Patent ID: 8881414

Claim:
A downhole tool for measuring and communicating inclination of the downhole tool comprising: a housing having an inner surface and a flow conduit therein, the flow conduit having a plurality of passage restrictions; a knob movable axially within the flow conduit, the knob adapted to interact with the passage restrictions to cause a flow restriction when the knob is adjacent a passage restriction; wherein the knob is operably connected to an upper shaft; a plurality of discs axially movable by the upper shaft, wherein at least some of the discs have a surface angled with respect to the axis of the upper shaft and wherein at least one of the discs has a disc/shaft angle which different than the disc/shaft angle of another of the discs; wherein a first disc corresponds to a first passage restriction and a second disc corresponds to a second passage restriction, such that passage of the knob past the first passage restriction corresponds to passage of the first disc by the catch pocket, and location of the knob adjacent the second passage restriction corresponds to location of the second desk adjacent the catch pocket; balls disposed on at least some of the discs; a catch pocket located within the housing; wherein sufficient inclination of the downhole tool causes at least one of the balls to move on the ball's disc from non-engagement with the catch pocket to engagement with the catch pocket to arrest the upper shaft from movement in an axial direction and to position the knob adjacent the engaged ball's disc's corresponding passage restriction, causing a flow restriction at the corresponding passage restriction; and wherein the downhole tool is capable of communicating its angle of inclination via a pressure pulse.