Patent ID: 8448726

Claim:
A rotary earth boring drag bit, comprising: a body including a plurality of blades and a crown at an axially leading end of the body, the crown comprising at least a cone; a plurality of cutters at the crown on at least one blade of the plurality of blades; and at least one bearing element positioned on the at least one blade, defining a bearing surface contained within the cone for disposition against an earth formation during drilling and adjacent at least one cutter of the plurality of cutters on the at least one blade of the plurality of blades, the at least one bearing element located rotationally behind at least a rotationally leading portion of the at least one cutter and including a quantity of material protruding above an axially leading portion of the at least one blade extending laterally to at least one side of the at least one cutter and abutting the at least one cutter along a rotationally trailing end and at least a portion of one side of the at least one cutter, the at least one bearing element being configured to effectively reduce an exposure of the at least one cutter; wherein the bearing surface of the at least one bearing element protrudes a substantially uniform distance above the axially leading portion of the at least one blade.