Patents by Inventor Michael Flintoft

Michael Flintoft 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).

  • Patent number: 10701863
    Abstract: A controller on a harvester vehicle is arranged to automatically identify a header in electrical communication with the vehicle upon key activation of the harvester vehicle. Programming instructions on the controller can generate notifications to the user based upon a state of activation of the float mechanism and the state of header identity detection. The controller also prompts the user to confirm the identity of the header if the detected identity of the header has changed. The controller also uses header identity to log usage hours of the header on the computer controller in association with the identity of the header such that maintenance schedules for a plurality of different headers interchangeably used on a common harvester vehicle can be tracked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: MacDon Industries Ltd.
    Inventors: Benjamin Foster, Michael Flintoft, Sivian Loevsky, John Baldwin, Leonard Bergman
  • Publication number: 20190261554
    Abstract: A controller on a harvester vehicle is arranged to automatically identify a header in electrical communication with the vehicle upon key activation of the harvester vehicle. Programming instructions on the controller can generate notifications to the user based upon a state of activation of the float mechanism and the state of header identity detection. The controller also prompts the user to confirm the identity of the header if the detected identity of the header has changed. The controller also uses header identity to log usage hours of the header on the computer controller in association with the identity of the header such that maintenance schedules for a plurality of different headers interchangeably used on a common harvester vehicle can be tracked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Inventors: Benjamin Foster, Michael Flintoft, Sivian Loevsky, John Baldwin, Leonard Bergman
  • Publication number: 20190183048
    Abstract: A hydraulically driven tractor has a header drive system including a header drive motor and a header drive pump driven by an engine for generating a source of hydraulic fluid under pressure for the header drive motor, and a ground drive system including a wheel drive motor and a wheel drive pump driven by the engine for generating a source of hydraulic fluid under pressure for the wheel drive motor. A controller receives input from sensors so as to monitor: a header drive demand value, a wheel drive demand value, an engine load value, and/or an engine RPM value for comparisons to acceptable threshold range to vary the target throttle value if outside of one of the ranges. The controller can also vary the displacement of the wheel drive pump and/or the wheel drive motor in response to variation of the target throttle value to maintain ground speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventors: Michael Flintoft, Benjamin Foster, Neil Barnett
  • Publication number: 20190090424
    Abstract: A swather with a crop cutting header includes a swath roller for rolling on the swath carried on a mounting assembly attached to the tractor frame and a lifting assembly for lifting the roller free from the swath where a control unit is arranged to lift the swath roller to the raised position thereof when the header is raised to the raised position thereof. The control unit also includes a GPS position sensing system so that the roller is lifted at positions determined by the GPS position sensing system. The mounting assembly comprises a mounting frame rigidly attached to the rear walking beam of the tractor so that the mounting frame is held at a set position relative to the tractor determined by a position of the beam so that the swath roller is not pivotally mounted relative to the tractor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: Jason Strobbe, Richard Kirkby, Michael Flintoft, Neil Gordon Barnett
  • Publication number: 20150319924
    Abstract: A swather with a crop cutting header includes a swath roller for rolling on the swath carried on a mounting assembly attached to the tractor frame and a lifting assembly for lifting the roller free from the swath where a control unit is arranged to lift the swath roller to the raised position thereof when the header is raised to the raised position thereof. The control unit also includes a GPS position sensing system so that the roller is lifted at positions determined by the GPS position sensing system. The mounting assembly comprises a mounting frame rigidly attached to the rear walking beam of the tractor so that the mounting frame is held at a set position relative to the tractor determined by a position of the beam so that the swath roller is not pivotally mounted relative to the tractor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Inventors: Jason Strobbe, Richard Kirkby, Michael Flintoft, Neil Gordon Barnett