DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
The response of 19 May 2026 is acknowledged and has been entered. With the response, applicant submits, with respect to claim 1, that US 2010/0018770 A1 (Moriarty et al.) does not anticipate claim 1 because the orienter is not configured to rotate the sensor system downhole. The examiner does not agree.
Claim 1 merely requires a cable head, an orienter, multiple sensor packages and conductors. Moriarity et al. discloses a cable head 50, multiple sensor packages, 64 and additionally a sensor package at 84, which is part of the BHA. The orienter 36 is operable to selectively rotate measurement while drilling system 76 and the entire bottom hole assembly 34 in either a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by arrows 88. When the orienter 36 is used to rotate the bottom hole assembly 34 in a continuous mode, the data acquired by measurement system 82 can be used to generate an image covering 360.degree. of the borehole (see, 0022-0023).
Accordingly, Moriarity et al. anticipates all of the elements of claim 1 and the rejection will be maintained.
With respect to claim 14, applicant suggests that the combination of Moriarity et al. and US 5,230,387 (Waters et al.) does not support a prima facie case of obviousness because it would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, based on the disclosure of Waters et al., to activate an electrical orienter to rotate the ranging equipment and then drill an offset wellbore toward a target wellbore located using the ranging equipment. The examiner does not agree.
Claim 14 merely requires a bottomhole assembly including ranging equipment, an orienter and a sensor package. An orienter is used to rotate the ranging equipment, which is included in the sensor package. All a skilled worker in the art would have to do to arrive at the invention of claim 14 is to include the ranging equipment of Waters et al. in the sensor package of Moriarity et al., as the bottom hole assembly and sensor package of Moriarity et al. is being rotated by Moriarity et al.’s orienter. One of ordinary skill in the art would certainly be motivated to make the modification, as this would allow the Moriarity et al. assembly to be used in a wider range of downhole operations, including ranging operations. As with claim 1, the rejection of claim 14 will be maintained and made final.
With respect to claim 23, it is suggested that Moriarty et al. does not disclose multiple conductors extending completely through the orienter. The examiner does not agree.
Claim 23 merely requires a flow path through an orienter and conductors that also extend through the orienter. At 0018, Moriarty et al. states: (“The orienter receives electrical power via a wireline 46 deployed along coiled tubing 32. For example, wireline 46 may be deployed through an interior 48 of coiled tubing 32. The coiled tubing 32 and wireline 46 are connected to orienter 36 via a coiled tubing wireline head 50. In this embodiment, wireline 46 may comprise a single or multi-conductor cable to provide power to orienter 36 while also providing high data rate telemetry between the surface and coiled tubing bottom hole assembly 34”). The wireline could not provide telemetry between the surface and the BHA 34 unless it passed through the orienter at 36. This rejection will, accordingly, be maintained and made final.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-2, 11 and 23-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2010/0018770 A1 (Moriarty et al.).
As concerns claim 1, Moriarty et al. discloses a bottom hole assembly for use with a subterranean well, the bottom hole assembly comprising: a cable head 50 configured to connect the bottom hole assembly to a cable 48 in a coiled tubing 32; multiple sensor packages (64, 84, 94 (in figure 4)), each of the sensor packages being configured to measure respective parameters downhole; an electrical orienter 36 configured to rotate the sensor packages downhole (0022-0023); and multiple conductors (46, note that wireline 46 may comprise a single or multi-conductor cable, see 0018), each of the conductors extending [[between]] from the cable head 50 [[and]] to the sensor packages via the electrical orienter 36 (and the conductors will extend to all sensor packages below the orienter via the orienter at 36).
As concerns claim 2, Moriarty et al. discloses the bottom hole assembly of claim 1, in which the electrical orienter is connected uphole of the sensor packages (figure 2).
As concerns claim 11, Moriarty et al. discloses the bottom hole assembly of claim 1, in which the electrical orienter comprises a motor 54 having a conductive chassis, and a switch 62 that selectively connects the chassis to electrical ground via one of the conductors (0019, the electronics 62 that control the motor are equivalent).As concerns claim 23, Moriarty et al. discloses an electrical orienter 36 for use in a subterranean well, the electrical orienter comprising: an electric motor 54 configured to rotate a first section of the electrical orienter relative to a second section of the electrical orienter (the motor rotates the shaft, which is a part of the orienter); a flow path extending completely longitudinally through the electrical orienter (figure 3 at least); and multiple conductors extending completely longitudinally through the electrical orienter (wireline 46 may be a multi-conductor cable, see 0018 at least, "The coiled tubing 32 and wireline 46 are connected to orienter 36 via a coiled tubing wireline head 50. In this embodiment, wireline 46 may comprise a single or multi-conductor cable to provide power to orienter 36 while also providing high data rate telemetry between the surface and coiled tubing bottom hole assembly 34").
As concerns claim 24, Moriarty et al. discloses the electrical orienter 36 of claim 23, in which all of the multiple conductors are isolated from an outer housing of the electrical orienter (figure 2 and figure 3).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim(s) 3, 8-10, 12-20, 22 and 25-26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moriarty et al. in view of US 5,230,387 (Waters et al.).
As concerns claim 3, Moriarty et al. discloses the bottom hole assembly of claim 1, but lacks to expressly disclose the bottom hole assembly in which the sensor packages comprise ranging equipment, and in which the electrical orienter 36 is configured to rotate the ranging equipment. Waters et al. discloses a bottom hole assembly having a sensor package comprising ranging equipment (combination tool 100 is a ranging tool, see at least 1:10+) and an orienter 17 configured to rotate the ranging equipment (as 17 has an orienting key 18, thus equivalent to an "orienter").
One of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing, would have incorporated the ranging equipment into the BHA with a reasonable expectation of success, as this would allow the assembly to be used in magnetic ranging operations as well as measuring while drilling and other operations.
As concerns claim 8, Waters et al. discloses the bottom hole assembly of claim 1, further comprising a check valve 19 connected between the sensor packages and a fluid motor 21.
As concerns claim 9, Waters et al. discloses the bottom hole assembly of claim 8, in which the check valve is configured to prevent fluid flow through a flow path from the fluid motor to the sensor packages (as the function of a check valve is to prevent flow back through a flow path).
As concerns claim 10, it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. Sinclair & Carroll Co. V. Interchemical Corp., 325 U.S. 327, 65 USPQ 297 (1945).
As concerns claim 12, Moriarty et al. discloses the bottom hole assembly of claim 11, in which the electrical orienter comprises an electronics package, and the electronics package is configured to selectively operate the switch based on an activation state of the sensor packages (the switch and electronics package at 62 could obviously be capable of being configured to disconnect or connect the motor at any time).
As concerns claim 13, Moriarty et al. discloses the bottom hole assembly of claim 12, in which the electronics package is further configured to disconnect the motor chassis from electrical ground when at least one of the sensor packages is activated (Id.).
As concerns claim 14, Moriarty et al. discloses a method for use in a subterranean well, the method comprising: connecting a bottom hole assembly 34 to a coiled tubing 32, the bottom hole assembly comprising an electrical orienter 36, a sensor package 82, a fluid motor 42 and a drill bit 40; deploying the coiled tubing and the bottom hole assembly into the well (figure 3); activating the electrical orienter 36 to rotate the equipment; but lacks to expressly disclose the sensor package comprising ranging equipment and then drilling an offset wellbore toward a target wellbore located using the ranging equipment.
Waters et al. discloses a method for use in a subterranean well, comprising a sensor package including ranging equipment (combination tool 100 is a ranging tool) and then drilling an offset wellbore 14 toward a target wellbore 10 located using the ranging equipment (figure 1). One of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing, would have incorporated the ranging equipment into the BHA with a reasonable expectation of success, as this would allow the assembly to be used in magnetic ranging operations as well as measuring while drilling and other operations.
As concerns claim 15, Moriarty et al. discloses the method of claim 14, in which the drilling comprises flowing a fluid through a flow path extending through the electrical orienter, the sensor package, the fluid motor, and the drill bit (see figure 3, figure 4).
As concerns claim 16, Moriarty et al. discloses the method of claim 14, in which the electrical orienter 36 comprises an electric motor 54, and further comprising disconnecting the electric motor from electrical ground (the 62 controller for the motor would obviously be capable of this function).
As concerns claims 17-18, the controlling electronics 62 of Moriarty et al. could obviously be configured to perform the disconnecting at any time during the operation.
As concerns claim 19, Waters et al. discloses the method of claim 14, further comprising connecting a check valve between the fluid motor and the electrical orienter in the bottom hole assembly (Waters et al. discloses a check valve at 19).
As concerns claim 20, it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. Sinclair & Carroll Co. V. Interchemical Corp., 325 U.S. 327, 65 USPQ 297 (1945).
As concerns claim 22, Moriarty et al. discloses the method of claim 14, in which the activating and the drilling are performed in a single trip of the bottom hole assembly into the well (as shown).
As concerns claim 25, Moriarty et al. discloses the electrical orienter of claim 23, further comprising a switch connected between one of the conductors and a conductive chassis of the electric motor (motor control electronics 62 are equivalent).
As concerns claim 26, Moriarty et al. discloses the electrical orienter of claim 25, further comprising an electronics package configured to activate the switch to disconnect the motor chassis from the one of the conductors when a sensor package is activated (motor controller 62 would obviously be capable of disconnecting the motor at any time in the operation).
Claim(s) 7, 21 and 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moriarty et al. in view of US 2019/0071929 A1 (Zheng et al.).
As concerns claims 7, 21 and 27, the combination lacks to disclose the orienter having a torque weak point configured to fail at a predetermined torque.
Zheng et al. discloses a logging operation that includes a tool with a torque weak point 32, configured to fail at a predetermined torque.
One of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing, would have incorporated the torque weak point into the orienter with a reasonable expectation of success, as this provides the desirable result of allowing an operator to control the disconnection operation while preventing accidental over-torquing and damage to the related equipment.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6 have been previously identified as containing allowable subject matter.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES G. SAYRE whose telephone number is (571)270-7045. The examiner can normally be reached from 9:30-6:00 Monday-Friday.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nicole Coy can be reached at 571-272-5405. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JAMES G. SAYRE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3672
/JAMES G SAYRE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3672
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