Patents by Inventor Michael G. Azar

Michael G. Azar has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220112773
    Abstract: A cutting element may include a substrate and an ultrahard layer. A top surface of the ultrahard layer includes a peripheral edge extending around the cutting element, a cutting crest extending across a major dimension of the cutting element from a cutting edge at a first portion of the peripheral edge to a modified region at a central axis of the ultrahard layer, and a lateral portion extending across a minor dimension of the cutting element from the peripheral edge to the modified region. The modified region along the major dimension includes a concave cross-sectional shape. The lateral portion along the minor dimension from the peripheral edge to the modified region includes one or more of a linear shape and a convex shape, and the modified region along the minor dimension includes a planar shape perpendicular to the central axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Inventors: Chen Chen, Huimin Song, Liang Zhao, Youhe Zhang, Michael G. Azar, Xiaoge Gan, Madapusi K. Keshavan, Zhijun Lin, Bala Durairajan, Michael L. Stewart
  • Patent number: 11215012
    Abstract: A cutting element may include a substrate, an upper surface of the substrate including a crest, the crest transitioning into a depressed region, and an ultrahard layer on the upper surface, thereby forming a non-planar interface between the ultrahard layer and the substrate. A top surface of the ultrahard layer includes a cutting crest extending along at least a portion of a diameter of the cutting element, the top surface having a portion extending laterally away from the cutting crest having a lesser height than a peak of the cutting crest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chen Chen, Huimin Song, Liang Zhao, Youhe Zhang, Michael G. Azar, Xiaoge Gan, Madapusi K. Keshavan, Zhijun Lin, Bala Durairajan, Michael L. Stewart
  • Patent number: 10794118
    Abstract: A downhole cutting tool includes a body having a central axis extending therethrough, a plurality of blades extending outwardly from the body and converging towards a central region around the central axis, and at least one cutting element having a longitudinal axis, a non-cylindrical substrate, and an ultra-hard material body on the non-cylindrical substrate, the ultra-hard material body having a side surface extending around a cutting face and defining a cross-sectional shape of the ultra-hard material body, and the side surface comprising an edge having an inner angle of less than 180 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Michael G. Azar, Somasundaram Valliyappan, Jason R. Gregg, Jordan Mark Self, Keisha Marie Spagnoletti, Alexei Jozef Barr, Balasubramanian Durairajan
  • Patent number: 10753156
    Abstract: A cutting tool has a tool body and at least one non-planar cutting element oriented at a forward rake angle on the top surface of the cutting tool. The at least one non-planar cutting element of the cutting tool has a grip region and a non-planar cutting end. A support of the cutting tool extends around at least a portion of a circumference of the grip region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventor: Michael G. Azar
  • Patent number: 10738538
    Abstract: A downhole tool includes a tool body, at least one blade with a front face having an undulating geometry including a plurality of ridges and valleys, and a top face facing outwardly from the tool body and transitioning to the front face at a cutting edge. At least one cutting element is in a pocket at the cutting edge. The at least one cutting element has a non-planar cutting face facing in the same direction as the front face. The non-planar cutting face has at least two sloping surfaces meeting at an elongated crest, valley, or other feature. A portion of the elongated feature adjacent the front face may substantially align with, and have substantially corresponding geometry as, a ridge or valley of the front face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventor: Michael G. Azar
  • Patent number: 10655401
    Abstract: A cutting element has a port extending through at least a portion of the cutting element body. A cutting face of the cutting element includes an ultrahard material. The port is configured to provide fluid communication therethrough and to direct focused energy from a focused energy source through the cutting element toward a formation proximate the cutting face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael G. Azar, Madapusi Keshavan, Iain Michael Cooper
  • Patent number: 10597946
    Abstract: A drill bit for obtaining core sample fragments from a subterranean formation includes a bit body having a bit centerline and a bit face, a plurality of blades extending radially along the bit face, including a coring blade, a plurality of cutting elements on the blades, and a non-planar insert embedded in the bit body proximate the bit centerline. One of the cutting elements is a first cutting element on the coring blade at a first radial position from the bit centerline, and at least a portion of the coring blade is radially outward from a most radially interior cutting part of the first cutting element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventor: Michael G. Azar
  • Publication number: 20190264511
    Abstract: A cutting element may include a substrate, an upper surface of the substrate including a crest, the crest transitioning into a depressed region, and an ultrahard layer on the upper surface, thereby forming a non-planar interface between the ultrahard layer and the substrate. A top surface of the ultrahard layer includes a cutting crest extending along at least a portion of a diameter of the cutting element, the top surface having a portion extending laterally away from the cutting crest having a lesser height than a peak of the cutting crest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Inventors: Chen Chen, Huimin Song, Liang Zhao, Youhe Zhang, Michael G. Azar, Xiaoge Gan, Madapusi K. Keshavan, Zhijun Lin, Bala Durairajan, Michael L. Stewart
  • Patent number: 10309156
    Abstract: A cutting tool may include a tool body, blades extending from the tool body, and primary cutting elements and backup cutting elements are on each of blades. The backup cutting elements may be behind and at approximately the same radial distance from the axis of the tool body as a corresponding primary cutting element, where the primary cutting elements include cutting elements having a first non-planar shape and the backup cutting elements include cutting elements having a second, different non-planar shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Michael G. Azar, Bala Durairajan, Madapusi K. Keshavan
  • Patent number: 10301881
    Abstract: A fixed cutter drill bit may include a bit body having a bit centerline and a plurality of blades that extend radially from the bit body and are separated by a plurality of flow courses therebetween. Each of the plurality of blades is spaced a radial distance from the bit centerline to define a core-forming region. A plurality of cutting elements is disposed on the plurality of blades. The plurality of cutting elements comprises at least two coring cutting elements that are disposed on the plurality of blades and the at least two coring cutting elements are the radially innermost cutting elements on the plurality of blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Hemachandar Mada, Michael G. Azar, Jason R. Gregg, Joshua Gatell, Edward Wayne Gutierrez, Suman Velvaluri
  • Patent number: 10287825
    Abstract: A cutting element may include a substrate, an upper surface of the substrate including a crest, the crest transitioning into a depressed region, and an ultrahard layer on the upper surface, thereby forming a non-planar interface between the ultrahard layer and the substrate. A top surface of the ultrahard layer includes a cutting crest extending along at least a portion of a diameter of the cutting element, the top surface having a portion extending laterally away from the cutting crest having a lesser height than a peak of the cutting crest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Chen Chen, Huimin Song, Liang Zhao, Youhe Zhang, Michael G. Azar, Xiaoge Gan, Madapusi K. Keshavan, Zhijun Lin, Bala Durairajan, Michael L. Stewart
  • Publication number: 20190078388
    Abstract: A drill bit for obtaining core sample fragments from a subterranean formation includes a bit body having a bit centerline and a bit face, a plurality of blades extending radially along the bit face, including a coring blade, a plurality of cutting elements on the blades, and a non-planar insert embedded in the bit body proximate the bit centerline. One of the cutting elements is a first cutting element on the coring blade at a first radial position from the bit centerline, and at least a portion of the coring blade is radially outward from a most radially interior cutting part of the first cutting element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2018
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Inventor: Michael G. Azar
  • Publication number: 20190055789
    Abstract: A cutting element has a port extending through at least a portion of the cutting element body. A cutting face of the cutting element includes an ultrahard material. The port is configured to provide fluid communication therethrough and to direct focused energy from a focused energy source through the cutting element toward a formation proximate the cutting face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Publication date: February 21, 2019
    Inventors: Michael G. Azar, Madapusi Keshavan, Iain Michael Cooper
  • Publication number: 20180355671
    Abstract: A downhole tool includes a tool body, at least one blade with a front face having an undulating geometry including a plurality of ridges and valleys, and a top face facing outwardly from the tool body and transitioning to the front face at a cutting edge. At least one cutting element is in a pocket at the cutting edge. The at least one cutting element has a non-planar cutting face facing in the same direction as the front face. The non-planar cutting face has at least two sloping surfaces meeting at an elongated crest, valley, or other feature. A portion of the elongated feature adjacent the front face may substantially align with, and have substantially corresponding geometry as, a ridge or valley of the front face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Inventor: Michael G. Azar
  • Patent number: 10145180
    Abstract: A downhole cutting tool may include tool body; a first blade extending from the tool body; a plurality of cutting elements attached to the first blade, the plurality of cutting elements comprising at least two types of cutting elements, wherein the first blade extends from the tool body to a first height adjacent a first type of cutting element and a second height, different from the first height, adjacent a second type of cutting element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Michael G. Azar, Scott D. McDonough
  • Publication number: 20180334860
    Abstract: A downhole cutting tool includes a body having a central axis extending therethrough, a plurality of blades extending outwardly from the body and converging towards a central region around the central axis, and at least one cutting element having a longitudinal axis, a non-cylindrical substrate, and an ultra-hard material body on the non-cylindrical substrate, the ultra-hard material body having a side surface extending around a cutting face and defining a cross-sectional shape of the ultra-hard material body, and the side surface comprising an edge having an inner angle of less than 180 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2016
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Inventors: Michael G. Azar, Somasundaram Valliyappan, Jason R. Gregg, Jordan Mark Self, Keisha Marie Spagnoletti, Alexei Jozef Barr, Balasubramanian Durairajan
  • Patent number: 10125548
    Abstract: A drill bit for obtaining core sample fragments from a subterranean formation includes a bit body having a bit centerline and a bit face, a plurality of blades extending radially along the bit face, including a coring blade, a plurality of cutting elements on the blades, and a non-planar insert embedded in the bit body proximate the bit centerline. One of the cutting elements is a first cutting element on the coring blade at a first radial position from the bit centerline, and at least a portion of the coring blade is radially outward from a most radially interior cutting part of the first cutting element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventor: Michael G. Azar
  • Patent number: 10030452
    Abstract: A cutting tool may includes a tool body; a plurality of blades extending from the tool body; and a plurality of non-planar cutting elements disposed along each of the plurality of blades, the plurality of non-planar cutting elements form a cutting profile, in a rotated view of the plurality of non-planar cutting elements into a single plane, the cutting profile including a cone region, a nose region, a shoulder region, and a gage region. The plurality of non-planar cutting elements include a first shape in at least one of the cone region, nose region, shoulder region, and gage region, and a second, different shape in at least one other region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Michael G. Azar, Bala Durairajan, Madapusi K. Keshavan
  • Patent number: 9903162
    Abstract: A downhole cutting tool may include a cutting element support, structure having a plurality of cutter pockets formed therein; and a plurality of rotatable cutters disposed in the plurality of cutter pockets, wherein at least one rotatable cutter is spaced from another rotatable cutter on the cutting element support structure by at least one-quarter of the diameter of the at least one rotatable cutter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Michael A. Siracki, Michael G. Azar
  • Patent number: 9464490
    Abstract: A downhole cutting tool may include a tool body, a plurality of blades extending azimuthally from the tool body comprising a cone region, a shoulder region, and a gage region, at least one cutting element disposed along the cone region and the shoulder region of the blade, and at least one gage cutting element disposed along the gage region of the blade wherein the at least one gage cutting element has a negative backrake ranging from greater than 70 to about 85 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: Smith International, Inc.
    Inventors: Youhe Zhang, Michael G. Azar, Chen Chen, Yuri Burhan