The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 22, 2004
Filed:
Apr. 17, 2002
Andrew Kutac, Hallettsbille, TX (US);
Paul A. Reinhardt, Houston, TX (US);
Dennis E. Roessler, Houston, TX (US);
Charles O. Stokley, Houston, TX (US);
TAM International, Inc., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
An improved inflatable packer is provided having a pre-stretched bladder to minimize Z-folding. An expandable outer body includes an inner elastomeric bladder layer , a reinforcement layer which may include overlapping slats or cable, and an outer elastomer cover layer which may cover only a portion of the reinforcement layer . The bladder may expand non-uniformly due to the variations in the cross-section of the borehole , irregularities in construction of the bladder , and/or difference in resistance to expansion between the covered portion and the exposed portion of the reinforcement layer . An improved inflatable packer and method comprises pre-stretching the bladder to keep the bladder in tension and minimize the occurrence of Z-folds.