ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 20 -- United States Patent no. 12,392,199, issued on Aug. 19.
"Earth-boring tool geometry and associated apparatus and methods" was invented by Robert E. Grimes (Houston) and Nathan S. Lockwood (Conroe, Texas).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An earth-boring tool may include a tool body, at least one blade, and a roller cone pocket defined in the tool body adjacent the at least one blade. A surface of the roller cone pocket may define at least one protruding ridge. The earth-boring tool may further include a roller cone assembly disposed in the pocket. The roller cone assembly may include a plurality of inserts or teeth extending from a surface of the roller cone assembly. ...