Gray Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Ruggier, Sandy Cow, Robert O. Lilley