Pipeline sphere with tracking device
AssigneeS & B Technical Products, Inc.
InventorsCharles Allen, Pamela C. Murrin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pipeline sphere is shown which houses an electronics package. The sphere is formed as a hollow elastomeric body having a predetermined wall thickness and an initially void interior. A carrier tube is positioned within the initially void interior of the sphere and is supported by oppositely arranged carrier plates which are themselves embedded within oppositely arranged end openings of the sphere. A removable inflation valve is contained in one of the valve plates at a first end of the carrier tube. The carrier tube has a plurality of apertures formed through its wall to enable inflating or deflating the sphere. One electronics package that can be used is an electrical tracking device.
Claims8
A pipeline sphere with tracking device, comprising:
- a hollow elastomeric sphere body having a given wall thickness which defines an initially void interior space with two diametrically opposed end openings;
- a first and second valve plate embedded within the sphere body in the respective diametrically opposed end openings;
- a carrier tube positioned within the interior space of the sphere between the first and second valve plates along a first diameter of the sphere;
- a tracking device disposed within the carrier tube between the first and second valve plates and aligned along the first diameter of the sphere;
- and
- at least one removable inflation valve contained within a selected one of the first and second valve plates and disposed at a first end of the carrier tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.