E21B 3/022
Top drives
Official title: {Top drives}
E21B3/022 (Top drives) appears on 675 US grants and 675 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in E21B- Granted patents
- 675
- Published applications
- 675
- Assignees
- 222
- Inventors
- 932
- Latest grant
- 22 Sep 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 2 | 0 |
| 1977 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978 | 3 | 0 |
| 1979 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | 4 | 0 |
| 1981 | 3 | 0 |
| 1982 | 2 | 0 |
| 1983 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984 | 4 | 0 |
| 1985 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | 6 | 0 |
| 1987 | 4 | 0 |
| 1988 | 5 | 0 |
| 1989 | 15 | 0 |
| 1990 | 3 | 0 |
| 1991 | 3 | 0 |
| 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | 6 | 0 |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 |
| 1995 | 2 | 0 |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 |
| 1997 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 4 | 0 |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 | 4 | 2 |
| 2002 | 5 | 9 |
| 2003 | 7 | 9 |
| 2004 | 13 | 20 |
| 2005 | 10 | 16 |
| 2006 | 18 | 23 |
| 2007 | 18 | 32 |
| 2008 | 16 | 24 |
| 2009 | 19 | 38 |
| 2010 | 31 | 27 |
| 2011 | 15 | 28 |
| 2012 | 28 | 16 |
| 2013 | 21 | 36 |
| 2014 | 31 | 32 |
| 2015 | 23 | 36 |
| 2016 | 32 | 42 |
| 2017 | 27 | 44 |
| 2018 | 34 | 45 |
| 2019 | 47 | 49 |
| 2020 | 55 | 33 |
| 2021 | 41 | 28 |
| 2022 | 24 | 21 |
| 2023 | 24 | 17 |
| 2024 | 26 | 24 |
| 2025 | 19 | 11 |
| 2026 | 12 | 13 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Recent patents
- Controlling a drilling operation based on stored torque in a drill string22 Sep 2026US 12,742,378 B2Pason Systems Corp.
- Telescoping torque reaction track device25 Aug 2026US 12,716,298 B2
- Method and apparatus for moving tubular rotary slips25 Aug 2026US 12,716,301 B2Helmerich & Payne, Inc.
- Motor angular position control25 Aug 2026US 12,719,392 B2Schlumberger Technology Corporation
- End effectors for automated pipe handling5 May 2026US 12,618,298 B2National Oilwell Varco, L. P.
- Serviceable gripping systems for top drives27 Aug 2026US 2026/0251016 A1Patterson-UTI Drilling Company LLC
- End effectors for automated pipe handling27 Aug 2026US 2026/0251024 A1National Oilwell Varco, L. P.
- Controlling a drilling operation based on stored torque in a drill string27 Aug 2026US 2026/0251047 A1Pason Systems Corp.
- Retention system for retaining deck bushing of drilling machine13 Aug 2026US 2026/0234997 A1Caterpillar Global Mining Equipment LLC
- Systems and methods for drilling9 Jul 2026US 2026/0193975 A1Helmerich & Payne Technologies, LLC
Most cited
By later US patents
- Drilling of wells with top drive unit220US 4,449,596 AVarco International, Inc. · 1984
- Top drive casing system213US 6,536,520 B1Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. · 2003
- Casing clamp203US 6,311,792 B1Tesco Corporation · 2001
- Hydraulic top drive for wells174US 4,813,493 ATriten Corporation · 1989
- Portable top drive assembly162US 5,433,279 A1995