Ball director for rock bits

Claim 1

A METHOD OF UTILIZING A DRILL STRING HAVING A CONTINUOUS DRILLING FLUID PASSAGEWAY FROM THE SURFACE TO AND THROUGH A DRILLING BIT CONSTITUTING THE LOWERMOST ELEMENT OF SUCH DRILL STRING AND HAVING THEREIN A MULTIPLICITY OF NOZZLES DEFINING THE LOWER END OF SUCH PASSAGEWAY, SUCH NOZZLES BEING DIVIDED INTO A FIRST QUANTITY HAVING A TOTAL ORIFICE AREA APPROPRIATE FOR A PARTICULAR SET OF DRILLING CONDITIONS AND A SECOND QUANTITY OF AT LEAST ONE MEMBER EACH HAVING AN ORIFICE AREA LARGER THAN THAT OF EACH MEMBER OF THE FIRST QUANTITY, SUCH BIT ALSO HAVING SECURED THEREIN MEANS FOR BLOCKING THE ENTRY OF A BALL INTO ANY OF SUCH FIRST QUANTITY OF NOZZLES AND DIRECTING IT INTO SUCH SECOND QUANTITY WITHOUT SERIOUSLY IMPEDING THE FLOW OF FLUSHING FLUID THROUGH ANY OF SUCH NOZZLES COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (1) RUNNING SUCH BIT INTO A BORE HOLE WHICH MAY CONTAIN FLUSHING FLUID WITH ALL SUCH FIRST AND SECOND NOZZLES UNPLUGGED, (2) CIRCULATING AT LEAST ONE RESILIENT BALL OF APPROPRIATE SIZE DOWN SAID DRILL STRING UNTIL IT IS SEATED IN AND SEALS SUCH AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE SECOND QUANTITY OF NOZZLES AGAINST THE FLOW OF DRILLING FLUID THERETHROUGH, (3) DRILLING THE FORMATION AS DESIRED WHILE CIRCULATING DRILLING FLUID THROUGH SUCH FIRST QUANTITY OF NOZZLES, AND (4) CAUSING A TEMPORARY OVERPRESSURE BEHIND SAID NOZZLES TO PUSH SAID BALL INTO AND THROUGH ITS ASSOCIATED NOZZLE ORIFICE PRIOR TO PULLING SAID BIT OR CIRCULATING LOST CIRCULATION MATERIALS.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF UTILIZING A DRILL STRING HAVING A CONTINUOUS DRILLING FLUID PASSAGEWAY FROM THE SURFACE TO AND THROUGH A DRILLING BIT CONSTITUTING THE LOWERMOST ELEMENT OF SUCH DRILL STRING AND HAVING THEREIN A MULTIPLICITY OF NOZZLES DEFINING THE LOWER END OF SUCH PASSAGEWAY, SUCH NOZZLES BEING DIVIDED INTO A FIRST QUANTITY HAVING A TOTAL ORIFICE AREA APPROPRIATE FOR A PARTICULAR SET OF DRILLING CONDITIONS AND A SECOND QUANTITY OF AT LEAST ONE MEMBER EACH HAVING AN ORIFICE AREA LARGER THAN THAT OF EACH MEMBER OF THE FIRST QUANTITY, SUCH BIT ALSO HAVING SECURED THEREIN MEANS FOR BLOCKING THE ENTRY OF A BALL INTO ANY OF SUCH FIRST QUANTITY OF NOZZLES AND DIRECTING IT INTO SUCH SECOND QUANTITY WITHOUT SERIOUSLY IMPEDING THE FLOW OF FLUSHING FLUID THROUGH ANY OF SUCH NOZZLES COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (1) RUNNING SUCH BIT INTO A BORE HOLE WHICH MAY CONTAIN FLUSHING FLUID WITH ALL SUCH FIRST AND SECOND NOZZLES UNPLUGGED, (2) CIRCULATING AT LEAST ONE RESILIENT BALL OF APPROPRIATE SIZE DOWN SAID DRILL STRING UNTIL IT IS SEATED IN AND SEALS SUCH AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE SECOND QUANTITY OF NOZZLES AGAINST THE FLOW OF DRILLING FLUID THERETHROUGH, (3) DRILLING THE FORMATION AS DESIRED WHILE CIRCULATING DRILLING FLUID THROUGH SUCH FIRST QUANTITY OF NOZZLES, AND (4) CAUSING A TEMPORARY OVERPRESSURE BEHIND SAID NOZZLES TO PUSH SAID BALL INTO AND THROUGH ITS ASSOCIATED NOZZLE ORIFICE PRIOR TO PULLING SAID BIT OR CIRCULATING LOST CIRCULATION MATERIALS.