Patents Examined by Arpád Fábián Kovács
  • Adjustable stalk stomper/chopper curtain assembly
    Patent number: 10945371
    Abstract: An adjustable stalk stomper and/or chopper curtain assembly for a header of an agricultural harvester. The adjustable assembly comprises a control arm, at least one member connected to the control arm, wherein the at least one member is configured to knock down plant stalks and/or to shield the agricultural harvester from flying debris, and wherein the control arm is configured to provide for adjustment of the orientation of the at least one member relative to the ground and the header. An agricultural harvester header may include the above adjustable assembly and a frame having a toolbar. An agricultural harvester may include such header.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Kyle Lauff, Eric Lee Walker, Herb Farley, Robert D. Crandall
  • Flexible head platform of canvas or draper with double swather and attaching device
    Patent number: 10945372
    Abstract: A feeding device for a flexible canvas or draper harvester characterized by upper beam (8) linked to a lower front beam (10) and joined by side covers (11) forming a frame, integral with a lateral stud supports (12) and a central stud supports (13) associated with a central lower beam (9) cut into three sections; the central stud supports (13) are integral with the anchors of the coupling device (15) and with the flexible body supports (14); the central stud supports (13) and lateral stud supports (12) are linked to the conveyor belts with flexible canvases (3, 4, 5 and 6), forming a central body and two laterals with space to accommodate a double row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Metal Noet S.R.L.
    Inventor: Juan Carlos Piersanti
  • Harvester feeder
    Patent number: 10945373
    Abstract: A harvester feeder may include a housing forming a crop passage having a width and a conveyor supported by the housing to extend above crops being conveyed along the crop passage. The conveyor may include a frame, at least one forward tensioner, at least one drive sprocket and at least one belt about the forward tensioner and the drive sprocket. In one implementation, the at least one belt forms a substantially uninterrupted crop engaging belt surface extending across a majority of the width. In one implementation, each belt has an upper portion and a lower portion with the lower portion being adjacent the crop passage, wherein a crop massager extends between the upper portion and the lower portion and resume only presses the lower portion of the continuous belt towards the crop passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Adam J. Donohoe, Michael T. Meschke
  • Combine having a temporary retention unit and a shutter
    Patent number: 10945367
    Abstract: A combine including a grain tank that retains grain conveyed from a threshing device; a discharge auger; a temporary retention unit within the grain tank that temporarily retains part of the grain and has a discharge port; a quality measurement unit that detects quality of the grain retained in the temporary retention unit; a shutter transitionable between a position where the discharge port is open and a position where the discharge port is closed; a control unit that opens the shutter when the measurement by the quality measurement unit is completed and closes the shutter when all of the grain in the temporary retention unit is discharged; a volume measurement unit that detects the retention volume of the grain retained in the grain tank; and a determination unit that determines whether the retention volume exceeds a predetermined value, and if so, the control unit stops the opening/closing control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Inoue, Kazuhiro Takahara, Hiroshi Ikeda, Kazunori Matsufuji, Katsuhide Kato
  • System and method for ground following of a combine header with flexible cutter bar
    Patent number: 10945370
    Abstract: A harvesting head for a combine and method of operating. An attachment frame at an aft end of the head attaches with a combine feederhouse. A main frame of the head is movably connected to the attachment frame, and the main frame has a range of travel with respect to the attachment frame. A resilient float element is provided between the attachment and main frames. A flexible cutterbar on the main frame operates to cut crops. The cutterbar is supported on the main frame by a plurality of pivoting arms distributed across a width of the head. With the main frame in a nominal intermediate position within the range of travel, the plurality of pivoting arms have 10 percent or less of total available travel as upward travel and at least 90 percent of total available travel as downward travel when the head is set in the nominal position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Michael L. Vandeven, Alex Brimeyer, Duane M. Bomleny, Bryan R. Yanke, Adam L. Heeren, Joshua R. Pierson
  • Combine head skid plate with optimized shape
    Patent number: 10945374
    Abstract: A skid plate for use with a combine harvester head unit moving in a direction of travel. The skid plate includes a body, and a contact surface at least partially defined by the body, the contact surface including a leading edge facing the direction of travel and a trailing edge opposite the leading edge, where the contact surface at least partially defines a groove, where the groove defines a groove width, and where the groove width varies as the groove extends away from the leading edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Shreyas Modak, Mark Schuler, Adam L. Heeren, Sai K. Nandigam
  • Material conveyance system in a combine harvester
    Patent number: 10939618
    Abstract: A combine harvester is provided with a conveyance system for transporting crop material discharged by overhead grain separating apparatus to a grain cleaning shoe. The conveyance system comprises a series of oscillating pans which move the grain in a generally longitudinal direction. A return pan conveys the collected material forwardly to a front discharge edge from where the material falls onto a stratification pan below. The stratification pan conveys the collected material rearwardly to a rear discharge edge from where the material falls into the grain cleaning shoe. At least one of the return pan and the stratification pan is non-rectangular and has a non-transverse discharge edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: AGCO INTERNATIONAL GMBH
    Inventors: Kenneth During, Morten Leth Bilde
  • Concave adjustment system in a combine harvester twin axial-flow crop processor
    Patent number: 10932414
    Abstract: A combine harvester including a frame and two axial-flow crop processing rotors mounted to the frame. An inner support structure is located between the two rotors and mounted to the frame by a first linkage. Two outer support structures are located outboard of the two rotors and mounted to the frame by respective second and third linkages. The inner support structure and two outer support structures carry first and second pluralities of concave grate segments at a radial distance from the respective rotors. A concave adjustment system includes a first actuator coupled to the first linkage which is configured to raise and lower the inner support structure. A second actuator is coupled to the second and third linkages and is configured to raise and lower the two outer support structures. The first linkage includes a first rockshaft mounted to the frame and aligned perpendicular to the rotation axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: AGCO Corporation
    Inventors: William Ryan Haar, Nicholas H. Williams, Joseph M. Biggerstaff
  • Sugarcane harvester crop divider live toe with fixed shoe
    Patent number: 10932412
    Abstract: A crop divider assembly for a sugarcane harvesting machine that has a first scroll having an upper end and a lower end, a first toe defined along a portion of the lower end of the first scroll, the first toe being a radially inward taper of the first scroll, and a shoe positioned adjacent to a portion of the first toe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Eric P. Richard, Dusk S. Mixon, Neville H. Toft, Mark A. Matherne, Rafael Braga De Freitas Soares Lopes
  • Conveyor roller set and harvesting machine
    Patent number: 10925214
    Abstract: A set of conveyor rollers for use in agricultural machines, especially those of the stalk and tall plants harvester type, including front elements arranged in an independent front platform. The conveyor roller set includes a front aperture (6) for receiving the harvested material (MC) from a platform (P), the set including at least one upper roller (20a) and at least one lower roller (20b) disposed in the platform (A), wherein the upper conveyor roller (20a?) has a diameter (D) greater than the diameter (d) of the lower conveyor roller (20b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventor: Andre Seki
  • Draper canvas seal
    Patent number: 10918017
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: MacDon Industries LTD
    Inventors: Francois R. Talbot, Romain Etienne Guy Coudiere
  • System for adjusting the conveyor belt tension force within an agricultural harvester
    Patent number: 10918019
    Abstract: In one aspect, a system for adjusting the conveyor belt tension force within an agricultural harvester may include a conveyor having a first roller, a second roller spaced apart from the first roller, and a conveyor belt configured to engage the first and second rollers. The system may also include a tensioner assembly having a ratcheting mechanism configured to selectively adjust a position of the first roller relative to the second roller to adjust a tension force exerted on the conveyor belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Jason R. Coppinger, Bryan Benjamin Finley, Kevin Hammer, William Lee Cooksey
  • Wrap feed assembly for round module builder
    Patent number: 10912257
    Abstract: A crop module builder including a module wrapping assembly configured to wrap a module with a wrap provided by a wrap roll. The crop module builder includes a floor including a plurality of belts configured to move the wrap from the wrap roll toward a front of the floor, wherein the floor includes a first position and a second position. A guiderod structure is operatively connected to the floor, wherein the guide rod structure is configured to move with movement of the floor. A mat is operatively connected to the floor and to the guide rod structure, wherein the mat spans a gap between the guide rod structure and the deck in the first position and in the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Marcus A. Jacobson, Jeffrey S. Wigdahl
  • Structural set for header assembly and harvesting machine
    Patent number: 10905049
    Abstract: A structural set for assembling a header intended for harvesters is capable of compensation of the lateral movement of the header according to the ground conditions of the planting rows being harvested. More particularly, a structural set for assembling a header in an agricultural machine comprising a girder with a central beam interconnected to at least two structural columns, the central beam being provided with a pivoting point for engaging and fastening a bracket, and at least one return element of the bracket for returning the bracket in a substantially horizontal position when at rest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: João Augusto Marcolin Lucca, Andre Seki
  • Self-adjustable feeder for sugar cane harvesting device
    Patent number: 10905048
    Abstract: A self-adjustable feeder for a sugarcane harvesting device having two vertical feeding rollers rotating in opposite directions, aligned side by side and horizontally moving, kept under traction one against the other by at least one actuator. The upper edges of both feeding rollers, besides being coupled to hydraulic engines rotating in opposite directions, are also hinged to a rear opening and closing structure, with a guiding system to change the distance between the vertical centers of the feeding rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: INDÚSTRIAS REUNIDAS COLOMBO LTDA
    Inventor: Luiz Henrique Bertino
  • Corn harvester
    Patent number: 10897846
    Abstract: A harvester includes a main frame, first side frame, and a second side frame. The first and second side frames are rotatable about the main frame between a deployed position and a stowed position. A first crop divider is rotatable with respect to the first side frame to change an angle between the first crop divider and the ground. A first biasing member biases the first crop divider into the raised position. A second crop divider is rotatable with respect to the second side frame to change an angle between the second crop divider and the ground. A second biasing member biases the second crop divider into the raised position. During movement of the first and second side frames into the stowed position, the first and second crop dividers are moved into the lowered position against the biasing force of the respective biasing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Troy M. Heims, Nathan E. Krehbiel, Steve A. Coon, Dennis P. Silver, Eric D. Windsor, Eric H. Stone
  • Forage harvester and method for converting same
    Patent number: 10897847
    Abstract: A forage harvester is configured to chop harvested material and includes at least one conditioning unit for conditioning the chopped harvested material. The conditioning unit may transfer from its active position (in which operatively connected with other working units) to its passive position (in which the conditioning unit is released from the operational connection). In the passive position, the condition unit may be removed from the entirety of the forage harvester. The forage harvester further includes at least two track drives arranged on opposing ends of a front axle of the forage harvester. The forage harvester includes a free cross-section positioned on a removal side of the forage harvester through which the conditioning unit, in its passive position, can be removed laterally from the rest of the forage harvester, as well as removed above the track drive assigned to the removal side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventor: Jochen Rathjens
  • Differential speed stalk rolls
    Patent number: 10874052
    Abstract: Differential speed stalk rolls mountable to a row unit of a row crop head. A first stalk roll body has an outer peripheral speed less than the outer peripheral speed of a second stalk roll body in lateral spaced relation. At least one of the first and second bodies includes a knife defining a knife plane normal to the axis of rotation of the first or second stalk roll. The stalk roll bodies may have modular and interchangeable body segments of different configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Kingdom Ag Concepts, Inc.
    Inventors: Rich Gramm, Corbin Fehr, Austin Bitting, Robert Schlipf
  • Utility vehicle with onboard and remote control systems
    Patent number: 10869425
    Abstract: A utility vehicle having operator selectable onboard and remote controls also includes a prime mover and a power generating device driven thereby, first and second electric wheel motors, and a drive controller in communication with the wheel motors to control the output thereof and in communication with the onboard controls. A radio control receiver is in communication with the drive controller and with a radio control transmitter having steering and speed controls. The vehicle includes a control mode switch having a first position where the drive controller receives steering and speed control inputs from the onboard controls, and a second position where the drive controller receives steering and speed control inputs from the radio control transmitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Jake Siudyla, Alyn G. Brown, Ivan E. Fox, Jesse L. Probst, Scott W. Keller, K. Mike McCoy
  • Crop conveyor deck with adjustable discharge angle
    Patent number: 10863673
    Abstract: A windrower with a header has a conveying medium with first and second portions connected with a pivot joint and moveable across a plural rollers configured to receive crop material from the header and direct the crop material to a side of the windrower to form a windrow on the ground to the side of the windrower. In an operational position and with the frame selected to one of the predetermined angular adjustments, the conveying medium discharges the harvested crop material at an angle of trajectory determined by the selected angular position of the second portion. The windrower harvests crop with the header, receives the mowed crop on the conveyor system, adjusts a rate at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system, and adjusts an angle of trajectory at which the mowed crop is discharged from the conveyor system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: AGCO Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas R. Treffer, Daniel S. Jost, Shane A. Bollinger