# US 10,479,640 B2 · Method for transporting fuel to a geographic specific location and retrieving empty fuel hose

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- Number: US 10,479,640 B2
- Document ID: US10479640B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/665,673
- Filed: 2017-08-01
- Published: 2019-02-07
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2017-08-01
- Applicants: Hammerhead Rock Tools, Inc.
- Inventors: Joe B. Davis, Jr.; Geoff N. Buck
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10479640B2

## CPC

- B65H 51/10: with opposed coacting surfaces, e.g. providing nips
- B65H 51/32: Supporting or driving arrangements for forwarding devices
- B65H 75/425: {attached to, or forming part of a vehicle, e.g. truck, trailer, vessel}
- B67D 7/40: Suspending, reeling or storing devices (supports for storing lengths of hoses, in general B65H75/34)
- B65H 2701/33: Hollow or hose-like material
- G01S 19/11: wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
- Y10T 137/6899: With hose reel storage means
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B67D: DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes B08B9/02; emptying or filling of bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels, or similar containers, not otherwise provided for B67C; water supply E03; pipe systems F17D; domestic hot-water supply systems F24D; measuring volume, volume flow, mass flow or liquid level, metering by volume G01F; coin-freed or like apparatus G07F)
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A method for transporting fuel to a geographic specific location and retrieving empty fuel hose by connecting a fuel hose to a vessel, deploying the fuel hose from the moveable container associated with the tugger while transporting the moveable container and tugger to a temporary fuel terminal with a manifold, connecting the fuel hose to the manifold, charging the fuel hose with fuel from the vessel, and retrieving the fuel hose by passing the fuel hose over a lead roller mounted to the frame in the first segment to a second segment. The fuel hose is aligned in the tugger for high speed retrieval without entanglement for storage in a moveable container.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for transporting fuel to a geographic specific location and retrieving an empty fuel hose comprising:
a. connecting a fuel hose to a vessel, the fuel hose in a moveable container associated with a tugger, the tugger comprises:
(i) a frame having a first segment connected with a second segment, wherein the first segment is at an angle of from five degrees to forty-five degrees with the second segment;
(ii) at least one lower drive roller secured to the second segment;
(iii) a drive arm secured to the frame;
(iv) a top drive roller secured with the drive arm, wherein the top drive roller can be operatively aligned with the lower drive roller by moving the drive arm;
(v) at least one roller support connected with the frame;
(vi) at least one roller operatively supported by the at least one roller support;
(vii) at least one lead roller secured with the first segment; and
(viii) a frame roller secured with the second segment opposite the first segment;
b. deploying the fuel hose from the moveable container associated with the tugger while transporting the moveable container and the tugger to a temporary fuel terminal with a manifold;
c. connecting the fuel hose to the manifold;
d. charging the fuel hose with fuel from the vessel, wherein the fuel is a diesel fuel or a diesel fuel derivative enabling delivery of a preset quantity of the fuel at a geographic location, which has only the temporary fuel terminal without a permanent installation;
e. retrieving the fuel hose by passing the fuel hose over a the lead roller mounted to the frame in the first segment to a the second segment; wherein the second segment is at an angle from five degrees to forty-five degrees from the first segment; wherein the second segment sequentially and continuously passes the fuel hose over the first at least one lower drive roller, under the top drive roller connected to a the drive arm, over the a second lower drive roller, and over the frame roller; wherein the drive arm operatively aligns the top drive roller between the lower drive rollers; and wherein a fifth roller mounted to a fifth roller support connected to the frame and sixth roller connected to a sixth roller support connected to the frame, ensuring the fuel hose is aligned in the tugger for high speed retrieval without entanglement for storage in the moveable container.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the high speed retrieval is from one mile per hour to five mile per hour.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the high speed retrieval is at a variable speed.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising positioning the tugger between a fuel terminal and the temporary fuel terminal.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the temporary fuel terminal is a bladder farm comprising a plurality of inflatable rubber tanks connected to a central manifold for deployment of fuel to a plurality of equipment needing fuel.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the vessel is at least one of: a truck, a tanker, a barge, and an aircraft fuel tanker.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising moving the drive arm using at least one powered cylinder.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising using a first powered cylinder attached between the drive arm and the frame, and a second powered cylinder attached between the drive arm and the frame opposite the first powered cylinder, for raising or lowering the drive arm.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising connecting a motor to the top drive roller, the at least one lower drive roller, or both.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising installing a controller with at least one sensor on the tugger to automatically provide a prewritten message to a client device via a network that the fuel hose needs to be picked up.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, comprising mounting a GPS transmitter to the tugger, the GPS transmitter in communication with the network enabling viewing of a plurality of tuggers in use at a geographic location identified on a map and monitoring the tuggers using the client device.