Patents Examined by Arpad F Kovacs
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Patent number: 11766674Abstract: A tumble trimmer system having a tumbler barrel with a perforated axle adapted for introducing a freezing agent such as liquid carbon dioxide or other liquefied gas adapted to flash freeze the plant material when infused into the mesh tumbler barrel, the mesh tumbler barrel adapted with mesh netting or screening for trimming and/or separating plant material enclosed therein, and with an open funnel or chute positioned below the tumbler barrel adapted to catch and direct trimmed and/or separated plant material exiting the tumbler barrel into a bin or container positioned under the funnel or chute, wherein the perforated axle comprises a plurality of perforations positioned around a circumference of and along an entire length of the axle.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2020Date of Patent: September 26, 2023Inventor: Thomas Bruggemann
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Patent number: 11758850Abstract: A harvesting assembly for harvesting a crop includes a frame, a cutting knife configured to cut crop, a feed drum, a draper assembly, a first auger assembly, and a second auger assembly. The draper assembly and the auger assemblies are configured to move the cut crop toward the feed drum. The auger assemblies each include a first auger, a second auger, and a mounting unit coupled to the frame and coupled between the first auger and the second auger to support the first auger and the second auger during rotation of the augers.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2020Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: DEERE & COMPANYInventors: Sumit Kumar, Eric Hans Pierre Pellegrini, Justin C. Freehill, Bryan R. Yanke, Duane M. Bomleny, Joshua R. Pierson, Lawrence F. Kane, Balaji Parthasarathy
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Patent number: 11751509Abstract: A combine and combine conversion for collecting agricultural plants in a manner that separates various parts of the plants for collection or disposal. A combine is provided with an improved system for collecting and cleaning seed of an agricultural material such as cannabis while collecting lightweight chaff, such as trichomes, and returning stalks back to the agricultural field. The system provides for rapid conversion of a combine to seed and chaff collection and back again.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2020Date of Patent: September 12, 2023Assignee: FARMMAX, LLCInventors: Ty E. Stukenholtz, Jay E. Stukenholtz
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Patent number: 11744178Abstract: A header for an agricultural vehicle, and an agricultural vehicle having the header. The header includes a center section extending in a lateral direction, a wing section movably connected at a lateral end of the center section and extending in the lateral direction from the center section, a ground support attached to and extending in a downward direction from the wing section, and a resilient support operatively connected to the wing section and the ground support. The resilient support is configured to generate an adjustable predetermined force to bias the ground support in the downward direction.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2019Date of Patent: September 5, 2023Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLCInventor: Cory Douglas Hunt
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Patent number: 11744180Abstract: A control system for a harvester that harvests crop stalks each having a bottom portion and a top portion. The harvester includes a topper that cuts the stalks between the top and bottom portions and a base cutter that cuts the stalks near a ground surface. The control system includes a sensor that senses a first height between the top of the bottom portion and the ground surface, and senses a second height between the bottom of the bottom portion and the ground surface. The controller receives signals representing the sensed first and second heights from the sensor, determines average first and second heights for the stalks over a set time, sends a first signal to the topper to cause movement of the topper to the average first height, and sends a second signal to the base cutter to cause movement of the base cutter to the average second height.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2020Date of Patent: September 5, 2023Assignee: Deere & CompanyInventors: Rahul Gunda, Bryan E. Dugas, Bhalchandra Padwal
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Patent number: 11744173Abstract: A cutting knife includes a base coupled to a head unit of an agricultural combine harvester. The cutting knife includes a blade extending away from the base. The blade includes an edge and a plurality of cutting teeth formed from the edge. The plurality of cutting teeth includes a first grouping of teeth positioned along the edge having a first pitch. The plurality of cutting teeth includes a second grouping of teeth positioned along the edge having a second pitch less than the first pitch. The first grouping of teeth is positioned closer to an end of the blade opposite the base than the second grouping of teeth.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2020Date of Patent: September 5, 2023Assignee: Deere & CompanyInventors: Mark Schuler, Shreyas Modak
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Patent number: 11744179Abstract: An accumulator contents detection system for a harvester includes an accumulator, a plurality of metering rollers, and at least one sensor. The accumulator accumulates crop material. The plurality of metering rollers receives crop material from the accumulator. The plurality of metering rollers includes a drive metering roller. The at least one sensor detects a load transmitted to the drive metering roller.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2020Date of Patent: September 5, 2023Assignee: DEERE & COMPANYInventor: Mark A. Cracraft
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Patent number: 11737394Abstract: Selectively removable nozzles for inclusion into a grain conveyor may include a ramp and a sidewall coupled to the ramp. The ramp may conform to an inner surface of a conveyor housing and produce a constriction within the housing. The sidewall may also conform to the inner surface of the conveyor housing. The ramp may also include a recess that extends along the sidewall. The recess may receive a shaft of the conveyor. One nozzle may be replaced with another in order to accommodate different harvesting conditions. The ramp compresses grain traveling through the conveyor to provide a continuous flow of grain. The continuous flow of grain provides for accurate measurements of grain characteristics by a sensor located adjacent to the flow of grain.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2020Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: Deere & CompanyInventors: Candace Popp, Douglas G. Temple, Nithin Chaithanya Reddy Choudary, Wolfram Haiges
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Patent number: 11716935Abstract: The automatic, rotating agricultural system rotates around a central pivot point in either a full rotation or a partial arc to irrigate, plant and/or harvest a field. The agricultural system includes a center pivot frame, a plurality of frame segments connected to each other, and a feed storage bin connected to the center pivot frame and the frame segments. The frame segment includes a section frame including wheels to enable movements, a cutter trolley beam extends in a radial direction of the section frame, a cutterhead coupled to the cutter trolley beam to cut forage or crop, a radial conveyor that moves the cut forage or crop in the radial direction of the section frame, and a cutter conveyor that moves the cut forage or crop from the cutterhead to the radial conveyor.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2020Date of Patent: August 8, 2023Assignee: FOI GROUP LLCInventor: David Munson
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Patent number: 11712004Abstract: A follower assembly of a cam assembly for a harvester reel including a baffle, a compressible member adjacent the baffle, and a roller spacer adjacent the compressible member. The follower assembly further includes a tubular cam follower housing the roller spacer, and a fastener extending through the tubular cam follower, the roller spacer, the compressible member and the baffle. The resultant follower assembly provides a construction which minimizes peening of the baffle, whereby the fastener maintains its clamp load such that the cam followers maintain engagement with the cam track and the potential for breakage of the fastener is minimized.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2020Date of Patent: August 1, 2023Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLCInventor: Barry E. Lehman
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Patent number: 11707018Abstract: A handle adjustment assembly is attached to a walk-behind lawn mower, wherein the handle adjustment assembly is rotatably adjustable relative to a deck of the mower to allow the handle to be adjusted to multiple different heights relative to the ground at distinct operative positions. The handle adjustment assembly is also rotatable to allow the handle to be adjusted to a stored position adjacent to the deck, wherein the mower can be stored in a substantially vertical orientation.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2022Date of Patent: July 25, 2023Assignee: MTD PRODUCTS INCInventor: Mark Driscoll
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Patent number: 11696527Abstract: Compound headers may include two or more crop harvester types that are operable to harvest different crops simultaneously, such as different crops grown in the same field in an intercropped relationship. The simultaneously harvested crops may be separated into individual crop flows that are handled separately from each other.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2020Date of Patent: July 11, 2023Assignee: Deere & CompanyInventor: Noel W. Anderson
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Patent number: 11696532Abstract: A baler includes a chamber having a fixed size that receives crops and houses a formed bale. A tailgate is connected to a frame and is movable between a closed position, for cooperating with the frame to delimit the chamber, and an open position, for discharging the formed bale. A conveying assembly delimits the chamber for imparting a rotating movement to the crops contained in the chamber, and has a first portion provided in the frame and a second portion provided in the tailgate. An actuator includes a closing chamber and moves the tailgate from the open position to the closed position upon receiving an actuating fluid in the closing chamber. A binder binds the formed bale, and a pressure sensor detects a control signal representative of a pressure inside the closing chamber of the actuator. A control unit generates an alert signal as a function of the control signal.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2018Date of Patent: July 11, 2023Assignee: KVERNELAND GROUP RAVENNA S.R.L.Inventors: Valerio Casadei, Cosimo Frascella
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Patent number: 11691824Abstract: A detection system for an agricultural header includes a belt that has at least one physical feature driven by a roller at a roller rotational speed. The detection system also includes a sensor that detects a physical feature as it passes the sensor during rotation of the belt. The detection system further includes a controller that receives a signal indicating a first pulse of a first time a physical feature passes the sensor during the rotation of the belt and a second pulse of a second time a physical feature passes the sensor during the rotation of the belt. The controller further determines a pulse frequency based on the first and second times and calculates a belt rotational speed based on the pulse frequency. The controller compares the belt rotational speed to the roller rotational speed and provides an output if the roller rotational speed exceeds a threshold.Type: GrantFiled: February 5, 2020Date of Patent: July 4, 2023Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLCInventors: Jeffrey C. Trowbridge, Cory Douglas Hunt
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Patent number: 11684016Abstract: A chopper for an agricultural harvester comprises a housing, a rotor, a bank of counter-knives, and an adjuster. The housing comprises a variable geometry outlet floor. The is positioned in an interior region of the housing for rotation therein relative to the housing. The bank of counter-knives is movable relative to the rotor between a first aggressiveness position and a second aggressiveness position to adjust chopping aggressiveness of the chopper. The outlet floor comprises a ramp movable relative to the rotor between a first ramp position and a second ramp position. The adjuster positions the ramp in the first ramp position when the bank of counter-knives is positioned in the first aggressiveness position and positions the ramp in the second ramp position when the bank of counter-knives is positioned in the second aggressiveness position.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2020Date of Patent: June 27, 2023Assignee: Deere & CompanyInventors: Christopher J. Faulkner, Martin Rittershofer, Dirk Schubert, Martin Stock
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Patent number: 11684012Abstract: A crop harvesting header with a cutter bar and a draper assembly has a draper which includes a front edge of the upper run of the draper arranged at a position adjacent to but spaced from the cutter bar and there is provided a sealing member extending along the cutter bar. The sealing member is includes a bracket and a strip of flexible material where the bracket does not include any rearwardly extending biasing portion and the strip, when free from loading forces, contains a distortion from a flat form so that the second edge portion is distorted from a plane of the first edge portion in a direction toward the edge portion of the upper run.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2020Date of Patent: June 27, 2023Assignee: MacDon Industries LTDInventors: Francois R Talbot, Romain Etienne Guy Coudiere
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Patent number: 11678605Abstract: A mower deck leveling linkage includes an eccentric leveling plate connecting between upper and lower linkages. The eccentric leveling plate pivots on an off-center axis to change the length of the linkage and level the mower deck.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2020Date of Patent: June 20, 2023Assignee: DEERE & COMPANYInventors: Wesley E. Clontz, Chad L. Helland, Scott M. Johanek
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Patent number: 11672204Abstract: An agricultural implement having a main chassis member having a support structure with support arms connected to the support structure for movement between a working position and a transport position, the support arms being provided with operating elements remote from the support structure, the support structure defining a working width between the operating elements and the main chassis member, and the support arms being adjustable in the working position between a length corresponding to minimum working width and a length greater than the minimum working width. In the transport position a distance between the operating elements and the main chassis member is less than the minimum working width. In a headland position the support arms are adjustable such that a distance between the operating elements and the main chassis member is less than the minimum working width.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2020Date of Patent: June 13, 2023Assignee: AGCO International GmbHInventor: Johannes Fillep
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Patent number: 11672207Abstract: A cutting assembly includes: a rotor having extensions; a rotor floor disposed adjacent to the rotor and having knife slots formed therein, the rotor floor defining a cutting side and a shielded side on the opposite side of the rotor floor; movable knives that each extend through a respective knife slot into the cutting side to cooperate with the extensions in a cutting position and are disposed on the shielded side such that the knives do not cooperate with the extensions in a retracted position; and a knife guide including a pair of spaced apart guide surfaces coupled to the rotor floor on the shielded side and defining a gap therebetween. A respectively associated knife is at least partially disposed in the gap when in the retracted position. At least one of the guide surfaces defines a curved shape that corresponds to a cutting edge profile of the associated knife.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2020Date of Patent: June 13, 2023Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLCInventors: Enrico Giuliani, Chandrashekhar Singh
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Patent number: 11666001Abstract: Weed seeds are destroyed in the chaff from a combine harvester by repeated high speed impacts caused by a rotor mounted in one of a pair of side by side housings which accelerate the discarded seeds in a direction centrifugally away from the rotor onto a stator including angularly adjustable stator surfaces around the axis. Thus the discarded seeds rebound back and forth between the rotor and the stator to provide a plurality of impacts. The destructor is mounted on a suitable drive shaft within the straw path and the chaff and weed seed material is carried from the rear end of the sieve to the destructor on the straw chopper by one or more fans driving the material through a transfer duct.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2020Date of Patent: June 6, 2023Assignee: Tritana Intellectual Property Ltd.Inventor: Dean Mayerle