PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15957621
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-04
Publication Date: 2018-08
Patent Classification: ["166", "255100"]

Abstract:
Lateral wellbores intersecting a main wellbore are located with calipers on a tool. Each caliper includes first and second segments pinned to one another. Ends of each first segment distal from the pinned connections pivotingly attach to the tool. Ends of each second segment distal from the pinned connections couple with shuttles that slide axially along the tool. Biasing means urge the shuttles toward the pivoting connections of the first elongated segments to urge the pinned connections radially outward. When downhole and away from a lateral wellbore, walls of the main wellbore prevent the calipers from projecting into a radial maximum extension. When adjacent a lateral wellbore, calipers facing the lateral wellbore are extendable to a maximum radial extension. Distances between the pinned connections and tool are estimated with sensors; and openings to lateral wellbores are detectable based on the estimated distances. A steering arm optionally steers the tool downhole.

Claim (Index 1):
An apparatus for detecting lateral wellbores, the apparatus comprising:\n a tool body having a first end and a second end; a plurality of calipers extending radially from an outer diameter of the tool body, each of the plurality of calipers comprising,\n a first segment having an end pivotingly connected to the tool body at a pivot joint, \n a second segment having an end that is axially slideable along a portion of the tool body that is spaced away from the pivot joint, \n a flexible joint defined where an end of the first segment distal from the pivot joint pivotingly couples with an end of the second segment that is distal from the end that is axially slideable, and \n a biasing member coupled to a one of the segments, so that when the flexible joint is in an unrestrained state, the flexible joint is urged away from the tool body to a maximum radial extension; \n a sensor responsive to a position of the axially slideable end of the second sensor; a steering arm operably connected to the first end of the tool body; and a processor in communication with the sensor, that selectively indicates an opening depth at which the tool body is adjacent an opening to a lateral wellbore based on the flexible joint being at a maximum radial extension, so that when a depth at which the tool body is adjacent an opening to a lateral is indicated, an operator strategically positions the tool body at a lesser depth than the opening depth, and then moves the tool body to a depth that is at and greater than the opening depth.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 15.0
- Percentile: 91.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.1039
- Patent Class: 166.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['14067008', '13561973', '12947402', '13198802', '12966195']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.7653129230833221
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5097055859963292
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7397521893746228
- Mean Citation Score: 205.287386
- Max Citation Score: 339.10095
- Similarity Product: 296.8336734483898

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 0
- Claim Label 112: 0
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test