Other

Smith International, Inc.

Docusys, Inc.

Robert F Evans

Michael F Burrow

Robert N Hanson

James H Allen

Harry E Kidder

Richard Bradley Walker

A drug administration system includes a cradle attached about an intravenous injection port having a flange extending therefrom. The cradle supports first drug administration information in the nature of machine and human readable code, for example, barcode. A syringe including a needle includes a flange extending from the syringe. The syringe supports second drug administration information in machine and/or human readable form. A scanner module is constructed to slidably receive the flange of the cradle and syringe whereby the syringe needle is aligned with the intravenous injection port. The module may be provided with an electronic scanning system for identifying the first and second drug administration information, as well as determining the amount of the drug being administered from the syringe to the injection port by monitoring movement of the syringe plunger. The information and data may be stored within the module for uploading to a remote location.

Drug delivery and monitoring system

Syringe label cradle

A medication delivery and monitoring system and methods whereby drugs are safely delivered to a patient, monitored in real-time during delivery and crucial events are recorded during delivery to provide real-time, on-line information and detail for an audit trail. A novel safety label cradle unit is disclosed. Safety label cradles (SLC's) are provided in a plurality of sizes to match varying sizes of syringes which are disposed on a cradle of the SLC to provide a constant needle height on the SLC unit independent of syringe volume (barrel diameter). A selected SLC is securely affixed to a syringe by an adhesively backed label wrapping. The label is preprinted to provide drug identification indicia and drug preparation information. The information is automatically read into the system from the label. A novel delivery station of the system monitors drug delivery as a plunger of the syringe is pushed to deliver a drug to a patient. A smart tray in cooperation with a slider portion of the SLC is used to selectively deliver drugs to a port in the IV set. The smart tray comprises a first portion for carrying SLC units, an attachable second portion having a control panel for operating the system and a cover for lockably affixing the SLC units to the tray.

Medication delivery and monitoring system and methods

A caliper seal assembly is adapted to seal two relatively moving parts in a drilling tool or drill bit or other device where a sealing relationship must be maintained under relatively large relative position and tolerance changes between the two movable parts, under relatively rapid pressure variations and surges, and under relatively high temperature conditions. The caliper seal includes a pair of flexible flank members having contact pads formed thereon and between which sealing surfaces of a flange-like projection extend. The caliper seal is particularly advantageous for sealing bearing assemblies between a cutter wheel and the body of a rotary drill bit. A heat pipe assembly can be incorporated within the flange-like projection to remove excess heat generated by the frictional contact of the contact pads on the flange sealing surfaces. The flange projection can also be formed with an interior fluid conducting conduit to remove excess heat. The seal assembly may be operatively connected to be moved in conjunction with an intermediate moving element carried between or positively indexed with respect to two relatively moving raceways of a bearing assembly. In combination with a compensator assembly, the caliper seal provides an improved lubricating system in a drill bit or drilling tool.

Seal assemblies

Harmonic resonation of cutting elements against the earth formation is impeded in a rotary drag-type drill bit by providing connection means which yieldably and resiliently support the cutting elements from the drill bit but which deflects or vibrates with different natural resonant harmonic frequencies. The different natural harmonic frequencies tend to cancel or nullify resonance of any one of the connection means. The connection means can also be externally damped against vibrational movement.

Tuned support for cutting elements in a drag bit

Abrasion cutting elements of a rotary drill bit are operatively connected to the bit body structure by means for yieldably supporting the abrasion cutting elements and for forcing them into a continuous drag mode of cutting contact with the earth formation. The drill bit may also employ compression or indentor cutting elements operatively attached in fixed operative positions. The yieldably supporting and force applying means may be hydraulically controlled by drilling fluid pressure and the cutting force applied on the abrasion cutting elements can be established independently of the axial cutting force transferred from the drill string and drill bit to the indentor cutting elements. Optimum performance of both the abrasion and indentor types of cutting elements is secured. The abrasion cutting elements are preferably retained for contacting and cutting the gage corner material. In drag bit applications, the means for yieldably supporting and applying force to the abrasion cutting elements may include a plurality of concentric removably retained sleeve members, each of which includes at least one ribbon spring leaf portion extending from the bottom of the sleeve member to support the abrasion cutting elements.

Drill bit with yielding support and force applying structure for

Residual favorable stresses are induced in a zone of stress concentration in a coupling and connection joint mechanism of a drill collar or drilling tool, for example. The residual favorable stress is created by tensily stressing the material within elastic limits, relieving the stress in the zone by heating the material therein into a nonstressed plastic or liquid state, and releasing the tensile stress maintained in an area adjacent the zone. The residual force of elasticity in the area adjacent the zone applies the favorable residual stress in the zone. Preferably, the favorable residual stress is a compressive stress to resist fatigue failures from tension-induced cracks. The extent and depth of penetration of the favorable residual stress in the zone is controlled and is substantially greater than that available from mechanical cold-working surface-hardening techniques.

Fatigue resistance for coupling and connection joint mechanisms

Impending bearing failure, seal failure and drilling an undergage well bore, among other things, are immediately detected by sensing the presence of aqueous drilling fluid in a lubricant or other type of sealed cavity of a drilling tool or the like during a downhole drilling operation in an environment of aqueous fluid. Electrical conduction elements are preferably employed to sense the presence of the aqueous fluid. The electrical conduction means may employ a soluble anhydrous conductive material which, when in contact with the aqueous drilling fluid, dissolves or becomes an electrical conductor to signal the presence of the aqueous fluid. The aqueous fluid may additionally serve as an electrolyte between two dissimilar metals, thereby forming a galvanic cell, or as a conductor between a pair of contact terminals. In a drilling operation, a signal is preferably transmitted from a downhole location to the surface of the earth by mud pulse telemetry. In order to sense the drilling of an undergage well bore, material normally plugging the entrance of a conduit leading to the cavity is eroded during excessive wear, thereby admitting aqueous fluid to the cavity.

Sensing impending sealed bearing and gage failure

Improved lubricant pressure compensation is achieved in apparatus operative between substantially different changing pressures, for example earth drilling tools and deep submergence ocean machinery, by a flexible hermetically sealed gas-containing chamber which is operative to apply ambient pressures through the interiorly contained gas to a flexible wall membrane which at least partially defines a lubricant containing reservoir. The pressure exerting chamber and the lubricant containing reservoir may both be defined by flexible bladder-like structures with the lubricant containing reservoir contained within the interior of the pressure exerting chamber. In earth drilling apparatus, the reservoir and chamber structures are preferably operatively positioned on a drill collar in adjacency to a rotary drill bit, and lubricant is communicated through passageways from the reservoir to the bearing and seal assemblies operative between the drill bit body and the rotationally mounted cutter wheels.

Pressure compensator and lubricating reservoir with improved response to

The advancement angle of a borehole cut by a rotary drill bit of the type which forms a cylindrical sidewall, a drill face and a circumferentially extending gage corner, is controlled by removing a different amount of the gage corner material over a selected partial arc of the gage corner circumference during each rotation of the drill bit. The different amount of material removed causes the remaining arc of the gage corner circumference to apply a slight lateral force on the drill bit, thus forcing the drill bit in a desired direction. Gage corner removal apparatus include a hydraulic fluid jet impinging upon the gage corner. Selectively activating the gage corner removal apparatus during each of a plurality of subsequent drill bit revolutions results in a cumulative angle change effect. Control apparatus is attached to the drill string at a position at which gravity induced sag causes the drill string to contact the low side portion of the borehole. The control apparatus is arranged for deriving energy from contact and rotation of the drill string relative to the low side portion. The energy derived activates the gage corner removal apparatus.

Borehole angle control by gage corner removal effects from hydraulic

Caliper seal assembly

A deflectable drill collar having strictive material deflectable elements is connected in a drill string of drilling apparatus. Energization of the strictive material deflectable elements, such as magnetostrictive elements, deflects the drill collar, thereby altering the axes of the drilling apparatus connected at opposite ends of the deflectable collar from a colinear relationship to a non-colinear relationship. Energizing means associated with the deflectable drill collar energizes the strictive material elements during preselected intervals of rotation of the drilling apparatus to place the cutting elements of a drill bit into more effective cutting relation with gage corner material of the borehole, or to articulate the drill string and force the drill bit in a desired direction. Apparatus for energizing the strictive material deflectable elements includes control and energy deriving apparatus attached to the drill string at a position at which gravity induced sag causes the drill string to contact the low side portion of the borehole during partial intervals of drill string rotation.

Growing community of inventors

La Habra, CA, United States of America

Robert F Evans