Patent ID: 8322450

Claim:
A packer for use inside a casing of a wellbore, the packer comprising: a mandrel having a top end and a bottom end; a seal element to seal off a wellbore annulus when fully compressed, the seal element circumscribing the mandrel; a slip to engage the casing when set, the slip connected to the mandrel between the bottom end and the seal element; a setting mechanism to apply a full axial force to set the slip and to fully compress the seal element in response to a first fluidic pressure of the wellbore annulus; and an assembly comprising a shelf carrying the seal member, a gage ring connected to the shelf by a shear member, and a head portion, wherein the assembly transfers application of the full axial force through a force path to the slip bypassing application of the full axial force to the intervening seal element until the slip is set engaging the casing: wherein the force path extends from the setting mechanism to the gage ring, from the gage ring through the shear member to the shelf, and from the shelf to the slip; and wherein the seal element is fully compressed in response to the application of the full axial force after the slip is set in response to the application of the full axial force.