Patents Examined by Aŕpád F Kovács
  • Patent number: 6698175
    Abstract: The invention relates to an adjustment arrangement for a reel tine carrier (5) supporting reaping tines (8) for a cereal cutting device. The reaping tines (8) are mounted on rotational tine carriers (5). The adjustment is carried out around an adjustment axis (9). The reel rotates around an axis of rotation (2). To adjust the reaping tines (8), a first control curve (19) is kept stationary relative to the reel (1). Each tine carrier (5) is provided with a control lever (16). The control lever is pivotably supported on the reel (1). One end of the control lever is supported on the first control curve (19). A pulling mechanism (11) is provided for each control lever (16). The pulling mechanism (11) is attached to one end on the control lever (16) and is guided around a control disc (10) mounted on the tine carrier (5). The other end of the pulling mechanism is fixed to a spring element (14). The spring element is fixed on the holding star 4 of the reel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Gebr. Schumacher Geratebaugesellschaft mbH
    Inventors: Gustav Schumacher, Fredrich-Wilhelm Schumacher, Klaus-Dieter Schumacher
  • Patent number: 6668531
    Abstract: A machine for harvesting forage including in particular a cutting mechanism and a device for treating the cut products. The treatment device includes at least two ribbed rollers which are driven in rotation by a transmission. The transmission includes at least one flexible element which collaborates with a driving member and driven members which are mounted on shafts which drive the rotation of the rollers. At least one of the driven members is mounted on its shaft by a freewheel configured to transmit rotational movement from the driven member to the shaft in just one direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Kuhn S.A.
    Inventors: Bernard Wattron, Martin Walch
  • Patent number: 6658833
    Abstract: An apparatus for collection and reduction of yard debris combining a frontally facing rotor-assisted vacuum pick up with a chipper-shredder-blower unit to induce airflow for entraining debris collected at the vacuum pick up; reduce the entrained debris to a more manageable volume; and impel the reduced debris to a free-flow-separator device for removing the debris from the air in which it is entrained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: BestRake, LLC
    Inventors: Charles E. Dunning, Richard B. Saathoff
  • Patent number: 6632136
    Abstract: A remote adjustment mechanism for the louvered cleaning elements of a combine harvester has a linearly movable output member directly fastened to the adjusting bar of each element. The actuator is driven by an electric motor. Calibration and feedback of the louver opening is provided by a pair of non-contact sensors sealed in the actuator housing. A first sensor sends a signal to a microprocessor controller when the output member is in a home position corresponding to a known louver opening. The second sensor sends a signal to the microprocessor that is responsive to movement of the output member. By tracking the movement of the output member from the home position, the current position of the output member is known from which the louver opening is determined based on the louver geometry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Mark David Anderson, Jon Leo Burns, Martin Kenneth Bush, Heather Irene Chervenka, Jeff Arthur Nelson, Jack Richard Seyller, Duane Herbert Ziegler
  • Patent number: 6581362
    Abstract: A mower-conditioner includes a header or platform which is equipped with a rotary disc cutter bar having a relatively long length with at least two cutting units being outboard of a central discharge passage where a pair of conditioner rolls are mounted for receiving the cut crop. Aiding in conveying crop to the discharge passage are right- and left-hand sets of three crop converging drums provided at each side of the discharge passage. The outer drums of the two sets are respectively mounted to the top of the right- and left-hand end cutting units of the cutter bar while the other two drums on each side are located behind an inward and rearward extending line that is tangent to the cylindrical path traced by the outer and inner ones of the drums on each side of the discharge passage. In one embodiment, a direct drive transmission is provided, and in a second embodiment a hydraulic motor is provided, for driving the inner two converging drums of each set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Allan Wesley Rosenbalm, Michael Joseph Verhulst
  • Patent number: 6511374
    Abstract: A residue handling system for an agricultural combine including a residue chopper that provides enhanced air flow for evenly distributing crop materials onto a crop field. A hub and blade assembly accurately positions flail blades and resists fatigue stresses. Each flail blade includes an outer portion that is angled longitudinally away from a plane transverse to the axis of rotation. In a mated blade pair embodiment, the leading edges of the paired flail blades may be closer to each other than the trailing edges, or vice versa. Also, the leading edges of the flail blade pair may be the same distance away as the trailing edges of the pair, beneficially directing discharge sideways in a preferred common direction. The assembly includes a mounting support post that has a width substantially equal to the distance between two mated blades. The mated blades are installed directly against the sides of the mounting support, without spacer bushings, using only three connector elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Case Corporation
    Inventor: Marvin VanEe
  • Patent number: 6510678
    Abstract: A lawn mower includes a front wheel suspension system as well as a rear wheel suspension system. A load compensation adjuster is employed as part of the rear wheel suspension system that compensates for riders having significantly differing weights, as well as for weight changes occurring during the mowing operation, such as from grass clippings accumulating in a grass catcher bag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Ferris Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: David Ferris, William Shea, Henry Nordberg
  • Patent number: 6499283
    Abstract: A roller for a crop conditioning system having a roller body with a compressible base mat, with a side of the base mat including a plurality of generally arcuate recessed areas and an plurality of raised areas adjacent the recessed areas, with each raised area including one or more longitudinally oriented slits therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Inventor: Ivan J. Cook
  • Patent number: 6467248
    Abstract: Methods for processing freshly harvested leafy produce, fruits and vegetables comprising cutting such produce, fruits and vegetables from their growth sites, removing the cores of the produce as necessary, positioning the produce, fruits and vegetables to allow their natural juices to exude from the cutting and coring sites for a time sufficient to permit substantially all the free-flowing natural juices at or near such sites to exude, and then washing the coring site to remove the exuded natural juices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Fresh Express, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard S. Brown
  • Patent number: 6446421
    Abstract: A hedge trimmer has a tool that is driven by a drive unit. At least one vibration-dampened handle is secured to the drive unit. The handle comprises a one-piece component having a grip portion and a mounting portion for mounting on the drive unit. To simplify mounting of the handle, the grip portion and the mounting portion are interconnected by a vibration-dampening intermediate portion. The mounting portion along with the intermediate portion and the grip portion form the one-piece or monolithic component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Firma Andreas Stihl AG & Co.
    Inventors: Jochen Kramer, Andreas Ehrmann, Heinz Hettmann, Andreas Schneider
  • Patent number: 6381933
    Abstract: The device consists of a tapered spline coupler for a drive shaft of a pull-type forage harvester. The first drive shaft and second drive shaft each have a set of tapered splines that are inserted into a tapered, internally splined coupler. A pair of retaining rings affixed to the drive shafts draws the shafts into the coupler. A retaining bolt may be tightened to force the shafts into the coupler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: New Holland North America, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Wanner, Robert A. Wagstaff
  • Patent number: 6375565
    Abstract: A tuber seed cutting apparatus includes a cutting section, a transport section, and a conveyor section. The cutting section includes a plurality of coulter blades coaxially spaced apart on a common axis. The transport section comprises a transport bed having a first side and an opposite second side and a plurality of rollers. The rollers move as a bed generally in a first direction towards the coulter blades, but rotate in a direction opposite the direction of the transport bed. The rollers comprise a plurality of first roller types and a plurality of second roller types that are placed adjacent either the first side or the second side, the second roller types being generally cylindrical and having a diagonal ridge placed on the circumference of the second roller type to direct items away from the sides and towards the center of the transport bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: E. M. Tanner & Sons, Inc.
    Inventors: Max W. Tanner, Lynn M. Turner
  • Patent number: 6276119
    Abstract: This invention relates to a suspension mechanism for a front mower or a mid-mount mower. A mower housing is suspended from a tractor body through a support axis extending in a fore and aft direction, and a seesaw arm pivotable about the support axis. Housing connectors, each having an elastic element such as a spring, are arranged between the seesaw arm and mower housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Oshima, Yoshio Tomiyama, Masaki Hayashi, Hiroshi Kawabata
  • Patent number: 6269617
    Abstract: A cutting apparatus including a plurality of rotating laser beams for cutting vegetation. The apparatus comprises a housing including side walls being extended generally perpendicular to form a downwardly oriented opening. An electrically powered laser cutting device is rotatably positioned centrally within the housing. A transport device is connectable to the housing to provide movement of the housing and laser cutting device along a surface covered by vegetation. The laser cutting device generates at least one laserbeam that is continuously rotatable in a 360° arc underneath the housing, with the at least one laser beam being adjustable in angular direction to direct laser beams in a plurality of angles arcing downwardly across the vegetation being cut. The speed of rotation of the one or more laser beams increases proportionally as ground speed increases for the cutting apparatus to provide adequate cutting of surface area in proportion to the ground speed across the vegetation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Inventor: Daniel R. Blanchard