# US 11,834,930 B2 · Sock for a floating vessel > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,834,930 B2 - Document ID: US11834930B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/416,251 - Filed: 2019-12-20 - Published: 2022-03-10 - Granted: 2023-12-05 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-21 - Assignees: Zentech, Inc. - Applicants: Zentech, Inc. - Inventors: Ramesh Maini; Hans Deul; Partha Chakrabarti; Abhijeet Chawan; Ratheesh Ravi; Kaushik Bose; Paul Barker - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11834930B2 ## CPC - E21B 40/00: Tubing catchers, automatically arresting the fall of oil-well tubing {(preventing small objects from falling into the borehole E21B41/0021)} - B63B 35/4413: {Floating drilling platforms, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices} - E21B 19/002: {specially adapted for underwater drilling (E21B19/09, E21B19/143 take precedence)} - E21B 19/02: Rod or cable suspensions - E21B 25/18: the core receiver being specially adapted for operation under water - E21B 19/16: Connecting or disconnecting pipe couplings or joints (E21B19/20 takes precedence) - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - B63B: SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING (arrangements of vessel ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning B63J2/00; floating substructures as supports of dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F9/06) ## Abstract A sock for a floating platform including a plurality of tubulars coupled together and defining a bore and a catcher assembly. The catcher assembly including a plurality of orifices formed in at least one of the plurality of tubulars, a catcher releasably coupled to the plurality of tubulars by a plurality of shearable members, wherein the catcher is disposed in the bore, and wherein the catcher is movable from a first position to a second position, and a stop flange having at least one aperture. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sock for a floating platform, comprising: a first portion including a plurality of first tubulars coupled together; and a second portion connected to the lower end of the first portion, wherein the second portion comprises a catching assembly having: a second tubular; a plurality of orifices formed in the second tubular; a catcher releasably coupled to the second tubular by a plurality of shearable members, wherein the catcher is disposed in a bore defined by the plurality of first tubulars and second tubular, and wherein the catcher is movable from a first position to a second position; and a stop flange having at least one aperture. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The sock of claim 1, wherein each orifice of the plurality of orifices is about 0.5 inches to about 3 inches in diameter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The sock of claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture is a plurality of apertures. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The sock of claim 1, wherein the at least one aperture is about 2 inches to about 5 inches in diameter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The sock of claim 1, wherein the stop flange is a first flange fastenable to a second flange, wherein the second flange includes the at least one aperture. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The sock of claim 1, wherein the catcher includes a plurality of blind bores, wherein a respective shearable member is partially disposed in a respective blind bore. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The sock of claim 1, wherein the plurality of shearable members are partially disposed between a first flange connected to the first tubular of the plurality of tubulars and a second flange connected to the second tubular, wherein a spacer is disposed between the first flange and the second flange. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The sock of claim 1, wherein at least one of the tubulars includes a first support structure configured to be engaged with a second support structure of a cart configured to support the weight of the sock. ### Claim 9 A method of using a sock on a floating platform, comprising: disposing a sock having a catcher, a stop flange having an aperture, and a plurality of orifices at least partially in a body of water, wherein the catcher is maintained in a first position by a plurality of shearable members; releasing the catcher from the first position by shearing the plurality of shearable members in response to an impact of a dropped joint with a portion of the catcher; displacing a column of water from a bore of the sock through at least one of the plurality of orifices and the aperture in response to the catcher descending in the bore; engaging the catcher with the stop flange. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising: after engaging the catcher with the stop flange, lifting the sock out of the body of water. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: after removing the sock out of the body of water: removing a portion of the stop flange; and removing the catcher from the bore of the sock. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: reattaching the catcher to the sock with a new plurality of shearable fasteners. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: disposing the sock with the reattached catcher at least partially in the body of water. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein disposing the sock at least partially in the body of water induces supporting the sock from a cart. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the cart is a blowout preventer cart. ### Claim 16 A sock for a core storage, comprising: a first portion including one or more tubulars; and a second portion including: a first tubular having an unobstructed bore configured to receive a coring tool, a upper end, and a lower end, wherein the upper end is open and the lower end is closed, and wherein the unobstructed bore extends from the upper end to the lower end; a coupling connected to the upper end configured to couple the second portion to the first portion; at least one sealing member configured to seal the coupling between the first portion and the second portion; and a valve coupled to the lower end, the valve configured to selectively allow fluid communication with an interior of the first tubular. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The sock of claim 16, wherein the first portion includes a support structure configured to be engaged with a second support structure of a cart. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The sock of claim 16, wherein the lower end is closed by a base plate. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The sock of claim 18, wherein the valve is disposed in the base plate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The sock of claim 16, wherein the at least one sealing member is a gasket.