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Business Segments - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013 Segment
Segment Reporting Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of reportable business segments	3

X

- Details

Name:	pten_SegmentReportingDisclosureLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	pten_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Number of segments reported by the entity. A reportable segment is a component of an entity for which there is an accounting requirement to report separate financial information on that component in the entity's financial statements.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfReportableSegments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration