David O Shahin9007 Uppercove Cir, Houston, TX 77064

6892835, May 17, 2005

Jul 29, 2002

10/207542

David Shahin - Houston TX, US
Karsten Heidecke - Houston TX, US

Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B019/10

175423, 166 882, 166 7752

A gripping apparatus for supporting a tubular includes a longitudinal opening extending therethrough. A bowl is formed on an inner wall of the housing to provide an incline surface for one or more gripping members. As the gripping members are move down along the incline, the incline causes the gripping members to move radially toward the tubular and contact the tubular. In one embodiment, the housing comprises two body portions coupled together using one or mores hinges. In one aspect, the bowl is formed as a recess in the inner wall of the housing. The hinges of the housing are progressively curved to accommodate the recess bowl, thereby increasing the tubular size handling capacity of the gripping apparatus. In another embodiment, the apparatus may include guide keys that mate with guide slots formed on an outer surface of the gripping members to minimize the rotational movement of the gripping members relative to the housing. In another embodiment, the apparatus may include a leveling ring connected to the one or more gripping members for synchronizing the movement of the one or more gripping members.

6994176, Feb 7, 2006

Mar 5, 2004

10/794800

David Shahin - Houston TX, US
Karsten Heidecke - Houston TX, US

Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 19/10

175423, 166 7516, 166 7752

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for gripping one or more tubulars, which may include casing, during a tubular handling operation, drilling operation, and/or drilling with casing operation. The gripping apparatus comprises a housing having a bore extending therethrough and one or more gripping members which extend radially within the bore to grippingly engage a tubular or casing when activated. Adjustable guides attached to a portion of the gripping apparatus facilitate rotational movement of the casing during the drilling operation when the gripping members of the gripping apparatus are deactivated.

7140445, Nov 28, 2006

Mar 5, 2004

10/794797

David Shahin - Houston TX, US
Jeff Habetz - Houston TX, US
David M. Haugen - League City TX, US
Gary Thompson - Katy TX, US
Bernd-Georg Pietras - Wedemark, DE
Jimmy L. Hollingsworth - Lafayette LA, US
Bernd Reinholdt - Hannover, DE

Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 19/16

166380, 166 7752, 166 851, 175 85, 294 8624, 294 8629

Methods and apparatus for drilling with a top drive system are provided. In one aspect, a top drive system includes a top drive, top drive adapter, and a tubular positioning apparatus. In another aspect, the top drive adapter is pivotably connected to the top drive for pivoting the top drive adapter toward the casing string with respect to the top drive. In another aspect, the system includes a telescopic link system connected to a lower portion of the top drive adapter to move the casing string into engagement with the top drive adapter. In another aspect, the top drive adapter includes a housing operatively connected to the top drive and a plurality of retaining members disposed in the housing for gripping the tubular. In another aspect, the tubular positioning apparatus includes a gripping member for engaging a tubular and a conveying member for positioning the gripping member. A spinner may be provided to rotate the tubular.

7143849, Dec 5, 2006

Nov 30, 2004

10/999520

David Shahin - Houston TX, US
Karsten Heidecke - Houston TX, US

Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 19/22

175423, 166 7752, 166 882

A gripping apparatus for supporting a tubular includes a longitudinal opening extending therethrough. A bowl is formed on an inner wall of the housing to provide an incline surface for one or more gripping members. As the gripping members are move down along the incline, the incline causes the gripping members to move radially toward the tubular and contact the tubular. In one embodiment, the housing comprises two body portions coupled together using one or mores hinges. In one aspect, the bowl is formed as a recess in the inner wall of the housing. The hinges of the housing are progressively curved to accommodate the recess bowl, thereby increasing the tubular size handling capacity of the gripping apparatus. In another embodiment, the apparatus may include guide keys that mate with guide slots formed on an outer surface of the gripping members to minimize the rotational movement of the gripping members relative to the housing. In another embodiment, the apparatus may include a leveling ring connected to the one or more gripping members for synchronizing the movement of the one or more gripping members.

7296623, Nov 20, 2007

Nov 25, 2003

10/723290

Thomas Koithan - Houston TX, US
Graham Ruark - Houston TX, US
John W. Newman - Winnsboro LA, US
David M. Haugen - League City TX, US
David Shahin - Houston TX, US

Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 19/16

16625001, 166 66, 166 7551, 166 781, 166380

A method and apparatus for connecting threaded members while ensuring that a proper connection is made. In one embodiment, the applied torque and/or rotation are measured at regular intervals throughout a pipe connection makeup. When a shoulder contact is detected, a predetermined torque value and/or rotation value is added to the measured torque and/or rotation values, respectively, at shoulder contact and rotation continued until this calculated value(s) is reached.

7325610, Feb 5, 2008

Mar 5, 2004

10/795129

Richard L. Giroux - Cypress TX, US
David Shahin - Houston TX, US
Adrian Vuyk, Jr. - Houston TX, US
Gary Thompson - Katy TX, US
Kevin Leon Gray - Friendswood TX, US
John Timothy Allen - Katy TX, US
Randy Gene Snider - Houston TX, US

Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 33/14

166291, 166 70, 166 781, 1661774

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for handling tubulars and drilling with tubulars such as casing into a formation. In one aspect of the invention, the apparatus comprises a circulating head and a cementing head operatively connectible to a gripping member. The circulating head is used to circulate drilling fluid while drilling with casing, and the cementing head is used to cement the casing string within the formation at a desired depth. The present invention also relates to methods and apparatus for isolating a tensile load from a drilling apparatus rotated by a top drive. In one aspect, the present invention provides a load isolator apparatus having an isolator body operatively connected to the top drive and a torque body at least partially disposed in the isolator body. In operation, the bearing assembly transfers the tensile load from the torque body to the isolator body.

7448456, Nov 11, 2008

Feb 1, 2006

11/345066

David Shahin - Houston TX, US
Karsten Heidecke - Houston TX, US

Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 19/10

175423, 166 7511, 166 7752

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for gripping one or more tubulars, which may include casing, during a tubular handling operation, drilling operation, and/or drilling with casing operation. The gripping apparatus comprises a housing having a bore extending therethrough and one or more gripping members which extend radially within the bore to grippingly engage a tubular or casing when activated. Adjustable guides attached to a portion of the gripping apparatus facilitate rotational movement of the casing during the drilling operation when the gripping members of the gripping apparatus are deactivated.

7503397, Mar 17, 2009

Jul 29, 2005

11/193582

Richard Lee Giroux - Cypress TX, US
Gary Thompson - Katy TX, US
David Haugen - League City TX, US
Tuong Thanh Le - Katy TX, US
Robert Dugal - Houston TX, US
Karsten Heidecke - Houston TX, US
David Shahin - Houston TX, US

Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 19/18

166385, 166 771, 166 772, 1662415

In one embodiment, a top drive system for drilling with casing is provided with an access tool to retrieve a downhole tool. The top drive system for drilling with casing comprises a top drive; a top drive adapter for gripping the casing, the top drive adapter operatively coupled to the top drive; and an access tool coupled to the top drive and adapted for accessing a fluid passage of the top drive system. In another embodiment, a method for retrieving a downhole tool through a tubular coupled to a top drive adapter of a top drive system is provided. The method comprises coupling an access tool to the top drive system, the access tool adapted to provide access to a fluid path in the top drive system and inserting a conveying member into the fluid path through the access tool.