Quan A Nguyen

6336512, Jan 8, 2002

Feb 1, 2000

09/495602

Michael A. Siracki - The Woodlands TX
Steven W. Peterson - The Woodlands TX
Chris E. Cawthorne - The Woodlands TX
Quan V. Nguyen - Houston TX

Smith International, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 1008

175371, 175331, 384 94

A drill bit having a canted or non-canted leg backface, a canted or non-canted seal in the interface between the cone backface and the shirttail, and a canted seal that can be semi-encapsulated so that there is no straight-line path across the seal.

6367568, Apr 9, 2002

May 15, 2001

09/858138

Stephen C. Steinke - The Woodlands TX
Gary R. Portwood - Kingwood TX
Gary E. Garcia - The Woodlands TX
David P. Moran - The Woodlands TX
Quan V. Nguyen - Santa Ana CA

Smith International, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 1008

175331, 175336, 175341, 1754201, 175430, 175432

A cutter element for a drill bit. The cutter element has a base portion and an extending portion and the extending portion has either a zero draft or a negative draft with respect to the base portion. The non-positive draft allows more of the borehole bottom to be scraped using fewer cutter elements. The cutter elements having non-positive draft can be either tungsten carbide inserts or steel teeth.

6533051, Mar 18, 2003

Sep 7, 1999

09/390717

Amardeep Singh - Houston TX
Dennis Cisneros - Kingwood TX
Sujian J. Huang - The Woodlands TX
Quan V. Nguyen - Houston TX

Smith International, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 1022

175371, 175365

A roller cone drill bit includes a bit body adapted to be rotated about a longitudinal axis. At least one leg which terminates in a shirttail portion depends from the bit body. The shirttail portion defines a first end face having a first circumferential groove thereon. The first circumferential groove has a radius equal to the radius of a tip of the shirttail portion. A journal is cantilevered from the leg, and a roller cone is rotatably mounted on the journal. The roller cone has a second end face adjacent to the first end face. A second circumferential groove is formed on the second end face.

6561293, May 13, 2003

May 15, 2001

09/858160

James C. Minikus - Spring TX
Chris E. Cawthorne - The Woodlands TX
Stephen C. Steinke - The Woodlands TX
Gary R. Portwood - Kingwood TX
Gary E. Garcia - The Woodlands TX
David P. Moran - The Woodlands TX
Quan V. Nguyen - Houston TX

Smith International, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 1008

1754201, 175430

A cutter element for a drill bit has a non-rectilinear crest. The cutter element has a base portion and an extending portion and the extending portion has either a zero draft or a negative draft with respect to the base portion. The non-positive draft allows more of the borehole bottom to be scraped using fewer cutter elements. The cutter elements having non-positive draft can be either tungsten carbide inserts or steel teeth.

6571887, Jun 3, 2003

Apr 12, 2000

09/547691

Quan V. Nguyen - Houston TX
James L. Larsen - Spring TX
Michael A. Siracki - The Woodlands TX
Chris E. Cawthorne - The Woodlands TX

SII Smith International, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 1018

175 57, 175340, 175424

A drill bit having one or more nozzle retention bodies attached by a single orientation mounting is disclosed, as is the associated method for its manufacture. The upper end of the nozzle retention body has a fluid inlet in communication with the internal fluid plenum of the drill bit, and the lower end of the nozzle retention body includes a fluid outlet that defines an exit flow angle. The exit flow angle is angularly disposed from the longitudinal axis of the drill bit. The nozzle retention body may advantageously be chamfered or the like to provide a reduced cross-sectional area at the lower end of the nozzle retention body. The outer surface of the nozzle retention body (and attached hardened elements) may extend substantially to gage, or may fall short of that diameter.

6688410, Feb 10, 2004

Jun 7, 2000

09/589260

Amardeep Singh - Houston TX
Quan V. Nguyen - Houston TX
Sujian Huang - The Woodlands TX

Smith International, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 1046

175374, 175339, 175408

A novel rolling cone rock bit includes a plurality of PDC or other cutters mounted to the leg of the drill bit and positioned to cut the troublesome corner of the bottomhole. The plurality of cutters may be the primary cutting component at gage diameter, or may be redundant to gage teeth on a rolling cutter that cut to gage diameter. Consequently, the occurrence of undergage drilling from the wear and failure of the gage row on a rolling cutter is lessened. Another inventive feature is the inclusion of a mud ramp that creates a large junk slot from the borehole bottom up the drill bit. The resulting pumping action of the drill bit ramp speeds up the removal of chips or drilling cuttings from the bottom of the borehole, reduces the level of hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the borehole and minimizes the wearing effect of cone inserts regrinding damaging drill cuttings.

6782959, Aug 31, 2004

May 13, 2003

10/436709

James C. Minikus - Spring TX
Chris E. Cawthorne - The Woodlands TX
Stephen C. Steinke - The Woodlands TX
Gary R. Portwood - Kingwood TX
Gary E. Garcia - The Woodlands TX
David P. Moran - The Woodlands TX
Quan V. Nguyen - Houston TX

Smith International, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 1008

1754201, 175430

A cutter element for a drill bit has a crest that defines a crest line. The crest can be non-rectilinear. The crest line of each cutter element defines an angle with respect to the axis of the rolling cone on which the cutter element is mounted. The cutter elements define different angles with respect to the cone axis and with respect to each other.

7059430, Jun 13, 2006

Feb 21, 2002

10/081275

Amardeep Singh - Houston TX, US
Quan V. Nguyen - Houston TX, US
Sujian Huang - The Woodlands TX, US

Smith International, Inc. - Houston TX

E21B 10/18

175339, 175340

A novel rolling cone rock bit includes a plurality of PDC or other cutters mounted to the leg of the drill bit and positioned to cut the troublesome corner of the bottomhole. The plurality of cutters may be the primary cutting component at gage diameter, or may be redundant to gage teeth on a rolling cutter that cut to gage diameter. Consequently, the occurrence of undergage drilling from the wear and failure of the gage row on a rolling cutter is lessened. Another inventive feature is the inclusion of a mud ramp that creates a large junk slot from the borehole bottom up the drill bit. The resulting pumping action of the drill bit ramp speeds up the removal of chips or drilling cuttings from the bottom of the borehole, reduces the level of hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of the borehole and minimizes the wearing effect of cone inserts regrinding damaging drill cuttings.