US Patent Issued to Vermeer Manufacturing on May 12 for "Horizontal directional drilling system with drill string breakout monitoring" (Iowa, Washington Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 12 -- United States Patent no. 12,624,601, issued on May 12, was assigned to Vermeer Manufacturing Co. (Pella, Iowa).

"Horizontal directional drilling system with drill string breakout monitoring" was invented by Nicholas Hans Olsen (Pella, Iowa), Zachary Tanner Belloma (Ames, Iowa) and Joseph Anthony Brandner (Renton, Wash.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A drilling machine and operating method wherein a control algorithm evaluates a drill string joint-break routine. The operating profile of torque applied to the up-hole drill rod is monitored during energization of the break-out drive mechanism in the joint-break routine. Rotation at the rotational driver is also monitor...