DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 3, 7, 10, 13-15, 22, 24, and 25 have been withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on May 26, 2026.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because of the following informalities:
The grey-scale shading in the figures makes it impossible to discern the different components of the claimed invention. It is not clear where one feature starts and the next begins. 37 CFR 1.84(m) requires that any shading in figures not reduce legibility and not take the place of cross-hatching where appropriate.
The lines of the drawings in Figures 5 and 11 are blurry thus making it difficult to determine where one feature starts and the next begins.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4-6, 9, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sawyer (US 5,033,560).
Regarding claim 1: Sawyer discloses a fixed cutter drill bit 10 for drilling a borehole in an earthen formation Abstract, the drill bit comprising:
a bit body 11 having a central axis not labeled and a bit face at 21, wherein the bit body is configured to rotate about the central axis in a cutting direction 33 of rotation, wherein the bit face includes a concave cone region 21 extending radially from the central axis, a convex shoulder region 23 extending radially from the cone region, a nose 22 at the intersection of the cone region and the shoulder region, and a gage region 24 extending radially from the shoulder region to a full gage diameter of the drill bit Fig 4;
a cutting structure 40-45, 50 disposed on the bit face, wherein the cutting structure includes a primary blade 40, 42, 45 extending radially from proximal the bit axis through the cone region and the shoulder region to the gage region Fig 2, wherein the blade has a leading side relative to the cutting direction of rotation Fig 2, a trailing side relative to the cutting direction of rotation Fig 2, and a cutter-supporting surface extending from the leading side to the trailing side Fig 2;
a plurality of cutter elements 30-32 mounted to the cutter-supporting surface of the primary blade in the cone region, the shoulder region, and the gage region Fig 4; and
a gage pad 70 disposed in the gage region and extending axially from the primary blade Fig 1, wherein the gage pad has a central axis Fig 1, 3, an uphole end distal the primary blade Fig 1, 3, a downhole end integral with the primary blade Fig 1, 3, a leading lateral side relative to the cutting direction of rotation Fig 1, 3, a trailing lateral side relative to the cutting direction of rotation Fig 1, 3, and a formation facing surface configured to slidingly engage a sidewall of the borehole during drilling Fig 1, 3;
wherein the formation facing surface of the gage pad extends axially from the uphole end to the downhole end of the gage pad Fig 1, and wherein the formation facing surface extends laterally from the leading side of the gage pad to the trailing side of the gage pad Fig 1;
wherein the gage pad includes a surface area reducing feature 72 positioned along a middle portion of the gage pad that is axially positioned between and axially spaced from the uphole end of the gage pad and the downhole end of the gage pad Fig 1, 3, wherein the surface area reducing feature comprises a first recess 72 extending from the formation facing surface toward the bit body Fig 1, 3.
Regarding claim 2: Wherein the first recess extends laterally from the leading side of the gage pad or the trailing side of the gage pad Fig 1.
Regarding claim 4: Wherein the surface area reducing feature comprises a second recess “troughs” – 5:67-6:4 extending from the formation facing surface toward the bit body.
Regarding claim 5: Wherein the first recess extends laterally from the leading side of the gage pad and the second recess extends laterally from the trailing side of the gage pad. The gage pad includes troughs between rows of inserts thus there is at least one trough at or close to the leading side and one trough at or close to the trailing side – 5:67-6:4.
Regarding claim 6: Wherein the surface area reducing feature comprises a plurality of recesses “troughs” – 5:67-6:4 including the first recess, wherein each of the plurality of recesses extends from the formation facing surface toward the bit body.
Regarding claim 9: Wherein the leading side of the gage pad is oriented parallel to the trailing side of the gage pad Fig 1.
Regarding claim 12: Wherein the formation facing surface of the gage pad is disposed at the full gage diameter of the drill bit along an entire axial length of the gage pad measured axially relative to the central axis of the gage pad from the uphole end of the gage pad to the downhole end of the gage pad Fig 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16-21 and 23 are allowed.
Claims 8 and 11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 8: The prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a fixed cutter drill bit with a gage pad that is I-shaped in side view perpendicular to the central axis of the gage pad as recited in the claimed combination.
Regarding claim 11: The prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a fixed cutter drill bit with a gage pad that has a formation facing surface with a width measured perpendicularly from a leading side of the gage pad to a trailing side of the gage pad, wherein the width of the formation facing surface along a middle portion of the gage pad is less than the width of the formation facing surface at an uphole end and less than the width of the formation facing surface at a downhole end as recited in the claimed combination.
Regarding claim 16: The prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest a fixed cutter drill bit with a gage pad that is I-shaped in side view perpendicular to the central axis of the gage pad as recited in the claimed combination.
Regarding claims 17-21 and 23: These claims are considered allowable due to their dependence on claim 16.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JENNIFER H GAY whose telephone number is (571)272-7029. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday, 6-3:30 and every other Friday 6-11.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anita Y Coupe can be reached at (571)270-3614. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JENNIFER H GAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619
JHG
6/15/2026
Prosecution Insights