Patents Examined by Meredith Petravick
  • Patent number: 6889489
    Abstract: A self propelled, steerable, vertically adjustable, hydraulicly driven, ganged mowing machine for trimming nursery products. The machine generally includes a horizontal platform that supports a staggered array of mower decks. Each mower deck is driven by a hydraulic motor operatively connected to a mower blade for trimming the nursery products. The platform is slideably connected to right and left vertically stationary frames such that the platform is vertically adjustable with respect to the ground, via a hydraulic cylinder interconnecting the platform and each frame. Each vertical frame includes an independently controllable hydraulically driven traction drive motor operably connected to a drive wheel for propelling the machine. The mowing machine also includes a prime mover. The prime mover drives a number of hydraulic pumps. At least one of the hydraulic pumps drives the hydraulic motors which drive the mower blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: Monrovia Nursery Company
    Inventors: Willis Fackrell, Bill Valov, C. Marrs Gist, Kevin Kling, Roger Rivers
  • Patent number: 6886315
    Abstract: A circuit for use with an apparatus such as a tractor having an output device such as a mower deck or snow thrower, comprising a user operated switch and a position sensing switch to detect the rotational direction of a shaft such as an output axle, so that the operational status of the output device may be changed depending on the rotational direction of the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Raymond Hauser, Lonnie E. Holder, Scott W. Keller
  • Patent number: 6881145
    Abstract: A combine harvester has a husk discharge device mounted downstream from a sieving unit, and a blower mounted in a housing having at least one husk discharge opening, and a straw chopping device, which is located downstream from a straw shaking device and the husk discharge device and which has a rotary cutter mounted in a housing to chop the straw, the housing having an inlet for the unchopped straw and an outlet for the chopped straw. A guide means is located upstream of the straw chopping device, the guide means being displaceable between a first position for closing the inlet so as to effect bypassing of the straw chopping device and allowing deposition of the unchopped straw in the form of strings, and a second position in which is exposed the inlet to allow chopping of straw. A spreading device for spreading of the chopped straw received from the straw chopping device is connected to the outlet thereof and is formed with spreader wings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Rekordverken Sweden AB
    Inventor: Bengt Holmen
  • Patent number: 6877301
    Abstract: An apparatus for finely pulverizing lawn debris has a central drive shaft with a clutch driven by a gasoline or electrical power source. Lawn debris is drawn into a suction chamber by a fan impeller blade mounted on the central drive shaft. The fan impeller blade initiates pulverization of the debris. A grinding blade with a plurality of blade elements is mounted on the central drive shaft below the fan impeller blade and effects additional pulverization of the debris. A clutch is mounted next on the drive shaft followed by a distributing plate with a plurality of inclined apertures for dispensing a high velocity stream of the pulverized debris uniformly over a lawn from the rotating distributing plate. When the clutch is disengaged the distributing plate rotation is stopped and the finely pulverized garden debris is collected in a side collection chamber and is periodically emptied through a bottom discharge gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Inventors: Michael U. Nwosu, Eric S. Ndumele
  • Patent number: 6877302
    Abstract: A mid-mount mower including a body frame supported above the ground by front wheels and rear wheels, and a mower unit vertically movably suspended from the body frame between the front wheels and rear wheels. The mower unit includes a mower deck having a top board, and a front wall, side walls and a rear wall depending from the top board. The mower deck has a rearwardly opening recess formed in a sideways middle region at a rear end thereof. A mower input shaft is disposed on the top board for transmitting power to the rotary blades juxtaposed inside the mower deck to be rotatable about three vertical axes arranged sideways. The mower input shaft extends longitudinally of the body frame and has a rear connecting end. A PTO shaft is provided in a rear transmission mechanism that drives the rear wheels. The PTO shaft extends longitudinally of the body frame and has a forward connecting end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Samejima, Kenichi Chujo, Teruo Shimamura, Yoshiyuki Esaki, Masatoshi Yamaguchi, Yoshihiro Kawahara
  • Patent number: 6874259
    Abstract: A device for working a snow surface, includes an endless flexible band, snow-working members arranged on the outside of the band, support elements for supporting and guiding the band, drive elements capable of moving the band around the support elements. Shaping elements are arranged and designed such as to be capable of changing the shape of the part of the band that is in contact with the snow-surface during work.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: MCS Multicat Systems AB
    Inventors: Gustaf Eriksson, Ulf Erik Thors
  • Patent number: 6874306
    Abstract: A hand-pushed mower provided with a frame holding an engine, a wheel disposed under a lower end of the frame, a handle disposed on an upper end of the frame, and a mowing blade disposed in front of the wheel and rotated by the engine, wherein the wheel is formed into a barrel-shaped configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: VIV Engineering Inc.
    Inventor: Tadashi Hishida
  • Patent number: 6871425
    Abstract: A wing plow apparatus is disclosed for attachment to a vehicle for carrying out a benching operation. The apparatus includes a moldboard having an inboard and an outboard end and a top edge and a cutting edge. A wing post supports and guides the moldboard between a lower and a benching disposition of the moldboard, the benching disposition being higher than the lower disposition. The wing post includes a cylinder and a piston slidably disposed within the cylinder. A connecting rod has a first and a second end, with the first end being secured to the piston. The second end of the connecting rod is rigidly connected to the vehicle. The wing post also includes a further cylinder and a further piston slidably disposed within the further cylinder. A further connecting rod has a first and a second termination. The first termination is secured to the further piston and the second termination is connected to the inboard end of the moldboard. The cylinder and the further cylinder are rigidly secured to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: Monroe Truck Equipment Inc.
    Inventor: Richard L. Feller
  • Patent number: 6869355
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for determining grain loss of a harvesting machine. The harvesting machine has a crop-separating region with separating members. The separating members each have separation sensors for generating a signal corresponding to the crop quantity separated. This signal is delivered to an evaluating unit for further processing. Processing includes determining a separation curve for at least some of the separating zones and converting the separation curve to a characteristic quantity. From this measured characteristic quantity, a loss is determined based on a characteristic curve deposited in the evaluating unit. By avoiding direct loss measurement on the harvesting machine, the negative crop-related effects on determining grain loss are considerably reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Gerd Bernhardt, Ralf Hübner
  • Patent number: 6865828
    Abstract: The improvements provide for the lugs of the tooth to have stepped guides at the top and bottom which combine with widened end regions for greater reinforcement and with a projecting internal abutment in at least one of said lugs, capable of being guided in a corresponding straight guide of the tooth holder, being arranged, after it is mounted, so as to retain the pin from behind, which pin is arranged in a pin seating arranged generally vertically in the body of the tooth holder, with a gently curved and inclined structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Metalogenia, S.A.
    Inventors: Javier Puevo Molino, Jorge Pallas Moreno, Nil Vallve I Bertran, Rafael Ferrer Ruiz
  • Patent number: 6862876
    Abstract: In a piston press for bales of harvested material, comprising a plunger piston (K) movable forwards and backwards, a feeding channel (Z) including a reel (R), driven by a crank mechanism, with reel levers (10) on a crankshaft journal (8) of the crank mechanism, a control drive, and a switching device (V) for changing the movement path (l, f) of the reel tips between loading and feeding strokes, wherein a control arm (11) elongating the reel lever (10) is coupled with a control rod (13) supported in a displaceable control joint (G) and the control joint (G) is fixable in at least one position corresponding to a feeding stroke movement path, the control joint (G) is fixed only in the position for a feeding stroke (l) while it remains freely movable during each loading stroke (f).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Kverneland Geldrop BV
    Inventors: Leonardus H. M. Amstel Van, Matthijs J. Wondergem, Leonardus J. Wildenberg Van Den, Jean-Claude Galant
  • Patent number: 6863138
    Abstract: A roller bit is provided having super-abrasive inserts on cutting portions to assure that the bit will maintain cutting efficiency. In the described exemplary bits, the axes of the roller cones are also offset by a significant or “high offset” amount from the central longitudinal axis of the bit, thereby providing for increased shearing and grinding action by the bit. The use of high offset in combination with super-abrasive inserts provides for optimal bit cutting designs which provide increases in ROP while preserving the bit's ability to hold gage and remain durable to achieve acceptable footage. Minimum high offsets and preferred high offsets are described for various bit sizes, designs and nomenclatures, including milled tooth bits and insert-type bits designed for use in soft-through-medium formation hardnesses as well as formations with greater hardnesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Smith International, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Allen Siracki
  • Patent number: 6860094
    Abstract: A rigid refuse bag liner for insertion into a yard refuse bag for supporting the yard refuse bag in an open condition. The rigid yard refuse bag liner is an elongated enclosure having an open bottom and having a tapered construction such that its bottom portion is wider than its top portion, which facilitates the removal of the rigid liner once the refuse bag liner/refuse bag are filled with yard refuse. To further facilitate this removal, air vents running through the enclosure permit the passage of air as the rigid liner is lifted upward, out of the yard bag. A compactor is associated with the rigid liner whereby the compactor is a planar surface coupled to a handle that the user can grasp and apply pressure to in order to compact the yard refuse that has already been collected. The rigid refuse bag liner can be inserted into a yard refuse bag and that combination can then be used on a bagger attachment device coupled to a riding lawn mower for automatically collecting grass cuttings therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Inventor: Howard Abrams
  • Patent number: 6848247
    Abstract: A golf bunker rake has a coupling member adapted to receive a support. First teeth are connected to the support and have substantially round first tips. Second teeth are connected to the support and have substantially round second tips. The first teeth are longer than the second teeth. The rounded tips of the first teeth prevent damage to the golf bunker liner during use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Indian Valley Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne A. Rozen, Philip A. March, Sr., John Brauer
  • Patent number: 6848246
    Abstract: A mower unit attachable to a vehicle body includes a mower deck. The mower deck defines a grass discharge opening at an opposite side of one side wall, and has a plurality of rotary blades juxtaposed inside the mower deck to be rotatable about vertical axes. All of the rotary blades are rotatable in the same direction so that a front half, with respect to a traveling direction, of a track of rotation of each rotary blade points toward the side having the grass discharge opening. A rear baffle depends from a top board of the mower deck for enclosing the rotary blades in combination with a front wall, and surrounds, in form of a concentric part circle, a rear portion of the track of rotation of each rotary blade. A front baffle and a mulching baffle are provided to be selectively attached to the mower deck to be located forwardly of the tracks of rotation of the rotary blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Samejima, Yoshikazu Togoshi, Teruo Shimamura, Masatoshi Yamaguchi, Yoshiyuki Esaki, Kenichi Chujo, Yoshihiro Kawahara
  • Patent number: 6843324
    Abstract: A manual gardening implement having two tools, for example ground-working tools having tines for breaking up soil. At least one of the tools has two positions, a working position in which it is located at the working end of a shaft of the implement, and a non-working position in which the tool is drawn up the shaft away from the ground-working end of the implement to occupy a retracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Inventor: Charles Basek
  • Patent number: 6843719
    Abstract: A sieve assembly for separating grain from chaff inside of a combine. The sieve assembly comprises a plurality of longitudinal sieve planks that pivot on their longitudinal axis. A hanging weighted member combined with the sieve planks regulates the angle of the sieve planks relative to the combine. As the combine becomes laterally inclined on a hillside, the weighted member changes its angular position relative to the combine. In doing so, the weighted member causes the sieve planks to pivot on their longitudinal axis so that the sieve planks remain level relative to the horizon. Dividers extend between each sieve plank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Inventor: David Sacquitne
  • Patent number: 6840030
    Abstract: A thatching attachment for a rotary power lawn mower that uses short lengths of nylon trimmer cord as bristles to thatch lawns by mounting the brushes on a blade. The device uses alternatives to bristles and new arrangements of the blades to better groom lawns overall. The new thatching elements work on all types of grasses and perform better than plain nylon bristles. Moreover, these thatching elements last longer and are, therefore, more economical. Finally, my new designs are better at mulching the cuttings, which reduces the amount of waste picked up by the mower. This saves time and cost of bagging and disposal of the waste.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Inventor: John A. Monaco
  • Patent number: 6840854
    Abstract: A chopper and discharge apparatus includes a stationary housing for attachment to the rear discharge of a combine harvester so that straw is fed from the combine into an inlet of the housing and is discharged from an outlet of the housing. Within the housing is mounted a hub for rotation about the horizontal axis with the hub carrying a plurality of lugs at angularly and axially spaced positions therearound, each lug carrying a pair of pivotal blade members which are rotated with the hub in the form of flails. Each lug is associated with a stationary blade on the inside of the housing so that the pair of blades carried on each lug sweep past the stationary blade each on a respective side of the stationary blade. The blade members include some flat cutting blades in a center section and only fan blades in end fan sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Inventor: Leo Redekop
  • Patent number: 6836981
    Abstract: A hydraulic control circuit for a boom cylinder in a work machine, which, when controlling supply and discharge of pressurized oil with respect to a boom cylinder, improves fuel efficiency, work efficiency in combined operations, and improves work efficiency and operationality in the work of difficult boom operations, such as debris raking-up work and bumping work, wherein the hydraulic control circuit of a boom cylinder is provided with a change valve to hold a first boom control valve at a neutral position, a communication line for causing a head side oil chamber and a rod side oil chamber to communicate with each other, an opening valve for opening and closing the corresponding communication line, and pilot operating check valve that is changed to an unidirectional state where, although an oil flow from the head side oil chamber to the rod side oil chamber is permitted, a reverse flow is hindered, and to a bi-directional state where oil flows in both directions, and further a second boom control valve is p
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Yoshino, Yoshiyuki Shimada