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1 2 ) United S t a t e s

Patent

Holland

US006887014B2

1 0 ) P a t e n t

N 0 . :

4 5 ) Date

o f P a t e n t :

US

6 , 8 8 7 , 0 1 4 B2

May , 2 0 0 5

( 5 4 ) ROBOTIC APPARATUS

AND METHOD FOR

TREATMENT OF

CONDUITS

7 6 ) I n v e n t o r :

C a l

H o l l a n d ,

2 1 6

H u n t f o r d

W a y ,

NE

C a l g a r y , A l b e r t a ( C A ) , T2K

3Z7

*

) N o t i c e :

S u b j e c t

t o a n y d i s c l a i m e r ,

t h e

t e r m o f t h i s

p a t e n t i s e x t e n d e d

o r

a d j u s t e d u n d e r 3 5

U . S . C . 1 5 4 b )

b y

0 d a y s .

2 1 )

A p p l . N o . : 1 0 / 0 5 9 , 2 0 5

2 2 )

F i l e d :

J a n . 3 1 , 2 0 0 2

( 6 5 ) P r i o r P u b l i c a t i o n D a t a

US 2 0 0 2 / 0 1 0 2 1 3 6 A1 A u g .

1 ,

2 0 0 2

R e l a t e d US. A p p l i c a t i o n

Data

( 6 0 )

P r o v i s i o n a l a p p l i c a t i o n

N o . 6 0 / 2 6 5 , 1 0 9 , ? l e d

o n J a n . 3 1 ,

2 0 0 1 .

3 0 ) F o r e i g n A p p l i c a t i o n P r i o r i t y D a t a

J u l .

27, 2001 CA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 354 2 2 6

51) I n t . Cl.7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F16L 55/18

( 5 2 ) US. l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405/1841; 405/1842;

7 3 / 8 6 6 . 5 ;

1 0 4 / 1 3 8 . 2

( 5 8 ) Field of

Search

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405/184.1, 1 8 4 . 2 ,

4 0 5 / 1 8 4 3 , 1 8 4 . 4 , 1 8 4 , 1 8 3 5 ; 1 3 8 / 9 7 , 9 8 ;

1 0 4 / 1 3 8 1 , 1 3 8 . 2 ; 2 5 4 / 1 3 4 3

R ,

1 3 4 5 , 7 3 / 8 6 6 5

5 6 )

R e f e r e n c e s

C i t e d

U . S . PATENT DOCUMENTS

2 , 6 0 4 , 5 2 1

A

7 / 1 9 5 2

B o u c h e r

3,786,684 A

*

1/1974 Wiers e t

a l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

73/8665

4,006,359 A

* 2/1977 Sullins e t a l . . . . . . . . . . . . .

104/138.2

4 , 2 4 4 , 2 9 6 A 1 / 1 9 8 1 V e r t u t

4 , 369 ,71 3 A

*

1/ 19 8 3 Richardson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104/ 1 38. 2

4 , 5 3 7 , 1 3 6

A

8 / 1 9 8 5 D o u g l a s

4,601,204 A * 7 /198 6 F our not e t

a l .

. . . . . . . . . . 104/ 1 38. 2

4,628,613

A * 12/1986 Laymon t

a l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33/544

4 , 6 5 4 , 7 0 2 A 3 / 1 9 8 7 T o l i n o

e t

a l .

4 , 8 6 2 , 8 0 8

A 9 / 1 9 8 9 Hedgcoxe e t

a l .

4,951,758 A * 8/1990 Sonku e t a l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175/40

4 , 9 8 6 , 3 1 4 A 1 / 1 9 9 1

Himmler

C o n t i n u e d )

FOREIGN

PATENT DOCUMENTS

DE 19701787 A1 7/1998

EP 785388

*

7/1997

JP 01255420 * 10/1989

. . . . . . . .

.. 2 54 /2 3 4 . 3 R

JP 0492189

* 3/1992 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.

138/97

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

D a y , L . , R o b o t i c R e h a b i l i t a t i o n Of S e W e r I n f r a s t r u c t u r e ,

R o b o t i c s

f o r

C h a l l e ng i n g E n v i r o n m e n t s , 1 9 9 4 .

C o n t i n u e d )

P r i m a r y E x a m i n e r J o n g - S u k L e e

( 7 4 ) A t t o r n ey , A g e n t , o r

FirmSean

W. GoodWin

5 7 ) ABSTRACT

A o b o t i c a p p a r a t u s a n d method

f o r

t r e a t m e n t o f s y s t e m o f

c o n d u i t s

a n d l a t e r a l

s u b - c o n d u i t s c o m p r i s i n g

a

r e m o t e l y

c o n t r o l l ed r o b o t i c v e h i c l e W h i c h n a v i g a t e s main c o n d u i t s

Which

d e l i v e r s

a s e r i e s o f t o o l s t o l o c a t i o n s W i t h i n

t h e

c o n d u i t . The

m u l e s

t o o l s

c o m p r i s e

a v a r i e t y

o f d e v i c e s

i n c l u d i n g a t a p e

h e a d

and a t r a n s p o r t

h o u s i n g

f o r a

s e c o n d

r e m o t e l y c o n t r o l l e d r o b o t i c v e h i c l e , o r mouse Which c a n

b e

d e p l o y e d

f o r

t r a v e r s i n g a n d

t r e a t i n g

s u b - c o n d u i t s . F u r t h e r ,

a

meth od

t o i n s t a l l one o r

m o r e

small diameter ?exible

e l o n g a t e

members,

such a s c o n d u c t o r s

o r

s h e a t h e s

t o

t h e

i n s i d e

o f

t h e s y s t e m

o f c o n d u i t s

c o m p r i s e s a d v a n c i n g

a n

e l o n g a t e

member

t h r o u g h

t h e c o n d u i t s y s t e m W i t h t h e

m u l e

o r m o u s e ,

a n c h o r i n g

t h e

e l o n g a t e

member a n d t h e n

t a p i n g

t h e

e l o n g a t e member W i t h

t h e

t a p i n g

h e a d

W h i l e r e t r e a t i n g

o u t

o f

t h e c o n d u i t .

P r e f e r a b l y

t h e t a p e i s p r e - s h a p e d t o

m i n i m i Z e

W r i n k l i n g

u p o n a p p l i c a t i o n

a n d

m o r e p r e f e r a b l y ,

g r e a t e r s e c u r i t y

a n d t a p e b o n d i n g s t r e n g t h i s a c h i e v e d b y

s p r a y i n g

o v e r

t h e t a p e a n d e l o n g a t e m e m b e r .

6 6 C l a i m s , 4 0

Drawing S h e e t s

1 / / / / / / r / / / / / /

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US 6 , 8 8 7 , 0 1 4 B2

P a g e 2

US.

PATENT

DOCUMENTS 6,173,787 B1 * 1/2001 Wittrisch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. .

166/384

6 ,179 ,058 B1 * 1/2001 Wittrisch

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 6 /3 8 4

5,044,824 A * 9/1991

L998

1

a 1 ~

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

405/156

6,206,617

B1

* 3/2001

Kawazoe

e t

a 1 . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . 408/57

5 , 1 7 2 , 6 3 9 A 1 2 / 1 9 9 2 Wwsman t 9 1 - 6 , 3 0 1 , 4 1 4

B1

1 0 / 2 0 0 1

L i e s e

e t 8 1 .

5,284,096 A *

2 /1994

Pelrine etal-

- - - - - - - - -

- ~ 104/1382 6 , 3 3 2 , 9 3 0 B1 *

12/2001

Rose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. .

15/1045

5,293,823

A

3/1994 BOX

6,427,602

B1 * 8/2002

Hovis e t a l . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

104/1381

5 , 3 5 6 , 5 0 2 A 1 0 / 1 9 9 4 Kamiyama e t

8 1 .

5,392,715 A * 2/1995 Pelrine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104/138.2 OTHER PUBLICATIONS

5 497 707 3/1996

BOX

_ _ _

5 , 4 9 8 , 3 8 9

A

3 / 1 9 9 6

Kamiyama e t

a 1 ,

I n u k t u n

S e r v i c e s L t d . , V e r s a t r a X

1 5 0 P r o d u c t

D e s c r i p t i o n ,

3

5 , 5 1 5 , 8 8 6

A

5 / 1 9 9 6 G r a n e l l a p a g e s , u n d a t e d .

5 , 5 9 8 , 8 7 3

A 2 / 1 9 9 7 Kamiyama

e t a l - I n u k t u n

S e r v i c e s L t d . , V e r s a t r a X V e r t i c a l

C r a w l e r P r o d u c t

5 7 6 0 1 7 0 2 5 A 2 / 1 9 9 7 BOX D e s c r i p t i o n , 2 p a g e s , u n d a t e d .

5 7 9 1 2 5 5

A 8 / 1 9 9 8

BOX GMD Ger m an N a t i o n a l Research

C e n t e r

f o r

I n f o r m a t i o n

5 8 7 8 7 8 3 A

3 / 1 9 9 9 S m a r t

Technolo

MAKRO13

Desi n and

r e a l i z a t i o n

of an

5 , 9 4 4 , 0 5 8

A 8 / 1 9 9 9 Kamiyama

e t

a 1 . g y

1

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1

f

6 , 0 1 9 , 0 4 8 A

2 / 2 0 0 0

S e e b e r g e r e t

a 1 _ autono mo us mu

t1segment seWer

r o

o t

p

a t orm,

1

p a g e . ,

6 , 0 5 6 , 0 1 7

A 5 / 2 0 0 0

Kamiyama e t a 1 . undated

6 , 1 0 1 , 9 5 1

A 8 / 2 0 0 0 S i g e l A i S , KurtAn e x p e r i m e n t a l r o b o t

p l a t f o r m

f o r s e W e r a g e

6 , 1 0 4 , 7 7 2 A 8 / 2 0 0 0 D i p p e l e t a 1 . i n s p e c t i o n ,

Web

p a g e , h t t p : / / a i s . g m d . d e / B A R / k u r t . h t m

6 , 1 0 7 , 7 9 5

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2 0 0 1 _

6 , 1 2 3 , 0 2 7 A 9 / 2 0 0 0 Suyama

e t

8 1 .

6,142,187

A * 11/2000 Goldenberg e t

a l .

. . . . . . . .

. .

138/97 * cited

by

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