Patents by Inventor Russell J. Kempf

Russell J. Kempf 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: 20170202146
    Abstract: A continuous windrow merger has a frame that supports center, right and left pickup assemblies. The pickup assemblies each include a pickup head and a conveyor assembly. The pickup head has a cylindrical reel and a plurality of tines extending radially outwardly from the reel. The pickup head is arranged to pickup and deliver crop material rearward to the conveyor assembly. The conveyor assembly has a draper belt with an upper surface arranged to receive crop material from the pickup head and transfer the crop material in a lateral direction. The draper belt is mounted with the upper surface sloping downwardly and rearwardly from the pickup head. The merger has a folded configuration for transport in which the right and left wing frame sections extend generally vertically above the center frame section. The frame can be attached to the front of a self-propelled traction unit or towed behind a tractor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Inventors: Randall J. Clark, Russell J. Kempf
  • Publication number: 20160007522
    Abstract: A continuous windrow merger has a frame that supports center, right and left pickup assemblies. The pickup assemblies each include a pickup head and a conveyor assembly. The pickup head has a cylindrical reel and a plurality of tines extending radially outwardly from the reel. The pickup head is arranged to pickup and deliver crop material rearward to the conveyor assembly. The conveyor assembly has a draper belt with an upper surface arranged to receive crop material from the pickup head and transfer the crop material in a lateral direction. The draper belt is mounted with the upper surface sloping downwardly and rearwardly from the pickup head. The merger has a folded configuration for transport in which the right and left wing frame sections extend generally vertically above the center frame section. The frame can be attached to the front of a self-propelled traction unit or towed behind a tractor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2015
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Randall J Clark, Russell J Kempf
  • Publication number: 20140260168
    Abstract: A continuous windrow merger has a frame that supports center, right and left pickup assemblies. The pickup assemblies each include a pickup head and a conveyor assembly. The pickup head has a cylindrical reel and a plurality of tines extending radially outwardly from the reel. The pickup head is arranged to pickup and deliver crop material rearward to the conveyor assembly. The conveyor assembly has a draper belt with an upper surface arranged to receive crop material from the pickup head and transfer the crop material in a lateral direction. The draper belt is mounted with the upper surface sloping downwardly and rearwardly from the pickup head. The merger has a folded configuration for transport in which the right and left wing frame sections extend generally vertically above the center frame section. The frame can be attached to the front of a self-propelled traction unit or towed behind a tractor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: RCI Engineering LLC
    Inventors: Randall J. Clark, Russell J. Kempf
  • Publication number: 20130212815
    Abstract: A gauge wheel assembly for a hand held portable power tool has first and second gauge wheels arranged on opposite lateral sides of a working attachment of the tool to contact the ground and gauge the height of the working attachment relative to the ground. The gauge wheel assembly includes a clamp assembly that clamps to an outer surface of a tubular boom of the tool. First and second arms extend outwardly from opposite lateral sides of the clamp assembly and have distal portions that support the gauge wheels adjacent to the lateral sides of the working attachment. A plurality of mounting locations are provided in the distal portions of the first and second arms for adjustably mounting the gauge wheels to the arms. The working attachment can be a rotary sweeper that extends in a cantilever fashion from a center gearbox attached to the tubular boom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Inventors: Russell J. Kempf, Perry S. Kempf
  • Patent number: 6971225
    Abstract: A control arrangement is configured to remotely control operation of a windrow merger pulled by a tow vehicle. The windrow merger includes a plurality of functional systems or assemblies configured to selectively collect and discharge crop material, and that can be adjusted to alter the operating characteristics or parameters of the windrow merger. The control arrangement includes a controller, a housing, and a harness configured to communicate control signals from the controller to the number of functional assemblies. The control arrangement further includes a manifold assembly configured to the control signals from the controller to respective control valves operable to control operation of the number of functional assemblies. Thereby, the controller allows the operator to regulate operation and activation of each of the number of functional assemblies from the operator's cab of the tow vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Gehl Company
    Inventors: Russell J. Kempf, Damion D. Babler, George B. Cicci
  • Patent number: 6125617
    Abstract: A pull-type harvester includes a cutterhead assembly and a conveying assembly, such as an auger, which conveys cut crop material to a discharge blower. These components define a flow path for cut crop material through the harvester, and a crop processing mill is removably positionable within the flow path for processing the cut crop material in certain conditions for enhancing digestibility of the crop material. The auger assembly is pivotably mounted to the harvester, and is movable so as to accommodate placement of the crop processing mill in the flow path or removal of the crop processing mill therefrom. Filler members are provided for enclosing spaces formed in the crop material flow path resulting from pivoting movement of the auger assembly. The crop processing mill can be selectively installed between the cutterhead and the auger for selectively providing crop processing capability when desired, and the crop processing mill can be removed if conditions do not require crop processing capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Gehl Company
    Inventors: Roger L. Villers, Russell J. Kempf