Appeal No. 96-4022
Application 08/197,011
DECISION ON APPEAL
This is an appeal from the final rejection of claims 2-7,
9-21 and 23. Claims 22 and 24-35, the only other claims
remaining in the application, stand allowed.
The appellants’ invention pertains to an anti-whirl rotary
drag bit for drilling subterranean formations. Independent
claim 9 is further illustrative of the appealed subject matter
and reads as follows:
9. An anti-whirl rotary drag bit for drilling subterranean
formations, said drag bit comprising:
a bit body including a bit face portion extending to a gage
portion located thereabove of said bit body via an intervening
flank portion of said bit body immediately adjacent said gage
portion of said bit body;
a bearing zone located on said gage portion of said bit body
at one side of said drag bit;
a first plurality of cutters extending from said bit body a
first height, said first plurality of cutters being located on
said bit face portion and said flank portion of said bit body in
a plurality of radial planes thereof extending thereacross, said
first plurality of cutters for generating a directed side force
vector toward said bearing zone located at said one side of said
drag bit by said first plurality of cutters on said bit face and
said flank portion engaging portions of said subterranean
formations during said drilling thereof, none of said first
plurality of cutters being located on said flank portion of said
bit body adjacent said bearing zone; and
at least one second cutter located on said flank portion of
in substantially the same radial plane as at least one cutter of
said first plurality of cutters, said at least one second cutter
located on said flank portion of said bit body adjacent said
bearing zone, said at least one second cutter on said flank
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