the numerous innovative teachings of the present application will be described with particular reference to the presently preferred embodiment ( by way of example , and not of limitation ). the following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention , and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements . various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed inventions . thus , the disclosed inventions are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . referring to fig1 a , which shows one example of the innovative bit breaker in a closed position , the reference numeral 300 generally designates a bit breaker tool , embodying features of the disclosed inventions . the bit breaker 300 includes a generally square , planar , u - shaped base 302 fabricated from steel or other suitable material . the exterior of base 302 is dimensioned to allow a slip fit insertion into the rotary table of a drilling rig ( not shown ). at the front of base 300 is a chuck opening 304 . within chuck opening 304 , base 302 has a pair of inwardly facing base chocks 306 . a series of reliefs 308 are formed in base 302 to reduce the weight of tool 300 . corner chamfers 310 are formed at the corners of base 302 to facilitate insertion and removal of tool 300 in the rotary table ( not shown ) and to further reduce the weight of tool 300 . handles 312 are attached to base 302 to provide easy handling of tool 300 . seen in an open position in this drawing , a gate 314 is pivotally attached to one end of unshaped base 302 by a heavy - duty hinge 316 . gate 314 has a gate chock 318 located on its inward - facing side . a gate lock 320 securely attaches gate 314 to base 302 at the end opposite hinge 316 . gate lock 320 may be , for example , a retractable latch pin as illustrated . when gate lock 320 is engaged , as seen in fig1 e , gate chock 318 and base chocks 306 are in equally spaced relation to each other and to the center of chuck opening 304 . fig1 b shows an example of a roller cone bit 330 , this one having extended nozzles 338 , suitable for use with an innovative bit breaker like that shown in fig1 a . this bit has three slots 332 machined or otherwise formed in a horizontal plane at equal angular spacing about , and equal radial distances to , the centerline of roller cone bit 330 . slots 332 are located between a threaded tool joint 334 and the cones 336 . fig1 c shows the exemplary roller cone bit 330 of fig1 b engaged by the bit breaker 300 of fig1 a . in this drawing , gate 314 has been closed and locked by latch 320 , so that chocks 318 and 306 are locked into slots 332 ( which are obscured by the chocks ) of bit 330 . in general use , a stand of pipe to be attached to or detached from the bit would be held in a fixed position while the rotary table , with bit breaker 300 attached , rotates . fig4 gives a further view of a roller cone bit held by the innovative bit breaker , with the top portion of the roller cone bit cut away at the top of slots 332 to show the chocks 318 and 306 engaged in these slots . shown in fig1 d is a fixed cutter bit 350 which has been modified to work with the innovative bit breaker . this bit has three slots 352 machined or otherwise formed in a horizontal plane at equal angular spacing about , and equal radial distances to , the centerline of fixed cutter bit 350 . slots 352 are located on shank 235 between a tool joint 354 and the bit head 356 . bit 350 will fit into the bit breaker in a similar manner as does roller cone bit 330 , with slots 352 being gripped by chocks 318 and 306 . in an alternate preferred embodiment , corner chamfers are minimized , and side reliefs are added to substantially reduce the weight of tool . in this embodiment , the corner contact reduces the relative rotation and impact within the rotary table when torque is applied . in another contemplated alternative , corner chamfers are large enough to remove at least 30 % of the linear edge of the base , thus substantially reducing the weight of tool . in another contemplated embodiment , an l - shaped base is combined with a gate which is also generally l - shaped . in this embodiment too , the base and gate preferably have three chocks between them . in this embodiment , a single base can be used in combination with more than one gate to accommodate a larger range of bit diameters , resulting in manufacturing and material cost savings . as will be recognized by those skilled in the art , the innovative concepts described in the present application can be modified and varied over a tremendous range of applications , and accordingly the scope of patented subject matter is not limited by any of the specific exemplary teachings given . for example , although the preferred embodiments have been described with reference to the rotary - tabled drilling rigs which are more commonly used ( except in offshore rigs and very deep holes ), the disclosed inventions can also be applied to top driven rotary systems as well . in another contemplated embodiment , the gate chock is particularly customized in its geometry ( as opposed to base chocks ) to provide additional closeness of fit of the rock bit to the bit breaker . in another contemplated embodiment , base chocks are replaceable , rather than being integral with the plate . in another contemplated embodiment , the gate corner radii are reduced , to more closely match the back of the base to improve contact ( reduce clearance rotation of bit breaker ) when torque is applied . this can be done and still accommodate rotation of the gate against the pivoted end . in another contemplated embodiment , relief indentations can be added along middle portions of the bit breaker &# 39 ; s sides , instead of ( or in addition to ) the weight - reducing cutouts in the sides of the tool , in a further contemplated alternative , replaceable chocks or sleeves can be combined with the disclosed embodiment to accommodate larger size ranges . in a further contemplated alternative , the inwardly - pointing chock lobes can be azimuthally asymmetrical , so that the breaker plate would be turned upside down to change from makeup to breakout . ( again , this would require rig floor personnel to make this change correctly .) in a further contemplated alternative , the number of slots on a bit can be a multiple of three , so that the bit breaker can engage the bit at more angular positions . in another contemplated mode of use , a stand can be used to allow safe floor assembly of the bit breaker to the drill bit , and subsequent hoisting of both ( by a lifting sub ) into the rotary table . the following publications , all of which are hereby incorporated by reference , provide additional detail regarding possible implementations of the disclosed embodiments , and of modifications and variations thereof . kate van dyke , the bit ( 4 . ed . 1995 ), together with all other volumes in the rotary drilling series from petroleum extension service ; jim short , introduction to directional and horizontal drilling ( pennwell 1993 ); j .- p . nguyen , drilling ( technip 1996 ); wilson chin , wave propagation in petroleum engineering ( gulf 1994 ); bourgoyne et al ., applied drilling engineering ( s . p . e . 1991 ); and the proceedings volumes of all of the iadc / spe drilling conferences . according to a disclosed class of innovative embodiments , there is provided : a bit breaker for connecting and disconnecting threaded connections comprising : a base having at least one open side , and having a chuck opening portion , and having a pair of chocks extending into the chuck opening ; and a gate removably located against the open side of the base , and having a chock extending into the chuck opening . according to another disclosed class of innovative embodiments , there is provided : a bit breaker , comprising : a base having at least one open side , and having a chuck opening portion , and having a pair of chocks extending into the chuck opening ; and a gate removably located against the open side of the base , and having a chock extending into the chuck opening ; wherein said base and said gate contain cutouts which reduce the weight of said bit breaker ; wherein said base has first , second , and third outer edges , said first and third outer edges being substantially parallel and said second outer edge being substantially parallel with the outer edge of said gate , when said gate is in a closed position . according to another disclosed class of innovative embodiments , there is provided : a bit breaker , comprising : a base having at least one open side , and having a chuck opening portion , and having a pair of chocks extending into the chuck opening ; and a gate removably located against the open side of the base , and having a chock extending into the chuck opening ; at least one handle attached to said base ; wherein said base has first , second , and third outer edges , said first and third outer edges being substantially parallel and said second outer edge being substantially parallel with the outer edge of said gate , when said gate is in a closed position ; wherein said chocks of said base and said gate are equidistant from each other when said gate is in a closed position . according to another disclosed class of innovative embodiments , there is provided : a rock drill bit , comprising three breaking slots . according to another disclosed class of innovative embodiments , there is provided : a rock drill bit , comprising : three arms in a fixed spatial relationship ; rotatable subassemblies mounted on ones of said arms , and having rock - cutting elements mounted thereon ; and three breaking slots , each positioned between two of said arms . according to another disclosed class of innovative embodiments , there is provided : a rock drill bit , comprising : three arms in a fixed spatial relationship with a body which includes a thread ; rotatable subassemblies mounted on ones of said arms , and having rock - cutting elements mounted thereon ; jets mounted in and extending from said body ; and three breaking slots , each positioned between two of said arms . according to another disclosed class of innovative embodiments , there is provided : a drilling system , comprising : a drill string containing at least one section of pipe ; a drill bit comprising three breaking slots and a threaded connector for attachment to said drill string ; surface equipment capable of turning said drill bit in relation to said drill string ; and a bit breaker , attached to said surface equipment , for connecting and disconnecting threaded connections , said bit breaker comprising : a base having at least one open side , and having a chuck opening portion , and having a pair of chocks extending into the chuck opening ; and a gate removably located against the open side of the base , and having a chock extending into the chuck opening . according to another disclosed class of innovative embodiments , there is provided : a method for connecting a drill bit to a drill string member on a drilling rig , comprising the steps of : placing a bit breaker having an open end and a pair of inwardly directed chocks onto a drill bit having three slots ; attaching a gate having an inwardly directed chock , across the open end of the bit breaker ; placing a drill string member onto the drill bit such that a lower tool joint connection of the drill string member is positioned for threaded connection to the tool joint of the bit breaker ; and , applying opposing torque between the bit breaker and the drill string member to connect the drill string member to the drill bit . according to another disclosed class of innovative embodiments , there is provided : a method for disconnecting a drill bit from a drill string member on a drilling rig comprising the steps of : placing a bit breaker having an open end and a pair of inwardly directed chocks onto a drill bit having three slots ; attaching a gate having an inwardly directed chock across the open end of the bit breaker ; and applying opposing torque between the bit breaker and the drill string member to disconnect the drill string member from the drill bit according to another disclosed class of innovative embodiments , there is provided : a method of drill rig operation , comprising the steps of : ( a .) using a first bit breaker which has at least three chocks , including a torque - transmitting chock mounted on an openable gate , during makeup / breakout operations to define the rotational position of bits which have slots complementary to said chocks , including both roller - cone and fixed - cutter type bits . following are short definitions of the usual meanings of some of the technical terms which are used in the present application . ( however , those of ordinary skill will recognize whether the context requires a different meaning .) additional definitions can be found in the standard technical dictionaries and journals . fixed - cutter bit : a drill bit with no moving parts that drills by intrusion and drag , also called a drag bit . mud : the liquid circulated through the wellbore during rotary drilling operations , also referred to as drilling fluid . originally a suspension of earth solids ( especially clays ) in water , modern “ mud ” is a three - phase mixture of liquids , reactive solids , and inert solids . nozzle : in a passageway through which the drilling fluid exits a drill bit , the portion of that passageway which restricts the cross - section to control the flow of fluid . roller cone bit : a drilling bit made of two , three , or four cones , or cutters , that are mounted on extremely rugged bearings . the cones ” are typically conical or frustro - conical , but may also include some paraboloidal convexity . the surface of each cone is made up of rows of steel teeth or rows of tungsten carbide inserts . bit breaker : a device which can be attached to the rotary table to keep the drill bit from turning with respect to the rotary table when torque is applied to the joint between the bit and a stand of pipe . none of the description in the present application should be read as implying that any particular element , step , or function is an essential element which must be included in the claim scope : the scope of patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims . moreover , none of these claims are intended to invoke paragraph six of 35 usc section 112 unless the exact words “ means for ” are followed by a participle .