Patent ID: 8201646

Claim:
A rotating cone drill bit for drilling a wellbore having a wellbore bottom while utilizing drilling fluid, comprising: a one piece bit body; a plurality of passageways through the bit body for receiving the drilling fluid; a bore in the body for receiving the drilling fluid communicating to a plurality of passageways through the bit body; a plurality of extended one piece mud nozzles extending from the bit body and communicating with corresponding ones of the passageways, each mud nozzle having an exit orifice, each corresponding passageway and mud nozzle having an orientation for flow of drilling fluid therethrough, the orientations of each corresponding passageway and mud nozzle providing a substantially straight direct unobstructed mud path for unimpeded flow of the drilling fluid through the corresponding passageway and mud nozzle to the corresponding exit orifice of the mud nozzle and straight to the wellbore bottom; a plurality of legs extending from the bit body; and a plurality of substantially cone-shaped cutter assemblies coupled to corresponding ones of the plurality of legs; where each cutter assembly comprises: a journal projecting from the corresponding leg, the journal having a journal axis and at least one proximal and one distal cylindrical bearing surface of the same diameter and an annular groove defined therebetween; a rotatable, grooveless, reduced diameter cone having a cone axis rotatable about the axis of the journal, the cone having at least one interior bearing surface for engaging the proximal and distal cylindrical bearing surfaces of the journal and a spindle, and having a plurality of cutting structures extending outwardly from an exterior surface of the cone; and a retention segment mounted at least in part within the annular groove defined in the journal, the retention segment having an outer radial surface for fixation with a portion of the interior surface of the cone, the retention segment rotating with the cone when fixed thereto and being retained within the groove defined in the journal, where the mud nozzles are arranged and configured with respect to the reduced diameter cones to position the corresponding exit orifices between the plurality of rotatable, reduced diameter cones to provide a free unobstructed path of mud flow directly to the wellbore bottom through and between the cutter assemblies.