Attorney Jeffrey Lee Wendt's Legal Cases

Oil and gas

Methods of using oilfield lift caps and combination tools

Jul 03, 2018

OUTCOME: US Patent 10,012,040

A modular tool body having upper and lower sections, a pair of longitudinal members define a central open region, the longitudinal members joined at one end having a lifting feature formed therein conf ... igured to accept a manipulator. The lifting feature is positioned such that when the modular tool body and a rig tool connected thereto are lifted by the manipulator, they are easily moved over, aligned with, and connected with a working drillpipe or other rig tool while minimizing possibility of the manipulator slipping off. The lower section includes a threaded end mating with a mating end of a rig tool, a central longitudinal bore, and an upper end formed to accept the lower ends of the longitudinal members of the upper section. Elongate slots in each longitudinal member define one or more manipulating handles. A pair of generally horizontal hand holds may be formed in each longitudinal member.

Oil and gas

Floating oil & gas facility with a movable wellbay assembly

May 22, 2018

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,976,364

A mobile offshore drilling unit is converted to provide drilling, completion and workover access to multiple dry tree wells from a drilling derrick to allow production and export of oil and gas from hi ... gh pressure, high temperature reservoirs in deep offshore waters. Existing practice has been for the drilling derrick on a production platform supporting dry tree wells to be moved over a fixed well slot. The present invention provides a movable wellbay that supports multiple top-tensioned subsea well tieback risers, which may be positioned directly below the derrick's rotary table and/or beneath another operating device. The use of top-tensioned subsea well tieback risers supported by the movable wellbay allows the converted facility to drill, complete, maintain, improve and produce from subsea wells through dry trees.

Oil and gas

Turbulent vacuum thermal separation methods and systems

Apr 10, 2018

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,939,197

Feeding a slurry comprising inert solids, liquid hydrocarbons, liquid water and sometimes dissolves solids to a unit having a casing defining a thermal extraction chamber heated both directly and indir ... ectly in which first and second intermeshing screws rotate, the screws in close tolerance with each other and with inside casing surfaces. The casing and screws define a tortuous flow path in which the slurry and a vaporous composition evolved therefrom flow. The intermeshing screws push the slurry toward a discharge end of the chamber at a first velocity while reducing pressure and increasing temperature in the chamber, while rotating the screws to create turbulent vacuum thermal conditions in the chamber to physically transform some or all of the slurry into the vaporous composition. The vaporous composition traverses the tortuous flow path with a second velocity at least 1.5 times the first velocity, optionally forming a heated, substantially dry, composition comprising the inert solids.

Patent application

Tri-surface image projection system and method

Oct 10, 2017

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,787,958

Emmy-award winning inventor and cinematographer Jack Hattingh. An example installed at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel in Hawaii may be viewed on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSrpQ0Cm-Q4. ... Digitally acquiring digital media content using a computer model simulation of a real venue in which the digital content is to be shown. Frontally projecting content from a virtual center of the simulated venue, the real venue having a frontal screen and two side screens. Digitally capturing the frontally projected digital media content from a view that a real frontal projector and two real side projectors would have in real life in order to “bake in” a warped transformation of the frontally projected digital media content. Projecting the warped, transformed frontally projected content through a frontal digital projector and two side digital projectors in the real venue, thus completing an illusion of a “cinematic window” of the digital media content in the real venue. Controlling the digital projectors using a digital server to feed the three digitally captured, warped media streams synchronously to the front, left and right digital projectors.

Oil and gas

Systems and methods for co-production of geothermal energy and fluids

Jul 11, 2017

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,703,904

Systems include a well having a production casing and a production tubing positioned therein, forming an annulus there between. A packer is positioned in the annulus at a position sufficient to separat ... e the annulus into a first portion and a second portion. The well further includes a tie-back conduit positioned in the first portion of the annulus and configured to allow heat transfer between a working fluid flowing through the first portion of the annulus and a production fluid flowing through the production tubing, thus separating the circulating working fluid from fluids in the second portion of the annulus. A working fluid loop is fluidly connected to the first portion of the annulus. Co-production methods, methods of modeling, and computer-readable media including the methods of modeling are disclosed.

Oil and gas

Systems and methods for producing forced axial vibration of a drillstring

May 09, 2017

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,644,440

Systems and methods for producing forced axial vibration of a drillstring. Systems include a cam housing positioned above a drill bit in a drillstring, a rotatable cam positioned internal of the cam ho ... using, the rotatable cam having at least one cam surface exhibiting reciprocating axial movement upon rotation of the rotatable cam, and a non-rotatable cam follower positioned internal surface of the cam housing and having at least one cam follower surface engaging the cam surface. The cam follower transfers the reciprocating axial movement to the drill bit. The rotatable cam is rotated by a fluid-powered positive displacement power section positioned above and mechanically attached to the rotatable cam in the drillstring to effect the rotation of the rotatable cam, and thus effect the reciprocating axial movement of the drill bit.

Patent application

Burner apparatus, submerged combustion melters including the burner, and methods of use

Jan 03, 2017

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,553,906

Apparatus includes a first and second conduits configured to form an annulus between them. An adjustable structure includes a body having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a circumferential surfac ... e abutting a portion of the internal surface of the second conduit. The structure is adjustable axially in relation to and removably attached to the first conduit via a hub. The hub defines a central passage for fuel or oxidant. The body has one or more non-central through passages configured such that flow of an oxidant or fuel therethrough causes the fuel or oxidant to intersect flow of fuel or oxidant exiting from the central passage in a region above the upper surface of the body.

Oil and gas

Additives for boosting performance of water-based drilling fluids, drilling fluids including same, and methods

Dec 27, 2016

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,528,040

An additive composition for boosting performance of water-based drilling fluids. Modified water-based drilling fluids including the additive composition. Methods of making the additive compositions. Me ... thods of using the modified drilling fluids to drill or perform other operations in reactive shale formations. The additive compositions include one or more multi-hydroxyl alcohols, a lubricant mix, a shale inhibitor, a strong base to adjust pH, and optionally water up to about 20 percent by volume, based on total volume of the additive composition.

Patent application

Oral devices

Sep 20, 2016

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,445,938

Apparatus for reducing obstructive sleep apnea, snoring and/or nasal drainage. One apparatus includes an upper member fitting the interior and exterior surfaces of a user's upper dentition, and a lower ... member fitting similarly adjacent a user's lower dentition. The lower member includes eyeteeth extensions projecting away from the lower member. The upper member includes molar extensions projecting away from the upper member and toward the member molar regions so that when the user bites or clenches, the upper right and lower right extensions impinge on one another in substantially overlapping fashion, as do the upper left and lower left extensions. The upper and lower members have an anterior shape to form a gap sufficient for the user's tongue to extend into the gap, and each molar extension may include a magnet. Methods of using the apparatus and kits to reduce sleep apnea, snoring, and/or nasal drainage.

Oil and gas

Release tool for a drill string inside blowout preventer

Aug 02, 2016

OUTCOME: US Patent 9,404,341

Inside blowout preventer release tool body having a one-piece planar upper section and a one-piece tubular lower section. In one embodiment, the upper section includes a pair of longitudinal members de ... fining a central open region, the longitudinal members joined at one end having a formed lifting feature configured to accept a manipulator cable or chain. The lifting feature is positioned such that when the release tool body and an inside blowout preventer connected thereto are lifted by the rig hoist using cables, chains, and the like, they are easily moved over, aligned with, and connected with a working drillpipe while minimizing possibility of slipping off the cables or chains. The lower section includes a threaded end mating with a mating end of an inside blowout preventer, a central longitudinal bore to accept a release rod, and an upper end formed to accept the lower ends of the longitudinal members of the upper section. In one embodiment, elongate slots in each longitudinal member define one or more manipulating handles for a rig worker, machine, or tool. In other embodiments a pair of generally horizontal hand holds are defined in each longitudinal member.

Jeffrey Lee Wendt's Legal Cases (19)

Methods of using oilfield lift caps and combination tools

Floating oil & gas facility with a movable wellbay assembly

Turbulent vacuum thermal separation methods and systems

Tri-surface image projection system and method

Systems and methods for co-production of geothermal energy and fluids

Systems and methods for producing forced axial vibration of a drillstring

Burner apparatus, submerged combustion melters including the burner, and methods of use

Additives for boosting performance of water-based drilling fluids, drilling fluids including same, and methods

Oral devices

Release tool for a drill string inside blowout preventer