Production of oil from oil shale through fractures

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR PRODUCING OIL FROM OIL SHALE CONTAINING KEROGEN WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: (1) HEATING SAID SHALE AROUND A WELL-PENETRATING SAME TO AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SO AS TO SWELL A SECTION OF THE SHALE AROUND SAID WELL; (2) FRACTURING THE SHALE THRU AND BEYOND THE SWOLLEN SECTION RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID WELL; (3) FOLLOWING STEP (2), AGAIN HEATING THE SHALE AROUND SAID WELL SO AS TO CRACK THE KEROGEN THEREIN AND CAUSE RELEASED HYDROCARBON FLUIDS TO FLOW THROUGH SAID FRACTURE INTO SAID WELL; (4) RECOVERING SAID HYDROCARBON FLUIDS FROM SAID WELL; (5) CONTINUING THE HEATING OF STEP (3) UNTIL THE SHALE ADJACENT THE AREA OF THE FRACTURE REMOTE FROM SAID WELL SWELLS AND CLOSES THE FRACTURES IN SAID AREA; (6) FOLLOWING STEP (5), AGAIN APPLYING FLUID FRACTURING PRESSURE ON THE SHALE AROUND SAID WELL AT FRACTURE LEVEL SO AS TO EXTEND SAID FRACTURE DEEPER INTO SAID SHALE; AND (7) REPEATING STEPS (4), (5), AND (6).