Patent US3604612A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3604612A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Orbital track-traveling carriage mechanism for performing welding and other physical operations
Assignee: CRC Evans Pipeline International Inc
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Filing: 1968-10-01
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Granted: 1971-09-14
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Expires: 1988-10-01
Abstract
Abstract A traveling carriage adapted to support and guide a welding head or analogous tool is supported and guided on a flexible track arranged for securing in tension to and conforming with a supporting workpiece, such as a pipeline girth joint. The carriage has two widely spaced guide rolls on one side and a traction roll and closely positioned guide roll on the other. Multiple carriages, each carrying an arc-welder or equivalent, can be supported on a single track which, in turn, can be mounted on flat or other surfaces as well as cylindrical ones.
Inventors
- 👤 Ford S Miller
- 👤 Jerome W Nelson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 21:08
CPC Classifications
B; B23; B23K; B23K37/00; B23K37/02; B23K37/0211; B23K37/0217
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
228 words
In a system of the character described, the combination which comprises an elongated flexible sheet metal band having parallel side edges and cooperating fastening means at its ends adapted to hold said band in tight securement around and completely encircling a large cylindrical workpiece such as a large-diameter pipe, bridging means secured to said band and arranged to overlap the junction between said ends when they are secured together to form a continuous, endless track encircling said workpiece, a carriage adapted to travel on said track, means on said track for spacing said track from but concentric with the cylindrical surface of the workpiece, nondriven, plural spaced guide rollers on one side of said carriage adapted to engage one edge of said band to retain said side of the carriage against displacement from said track, a driven roller and a guide and retainer roller arranged as a pair to engage the other edge of said track, separate means for moving said drive roller and said last-named guide roller independently into and out of track-engaging position with respect to said other track edge, the arrangement of all such rollers being such as to constrain the carriage to movement around said workpiece in a plane and path accurately parallel to the plane and path of one of said band edges, and means for mounting a functional tool on said carriage.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
228 words
In a system of the character described, the combination which comprises an elongated flexible sheet metal band having parallel side edges and cooperating fastening means at its ends adapted to hold said band in tight securement around and completely encircling a large cylindrical workpiece such as a large-diameter pipe, bridging means secured to said band and arranged to overlap the junction between said ends when they are secured together to form a continuous, endless track encircling said workpiece, a carriage adapted to travel on said track, means on said track for spacing said track from but concentric with the cylindrical surface of the workpiece, nondriven, plural spaced guide rollers on one side of said carriage adapted to engage one edge of said band to retain said side of the carriage against displacement from said track, a driven roller and a guide and retainer roller arranged as a pair to engage the other edge of said track, separate means for moving said drive roller and said last-named guide roller independently into and out of track-engaging position with respect to said other track edge, the arrangement of all such rollers being such as to constrain the carriage to movement around said workpiece in a plane and path accurately parallel to the plane and path of one of said band edges, and means for mounting a functional tool on said carriage.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
Combination according to claim 1 wherein the driven roller is mounted on an eccentric support to provide a change in transverse dimension with respect to the guide rollers.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
Combination according to claim 1 which includes adjustable tensioning means for drawing the band ends together.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
Combination according to claim 3 wherein the carriage is adapted to support a welding head for performing a peripheral welding operation parallel to a track edge on said workpiece.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
76 words
Combination according to claim 1 which comprises an eccentric mounted drive roll and a separate eccentric mounted guide and retainer roll operable to engage said other edge portion of the track, and wherein the pair of guide rolls adapted to engage the first edge portion of the track are also retaining tools, whereby the carriage can be retained on and guided along the track irrespective of engagement or disengagement of the driven roller with said track.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
48 words
Combination according to claim 1 wherein at least one end of the track is provided with a spaced bridging element to guide the carriage past a gap where the ends of the track are joined so that the carriage can travel past said gap without interference or displacement.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
Combination according to claim 6 wherein the guide and retaining rollers have multiple elements to engage both the track and the bridging element.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
41 words
Combination according to claim 1 wherein a bridging element is secured to one end of the track and an aligning means is provided to insure accurate alignment of the track ends when they are joined together to encircle a cylindrical workpiece.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
53 words
Combination according to claim 1 wherein each end of the track is provided with a bridging element and wherein the tensioning means is arranged to draw said bridging elements into firm but sliding edge-abutting relationship to insure accurate alignment of the track ends when they are drawn in tension about a cylindrical workpiece.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
110 words
Combination according to claim 1 wherein said the guide track is adapted to be drawn in tension around a cylindrical hollow workpiece such as a joint in a pipeline, wherein tensioning means are provided on the ends of the guide track to draw said ends together and mount the track firmly on said workpiece a predetermined distance from an end of said workpiece, wherein the carriage is adapted to be driven by its own power around at least a portion of the periphery of said workpiece, and wherein the carriage is adapted to carry a welding head to weld another hollow workpiece to said end of said first named workpiece.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
39 words
Combination according to claim 10 wherein bridgiNg means provide accurate transverse alignment between the ends of the track and wherein said bridging means also provide accurate guidance without misalignment for the carriage across any gap between said track ends.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
50 words
Combination according to claim 1 which comprises cooperating edge portions on the band parallel to the side edges and to each other, said cooperating edge portions being adapted to slide along each other and maintain parallelism between the band side edges as the band is closed around a cylindrical workpiece.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
Combination according to claim 12 which comprises tensioning means adapted to produce a force component transverse to the parallel edges of the band to keep said cooperating edge portions in tight contact as tension is applied.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-09-13 | 1975-03-15 | 1975-09-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-09-13 | 1979-03-15 | 1979-09-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-09-13 | 1983-03-15 | 1983-09-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |