Abstract:
A working board is attached to an oil derrick for a workman to stand upon while racking pipe. The board has arcuate slots with inner floor members and pivoting door covers for use when pipe is not in the slots thereby substantially eliminating the possibility of a workman falling. Pusher arms move the pipe to ready access for making the string.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to oil well working boards used to stand upon while connecting and disconnecting stands of drill pipe and more particularly to a board that has a substantial amount of floor area for a workman to stand upon. 
     (2) Description of the Prior Art 
     Commercially on the market before my invention, working boards utilized parallel finger racks several inches wide which formed storage spaces. Such boards had solid floor members on three edges and a solid center floor piece which extended from the outer side inward to the side connected to the drilling rig. However, there were many areas and spaces where the stands of drill pipe were worked in which a workman could step into and fall. When pipe stands were being stored or removed from the finger racks the workman had no mechanical means to aid him and the work was hard, physical and inherently unsafe. The pipe had to be tied by a rope to remain in the finger racks and a rope was not always effective. 
     Before this application was filed, a search was made in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the following patents were found: 
     Moore U.S. Pat. No. 2,576,803 
     Boudette U.S. Pat. No. 2,909,288 
     Thornburg U.S. Pat. No. 2,972,388 
     Woolslayer U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,802 
     Gyongyosi U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,777 
     Swoboda U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,128 
     Benjamin U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,233 
     Hilding U.S. Pat. No. Re. 30,071 
     It would appear from these prior patents that none of them (except Moore and Woolslayer et al.) show a working board wherein a man manipulates drill stem pipe. 
     Woolslayer shows a platform having many pivoting rack fingers wherein a workman walks on the unused fingers. 
     Several automated devices employing semi-circular magazine type pipe holders are shown. 
     Hilding shows a drill string handling apparatus that has means for transferring the pipe but the invention does not utilize a workman standing on a platform. Gyongyosi shows a drill pipe storage handling system in the form of a semi-circular storage but there is no working board associated with the invention. 
     The other patents do not appear to be any more pertinent than those discussed above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) New and Different Function 
     I have invented an improved oil well working board platform for a workman to safely stand upon while connecting and disconnecting stands of drill pipe and racking the stands into the board. I have eliminated unsafe gaps and spaces which existing boards utilize and have, therefore, minimized the risk of fall to the workman who is racking drill pipe. 
     More particularly, arcuate slots which have an inner floor member and are connected to feed slots are used to rack and store pipe. Folding pipe slot doors are closed by the workman when the arcuate slots are not holding pipe. Thus, the working board has a minimum amount of open space into which a workman might step and fall. The slots provide a secure means of pipe storage. Pipe pushers, which are powered by an air cylinder, aid the workman to mechanically move the drill pipe around the arcuate slots to feed slots. 
     Therefore, it may be seen that the total function of all the parts is far greater than the sum of the functions of the individual metal floor, slots, door covers, air cylinders, beams, etc. 
     (2) Objects of this Invention 
     An object of this invention is to provide a pipe racking platform for the derrick worker to walk on while working pipe. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a mechanical means of storing and retrieving drill pipe. 
     Further objects are to achieve the above with a device that is sturdy, compact, durable, lightweight, simple, safe, efficient, versatile, ecologically compatible, energy conserving, and reliable, yet inexpensive and easy to manufacture, install, operate and maintain. 
     The specific nature of the invention, as well as other objects, uses, and advantages thereof, will clearly appear from the following description and from the accompanying drawing, the different views of which are not scale drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of my invention with an oil derrick. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an embodiment of this invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the swing arm and arcuate slot, taken substantially on line 3--3 of FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 4 is an end sectional view of the swing arm and arcuate slot, taken substantially on line 4--4 of FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the elongated slot and latch thereof. 
     FIG. 6 is a partial bottom plan view thereof. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, there may be seen an oil derrick 10 having a crown block 12 suspending a traveling block 14. A string of drill pipe 16 is suspending from the traveling block 14 through a rotary table 18 in drilling floor 20. Said drill pipe string extends downward through the drilling floor 20 and into the ground 22. A working board 24 is attached to the derrick 10. A workman 26 typically stands on his working board 24 and attaches or removes drill pipe stands 17 from the string 16. The drill pipe may be racked and stored extending from the working board 24 to the drill floor 20. 
     Since the workman 26 is positioned at a high elevation, it is necessary that all possible precautions be taken to insure against his slipping, tripping or falling while on the working board. Working boards with finger type racks present an unneeded danger even for workers with safety belts. Hand rails are standard equipment although not identified. The description to this point is old and well known to the oil well drilling art. 
     My working board 24 has arcuate or circular slots 28 and 30 connected to the outside of the board by elongated slots 32 and 34. One edge 35 of the working board 24 shown in FIG. 2 attaches to the derrick 10 so that the elongated feed slots 32 and 34 open to the derrick side of the board. Edge 35 is the side of the working board 24 adjacent to the string 16. The working board 24 has an outer or main floor member 36 and inner floor members 38 and 40. Said inner floor members are supported by beams 42 and 44 extending from the outside corners of the working board 24. 
     Pivotal doors 46 are pivoted on the inner floor members 38 and 40. The doors 46 extend around the circular slots 28 and 30. These doors open onto the inner floor member when the drill pipe is present in the circular slots. Whenever said circular slots are vacant of pipe, the pivotal doors can be closed to cover the circular slots, and close a hole where the workman 26 might fall into. The circular slots 28 and 30 and the feed slots 32 and 34 have a width of at least the diameter of the drill pipe 17 but not greater than thrice the drill pipe&#39;s diameter. The drill pipe may be racked single file as illustrated or double file. The circular storage slot 28 might be thought of as two slots, one to the right of elongated feed slot 32 and the other to the left. 
     Latches 48 and 50 are at the entrance or derrick side or side adjacent to the string of the feed slots 32 and 34. Since the drill pipe string is worked at this edge of the elongated or feed slots, pipe can possibly slip from the elongated slots. Therefore, the latches 48 and 50 usually remain closed to prevent this from happening and to prevent drill pipe from inadvertently entering the elongated slots. A cow catcher 52 is an arcuate notch which may be used for temporary placement of the drill pipe before it is strung on the string or stored in the circular storage slots 28 and 30. 
     Once the drill pipe has passed through the latches 48 and 50 and is in the storage slots, the pipe is moved toward the beams 42 and 44. 
     An air switch 53 is adjacent the cow catcher 52. When the workman 26 steps on the switch 53 the swing arm assembly 54 is made to rotate through the arcuate slot 28 toward the elongated feed slot 32. 
     As may be seen in FIG. 3, the swing arm assembly 54 travels by means of the rollers 58 along the tracks 62 and 64. Track 62 is attached to the inside of the outer floor member 36, along storage slot 28. It extends slightly beyond the outer floor member 36 so that the edge of the track 62 actually defines the slot 28. The track 64 is attached to the outer edge or perimeter of the inner floor member 38. It also projects slightly beyond the edge of the member 38 so that it too defines the other side of the slot 28. The swing arm assembly 54 includes the swing arm tube 57 and the swing telescoped arm 60 telescoped within the tube 57. Plates or holders 66 are connected as by welding around the swing telescoped arm 60. Two of the plates or holders 66 are used. One holder is on the outside of track 62 and the other on the inside of track 64 so that the holders or plates 66 bracket the tracks. The rollers 58 are supported by a shaft suitably attached to the plates 66. Extension arm 73 is telescoped around the swing telescoped arm 60 and projects inward toward the slot from the holder plate 66. It is securely attached as by welding to the holder plate 66. On the inboard end of the extension arm 73 a pipe guide 75 is attached. The pipe guide will also be slightly inboard of the tracks 62 and 64. 
     The pipe guides 75 make contact with the drill pipe (shown in broken lines in FIGS. 3 and 4) and prevent the pipe from rotating and bunching up in the circular slots. 
     Protector sleeve 70 is telescoped over the swing telescoped arm 60 between the pipe guides 75 to protect the swing telescoped arm between the pipe guide 75. 
     Door 46 covers the circular slot 28. Round tubing 72 is attached to the inner floor member 38 as by welding. Cold rolled bar 74 is attached to the door 46 by welding. As may be seen, the cold rolled bar is L-shaped and a portion thereof is journalled within the round tubing 72 to form the hinge for the doors. 
     The swing telescoped arm 60 and extension arm 73 extend through the bottom hole of holder plate 66. The shaft of the rollers 58 extend through the top holes. Above track 62 is the outer floor member 36 and above track 64 is the inner floor member 38. The door 46 rests on the tracks 62 and 64 when it is closed. When all the doors are opened onto the inner floor member 38, they overlap on the edges. This will occur only while pipe fills the circular slots 28 and 30. 
     At the entrance or adjacent the string or the derrick side of the elongated feed slot 32 said latch 48 is shown in FIG. 5 (in broken line in an open position). The foot step 80 must be depressed manually so that bolt 84 raises out of and above the elongated feed slot 32. The bolt 84 pivots at a hinge pin 82 which is positioned below the outer floor member 36. When the foot step 80 is released, the bolt 84 falls onto the outer floor member 36 on the other side of the slot 32 and fits into guide block 86 shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, unless a workman wants drill pipe to enter or exit the feed slot 32, there is no way for the pipe to move out of the slot. Edges of the elongated feed slots 32 and 34 are reinforced by channel members. Inasmuch as the same material as forms the tracks 62 and 64 is used for this reinforcing channel member, the channel members have been designated on the drawings by the numeral 62. 
     Mechanical means for moving the pipe around the circular storage slot 28 by the swing arm assembly 54 is illustrated in FIG. 6. An air or other fluid cylinder 88 is connected by U-bolts 90 to the beam 44. An air supply line runs along the beam 42 to the air switch 53 and an air compressor (not shown). The cylinder 88 is controlled by the workman 26 with the switch. The details of the air supply line and compressor are not shown for conciseness since they would be within the skill of ordinary workmen. The swing arm assembly 54 is pivoted to member 40 by turntable 94. Links 102 pivot freely at plate 98 on the rod of cylinder 88, which moves along the beam 44 as the air pressure varies. The turntable 94 utilizes pivot pin 100 to rotate and move the swing arm tube 57 as the link 102 moves. As the swing arm assembly 54 travels along the circular slot 30, the swing telescoped arm 60 must telescope to accomodate the varying length. The swing arm assembly 54 sweeps the slot 28 from the beam 42 to the juncture of the feed slot 32. Therefore, a workman 26 is able to efficiently remove the drill pipe stands 17 in the circular slots and prevent the pipe from falling out of the slots. Since the doors, such as door 46, provide a solid working board platform when pipe is not present, the risk of industrial accident is greatly reduced. 
     Analysis will show that the combined length of the slots must be at least equal to the total diameter of one half the stand of drill pipe in the string if all the pipe is racked double file. If all the pipe is to be racked single file, then the combined length of the slots needs to be at least equal to the total diameter of all the stands. 
     The embodiment shown and described above is only exemplary. I do not claim to have invented all the parts, elements to steps described. Various modifications can be made in the construction, material, arrangement, and operation, and still be within the scope of my invention. The limits of the invention and the bounds of the patent protection are measured by and defined in the following claims. The restrictive description and drawing of the specific example above do not point out what an infringement of this patent would be, but are to enable the reader to make and use the invention. 
     As an aid to correlating the terms of the claims to the exemplary drawing, the following catalog of elements is provided: 
     10 derrick 
     12 crown block 
     14 traveling block 
     16 drill pipe string 
     17 drill pipe stands 
     18 rotary table 
     20 drilling floor 
     22 ground 
     24 working board 
     26 workman 
     28 arcuate storage slot 
     30 arcuate storage slot 
     32 elongated feed slot 
     34 elongated feed slot 
     36 outer floor member 
     38 inner floor member 
     40 inner floor member 
     42 beam 
     44 beam 
     46 door 
     48 latch 
     50 latch 
     52 cow catcher 
     53 air switch 
     54 swing arm assembly 
     55 air switch 
     57 tube 
     58 rollers 
     60 swing telescoped arm 
     62 track 
     64 track 
     66 holder plate 
     70 protector sleeve 
     72 tubing 
     73 extension arm 
     74 cold roll bar 
     75 pipe guides 
     76 plate 
     80 foot step 
     82 hinge pin 
     84 latch bolt 
     86 guide block 
     88 air cylinder 
     90 U-bolt 
     94 turntable 
     98 plate 
     100 pivot pin 
     102 connecting links 
     SUBJECT MATTER CLAIMED FOR PROTECTION