US Patent 11280161 Shearable split ball seat

A frac sleeve assembly and method of operation. The frac sleeve assembly includes a ball seat that retains a frac ball. The ball seat moves within a sleeve. The sleeve includes a profile that separates the first half and the second half to allow passage of the frac ball through the ball seat when the ball seat moves within the sleeve. Alternatively, the ball seat has a ring for receiving the frac ball and the sleeve has a protrusion that selectively engages a shifting pin to move the ring with respect to a ridge to release the ball from the ball seat when the ball seat moves within the sleeve.