US Patent Issued to GULFSTREAM SERVICES on Jan. 27 for "Method and apparatus for dropping a pump down plug or ball" (Louisiana Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 28 -- United States Patent no. 12,534,975, issued on Jan. 27, was assigned to GULFSTREAM SERVICES INC. (Houma, La.).

"Method and apparatus for dropping a pump down plug or ball" was invented by Phil Barbee (Gretna, La.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An improved method and apparatus for dropping a ball, plug or dart during oil and gas well operations (e.g., cementing operations) employs a specially configured valving member with curved and flat portions that alternatively direct fluid flow through a bore or opening in the valving member via an inner channel or around the periphery of the valving member in an outer channel. In one embodiment, the ball(s), dart(s) or plug(s...