E21B 7/26
Drilling without earth removal
Official title: Drilling without earth removal, e.g. with self-propelled burrowing devices (E21B7/30 takes precedence)
E21B7/26 (Drilling without earth removal) appears on 157 US grants and 75 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in E21B- Granted patents
- 157
- Published applications
- 75
- Assignees
- 75
- Inventors
- 312
- Latest grant
- 25 Aug 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 2 | 0 |
| 1977 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978 | 3 | 0 |
| 1979 | 4 | 0 |
| 1980 | 1 | 0 |
| 1981 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984 | 5 | 0 |
| 1985 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | 3 | 0 |
| 1987 | 4 | 0 |
| 1988 | 3 | 0 |
| 1989 | 8 | 0 |
| 1990 | 10 | 0 |
| 1991 | 9 | 0 |
| 1992 | 3 | 0 |
| 1993 | 3 | 0 |
| 1994 | 6 | 0 |
| 1995 | 3 | 0 |
| 1996 | 4 | 0 |
| 1997 | 3 | 0 |
| 1998 | 4 | 0 |
| 1999 | 4 | 0 |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 4 | 1 |
| 2002 | 3 | 2 |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 |
| 2004 | 1 | 2 |
| 2005 | 2 | 2 |
| 2006 | 1 | 1 |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 |
| 2008 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 | 3 |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 | 2 |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 |
| 2015 | 4 | 7 |
| 2016 | 3 | 1 |
| 2017 | 4 | 4 |
| 2018 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019 | 3 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2 | 4 |
| 2021 | 3 | 5 |
| 2022 | 6 | 9 |
| 2023 | 7 | 8 |
| 2024 | 9 | 9 |
| 2025 | 6 | 6 |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Subgroups
Granted patents
Recent patents
- Wireless telemetry system for horizontal directional drilling25 Aug 2026US 12,716,352 B2Underground Magnetics, Inc.
- Bioinspired horizontal self-burrowing device16 Dec 2025US 12,497,839 B2Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University
- Tunneling and navigation systems including controller configured to determine environmental characteristic30 Sep 2025US 12,428,956 B2GE Infrastructure Technology LLC
- Fretting-wear resistant beacon lid27 May 2025US 12,312,944 B2The Charles Machine Works, Inc.
- Penetrating cushion damping device29 Apr 2025US 12,286,882 B2Sichuan Aerospace System Engineering Institute
- Self-anchoring burrowing everting robot20 Aug 2026US 2026/0243278 A1The Regents of the University of California
- Directional drilling device14 Aug 2025US 2025/0257612 A1
- Fretting-wear resistant beacon lid14 Aug 2025US 2025/0257650 A1The Charles Machine Works, Inc.
- Integrated housing electronics for wireless telemetry system of drilling unit5 Jun 2025US 2025/0179915 A1Underground Magnetics, Inc.
- Wireless telemetry system for horizontal directional drilling8 May 2025US 2025/0146407 A1Underground Magnetics, Inc.
Most cited
By later US patents
- Method and apparatus for installment of underground utilities157US 4,674,579 AFlowMole Corporation · 1987
- An above-ground arrangement for and method of locating a discrete in ground boring device115US 4,806,869 AFlow Industries, Inc. · 1989
- Crane-mounted drill and method for in-situ treatment of contaminated soil97US 5,135,058 AMillgard Environmental Corporation · 1992
- Technique for steering and monitoring the orientation of a powered underground boring device95US 4,714,118 AFlowMole Corporation · 1987
- Control for guiding a boring tool89US 4,646,277 AGas Research Institute · 1987