Patents by Inventor William M. Sleffel

William M. Sleffel 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: 4700568
    Abstract: A pulse accumulator network for receiving a plurality of pulse trains wherein each pulse train includes a plurality of pulses. The pulse accumulator network accumulates the pulses in each of the received pulse trains and the pulse accumulator network outputs each of the accumulated count of pulses in response to receiving polling signals. The pulse accumulator network is adapted to be utilized in a flow monitoring system, for example, wherein the pulse trains are flow signals indicative of the velocity of the fluid flowing through one of the monitored flowlines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1986
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1987
    Assignee: Kerr-McGee Corporation
    Inventor: William M. Sleffel
  • Patent number: 4562739
    Abstract: A monitoring system utilizing an ultrasonic transducer wherein the power level of the transducer operating signals is raised while maintaining the gain about unity for permitting the use of relatively longer signal paths between a signal generator and the transducer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1984
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1986
    Assignee: Kerr-McGee Corporation
    Inventors: F. Allen Lehman, William M. Sleffel, Malcolm G. Ray
  • Patent number: 4481503
    Abstract: A production monitoring system wherein the velocity of fluid flowing through a monitored flowline is plotted with respect to time for a period of time sufficient to establish a repeatable pattern (production flow characteristics profile) and wherein an alarm value and an alarm delay time are determined from the production flow characteristics profile. In one aspect, the velocity of the fluid flowing through the monitored flowline is detected and an output indication indicating a problem production condition is provided in response to a detected velocity below the alarm value for a period of time in excess of the alarm delay time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 6, 1984
    Assignee: Kerr-McGee Corporation
    Inventors: F. Allen Lehman, William M. Sleffel, Malcolm G. Ray