Patent ID: 7497281

Claim:
A roller cone drill bit comprising: a bit body having at least one support arm extending therefrom; a respective cone assembly rotatably mounted on each support arm for engagement with a subterranean formation to form a wellbore; each cone assembly having at least one row of cutting elements; each cutting element having a crest extending from the respective cone assembly; each cutting element having a first portion and a second portion with the associated crest disposed therebetween; the first portion of the at least one cutting element having a relatively greater concentration of hard material; the second portion of the at least one cutting element having a reduced concentration of hard material as compared with the first portion of the at least one cutting element; and at least one cone assembly wherein, at least one row of cutting elements is oriented such that the crest of each cutting element is generally perpendicular to an associated scraping direction; and at least another row of cutting elements is oriented such that the crest of each cutting element is generally parallel to the associated scraping direction.